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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.

A More Stable Banking System

By passing an economic rescue package, Congress intended to stabilize the banking system by “purchasing illiquid mortgages and mortgage-related securities.” ++ Rising unemployment, falling house prices and European economies in crisis have averted the desired outcome. ++ However, the next administration will have less trouble dealing with challenges as it will face a “more stable banking system.” ++ “Resources, authority and potential programs” will help deal with liquidity needs of credit providers and boost the economic recovery.

Flight Paths out of Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been at war for almost 30 years. ++ The possibility of US exit strategies hovers on the horizon but winning the war would require carpet-bombing of southern Afghanistan. ++ Many Afghans hostile to the Taliban still support the resistance. ++ The British ambassador to Kabul considers the war lost. ++ General Petraeus will not be able to work miracles in Afghanistan. ++ The main task should be creation of social infrastructure and the preservation of peace. ++ Only breaking with previous policy offers a viable future.

Britain's Black Gold Runs Out

The largely unknown British oil industry was one of the largest in the world, but is now running dry. ++ The drilling platforms off the shore of Scotland gave Prime Minister Thatcher a one-time economic boost that funded her economic policies. ++ The possibility of an independent, oil-financed Scotland has not made oil popular in the UK. ++ Production has fallen 40% since 1999, and Britain has dropped from being the world's 6th largest oil producer to its 17th. ++ The importance of oil to the UK may only be realized once it is gone.

Europe's Economy Needs Cooperative Efforts

To answer the G20’s calls for budgetary stimulus, Europe needs a three-part recovery program. ++ EU member states must pledge to equally share the burden of recovery. ++ Because many countries will exceed EU deficit limits, budgetary boosts need to be accompanied by an agreement to strengthen the EU’s fiscal framework. ++ Member states should make a commitment to avoid borrowing at unusually high interest rates. ++ If the EU ignores these suggestions, “it risks paying a high economic and political price.”

The US Must Rely on Economic and Military Power

The Bush administration destroyed American goodwill abroad. ++ Obama is a welcome change, but there are limits to what "soft power" can achieve. ++ White House glamour will be useless if Asia stops buying US treasury bonds. ++ As the IMF slips out of American hands, so does world economic leadership and we return to a multi-polar world. ++ Soft power counts for little without economic backing, and is practically worthless against missiles in Kaliningrad. ++ Obama's capacity for "hard power" is lacking when compared to earlier US presidents.

"Pass the Colombian Trade Agreement"

In 2006 president Bush signed a free-trade agreement with Colombia that Congress has yet to pass, arguing Colombia’s state of human rights is unacceptable. ++ Most Colombian exports are free of tariffs, in view of efforts to combat the drug economy there. ++ The US would benefit from such an agreement by not having to pay high tariffs on exports to Colombia. ++ With regard to the $600 million that the US provides for military and anti-narcotics aid, Washington has a powerful tool to press for an improvement of Colombia’s human rights record.

"The Remaking of NATO"

One of Obama’s most trying tasks as president will be to redefine NATO, which lacks “a clear mission” and has “outlived its original purpose.” ++ The thorny issue of Ukrainian and Georgian accession will need to be negotiated with other NATO members. ++ NATO’s mission in Afghanistan is an “out-of-area conflict,” allowing members to decide what role, if any, their soldiers play. ++ The present security environment requires evolving threats to be tackled ad hoc while NATO works toward outgrowing its Cold War mandate.

Hard Road Ahead for Obama

Obama is going to have a very hard time fulfilling his campaign promises. ++ The heavy financial burden of the market bailout will slow his progress, especially since his tax policy proposals don’t seem to even cover his planned health-care reforms. ++ Obama’s preference for negotiation and economic sanctions might not get results with Iran and N. Korea and Israel’s upcoming election will determine how his tactics will work in the Middle East. ++ His good repute in Europe may not suffice in getting much needed troops to Afghanistan.

The Security Council's Congo Shame

Congo’s civil war has rendered the eastern region of the nation a “humanitarian catastrophe.” ++ Over 250,000 people are displaced in a conflict that finds its roots in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. ++ Of the 17,000 UN peacekeepers in the country, only 5,400 are located in the east. ++ African leaders should step in to usher a power-sharing arrangement; that is unlikely given Congo’s interested neighbors. ++ Ban Ki-Moon’s call for an additional 3,000 peacekeepers was shamefully postponed by the Security Council.

Realistic Expectations: G20

This weekend's G20 summit was a mixed bag: Obama did not attend, lame-duck Bush cannot make any serious commitments, and yet, the G20 may be jockeying its way into an important position. ++ National governments promised to focus on macroeconomic coordination, and regulatory standards via the IMF or Financial Stability Forum (FSF). ++ "It would be good if Saturday's declaration proved to be the old G7's death certificate - even better if the G20 could be made into a more compact and efficient replacement."