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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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MENASource

Nov 19, 2018

Saudi Arabia: Review the bidding now

By Frederic C. Hof

Reports that the CIA has concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi add weight and urgency to something recommended by this writer weeks ago: The United States should undertake a comprehensive, bottom-up national security review of the bilateral relationship with the Saudi Kingdom and its impact on American interests in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia

SyriaSource

Nov 19, 2018

One group’s work to stabilize Syria

By Reema Hibrawi

Few major implementors currently exist in Syria developing and executing projects to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure ranging from roads, buildings, healthcare system, agriculture and irrigation systems, to the electrical grid. Though a number of reasons limit the existence of project implementors, the primary reason is the ongoing conflict and lack of stability. A lack of […]

Syria

IranSource

Nov 19, 2018

New Wave of Sanctions Spurs Iranian Political Repositioning

By Giorgia Perletta

While ordinary Iranians struggle to find imported medicine and buy basic foods due to re-imposed sanctions, the political debate inside the Islamic Republic is anything but static. As announced, the new wave of US secondary sanctions came into force on November 5. This came after unsuccessful efforts by Europe to dissuade President Donald Trump from […]

Iran

IranSource

Nov 19, 2018

Why Iran won’t succumb to Trump’s sanctions

By Amir Handjani

The Trump administration has put into place a punishing new wave of sanctions against Iran that targets critical components of the Iranian economy from banks to energy, shipping and insurance. From the start of his administration, President Donald Trump has insisted that he can coerce Iran into reaching a “better deal” than the 2015 Joint […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2018

Securing the consumer internet of things

By Beau Woods and Jack Watson

Unfortunately, the norm for IoT devices is lax security—simple, hardcoded (unchangeable) passwords, and operating systems that can’t be patched or updated with security protection. Thus, on October 14, 2018, the United Kingdom’s department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) published its “Code of Practice for Consumer IoT Security.”

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2018

Will China’s economic slowdown lead to a major crisis?

By Josh Rudolph

Both bears and bulls make equally compelling arguments about China’s current challenges, suggesting the probability of a major crisis is in line with the historic precedent of 50/50.

China Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2018

Chinese infrastructure project drives Pakistan further into debt

By Aafreen Afzal

While the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has the potential to bring much-needed economic development to Pakistan, its price tag threatens to plunge the country further toward fiscal instability.

China Economy & Business

MENASource

Nov 16, 2018

Turkish policy in Syria: Divining intent and options for the United States

By Aaron Stein

Turkey was once the main sponsor of the Syrian opposition’s effort to topple Bashar al Assad. However, beginning in late 2016, Turkish policy has shifted following the Russian defeat of Turkish backed proxies in Aleppo. This change in policy sparked a reassessment of Turkish strategy away from the overthrow of the regime and towards close cooperation with Russia and competition with the United States.

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

Nov 16, 2018

Escalation between Turkish and Kurdish leadership alters Kurdish relations with Assad

By Dan Wilkofsky

Over the summer the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration (AA) focused on strengthening its hand in talks with the Syrian government, in an attempt to win concessions on self-rule before a potential withdrawal of US support. Among other escalatory actions, the AA inserted itself into service provision initiatives previously left to the state, and arrested dozens of candidates for local elections organized by Damascus. 

Syria

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2018

Emmanuel Macron can make France great again

By Nicholas Dungan

Macron’s approval ratings stand at an all-time low with over seventy percent of French people polled not expressing confidence in his leadership.Yet great hopes have been pinned on Macron and he has worked hard to fulfill them.

European Union France