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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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NATOSource

Oct 15, 2018

Sixty Minutes Interview: New Revelations of Trump’s NATO Policy

By Donald Trump and Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes

Excerpts from President Donald Trump’s interview with Lesley Stahl, aired on October 14, 2018.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Oct 15, 2018

Bavaria election casts doubt on Merkel’s grand coalition

By Jörn Fleck and Alex Baker

With both Christian Democrats and Social Democrats suffering heavy losses, is this the beginning of the end for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's grand coalition?

Elections Germany

MENASource

Oct 15, 2018

The Khashoggi affair: Back to the future

By Nabeel Khoury

From the abuses of the male guardianship in Saudi Arabia to arrest and torture of dissenters in Egypt and the jailing of environmentalists and journalists in Iran, the Middle East is rife with human rights abuses. Nor is this something new.

Saudi Arabia

EnergySource

Oct 15, 2018

How oil turns antagonists to allies

By Ellen Wald

Oil market dynamics can make for strange bedfellows, as overlapping economic interests can often trump entrenched regional rivalries or bilateral strife. That is not to say that oil markets are not vulnerable to geopolitical events—they are. Probably the most well-known and often cited example of a geopolitical issue to effect oil markets was the 1973 […]

Energy Markets & Governance Iran

New Atlanticist

Oct 15, 2018

Despite Trump, Republican view on climate change evolves

By David Livingston

The current Trump administration position toward climate leadership could be generously construed as one of unconstructive ambivalence, while it might be more accurate to deem it simply as a lack of strategic foresight.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Oct 15, 2018

Global economic leaders should prepare for ‘unknown unknowns’ of climate change

By Valerie Rouxel-Laxton

he economic and financial leaders gathered in Bali last week have the influence to drive change, which can only be addressed through significant international cooperation. Will our leaders rise to the challenge?

Climate Change & Climate Action Renewables & Advanced Energy

UkraineAlert

Oct 15, 2018

What Really Happened in Constantinople Last Week

By Cyril Hovorun

Last week Ukraine’s Orthodox Church got confirmation that it will likely receive the independence from Moscow that it has long sought. The issue is complex, and the terminology foreign to most readers. The issue of the Ukrainian church is similar to an iceberg. What appears above the surface is political, but the largest part underneath […]

Russia Ukraine

IranSource

Oct 15, 2018

Why the Trump Administration Needs More Balance in the Middle East

By Barbara Slavin

In quitting the Iran nuclear deal and doubling down on traditional US alliances, the Trump administration has forfeited key leverage and reduced its ability to resolve conflicts in the Middle East. Some readjustment in US policy after the Barack Obama administration was expected and potentially useful. Both Israel and Saudi Arabia felt that the US […]

Iran

UkraineAlert

Oct 14, 2018

Kyiv Patriarchate Vs. Moscow Patriarchate: David Triumphs Over Goliath

By Margo Gontar

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church will become independent. It’s hard to overestimate the significance of this change; Moscow will no longer have power over it. And that’s exactly what Russia cannot tolerate.

Civil Society Russia

New Atlanticist

Oct 12, 2018

Rapid intensification of hurricanes: A threat that requires resilient responses

By Samuel Jeffrey

A hurricane rapidly intensifying immediately before making landfall poses a unique and urgent threat. Systematically building resilience to account for these conditions—with hours, not days to prepare for a storm—is critical.

Energy & Environment