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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

Jul 2, 2018

President-Elect AMLO: A Seismic Shift in Mexico

By Ashish Kumar Sen

For Andrés Manuel López Obrador it was third time lucky. The new president-elect, popularly known as AMLO, won Mexico’s July 1 presidential election by a landslide picking up more than 50 percent of the vote. A self-described nationalist leader who hails from the southern state of Tabasco and is a former mayor of Mexico City, […]

Mexico

IranSource

Jul 2, 2018

Filmmakers Explore Changing Mores of Iranian Women

By Tahereh Hadian-Jazy

Films are a window through which one can glimpse cultural, social and political dynamics in societies and gain a better understanding of underlying cultural traits, traditions, beliefs and aspirations. Several recent films provide such insights about the changing mores of women in Iran. Tahmineh Milani, a feminist Iranian filmmaker, has been addressing women’s issues rooted […]

New Atlanticist

Jul 2, 2018

Mexico’s Energy Reforms: The Prospects Under an AMLO Administration

By David L. Goldwyn

The election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) augurs great uncertainty over the direction of Mexico’s seminal 2013 energy reforms. As a candidate, AMLO spoke in favor of pausing new offerings for oil and gas investment acreage, building more refining capacity within Mexico, and developing the nation’s gas supplies. Changes in Mexico’s energy framework will […]

Energy & Environment Latin America
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, September 8, 2016 (photo: NATO)

NATOSource

Jul 1, 2018

Turkey Prepares for More Roles in NATO

By Murat Yetkin, Hurriyet Daily News

Amid claims that it no longer has a place in the Western defense alliance, Turkey is preparing for a greater role in the new NATO strategy expected to be approved in the NATO summit

NATO Russia
Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division deployed in Europe, October 14, 2014 (photo: US Army/Sgt. Daniel Cole)

NATOSource

Jun 30, 2018

US Assessing Cost of Keeping Troops in Germany as Trump Battles with Europe

By John Hudson, Paul Sonne, Karen DeYoung, and Josh Dawsey, Washington Post

The Pentagon is analyzing the cost and impact of a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of American troops stationed in Germany,

Germany NATO

New Atlanticist

Jun 29, 2018

Giving Peace a Chance in Eastern Ukraine

By Teri Schultz

OSCE monitor calls for withdrawal of heavy weapons, troops as ceasefire agreed All sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine must withdraw heavy weapons and troops and remove landmines if a new ceasefire, expected to go into effect on July 1, is to have any chance of success, according to Alexander Hug who oversees what […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Jun 29, 2018

Now is Not the Time for a US-Russia Summit

By Mark Simakovsky

The US-Russia summit on July 16, which will take place several days after President Trump issues a broadside against NATO Allies July 11-12 for their lack of burden sharing, will undermine US and NATO interests vis-à-vis Russia. Although a summit between the US and Russian Presidents can be productive at the right time and with the right approach, […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Jun 29, 2018

Saudi Arabia Puts Women in the Driver’s Seat

By Phoebe Amend

On June 4, Saudi Arabia issued driver’s licenses to ten women for the first times in their lives. This followed a repeal—announced by royal decree last September—of the female driving ban, which officially ended on June 24. In what is one among a number of ambitious socioeconomic reforms driven by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin […]

Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

Jun 29, 2018

Gender Equality Should be a Priority for Mexico’s Next President

By Katherine Pereira

On July 1, voters in Mexico will head to the polls to fill more than 3,000 elected positions. The presidency, senate, and the chamber of deputies, as well as state and municipal positions are up for grabs. Although women eighteen and older comprise 52 percent of the electorate (44,483,446 votes), presidential candidates’ proposals on gender […]

Mexico

New Atlanticist

Jun 29, 2018

Managing a Trump-Putin Summit Amid Confusion Over US Policy Toward Russia

By Brian O’Toole

The Janus-esque Russia policy of US President Donald J. Trump’s administration has been thrust back into the forefront with the president’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16.  On one hand, the Trump administration has been tougher on Russia than it is sometimes given credit for: it has levied several rounds […]

Russia United States and Canada