Africa
Prime minister promises “Sudan will never be the same again”
“There is a success story that is emerging” in Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok told an audience at the Atlantic Council on December 5. In a “region full of crises and riddled with conflicts," he declared, “Sudan provides hope.”
Technology
The race to secure 5G networks: Another Sputnik moment for the United States?
Another Sputnik moment could be upon us, but this time the threat comes from China. What is urgently needed is another “JFK like” moment where the president takes to the nation the fact that we are in a struggle the likes of which we have not seen before.
China
NATO's China challenge
The biggest news – though woefully underreported – from the NATO Leaders' Meeting was that NATO, history’s most enduring and successful alliance, for the first-time defined China as a strategic challenge.
South Asia
Afghanistan at a crossroads
After decades of conflict, today there is at least a prospect that a path to peace in Afghanistan might be opened. At the same time, it seems that once again the country is at a crossroads, with its future to be determined by decisions that will be taken in the coming weeks by Afghans, their partners, and their adversaries.
Issue Spotlight: Conflict in Ukraine
Ukraine
Following more than five years of conflict in Ukraine’s east, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany convened in Paris on December 9 to try to find a lasting peaceful solution to the war in eastern Ukraine. With more than 1.4 million people displaced and over 13,000 dead, the Normandy Summit leaders will need to find a solution to the conflict while safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tue, Dec 10, 2019
Q&A: What do Paris talks mean for the Russia-Ukraine peace process?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the first time during long-awaited Normandy Four peace talks in Paris this week. While the meeting failed to produce any major breakthroughs, it did result in progress on a number of technical issues and a commitment to continue dialogue in spring 2020. What does this mean for the Russia-Ukraine peace process?
Tue, Dec 3, 2019
Ukraine faces a decisive December in a rapidly deteriorating geopolitical climate
With a NATO summit in London and long awaited peace talks in Paris, December is shaping up to be a decisive month for Ukraine, but the geopolitical climate is far from favorable and could deteriorate further.
UkraineAlert by
Wed, Dec 11, 2019
Russia-Ukraine Paris peace talks: The view from Berlin
Monday’s Normandy Four summit in the French capital saw German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron sitting down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in a bid to end years of deadly stalemate and bring to an end the undeclared war between Russia and Ukraine in the Donbas. What kind of impression did the long-awaited Paris summit make in Berlin?
UkraineAlert by
Commentary and analysis
Tue, Nov 12, 2019
“Brain-dead” or not “brain-dead”? That is not the question.
Macron’s interview is not about NATO or the United States, but rather about Europe. His interview reflects deep worries that Europe is gradually being on the menu of global power politics and about the means to ensure that it is at the table instead.
New Atlanticist by Olivier-Rémy Bel
Tue, Nov 12, 2019
Art of the Egyptian revolution
In 2011, Egyptians came out in unprecedented numbers to organize and build a revolution that inspired the region. One of the ways they did this was through street art. MENASource interviewed well-known Egyptian artist Ammar Abo Bakr on how street art began in Egypt and where it stands today.
MENASource by
Wed, Nov 13, 2019
The Saudi Aramco IPO: A valuation saga
The Saudi stock exchange in Riyadh has approved the trading of Saudi Aramco’s shares on the local stock market, signaling a rapid start to the initial public offering (IPO). The various investment banks looking to place and sell the shares to their clients have given widely different, but generally low, value to the company and the shares.
EnergySource by Jean-François Seznec
In-depth research and reports
Flagship events
Watch one of the highlights from NATO Engages: The Alliance at 70
Atlantic Council in the news
From the Atlantic Council’s Blogs
Spotlight: Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs
Director
William Wechsler
William F. Wechsler is director for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council and director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Wechsler’s most recent government position was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combatting Terrorism. He advised multiple Secretaries and helped coordinate interagency policies on a wide range of direct and indirect actions.
Tue, Oct 8, 2019
The MENA region: A great power competition
The idea of a ‘Russian resurgence’ in the Middle East set against a perceived American withdrawal has captured the attention of policymakers and scholars alike, warranting further examination.
Thu, Nov 7, 2019
Saudi-backed Yemeni government and separatists sign power-sharing agreement
On Tuesday, November 5, the Hadi government signed a power-sharing agreement with southern separatists in Riyadh. The separatists and Hadi-led Yemen Government are backed by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, specifically by the United Arab Emirates. Infighting between them further fractured the civil war in August when the separatists seized Aden from Saudi-led forces. It […]
MENASource by
Tue, Nov 5, 2019
Iran’s revolutionary bluster masks its role as oppressor in the Middle East
At their core, the problems in Iraq and Lebanon are the same as those in Iran, as they are in Egypt, Syria, Algeria and elsewhere in the Middle East: castes of entrenched, corrupt and incompetent rulers lord over young populations yearning for better lives.
IranSource by
Critical Issues
Resilience
The growing threats of climate change, migration, natural disasters, and spillover from violent conflict are forcing policy makers to focus on the resilience of their societies and institutions. While not all crises can be avoided, societies can be made more resilient through proper preparation before, during, and after a disaster or shock occurs.
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Disinformation
The rise of the internet and online social networks has altered the scope and scale at which people access, consume, and communicate information. But the same technologies that have democratized access to information have also enabled malicious actors who seek to undermine our democratic values and processes. Disinformation is false or misleading information spread with the intention to deceive.
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NATO
NATO is the bedrock of transatlantic security, encompassing nearly thirty democracies across North America and Europe. Created to defend against the Soviet Union, the Alliance today protects member states against conventional attack, engages in peacekeeping and stabilization operations, and leads counterterrorism and piracy efforts. NATO works with partner countries around the world and continues to promise an “open door” for countries to become members if they fulfill the Alliance’s democratic and operational standards.
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Critical Regions
Africa
A continent of fifty-four nations, Africa holds vast opportunity and promise. Its 1.2 billion population is expected to double by 2050 and become the world’s largest region. Alongside this demographic boom, Africa is home to almost half the world’s fastest-growing economies as its leaders are taking steps to expand the movement of goods, people, and capital within the continent. Demand for democracy is high and protest movements have proven that citizen activism can unseat consolidated African strongmen.
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Europe & Eurasia
Stretching from the shores of the Atlantic to the mountains of Central Asia, the European and Eurasian landmass contains both some of the most stable and wealthy countries in the world, as well as some of the poorest and those led by repressive regimes. After centuries of devastating conflicts, new institutions and organizations for economic, political, and security integration provide an opportunity to bring stability
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Middle East
Stretching from the Western Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, the Middle East continues to be a region struggling with violent conflict, political repression, and poor development. Numerous pro-democracy protest movements, a burgeoning youth population, and efforts to reform governments and lessen economic dependence on oil, however, are causes for optimism. The United States and the international community must remain engaged with the region to provide support for these positive moves and to address the many remaining challenges.
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