The (Ex) Washington Realist

I've always found it odd when people talk about a country that may be in the heart of Eurasia as being part of the Atlantic world (and I've heard India (!) sometimes described that way as well)--yet somehow there seems to be a magic line at the straits of Gilbraltar below which the Atlantic world somehow abruptly ends. It's even more strange given the growing importance of West Africa to the energy security of the United States.

Hence, my latest contribution to the Atlantic Council's New Atlanticist blog. As I ask, "Shouldn't there be a much greater focus and effort on the part of the U.S. and its European partners to working more closely with North and West Africa?"