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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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IranSource

Dec 31, 2018

What the departure of James Mattis could mean for Trump’s Iran policy

By Sina Azodi and Barbara Slavin

The speeded up departure of Defense Secretary James Mattis did not come as a surprise after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria—and Mattis’ stinging letter of resignation. The Syria announcement was the final blow to a relationship that had become strained over issues ranging from the importance of alliances to the politically […]

Iran

MENASource

Dec 26, 2018

Looking back: Our top five blog posts of 2018

By MENASource

As we bid adieu to 2018, we look back at the events of a challenging year both domestically and abroad. Below are our most viewed articles hitting on pressing issues. In case you missed them, read our biggest hits of 2018. 

SyriaSource

Dec 21, 2018

Our greatest hits for 2018

By SyriaSource

As we look back at the tumultuous year for Syria in 2018, it's sadly ending with the withdrawal of US troops and an unclear US-Syria policy moving forward. The implications of this policy are likely far reaching. Time will tell what the damage will be and how the conflict will continue to evolve. Below we have listed our top viewed articles of the year. By far, the most viewed is the one penned by our outgoing director, Ambassador Frederic C. Hof as he moved on to other scholarly pursuits teaching at Bard College. Thankfully, he's continued writing and our viewers and center are grateful for it. 

Syria

SyriaSource

Dec 21, 2018

Pushing the Kremlin line on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

And it will be only a matter of time before undisciplined, Iranian-led foreign fighters and revenge-seeking Assad regime operatives manage to midwife in eastern Syria either the resurrection of ISIS in its current form or in the shape of something even more impressively lethal than that which remains alive and breathing militarily. Russia, as Secretary of Defense James Mattis has suggested, is no friend of the United States. Signing on to its Syria endgame does not protect Americans or serve American interests.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Dec 21, 2018

US troop drawdown from Afghanistan needs to be done responsibly

By Omar Samad

There are three most immediate concerns regarding Trump’s decision on Afghanistan: timing, geopolitical, and the political consequences for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Conflict

SyriaSource

Dec 21, 2018

Chinese strategic engagement with Assad’s Syria

By Dan Hemenway

Canada moved to extradite Meng Wanzhou, the top financial officer for China’s global tech giant Huawei, on December 1, 2018 to the United States. The arrest, while closely linked to the ongoing US-China trade dispute and Western fears of Huawei as a Chinese espionage tool, was triggered by allegations that the company concealed payments from Iran in violation of sanctions.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Dec 21, 2018

How President Trump is breaking a destructive cycle in the Middle East

By Anthony Scaramucci

Is it possible that, despite the constant lashing of media pundits and armchair military strategists, President Donald J. Trump’s foreign policy decisions are more enlightened than meets the eye? Yes and, almost certainly, yes.

Defense Policy Middle East

SyriaSource

Dec 21, 2018

With US withdrawal, EU left alone to manage the Syrian crisis

By Mona Alami

The defeat of the last Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold in Syria concomitant with the sudden US announcement of troops withdrawal from the northeast; leaves Europe in a tight spot. In recent years, EU governments have spent billions to mitigate the repercussions of the refugee wave resulting from the Syrian war while working towards normalization with the regime on a fair transition process.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Dec 21, 2018

Mattis out. What now?

By Todd Rosenblum

Mattis deserves profound praise and appreciation for leaving when he could no longer support a commander in chief bent on uprooting vital national interests. 

Defense Policy National Security

New Atlanticist

Dec 21, 2018

The end of the Great War and the American grand strategy in the American century

By Daniel Fried

The United States should build on what we achieved in the hundred years since the first draft of our Grand Strategy, working with those friends with whom we achieved it.

European Union International Organizations