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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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Feb 4, 2019

Protests are a permanent feature of Iran

By Nazila Fathi

July 15, 2009 was a historic day in Iran’s recent history. Some three million people marched in silence on Enghelab (Revolution) Street in the capital of Tehran to convey their anger at the Islamic Republic in the most peaceful manner. The regime had disconnected cell phone services in a failed effort to prevent the march, […]

Civil Society Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Feb 3, 2019

Rating Ukraine’s Presidential Candidates

By Alexander J. Motyl and Dennis Soltys

Three candidates have the most plausible chance of winning the first round in Ukraine’s March 31st presidential election: President Petro Poroshenko; former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko; and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a politically untested comedian whose popular television show, Servant of the People, portrays him as an intrepid corruption fighter. Zelenskiy’s popularity can be explained as a […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Feb 1, 2019

With an eye on IMF loan, Pakistan proposes tax reforms

By Sahir Amlani

The tax measures would be Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s second set of fiscal reforms since taking power in July 2018. 

Fiscal and Structural Reform Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 1, 2019

India’s data localization efforts could do more harm than good

By Kalika Likhi

India’s move toward data localization, while timely and justifiable given numerous global data breaches and privacy scandals, is largely ineffective in protecting user data. The benefits do not outweigh costs.

India Technology & Innovation
This is the picture

UkraineAlert

Feb 1, 2019

Two Big Problems with Ukraine’s Elections that No One Else Has Spotted

By Mykola Vorobiov

There are many reasons to worry about Ukraine’s elections this year. The 2019 elections may be as defining as those in 2014, when Ukraine left the Russian world for good. However, so far, most analysts have missed two factors that may play an outsized role. First, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov is not only a sitting […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 1, 2019

Russia looks to strike at Ukraine’s south again?

By Andreas Umland

An escalation at the Azov Sea will threaten social stability in southeastern Ukraine.

Conflict Maritime Security

New Atlanticist

Feb 1, 2019

Our allies are our comparative advantage

By Damon Wilson

Even if we periodically differ with our allies, our defense strategy should inevitably drive Washington to bolster and expand its alliances.

International Organizations NATO

UkraineAlert

Feb 1, 2019

Poroshenko Runs on Stay the Course Platform

By Ruslan Minich and Vitalii Rybak

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko finally announced that he will seek reelection at a packed forum on January 29 in Kyiv. Held on the anniversary of the battle of Kruty when students and Cossacks died defending Kyiv from Bolshevik forces in 1918, organizers were hoping to stress the symbolism: Ukraine started to move away from Russia […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Feb 1, 2019

US leaving INF Treaty could spark an arms race with Russia

By David A. Wemer

“With the demise of the INF Treaty, New START will be the only remaining constraint on Russia’s formidable and growing nuclear capabilities," Alexander Vershbow says.

Arms Control Missile Defense

SyriaSource

Feb 1, 2019

Post-conflict, how will Iran preserve its presence in Syria?

By Ghaith al-Ahmad

The Youth Sports Club, once considered one of the most prominent soccer clubs in Deir Ezzor city in eastern Syria, now marks the beginning of Iran’s cultural penetration project in Syria.

Iran Syria