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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

Dec 11, 2019

Waving the flag of digital sovereignty

By Kenneth Propp

European leaders are feeling besieged again. Having spent the past several years building up Europe’s physical defenses against migrants, they now see themselves faced with a less tangible sort of invasion—US technology companies dominating their markets and vacuuming up the personal data of their citizens. And so the cry has gone up from Berlin, Brussels, and Paris: “Digital sovereignty!”

Digital Policy European Union

UkraineAlert

Dec 11, 2019

Russia-Ukraine Paris peace talks: The view from Berlin

By Mattia Nelles

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?

Conflict Germany

SyriaSource

Dec 10, 2019

Life after war: The impact of conflict on Syrian artists

By Natasha Hall

After a scrawled graffiti message in Daraa, Syrian artists began to express themselves more than they ever could since the Assad family took power. Revolutionary art exploded on to the global scene during the Arab Spring. Particularly in Syria, artists, writers, and filmmakers found a new voice, free of fear. Defiance, grief, and frustration were […]

Conflict Resilience & Society

New Atlanticist

Dec 10, 2019

Don’t let tech policy disrupt the US-India trade deal

By Anand Raghuraman

Yet as negotiators prepare for the final stage of the talks, India’s efforts to advance three new tech policies could emerge as a potential spoiler. Preventing a downward spiral in bilateral trade relations will require India to tread cautiously in its approach to tech policy and delay new measures that would disrupt a trade deal.

India Trade and tariffs

New Atlanticist

Dec 10, 2019

Albania’s former foreign minister: EU made “strategic mistake” in delaying accession negotiations

By David A. Wemer

The failure of European Union leaders to greenlight the start of the enlargement process for Albania and North Macedonia in October was “a step backwards” for the region’s path towards European integration, according to former Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati.

European Union The Balkans

UkraineAlert

Dec 10, 2019

How not to discuss with Russia

By Anders Åslund

With global security threatened by the dawn of a new Cold War, dialogue between Russia and the West has never been more important, but when the desire for discussion prevents honest appraisal of the facts, the results can be counterproductive, argues Anders Åslund

International Norms Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Dec 10, 2019

What the United States can learn from Europe on fighting cyberattacks and disinformation

By John Burton

If you want to deal effectively with cyber challenges then you need to address not just the computer part…but the political part as well, the human being behind the attack,” said Jonatan Vseviov, the Estonian ambassador to the United States.

Disinformation European Union

UkraineAlert

Dec 10, 2019

Q&A: What do Paris talks mean for the Russia-Ukraine peace process?

By Peter Dickinson

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?

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

AfricaSource

Dec 9, 2019

N’oublions pas le pastoralisme dans l’agenda climatique

By Abdoul Salam Bello and Rama Yade

Les activités commerciales liées au pastoralisme en Afrique représentent environ un volume de l’ordre du milliard de dollars par an et entre 10 et 44% du produit intérieur brut (PIB) des pays africains. Au total, près d’ 1,3 milliard de personnes bénéficient de la chaîne de valeur du bétail.

Africa Climate Change & Climate Action

New Atlanticist

Dec 9, 2019

What’s behind Chile’s protests

By Maria Borselli

What started as a student protest over a spike in subway fares on October 18 has turned into a popular riot in Chile. Despite the twenty-six dead and thirteen thousand injured, the protesters continue to march and clash with the police in Santiago in an uprising that has surprised domestic, regional, and international experts alike.

Latin America Politics & Diplomacy