New Atlanticist

Why the United States Must Treat LGBTI Rights as a Foreign Policy Imperative

By Atlantic Council Diversity Initiative

The imposition of US sanctions on the Chechen president responsible for the systematic purge of gay men demonstrates a willingness to take a stand on human rights issues essential for the preservation of US values and the maintenance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights as a foreign policy imperative. On December 20, […]

Miscalculations, Machismo, and Military Misjudgment Could Create New Global Hot Spots

By Daniel V. Speckhard

Connecting 2017’s political and military missteps to 2018’s global economic outlook The shift toward nationalist populism, demonstrated by the sweeping political changes around the world in 2017, has throughout history been a harbinger of global instability and conflict, and could directly affect both the international security landscape and global economy in 2018. Looking back, it […]

Competition and Continuity Define Trump’s New National Security Strategy

By Rachel Ansley

While US President Donald J. Trump’s new national security strategy (NSS) solidifies his campaign rhetoric into the fundamentals of foreign policy, it also sets forth a surprising degree of continuity from the approaches of previous administrations, according to a former US national security advisor. “The threats we face have a lot of continuity [with] the […]

ISIS, Syria, and Iraq: A Year-End Appraisal

By Frederic C. Hof

As 2017 closes, so does the physical “caliphate” of a pseudo-religious criminal enterprise known by the names ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, and Islamic State. But killing the caliphate is only step one. Keeping it dead will be a generational struggle. Rooted in al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and supplemented by pro-Saddam Hussein Iraqi Baathists, ISIS seized the […]

Turkey Takes Important Steps Toward its Renewable Energy Future

By Grady Wilson

Twin billion dollar tenders in 2017 showcase Turkey’s renewable energy potential In 2017 Turkey has made tremendous strides in the development of its renewable energy sector, notably the allocation of over two billion dollars for the production of wind and solar energy. These sources of funding, or tenders, are part of Ankara’s ambitious plans for […]

McMaster Accuses Russia of Subversion, Kremlin Reacts

By Daniel Fried

US National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster and his team deserve credit for clear expression of the threat to the United States from autocratic, revisionist powers, especially Russia. Outlining the new National Security Strategy (NSS) to be released on December 18, McMaster earlier this week publicly cited Russia’s “sophisticated campaign of subversion and disinformation […]

‘One Planet,’ Many Voices: Climate Progress Continues in the Absence of US Involvement

By Ellen Scholl

French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision not to invite the United States to a recent climate action summit in Paris sends a clear message that other countries will happily step into the void the United States has created. Two years after the signing of the Paris Agreement, Macron once again convened climate leaders in France’s capital […]

Tillerson’s Takes on US Foreign Policy: A Year in Review

Diplomatic negotiations with “no preconditions” will be the US approach to solving the problem of North Korea, while working in concert with friends and allies, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at the Atlantic Council on December 12. “We’re ready to talk any time North Korea would like to talk,” said Tillerson, “and we’re […]

Attack on Peacekeepers in DRC Indicates Increasing Extremist Activity

The attack on United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by lesser-known violent extremists called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) indicates that the group poses a more serious threat than previously believed as it continues to ratchet up its activity in region, capitalizing on the persistent political instability in the DRC, […]

Reconstruction Funds Will Not Change Assad’s Behavior in Syria

The promise of foreign reconstruction aid will not induce cooperation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which is why international efforts to rebuild the war-ravaged country should focus on local solutions, removed from the regime’s sphere of influence, according to an Atlantic Council analyst. “A regime that would rather have gone through what it had to […]