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A careful selection and summary of editorials, commentaries, and analyses from the world’s leading newspapers and magazines to help you stay on top of the latest debates and developments in the transatlantic agenda. See list of monitoring sources.
Readers can also see how the perspectives and priorities diverge in different regions.

Major Geopolitical Consequencs of Mumbai Attacks

Assuming Islamist militant groups planned the Mumbai attacks, India’s government will have little choice but to blame Pakistan and would loose domestic credibility if it does not retaliate. ++ This will have massive geopolitical consequences for the US. ++ Unless Pakistan takes immediate steps to suppress Islamist extremists, India and the US will threaten action. ++ Such pressure could cause massive destabilization in Pakistan, not only affecting NATO operations in Afghanistan but also amplifying the danger of its nuclear capabilities.

Victory in Iraq but Not for Neoconservatives

Iraq's deal with the US to end the occupation means the complete defeat of the neoconservative plan to turn Iraq into a pro-western ally. ++ Iraqis no longer see the US as the lesser threat to al-Qaeda and subsequently want US troops out. ++ “The deal gives Iraq's national resistance almost everything it fought for” like veto over military actions and jurisdiction over troops who commit crimes. ++ The pact allows the US to retreat with dignity, but is not the sought after “platform from which to project US power across the Middle East.“

Europe's Role Reversal over Russia

In the past, the European right reliably took a hard-line stance against Russian expansionism, with the left playing the role of apologists. ++ “Today, there has been an odd reversal,” with the likes of Merkel, Berlusconi, and Sarkozy – Europe’s right – acting as stalwarts for Russia (the latter having done a phenomenal job of irking Eastern Europe in the process). ++ It is once again “Washington’s duty and responsibility to decide, alone and without a clear, united European line, how the democratic world should respond to today’s Russia.”

Obama Must Rekindle Climate Debate

The US elected a president to meet the challenge of climate change. ++ Obama has chosen energy experts and supporters of cap-and-trade programs for his cabinet. ++ By 2050 he intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80%. ++ He wants to create jobs and cheap energy through investment in renewable and "clean coal" energy. ++ This is a more optimistic message than what is heard from the rest of the world, due to the financial crisis. ++ Obama needs to convince Congress so that the US can lead the world on climate issues.

Crushing Corruption in Arab Lands

The UN Anti-Corruption Convention is an “elaborate and cogent” text; its virtue, however, lies in its implementation. ++ Corruption in the Arab world is rampant, mostly due to a lack of societal “transparency, integrity, and accountability.” ++ Provided that “the structure of authority in a country is not amenable to effective accountability,” there is little hope for eradicating endemic corruption. ++ A “concomitant drive to democratize our systems and our societies” is needed as accountability is intrinsic to the structure of democracies.

Discontent With Maliki Shakes US-Iraqi Security Pact

Iraqi PM Maliki Iraq faces tough opposition today as his cabinet scrambles to find support for a US withdrawal bill. ++ "The opposition is about Maliki" said a US official. ++ A failure of the bill would mean a US withdrawal starting early next year, instead of ending in 2011. ++ Maliki has ruled out an extension to the current UN mandate for the US troops, which runs out at the end of the year. ++ Intense negotiations have preceded the vote. ++ Sunni politicians want guarantees that Sunni prisoners will be transferred to Sunni-run jails.

Syrian-Isreali Peace is the Key to Success

Instead of focusing on an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement, Obama should invest in Israeli-Syrian negotiations. ++ Talks between Syria and Israel will focus on “withdrawal, peace, security and water - and the gaps are clear and ready to be bridged.” ++ Cementing such a deal would restructure the whole region in favor of US interests, giving Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran less options. ++ Obama should press for negotiations to that end. ++ Satisfying the security needs of both countries will be costly and require US troops.

Eastern Europe Needs Financial Protection Too

As EU banks have been stabilized, east European subsidiaries have been discarded because some don’t want to use taxpayer money abroad. ++ As a result, investors are fleeing the “wrong side of a financial Iron Curtain.” ++ The EU ignores eastern Europe’s significance to their own prosperity. ++ If the crises remains in eastern Europe, production across Europe will slow, causing lasting damage to the EU’s economy. ++ The region needs more than IMF support; the EU must rethink its neighborhood policy and cultivate European solidarity.

Dalai Lama Losing Britain in the Financial Crisis

After asking China to give more to the IMF, Britain has drastically changed its position on Tibet, no longer recognizing it as autonomous. ++ This change of heart risks tearing up historical agreements that frame the international order and “could provide the basis for resolving China’s dispute with Tibet.” ++ Britain’s concession could be China’s biggest triumph over the West in decades. ++ China’s opinions are welcome during this crisis, but Western powers cannot let its monetary leverage cause them to rewrite history.

Use Satellites and Aircraft Carriers Against the Pirates

Somaliland is a relatively stable part of Somalia that claims independence, and might deserve it. ++ Other regions, Puntland and the south of Somalia, are bases for pirates, fundamentalists, and warlords; they should be eliminated by coordinated air strikes on their pirate vessels, followed by assault troops. ++ Their assets should be frozen, all ships to ports in Puntland intercepted. ++ Then the original causes of piracy can be addressed: the looting of their fishing waters by mechanized fleets and the unstable single Somali state.