New Atlanticist

Three Issues the Energy Department’s Grid Study Must Address

By Branko Terzic

On July 14, an unofficial draft of the much-anticipated US Department of Energy (DOE) grid study, formally referred to as the Study Examining Electricity Markets and Reliability, was leaked, notably absent any recommendations. The report was requested in an April 14 memo by US Energy Secretary Rick Perry. A number of senators and representatives, based […]

Libya’s Haftar Comes Out on Top

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the chaos that has prevailed in Libya since 2011 have legitimized Khalifa Haftar, a former Libyan general whose forces have been accused of torture and executing prisoners, according to the Atlantic Council’s Karim Mezran. Haftar met Fayez-al-Serraj, the prime minister in Libya’s United Nations-backed government, in Paris on July 25. […]

Shots Fired in the Gulf

By Owen Daniels

Iran challenges US policy, this time in the maritime domain It seems hard for the United States to catch a break in the Persian Gulf these days. As its Arab partners continue to bicker among themselves, Iran remains a source of tension from across the water. A week after US President Donald J. Trump reluctantly […]

‘Multistakeholder’ Approach Touted in Response to Cybersecurity Challenge

By Xiaojing Zeng

The significant increase in cross-border cyberattacks has been a wake-up call for the global community on the societal and political consequences of an insecure cyberspace. In order to prevent and prepare for future transnational cybersecurity challenges, governments must adopt a “multistakeholder model,” along with international collaboration and open discussions, according to a cybersecurity expert. While […]

Duda’s Veto Presents Poland with an Opportunity

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Warsaw must focus on repairing ties with the European Union, said Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell Polish President Andrzej Duda’s decision to veto controversial judicial reforms gives Poland—the scene of creeping authoritarianism—an opportunity to mend its relationship with the European Union (EU). It also represents a significant split between the president and Jarosław Kaczyński, the head […]

The Politics of Russia Sanctions

By Kelly Russo

The Russia sanctions bill passed overwhelmingly by the US House of Representatives on July 25 is a “strong” piece of legislation that makes it clear that the United States must work jointly with its European allies to impose those sanctions, according to Daniel Fried, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. “[The House bill] locks […]

OAS Chief Calls for More Sanctions on Venezuela

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Targeted US sanctions, including against Venezuela’s oil sector, would be a welcome move against a regime that has plunged this South American nation into an economic and humanitarian crisis, Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), said at the Atlantic Council in Washington on July 21. US sanctions on Venezuelan officials […]

Politics Narrow Eastern Mediterranean Gas Export Options

By Phillip Cornell

Nicosia, Cyprus and Chania, Crete Over the past decade, major offshore natural gas finds in Egyptian, Israeli, and Cypriot waters have fueled an ongoing debate over how to get that gas to market. Fixed midstream assets and pipes will be key to getting the gas out of the region, and various export routes present their […]

Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Touts Impartiality of Corruption Probe

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s conviction on corruption charges is not a political statement, but an enforcement of the law demonstrative of Brazil’s commitment to combat corruption at the highest levels of society, Brazilian Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot said at the Atlantic Council on July 19. “What we do is to apply criminal […]

Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences: The Case for Revising the Russia Sanctions Legislation

By Ellen Scholl

A consensus is emerging among Washington experts that the current draft legislation in the US Congress to expand sanctions against Russia should—and could—be refined to avoid a number of potential unintended consequences. In a panel discussion at the Atlantic Council on July 19, Daniel Fried, who as the State Department’s coordinator for sanctions policy in […]