Atlantic Council blogs

A Two-Pronged US Strategy for the Middle East

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The United States must develop a two-pronged strategy for the Middle East that prioritizes ending the civil wars and unlocking untapped human potential, according to a new report from the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Strategy Task Force. This is a matter of urgency, not least of all because the West has borne some of the […]

Africa Presents an Opportunity for Trump

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President-elect Donald Trump must make Africa a priority because it is in the United States’ interest to help tackle the security, humanitarian, and developmental challenges emanating from the continent, according to J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. Pham said the Trump administration must focus its Africa strategy on four key […]

Yatsenyuk at the European Parliament: It’s Time for Europe to Do Its Part

By Amanda Abrams

With respect to Ukraine and Russia’s aggression in the eastern part of the country, Europe needs to step up its game. That was the consensus at “The War in Ukraine’s East: The Military Conflict, Diplomacy, and the Humanitarian Crisis,” a discussion co-hosted by the Atlantic Council and Members of the European Parliament Anna Maria Corazza […]

The War on ISIS: Trump’s ‘Steep Learning Curve’

The United Nations’ Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, called on US President-elect Donald Trump to work with Russia in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria, however, many other factors must be considered before the United States enters into such an alliance, according to an Atlantic Council expert. “Putting together a coherent strategy around […]

Italy’s Referendum is Not a Brexit Moment

By Andrea Montanino

Italians will vote on constitutional reform in a referendum on December 4 that could shape the global perception of Italy and determine Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s future. If it prevails, the reform would vest the power to pass laws solely in the lower house of parliament, instead of the current system that requires approval from […]

Iraqis Sheltering in Mosul Create Fresh Hurdles for Aid Agencies

By Campbell MacDiarmid

Abu Mohamed stood outside his shrapnel-scarred gate in the eastern Zahra district of Mosul and pointed to where a mortar round had exploded the day before, killing two of his neighbors.

Trump Must Not Rip Up the Iran Nuclear Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President-elect Donald Trump must honor the terms of a deal that prevents Iran from making a nuclear weapon, said Madeleine K. Albright, a former US secretary of state and an honorary director of the Atlantic Council’s board, in a meeting with reporters this week. “I happen to think that it’s a good deal, it […]

Africa Presents an Opportunity for Trump

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President-elect Donald Trump must make Africa a priority because it is in the United States’ interest to help tackle the security, humanitarian, and developmental challenges emanating from the continent, according to J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. Pham said the Trump administration must focus its Africa strategy on four key […]

Why Russia Can’t Get Over the West—Or Steven Seagal

By Andrew Kornbluth

It seemed like the international affairs version of clickbait: the president of the world’s leading nuclear state awarding citizenship to a foreign actor most famous for playing an ex-commando who must rescue an exotic dancer while foiling a plot to start World War III on the high seas. For most onlookers, Vladimir Putin’s gift of […]

Here’s Why Ukraine Failed to Get More IMF Funding

By Anders Åslund

A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Ukraine November 3-17. The Ukrainian government had hoped that it would decide to give Ukraine another tranche of its four-year $17.5 billion loan package of March 2015, of which Ukraine has received $7.7 billion, but the answer was a resounding no. The IMF is normally very […]