Atlantic Council The Strategist : This week, we hosted a conversation with Gen. James B. Hecker; led a panel on the world in 2024; and hosted an event on changing nuclear dynamics in northeast Asia. We also analyzed President Zelenskyy's trip to Washington; explored how to strengthen NATO; assessed a new north-south Atlantic partnership; and more.

 

Hi Önder, This week, we hosted a conversation with Gen. James B. Hecker; led a panel on the world in 2024; and hosted an event on changing nuclear dynamics in northeast Asia. We also analyzed President Zelenskyy's trip to Washington; explored how to strengthen NATO; assessed a new north-south Atlantic partnership; and more.

Events This Week

Flying High with Europe and Africa: A Conversation with General James B. Hecker Every year, the Scowcroft Center hosts conversations with senior military leaders through its Commanders Series, which is generously supported by Saab. Since 2022, we have hosted conversations focused on the role of the Army in the National Defense Strategy, how the Navy is navigating the current security environment, and more. On September 19, we published Flying High with Europe and Africa: A Conversation with General James B. Hecker, featuring the Commander of US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO’s Allied Air Command. Gen. Hecker talked about the future of US and allied airpower in the European and African theaters, lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, and his five key priorities for the US Air Forces and NATO. Addressing his priorities and lessons from Russia’s war on Ukraine, Hecker states, “So the first priority is to make sure that we can neutralize those anti-access, aerial denial, integrated air and missile defense system that Russia has. So that’s one of our top priorities, is to make that happen. And it’s not going to be as easy as it was in Desert Storm.”

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2023 Global Citizen Awards Every year, the Atlantic Council hosts the Global Citizen Awards during the United Nations General Assembly week in New York. The awards underscore the Council's significantly expanded global mission and salutes a vast array of global citizens, ranging from heads of state to world-renowned artists. This week, the Atlantic Council honored Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida; Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen; and First Eastern Investment Group Chairman and CEO Victor Chu.

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Atlantic Council in New York: Global Foresight 2024 Every year, the Scowcroft Center releases its annual assessment of trends, risks, and opportunities shaping the global future in our Global Foresight report. What are the key factors already influencing 2024? On Tuesday, September 19, Peter Engelke joined a panel as part of the Atlantic Council’s programming in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. During this wide-ranging discussion, he addressed some of the themes that will shape this year’s Global Foresight report.

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New Nuclear Dynamics of Northeast Asia Over the past two months, the United States, Japan, and South Korea have redoubled efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, while the leaders of Russia and North Korea met to deepen ties between their respective countries. Amid an increasingly contested geopolitical landscape, how are nuclear dynamics shifting in northeast Asia? On Thursday, September 21, the Scowcroft Center and The Korea Society co-hosted New Nuclear Dynamics of Northeast Asia, which explored the implications of China's and North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenals and their closer alignment with Russia, the potential for simultaneous conflicts in East Asia, and the need for a paradigm shift of US and allied thinking about deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Panelists included Scowcroft Center VP and senior director Matthew Kroenig; Indo-Pacific Security Initiative director Markus Garlauskas; Sue Mi Terry, former director of the Wilson Center's Asia Program; and Scowcroft Center nonresident fellow Jessica Taylor.

Watch here

New Content

Zelenskyy Faces Down Washington Roadblocks This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Joe Biden and members of Congress to secure continued aid for Ukraine in its effort to oust Russian invaders. Why does the timing of this visit matter, and what are the key takeaways? In Zelenskyy Faces Down Washington Roadblocks, Andrew Michta writes that Zelenskyy's visit came at a critical time for the future of Western support to Ukraine, noting that in Washington, continued aid is "now entangled in the frantic effort both to avert a government shutdown and to counter the deepening partisan divisions on the Hill on congressional support for Kyiv."

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We’re Going to Need a Bigger NATO — But Especially a Better NATO Next year’s NATO summit will be momentous, as the Alliance celebrates its 75th anniversary amid the largest war in Europe in decades. Much attention has focused on NATO expansion, but how can an enlarged Alliance also be a better Alliance? In We’re Going to Need a Bigger NATO — But Especially a Better NATO, Scowcroft Center Advisory Council Chairman Gen. James L. Jones and Scowcroft Center Distinguished Fellow Gen. Tod D. Wolters discuss NATO’s Concept for Deterrence and Defense of the Euro-Atlantic Area, an “updated military concept [that] advances NATO’s operations from one predominantly focused on crisis management to one structured to meet the full range of potential security contingencies, including the high-intensity warfare taking place in Ukraine today.” The key task ahead is implementation, which will “require a whole-of-alliance commitment and collaboration, including vital public-private sector partnerships.”

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Does the New Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation Mark a Sea Change in Transatlantic Relations? Earlier this week, the White House announced the creation of the “Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation,” which includes thirty-two countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, Africa, and the Americas. What are the pact’s implications for US engagement with the Global South and north-south Atlantic relations? In Does the New Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation Mark a Sea Change in Transatlantic Relations?, several Scowcroft Center experts offer their thoughts on this question. Matthew Kroenig hopes this initiative “plants the seed for more robust future engagement as the United States seeks to win over the Global South away from the revisionist autocracies and toward the free world.” Chris Skaluba observes that "the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation is ostensibly a chance for participating countries to build a new 'Atlanticist' institution together." Christian Folsgaard adds, “The formal creation of the Partnership is a welcome first step toward a more proactive approach to US-led diplomacy throughout the north and south Atlantic.”

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Why the Putin-Kim Meeting Raises Nuclear Concerns Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un met in Russia’s far east to bolster cooperation and Kim promised Putin his “full and unconditional” support. What are the implications of this meeting for Russia’s war on Ukraine and beyond? In Why the Putin-Kim Meeting Raises Nuclear Concerns, Markus Garlauskas warns that Russian satellite technology could expand North Korea’s nuclear capabilities to directly impact the United States. He adds that this summit could be a dangerous step toward the creation of a new “axis of authoritarianism” between Russia, North Korea, and China, posing “a whole new level of challenge to the international order.”

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Work with Us

Associate Director, Transatlantic Security Initiative The Scowcroft Center seeks a self-starter who is detail-oriented, adaptable, innovative, and strategic for a position as an associate director with our Transatlantic Security Initiative. The associate director will work with and help to oversee the initiative’s staff to execute TSI's day-to-day programming and contribute to the short- and long-term administrative and programmatic management of the team. There will also be opportunities for the associate director to further develop as an expert and leader, including writing and co-authoring publications, speaking at Atlantic Council and external events, and deciding the strategic direction of the initiative. The successful candidate should have experience and interest in NATO and European security and defense. Learn more and apply here.

Scowcroft in the Spotlight Kroenig in Financial Times on the UN's relevance in a divided world Konaev quoted in TIME on the evolution of US security assistance to Ukraine Ullman in The Hill on Beijing's view of US outreach and in The Messenger on US defense spending and strategy Zeleni quoted in VOA on high-level talks between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia [in Serbian] Cynkin on VOA Korea discussing Putin-Kim meeting, quoted in VOA Korea on how GOP presidential candidates might approach North Korea, and quoted in Yonhap on the prospect of declassifying information related to Russia-North Korea trade [in Korean]