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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SyriaSource

Dec 5, 2018

Why the situation in Rukban is deteriorating

By Aisha Han and Rachel Rossi

In the remote Rukban desert along the Syrian-Jordanian border, there is a makeshift settlement that houses approximately 50,000 Syrian refugees. The settlement is located inside a 20-square-mile deconfliction zone, north of the sand berm where the Jordanian, Syrian, and Iraqi borders meet; it is also south of the nearby US-led coalition base in al-Tanf. Starting […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Dec 5, 2018

An uncertain future for Georgian democracy

By Luis Navarro

In her election night victory speech on November 28, Zurabishvili took an important, positive step by acknowledging the need to reach out to those who didn’t vote for her after a very tough and divisive race.

Central Asia The Caucasus

New Atlanticist

Dec 5, 2018

Can sanctions put a dent in crypto crime?

By Michael B. Greenwald

On November 28, the US Treasury Department took an important step in responding to the SamSam ransomware cyberattacks, which occurred earlier this year. Considered one of the most effective cyberattacks in US history, the hackers behind SamSam since 2015 have targeted institutions ranging from companies to hospitals to schools, demanding payments in Bitcoin as ransom. […]

Technology & Innovation United States and Canada

EconoGraphics

Dec 5, 2018

Trade Disrupted: US and China Need More Than a Truce

By Ole Moehr

At this year’s G20 summit in Buenos Aires, the trade dispute between China and the United States took center stage. Chinese President Xi and his US counterpart President Donald Trump agreed to avoid further escalations of the ongoing bilateral trade war for the next 90 days. The temporary deal does not assuage the escalatory measures already taken, leaving the existing tariffs in place. This edition of the EconoGraphic explores how the brewing trade conflict is impacting manufacturing supply chains, soybean cargo routes, and trade flows of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) among the United States, China, and the rest of the world.

China Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2018

The threat of AI to energy security

By Lukas Trakimavičius

In the near future, this highly disruptive breed of malware will usher in a new era of threats to the energy industry, allowing hostile actors to wreak havoc on a scale hitherto unknown.

Cybersecurity Energy & Environment

IranSource

Dec 3, 2018

Iran’s Ballistic Missile Inventory

By Clara Belk

The Trump administration had major qualms with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) prompting the US withdrawal in May. These included the sunset provisions, which provide expiration dates for certain restrictions, and its narrow targeting of Iran’s nuclear program without addressing the continued enhancement of its ballistic missile arsenal, which enables the regime’s “malign […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2018

Qatar’s withdrawal signals ‘a weakening of OPEC’

By David A. Wemer

Qatar’s withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will “signal a weakening of OPEC at a time when it is in some ways less powerful than it used to be, but also more crucial in balancing the market because US production is so strong,” Randolph Bell, director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center said. Announcing Qatar’s […]

Oil and Gas The Gulf

EnergySource

Dec 3, 2018

From fiscal drain to economic engine: The case for reforming Ukraine’s energy sector

By Sagatom Saha and Ilya Zaslavskiy

After Russia invaded in 2014, Ukraine managed to avoid direct imports of Russian gas, weakening the Kremlin’s most important lever over the country’s economy and sovereignty. However, Ukraine still faces a dire choice as inefficiency, corruption, and lack of transparency continue to hamper its natural gas sector. Going forward, it can choose to advance energy […]

Energy Markets & Governance Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Dec 3, 2018

Anti-Corruption Reformer Ready for Round Two

By Viola Gienger

Olena Tregub spent more than two years working around the clock to help revitalize her moribund government ministry in Ukraine. As director of international aid coordination for the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, her mission was to bring some transparency to $12 billion of foreign assistance pouring into the country after 2014. Tracking assistance, […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2018

President George H.W. Bush had ‘the vision thing’ in spades

By Damon Wilson

President George H.W. Bush – more than any post-Cold War president – successfully articulated a vision of a “Europe whole and free” that became an historically successful strategy guiding US policy for the subsequent twenty-five years.

Democratic Transitions Politics & Diplomacy