Based in Brussels, Belgium, the Transatlantic Institute is a research outfit whose mission is to serve "as
an intellectual bridge between the United States and the European Union." (A different group by
the same name is based in the United Kingdom.) Founded in 2004 as the American Jewish Committee's (AJC) "latest
initiative in international diplomacy," the institute says that its main focus is "improving
dialogue" and "strengthening transatlantic ties" (AJC, February 12, 2004). In its publications,
the institute's devotion to improving transatlantic dialogue often translates into pushing Europe to
adopt policies in line with those of the George W. Bush administration as part of its "war on
terror." Its main research areas include "featured topics" like Iran, the Palestinian
Authority, the Middle East, Terrorism, and Radicalization. The focus of many of its featured publications,
which are offered in a number of different languages, is terrorism and other threats seen as emanating
from Muslim countries. Titles have included "Iran: The Case For Airline Sanctions," "Pakistan:
a Murky Crystal Ball," "Rumors of War: Assessing the Chances of a Syria-Israel Military Showdown," and "The
Middle East arms race revisited."
As of late 2007, the institute appeared to have four employees as well as a chairman, Louis Perlmutter,
a U.S. private equity fund adviser and former chairman of the board of trustees of Brandeis University
and the American Jewish Congress. The institute's executive director is Emanuele Ottolenghi, a frequent
contributor to a number of right-wing and neoconservative journals, including Commentary's
blog "Contentions" and the National Review Online. Dana Moss is the institute's senior
fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, and Daniel Rackowski is the institute's senior fellow on EU affairs.
In a letter to the editor of the Claremont Review of Books, a publication of the rightist Claremont
Institute in California, Ottolenghi pointed to failings in the Bush administration democracy
agenda and argued that the 9/11 terror attacks were the result of policies promoted by so-called
realists. He wrote: "It is not just Iraq that has soured the neoconservative agenda. Freedom's
foray into the Middle East has gone amiss. Lebanon's fledgling democracy is under sustained assault.
And in Palestine, elections briefly gave power to Islamists, before they dragged their society into
the brutal abyss of civil war. Few in the West wish to remember it now, but this was Algeria's condition,
too, 15 years ago. In that country, not to mention elsewhere in the region, a strongman's repression
seemed the only bulwark against savage anarchy. Western calls for a return to these old Middle East
ways are the kind of political expediency that passes for realism these days, especially when someone
else suffers for the sake of our political tranquility. Sadly, today's self-proclaimed realists forget
that 9/11 was a side effect of their strategy."
On Iran, Ottolenghi chides Europeans for not taking a stronger stance on Tehran's nuclear programs
and aggressive posture. In an October 2007 article posted on the institute's website entitled "Iran:
The Looming Threat," Ottolenghi pushed Europe to use its economic strength to pressure Iran, arguing
that Europeans "are doing something wrong, for our desire to make a profit with Iran in the short
term will leave us at a loss in the long term." He wrote: "Europe can use its mighty economic,
financial, and commercial clout to squeeze Iran. Iran's industry would come to a standstill if Europe
stopped selling spare parts. Iran's economy would freeze if Europe stopped providing refined oil products—Iran
has to import 40% of its gasoline despite being an exporter of crude. There is equally no need for
Europe to promote economic ties. Yet, bilateral chambers of commerce based in Tehran do just that.
European companies attend the annual fairs in the Iranian free trade zone in the island of Kish. And
so far, when Iranian dignitaries come to Europe on a visit, nobody objects to the numerous Iranian
business delegations they bring along. All this must change if Iran's regime is to be persuaded to
change course without the recourse to force."
The institute's other writers have adopted similar positions. A July 2007 article titled "Sanctions?
Business!" co-authored by Ottolenghi and Rackowski, argued that Europe's "credibility" and "core
values" depend on a singular achievement: "If Europe were to fail to prevent Iran's ambition
to build a nuclear bomb, the world—Europe first and foremost—would be a more dangerous place. The United
States, having backed Europe's multilateral diplomacy, would see this approach as a failure. The possibility
of unilateralism, coalitions of the willing, and pre-emptive strikes, would regain credence, after
the Iraq crisis cast a shadow on their viability." They highlighted Germany's dual roles as 2007
holder of the EU presidency and high-level trading partner with Iran, arguing: "As the current
holder of the EU presidency and therefore the lead EU country on the international scene, Germany is
a case in point: its volume of trade has increased very profitably precisely during the time when the
EU-3—having unmasked Iran's nuclear ambitions—was trying to persuade Iran to back down from its bellicose
intents" (Die Welt, September 4, 2007).
The Transatlantic Institute serves as venue for conferences, briefings, and debates on an assortment
of topics ranging from migration and development to Islamic extremism and UN peacekeeping operations.
Frequently, its events dealing with the Middle East feature figures from the United States closely
associated with the hardline pro-Israel lobby and the neoconservatives, often debating officials from
European countries. A November 18, 2006 "panel debate" entitled "What Policies Options
Exist Vis-a-vis Iran" featured Patrick Clawson of
the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in
debate with Martin Briens, deputy of the French government policy planning staff, and Efraim Inbar,
a professor at Israel's Bar Ilan University. The institute also sponsored a conference, "Is There
a New Middle East?" to be held December 2007, whose speakers included an assortment of U.S.- and
Europe-based experts, including two scholars from the American
Enterprise Institute known for their hardline take on Mideast affairs—Reuel
Marc Gerecht and Michael Rubin.
In its Form 990, the American Jewish Committee lists the "AJC Transatlantic Institute" in
Brussels as an affiliate to which it gave more than $295,000 for operating costs in 2004 (FoundationSearch.org).
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Contact Information
Transatlantic Institute
Quatre Brasstraat 6 Rue des Quatre-Bras
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +322 500 72 80
Fax: +322 500 72 90
E-mail: info@transatlanticinstitute.org
Web: www.transatlanticinstitute.org
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