New Atlanticist

How to Root Out ISIS from Libya

By Xiaojing Zeng

True national reconciliation and inclusiveness are necessary ingredients for ending the cycle of statelessness and radicalization that has created a fertile ground for terrorist groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), to flourish in Libya, according to a new Atlantic Council report. “People who fought in Syria, we call that the undergrad […]

Why Bot Makers Dream of Electric Sheep

By Ben Nimmo

Using fake social media accounts to attract real users Social media “bots” have repeatedly made headlines over the past year, accused of driving traffic and distorting debate on social media platforms, especially Twitter, in the US, French, and UK elections. But what are bots, and how do they work? In social media terms, a bot […]

Why Talk About Disinformation Now?

By Alina Polyakova

Disinformation has become a hot topic since Russia’s interference in the US presidential elections in 2016. As seventeen US intelligence agencies agreed in December of last year: “Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election.” This influence operation aimed to undermine faith in democracy and the credibility […]

Here’s How to Fight Back Against Russian Political Warfare

By Alexander Vershbow

Three-and-a-half years ago, Russia illegally annexed Crimea and launched its campaign to destabilize eastern Ukraine. Russian aggression prompted the biggest increase in NATO’s collective defense capabilities since the Cold War—including the historic deployment in June of four multinational battlegroups in the three Baltic States and Poland. But deterring military aggression is only half the battle. […]

Macron’s Putin Policy: ‘Firmness Without Provocation’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

French President Emmanuel Macron would like to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to seek mutually acceptable solutions to crises that have bedeviled ties between the West and Russia over the past few years, France’s ambassador to the United States, Gérard Araud, said in an Atlantic Council phone briefing on June 19. […]

Westmacott: ‘Turkey’s European Journey’ Has Taken a Detour

By Teri Schultz

The title of Sir Peter Westmacott’s new paper, Turkey’s European Journey, does not indicate where he thinks the country stands on that path, whether he believes Ankara is still headed toward Europe or whether it has turned off that road permanently. A conversation with Westmacott, a distinguished ambassadorial fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Future Europe […]

Playing Catch Up in Asia

By Atman Trivedi

On June 3, US Defense Secretary James Mattis stepped into the spotlight at Asia’s premier annual security gathering to reassure America’s Asian friends about our commitment to regional peace and prosperity. His remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore sent a much-needed message of commitment to a jittery region. But in the halls, questions lingered […]

A Regional Solution Needed to Heal Rift Within GCC

By Xiaojing Zeng

A resolution to the diplomatic fallout between Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will only come from the nations themselves, until which time the United States must avoid being dragged into the fray, according to an Atlantic Council analyst. Solutions “lie in the region,” and will only come about “when all… sides are […]

BP Study Finds Sharp Decline in Global Demand for Coal

Even as US President Donald J. Trump touts the creation of coal jobs, 2016 energy trends indicate a sharp decline in the demand for coal worldwide, according to Spencer Dale, group chief economist at BP. Overall, according to Dale, these energy trends also indicate a plateau in carbon emissions. In fact, he added, despite Trump’s […]

Dialing Back US Engagement with Cuba Would be a Mistake

By Ashish Kumar Sen

If US President Donald J. Trump were to roll back engagement with Cuba it would chill US private sector investment, hurt Cuban entrepreneurs, and create an opportunity for Russia to assert itself on an island that lies merely ninety miles off the US coast, according to the Atlantic Council’s Jason Marczak, director of the Latin […]