Perturbed by Nigeria’s inability to curtail the rising terror attacks and its threat to transatlantic security, the United States is to brainstorm on its response. This will constitute the fulcrum of a panel of discussion in Washington D.C in mid December under the auspices of the Atlantic Council.  The Atlantic Council is the policy think tank of the US and its recommendations are taken seriously by the US government and its agencies.
Founded in 1961,  the Council has been a preeminent, non partisan institution devoted to promoting transatlantic cooperation and international security and  provides an essential forum for navigating dramatic shifts in economic and political influence.
Now in its 50th year, the  Council is harnessing that history of transatlantic leadership and applying its founders’ vision to a broad spectrum of modern global challenges from violent extremism to financial instability and from NATO’s future to energy security.
Tagged, “Gulf of Guinea Piracy: A Growing Threat to Transatlantic Security,” the  panelists will discuss the recent history of maritime depredation in the Gulf of Guinea and what recent events tell us about how these might develop.
They will also consider the role of naval force and private armed security in the protection of shipping, and the potential impact of Nigeria’s growing internal turmoil on regional maritime security, and how the US should respond to this threat.  
 The panel will be chaired by Admiral Henry Ulrich (Ret) a former commander of the United States Naval Forces and commander, Allied Joint Force Command, Naples.
Keen followers of the activities of the council and its influence on official positions say the decision to set a panel for Nigeria’s terrorism experience is widely seen as a  statement on the handling of the Boko Haram increasing attacks by the government of the day. A statement from the organizers indicated that, “Nigeria’s failure to deal adequately with the revolt in the Niger Delta, the rising terror threat in the north—with expanding ties between the indigenous Boko Haram sect, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and other radical Islamist groups—has caused some to worry that Nigeria may be a failed state in the making, its extraordinary oil wealth notwithstanding.”
BusinessWorld gathers that the interest of the United States is that  the growing number of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea  in which Nigeria is a prominent presents the most direct threat to US economic security.
The thinking in Washington is that once concentrated off Nigeria, acts of maritime robbery, kidnapping, and violence have now spread to Nigeria’s neighbors including Cameroon and, more recently, Benin and not much is done by the Jonathan administration to curtail it.  Although an essentially transatlantic body, the council has in recent times created what it call regional  programs to veer into happenings outside the transatlantic zone.
Such programs include the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, the South Asia Center which provides a forum for countries in greater South Asia to engage with one another. There is also the Asia Program which focuses on US-EU-Asia ties, US-China relations and long-term strategic challenges, Cross-strait relations, and Asia security, as well as the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, which works to transform U.S. and European policy approaches to Africa by building strong geopolitical partnerships with African states to enhance security and strengthen economic growth and prosperity on the continent.
It would be recalled that on  April 14 2010,  the Atlantic Council formally launched the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center with a public address by  Goodluck Jonathan, the  Acting President of  Nigeria.
In his first visit to the United States, Jonathan discussed his priorities of promoting good governance in the areas of power, economy, security, infrastructure, social sector, the electoral process, and the fight against corruption.  Mr. Michael S. Ansari, whose vision enabled the creation of the Ansari Africa Center, was present.