Atlantic Council blogs

Atlantic Council blogs provide short-form analyses from Council experts and a wider community of global voices on the world’s most important news stories.
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New Atlanticist

Aug 15, 2025

Experts react: Trump and Putin just left Alaska without a deal. Here’s what that means for Russia’s war on Ukraine.

By Atlantic Council experts

The US and Russian presidents met in Anchorage for nearly three hours, but the talks did not bring a halt to Russia's ongoing assault on Ukraine.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

New Atlanticist

Aug 15, 2025

Talking past each other: Why the US-EU dispute over ‘free speech’ is set to escalate

By Kenneth Propp

Republican-led US lawmakers and the White House are likely just getting started in critiquing the European Union’s Digital Services Act.

European Union Internet

New Atlanticist

Aug 15, 2025

A milestone on Argentina’s long road to recovery

By Jason Marczak, Ignacio Albe

The International Monetary Fund recently completed the first review of Argentina’s Extended Fund Facility signed in April. The result was positive, reflecting the country’s larger economic trajectory under President Javier Milei.

Argentina Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Aug 15, 2025

What Russia’s war on Ukraine means for Central Asia 

By Tatiana Gfoeller

The course of Russia’s war against Ukraine will have massive implications for Moscow and Beijing’s competition for influence in Central Asia.

Central Asia China

AfricaSource

Aug 15, 2025

Cameroon could bridge the gap in US cocoa and timber imports

By R. Maxwell Bone

As cocoa prices surge and timber demand grows, Cameroon stands out as a strategic trade partner. US firms and policymakers have yet to fully seize the opportunity.

Africa Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Aug 14, 2025

Alaska Summit: Trump wants a real estate deal. Putin wants an empire.

By Peter Dickinson

US President Donald Trump appears to view peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin as a geopolitical real estate deal. But the Russian dictator is not fighting for land in Ukraine. He is fighting for Ukraine itself, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

EnergySource

Aug 14, 2025

US military readiness in the Pacific requires strengthening Guam’s power grid

By Emma Sampson

Guam’s energy system, already under strain, faces new operational demands. To ensure mission readiness, the Department of Defense must fortify Guam’s energy infrastructure against cyber, natural, and kinetic threats.

Energy & Environment English
Empty hospital beds line the ward of the emergency unit at the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria, during a nurses' strike protesting poor government support.

AfricaSource

Aug 14, 2025

Biased credit ratings are costing Africa billions—and worsening its health crises

By Maggie Mutesi

As debt payments outpace spending on health and education, African leaders are renewing calls to overhaul a credit ratings system they say punishes reform and deepens fragility. Zambia is a case in point.

Africa Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Aug 14, 2025

Trump should insist on the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia

By Mercedes Sapuppo

When US President Donald Trump sits down with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, he must demand the return of the thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict Human Rights

MENASource

Aug 13, 2025

What to know about the history (and future) of the Hezbollah disarmament question

By Kristian Patrick Alexander

Domestic opposition and international demands have brought the question of Hezbollah’s arms to the fore, placing the group in an increasingly precarious position.

Arms Control Conflict