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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

Jul 20, 2017

Is Saleh Diplomatically Outmaneuvering the Houthis?

By Anthony Biswell

As the Yemen conflict shows no signs of abating, will former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s recent attempts to reach out to Saudi Arabia be taken seriously? A number of key events suggest that Saleh’s attempts to reach out to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members reveal a change in tactics for the long-standing politician.

Yemen

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2017

Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences: The Case for Revising the Russia Sanctions Legislation

By Ellen Scholl

A consensus is emerging among Washington experts that the current draft legislation in the US Congress to expand sanctions against Russia should—and could—be refined to avoid a number of potential unintended consequences. In a panel discussion at the Atlantic Council on July 19, Daniel Fried, who as the State Department’s coordinator for sanctions policy in […]

Russia

UkraineAlert

Jul 20, 2017

Why Congress Should Pass the Russia Sanctions Bill

By Polina Kovaleva

Over the weekend, Congress reached an agreement on a new Russia sanctions package, though it has been overshadowed by the investigation into connections between President Donald Trump’s administration and Russia. Although the Senate easily passed a strong sanctions bill in June to punish Russia for its aggression in Ukraine and annexation of Crimea, the White House […]

Russia Ukraine

IranSource

Jul 20, 2017

Women Make Slow but Steady Progress in Iran

By Mehrnaz Samimi

On Aug. 5, Hassan Rouhani will officially start the second term of his presidency. Hossein-Ali Amiri, Rouhani’s vice president for parliamentary affairs, has said that three women have been asked to join the new cabinet.

New Atlanticist

Jul 19, 2017

A Widening Gulf

By Owen Daniels

Qatar crisis creates a headache for the United States Nearly two months in, the diplomatic crisis between the Arab Gulf states is growing ever more complicated. The July 16 Washington Post report that cites unnamed US intelligence officials as claiming that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) precipitated the diplomatic row with Qatar by hacking Qatari […]

International Organizations Iran

UkraineAlert

Jul 19, 2017

The Only Winning Strategy for Ukraine

By Diane Francis

Imagine if, on June 14, Ukraine launched its first independent anti-corruption court and began hearing dozens of cases against people in high places. Imagine if, by mid-July, several oligarchs and public officials were convicted of corruption, and their assets confiscated. Unfortunately, neither are true. A June 14 deadline for the court imposed by the IMF […]

Ukraine

SyriaSource

Jul 19, 2017

Palestinian-Syrian Militarization in Yarmouk

By Tom Rollins

A recent article by Sulome Anderson on the presence of Hezbollah-trained Palestinian fighters inside Yarmouk camp, once Syria’s largest Palestinian community and its most culturally significant, evoked controversy when a pro-Hezbollah commentator called into question Anderson’s reporting: “Do [Anderson and her editors] believe that Hezbollah marks its vehicles…with the logo of a Syrian-Palestinian group? Additionally, […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Jul 19, 2017

First Signs of Second Thoughts on Brexit

By Reginald Dale

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government began substantive negotiations to leave the European Union (EU) in Brussels this week, although nobody in Britain is yet clear about what outcome the country is actually seeking. With May’s government in disarray, and her Cabinet wracked with infighting and confusion over Brexit, there is even a growing belief […]

European Union International Organizations

AfricaSource

Jul 19, 2017

Anthrax to Zika: The lurking threat of outbreaks and bioterrorism in Africa

By Liviya David

The global HIV/AIDS epidemic and the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak varied in length, number of lives lost, and geographic areas affected. However, both posed national security risks to the United States, and both therefore prompted large-scale US government responses: the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Operation United Assistance in Liberia, respectively. […]

Africa East Africa

IranSource

Jul 19, 2017

US Needs More Diplomacy, Not Just More Sanctions on Iran

By Barbara Slavin

New York – Iran’s foreign minister chose a pivotal week to come to the United States to argue his country’s case before Americans.