New Atlanticist

Wall Street is Freaking Out

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US stocks saw another volatile day on February 6 as ripples spread to global markets. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 4 percent—a nearly 1,200-point decline—on February 5. The declines for the S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were the biggest single-day percentage drops since August 2011. The Dow closed […]

Our take on Donald Trump’s first State of the Union

US President Donald J. Trump delivered his first State of the Union in Washington on January 30, 2018. Read the address here. Trump touched on a diverse set of topics. We asked our analysts their thoughts on what the president had to say. Here is their take: ON THE SPEECH Trump said: “As we rebuild […]

Reviewing the Nuclear Posture Review: Here’s what you need to know

By Atlantic Council

US President Donald J. Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) calls for enhanced deterrence and a larger nuclear arsenal. The administration released the new review on February 2. Outlined in the strategy is Trump’s decision to pursue a path toward augmenting nuclear capabilities against the backdrop of increasing tensions with North Korea—as it moves ever closer […]

South Sudan arms embargo ‘weakens’ Salva Kiir

The US arms embargo on South Sudan not only sends a strong signal to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, but ultimately “weakens his ability to hold on to power by force,” according to the Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham.

A Controversial Bill in Poland Would Make it Illegal to Use the Term ‘Polish Death Camps’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

On February 1 Poland’s Senate passed a controversial bill that would make it illegal to blame Poles for crimes committed by Nazi Germany. Violations would be punished by fines or prison sentences up to three years. Polish President Andrzej Duda has previously said that he will consider signing the measure into law. That would risk a […]

Trump’s ‘unity’ speech draws political battle lines for the year ahead

By John T. Watts

Touted as a speech of unity, US President Donald J. Trump’s first State of the Union address is likely to do little to mend the divisions and gridlock in Washington. The speech on January 30 did reflect the maturation of Trump in the role of president along with that of his administration. It was a […]

Kremlin Report: A Missed Opportunity to Check Russian Aggression

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The US Treasury Department’s decision not to slap sanctions on Russian oligarchs and officials, some with ties to the Kremlin, is a missed opportunity to check Russian aggression, according to the Atlantic Council’s Daniel Fried. “I think the [Trump] administration missed an opportunity [on January 29] to extend the use of sanctions to Russia’s aggressive […]

Bombardier Ruling: Advantage Trudeau

By James Wholley

US International Trade Commission’s ruling boosts Canadian prime minister The surprise ruling by the US International Trade Commission (USITC) in favor of Canadian aerospace manufacturer Bombardier over Boeing, a US firm, should come as a relief to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whose government has been caught between domestic politics and US President Donald J. […]

Is China’s Plan to Cut Emissions for Real?

By Craig Hart

China’s new emissions trading scheme (ETS) may set the country on a path to achieving its goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, but concerns regarding effective emissions cuts have raised questions about the efficacy of the new policy. In December of 2017, China launched its national greenhouse gas emissions trading market, creating the world’s largest […]

How the Harmel Report Helped Build the Transatlantic Security Framework

By Jamie Shea

Last December, NATO commemorated the 50th anniversary of the “Report of the Council on the Future Tasks of the Alliance,” more commonly known as the Harmel Report. Initiated by Pierre Harmel, the former Belgian minister of foreign affairs, the report not only averted permanent damage to the Alliance that could have resulted from policy disagreements […]