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

Jan 25, 2021

Navalny’s arrest is Biden’s first big test. Here’s how he can pass it.

By Daniel Fried, Anders Åslund

What happens next matters. The US response (or lack of response) will show how much Russian President Vladimir Putin’s internal repression—including assassinations—will factor into the Biden team’s overall Russia policy. The trick for the Biden administration will be to respond with sufficient firmness and cross-Atlantic coordination to puncture Putin’s apparent sense of impunity while leaving space for cooperation with Russia where that makes sense.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Russia

IranElections2021

Jan 25, 2021

Iran’s hardliners think Biden might hurt their June presidential election strategy

By Saeid Jafari

Hardliners had hoped that Donald Trump’s re-election would help them to oust the reformist and moderate candidates in June’s presidential election. Now hardliners are concerned that the new US administration will destroy their plans.

Iran Middle East

MENASource

Jan 25, 2021

Region’s economies will benefit from Gulf-Qatar deal

By Tim Fox

The embargo had a significant negative impact on Qatar’s economy first and foremost, but it also had indirect consequences across the Gulf, and these were ultimately in part responsible for the decision to bring the dispute to a close.

Middle East The Gulf

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2021

COP26: The key trends to watch ahead of the world’s next climate conference

By Larry Luxner

COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland—delayed until November 2021—is more likely to produce significant results now that US President Joe Biden occupies the White House, said a group of experts meeting virtually the day after Biden’s inauguration.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

UkraineAlert

Jan 22, 2021

Ukraine’s historic gas sector reforms are under threat

By Aura Sabadus

The transformation of Ukraine's gas sector is widely seen as one of the few reform success stories since the country's 2014 Revolution of Dignity, but recent political decisions are placing this progress in doubt.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Oil and Gas

Global Energy Forum

Jan 21, 2021

The many new ways energy and national security are intersecting

By Larry Luxner

Oil and gas will still play a crucial role in the world’s economy even as clean-energy “electrostates” rise in prominence, and Biden will prioritize the threat of climate change like no president has before him.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

GeoTech Cues

Jan 21, 2021

Reimagining a just society pt. 3 | A coming shift in perspective

By Carol Dumaine

In retrospect, the COVID-19 pandemic may mark a paradigm shift in global society if governments and their citizens worldwide today embrace its lessons, including many still emerging. One of these lessons concerns the dangers of ignoring knowledge we already had about interconnections between global public health, economic and national security, and ecological degradation.

Civil Society Climate Change & Climate Action

EconoGraphics

Jan 21, 2021

Addressing African debt burdens

By Stefan de Villiers

Across the world, COVID-19 has ravaged economies and government revenues. For many sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations, that has tipped the delicate balance of debt. Zambia was the first affected, defaulting on debt obligations in November. Many more must take action to avoid the same fate, including Angola, Gabon, Ghana, and Kenya, among others.

Africa Fiscal and Structural Reform

EnergySource

Jan 21, 2021

Why digitalization is the future of energy as big oil and gas players decarbonize

By Leo Simonovich

The way companies handle the rapid transformation caused by digitalization across their value chains—and their resilience and security against cyberattacks—will become a major market differentiator. As the oil and gas industry increasingly relies on digitally connected energy assets, automation, and remote operations, cyber risks will have a direct, and growing, impact on operations. Cybersecurity is quickly becoming a key enabler of companies’ competitive advantage in the digitized energy future, protecting core value by ensuring trust and providing stability of operations and resilience against unplanned outages.

Cybersecurity Energy & Environment

MENASource

Jan 21, 2021

What MENA leaders should expect from the Biden administration

By David Mack

MENA governments should pay careful attention to shifting priorities and policy agendas if they aim to maintain or improve relations with Washington.

Middle East