Atlantic Council blogs

Trump’s Consistent Message: NATO Allies ‘Are Letting Us Down’

By Donald Trump, White House

[A]lthough he could not be here today, my thanks go to Speaker Ryan, who’s represented this city for nearly two decades in Congress.  And you know where he is?  He’s with NATO — so he has a good excuse.  And I said, Ron, make sure these countries start paying their bills a little bit more.

Shia Afghan Fighters in Syria

By Ali Alfoneh

With at least 629 combat fatalities in Syria, Shia Afghan nationals suffered the second highest losses among foreign Shia fighters supporting the Syrian regime, second only to Lebanese fighters and surpassing Iranian fighters. But what motivates Shia Afghans to fight in distant Syria? How is their military performance in the war and what are the […]

Tweet This: Multilateralism is Key to Facing Down the World’s Climate and Investment Challenges

By Werner Hoyer

“Multilateralism” takes up a lot of characters in a tweet. That alone might make it unpopular with some political figures. More than that, it represents a positive outlook on the world that is at odds with the inwardness of populist discourse. Nonetheless, it is the word that should be at the center of today’s turbulent […]

The Right Land Reform Could Transform Ukraine Now

By Aivaras Abromavičius and Alexey Mushak

Largely in response to the IMF’s condition for further aid, Ukraine is on the verge of launching land reform, possibly its most dramatic and important reform to date. The land reform concept that Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman has proposed, however, is unlikely to gain support from either the agricultural sector or from parliament. Due to […]

May Hopes Snap UK Poll Will Ease Brexit

By Reginald Dale

The snap UK general election called by British Prime Minister Theresa May for June 8 is likely to strengthen her political authority and ease the tortuous negotiation of Britain’s departure from the EU – provided of course she wins. All the signs are that she will.   The political climate is unlikely to be as favorable […]

EU-Turkish Relations ‘Poor’ After Controversial Referendum

The controversial referendum which consolidated the executive powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will negatively impact Turkey’s relationship with the European Union, and may doom prospects for Turkey’s EU membership, according to an Atlantic Council analyst. “The EU process is like a zombie—it moves along, but it’s dead,” said Aaron Stein, a senior fellow […]

The Brexit Election

By Frances G. Burwell

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s surprise decision to call for a snap general election is a powerful admission by her government that Brexit will not be an easy process.  The next United Kingdom (UK) general election had been scheduled for May 2020, a date that would force May to campaign just as all the disadvantages […]