New Atlanticist

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 […]

A Widening Gulf

By Owen Daniels

Qatar crisis creates a headache for the United States Nearly two months in, the diplomatic crisis between the Arab Gulf states is growing ever more complicated. The July 16 Washington Post report that cites unnamed US intelligence officials as claiming that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) precipitated the diplomatic row with Qatar by hacking Qatari […]

First Signs of Second Thoughts on Brexit

By Reginald Dale

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government began substantive negotiations to leave the European Union (EU) in Brussels this week, although nobody in Britain is yet clear about what outcome the country is actually seeking. With May’s government in disarray, and her Cabinet wracked with infighting and confusion over Brexit, there is even a growing belief […]

A Question for Washington: Who in the GCC Finances Terrorism?

By Giorgio Cafiero and Daniel Wagner

Journalists in Middle Eastern media outlets have been engaged in harsh mudslinging ever since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Bahrain (aka the quartet) severed diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar in June over Doha’s alleged support for the Islamic State (ISIS), al Qaeda, and Iranian-backed militias in numerous Arab states. Although […]

Alternative Futures: Rethinking the European Nuclear Posture

By Alexandra Marksteiner

Lingering uncertainty regarding US support for NATO and burden-sharing among allies has raised questions as to the future of the NATO nuclear-sharing arrangement. While US President Donald J. Trump’s reaffirmation of the US commitment to Article 5, NATO’s mutual defense clause, may have temporarily placated allies, intense feelings of insecurity among the European allies remain. […]

Qatar Crisis Gets Mired in Mixed Messages

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Mixed messages from US President Donald J. Trump’s administration and an apparent belief in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that they have the ear of the White House have exacerbated the crisis between the United States’ Arab Gulf partners, according to Richard LeBaron, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. The crisis […]

Fighting Back: What Options Does the United States Have to Respond to Cyberattacks?

By Adam Petno

In the wake of the recent WannaCry and Petya ransomware attacks, cyber warfare has once again made mainstream news headlines. With cyberattacks becoming increasingly common, it becomes important to understand the options the United States has in dealing with these kinds of attacks. Petya, though in many ways similar to WannaCry and other ransomware attacks, […]