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

Apr 26, 2018

The Coming of Emmanuel Macron

By Nicholas Dungan

Whatever the policy outcomes on individual issues, Emmanuel Macron’s three-day state visit to Washington, from April 23 to April 25, will have succeeded in one goal which is surely at the top of the French president’s agenda: to “Make France Great Again.” He did so by assuming the mantle of the leadership of the West, […]

France Germany

IranSource

Apr 26, 2018

Emmanuel Macron’s Balancing Act

By Rachel Brandenburg

French President Macron is performing a delicate balancing act addressing US President Trump’s dissatisfaction with the Iran nuclear deal while seeking to keep the multilateral agreement intact. Trump has been crystal clear since his presidential campaign that he views the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the Iran nuclear agreement – as a “bad deal.” […]

France Iran

New Atlanticist

Apr 25, 2018

Macron’s Challenge to Trump

By Rachel Ansley

French President Emmanuel Macron on April 25 delivered a rallying cry for Western world leaders to reject isolationism and stand together in defense of democracy. The remarks appeared to be directed at US President Donald J. Trump who has embraced an America first worldview. “It is a critical moment,” Macron said in his address to […]

Economy & Business France

New Atlanticist

Apr 25, 2018

Emmanuel Macron’s Balancing Act

By Rachel Brandenburg

French President Emmanuel Macron appears to be performing a delicate balancing act of addressing US President Donald J. Trump’s dissatisfaction with the Iran nuclear deal while seeking to keep the multilateral agreement intact. Trump has been crystal clear since his presidential campaign that he views the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the Iran nuclear […]

Iran

UkraineAlert

Apr 25, 2018

What Happened to the Ships the US Tried to Give to Ukraine?

By Valeriya Yegoshyna

Editor’s note: On September 27, the United States officially transferred two former 110-foot Coast Guard cutters ships to Ukraine. However, the question remains: why did it take the Ukrainian government nearly four-and-a-half years to accept the US offer? We recommend the excellent RFE/RL “Schemes” investigation below.  Four years after Crimea’s annexation, Ukraine is still struggling to […]

Russia Ukraine

MENASource

Apr 25, 2018

An advance look at Iraq’s 2018 elections

By Rend Al-Rahim

Iraq’s 2018 parliamentary elections, simultaneously embodying continuity and change, will be held in a particularly divisive atmosphere. The elections are taking place in the shadow of the devastation left behind by the conflict with ISIS and serious splits within the governing Shia party. As a result, voting on May 12 will be a litmus test […]

Democratic Transitions Elections

IranSource

Apr 25, 2018

The Iran Nuclear Deal: To Leave or Not to Leave

By Rachel Brandenburg

The future of the Iran nuclear deal—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—hangs in the balance as the May 12 deadline set by US President Donald J. Trump to “fix” the deal or to walk away from it approaches. In an interview with Rachel Brandenburg, director of the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Security Initiative, the Atlantic Council’s […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Apr 24, 2018

Macron pitches a new Iran deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

French President Emmanuel Macron said on April 24 that he wants to work on a “new deal” with Iran that would retain the 2015 nuclear agreement as a primary pillar. The nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was negotiated by the P5+1 countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, […]

France Iran

New Atlanticist

Apr 24, 2018

The Iran Nuclear Deal: To Leave or Not to Leave

By Rachel Brandenburg

The future of the Iran nuclear deal—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—hangs in the balance as the May 12 deadline set by US President Donald J. Trump to “fix” the deal or to walk away from it approaches. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have preserving the JCPOA at the top […]

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2018

What Europe’s Forgotten War Actually Feels Like

By Ruslan Minich

“We were moving through flashing fields. And I realized history was evolving right in front of my very eyes. I had yellow goggles on; everything was yellow with them. I took the goggles off, and then the wind started blowing in my eyes. I couldn’t see anything,” says volunteer soldier Bizhan Sharopov, who fought against […]

Russia Ukraine