New Atlanticist

Six Things to Watch for in the French Presidential Election

By Romain Warnault

On April 23, France will head to the polls for what is shaping up to be the most competitive presidential race in decades. Of the eleven candidates running for president, only the top two finishers will head to the second round, which is scheduled for two weeks later. The 2017 presidential campaign has not been […]

The End of Corruption Culture in Latin America?

By Roberta Braga

Accountability in the region creates space for safer investments Odebrecht was once synonymous with Latin America’s most ambitious public works projects. Today, those who hear the name think only of the web of malfeasance that has engulfed the region and continues to extend beyond the continent. But, as negative as these new revelations may seem, […]

Trump Sends a Clear Message in Afghanistan

By Ashish Kumar Sen

By dropping the ‘mother of all bombs’ on an Islamic State target, the United States reaffirmed its commitment to fighting terrorism, said the Atlantic Council’s James B. Cunningham The United States sent a clear message of its commitment to fighting terrorism when it dropped the so-called mother of all bombs on an Islamic State target […]

Putin’s Façade

By Jacob Sharpe

At first glance, Russian actions since the 2014 annexation of Crimea appear to signal a resurgence of power in the international system. Increases in military spending, forays into the Middle East, and a foreign policy punching above its weight have all served to remind the world that Russia maintains influence on the global stage. However, […]

Trump Must Stand Up for LGBT+ Rights

By Arego Mitchell

Over the course of the 2016 election, Donald Trump routinely flip-flopped on issues of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans* Americans. After first saying he would consider appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn nationwide marriage equality, he soon made it a recurring talking point to highlight how he would be “better for the […]

US Strike in Syria Unlikely to Provoke Russian Response

While Russia was “probably surprised” by the US missile strike on a Syrian air base, it is unlikely that the Kremlin will respond with escalatory force, according to a former deputy secretary general of NATO. “They’re surprised, but I don’t necessarily think their reaction will be to escalate the situation,” said Alexander Vershbow, who now […]

In Egypt, Watch this (Shrinking) Space

By Ashish Kumar Sen

President’s plan for state of emergency could further reduce space for dissent, said Atlantic Council’s Mirette Mabrouk Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi’s decision to impose a three-month state of emergency in response to deadly church bombings will likely further shrink the space for freedom of expression and dissent in Egypt, according to Mirette Mabrouk, director […]

This is How the World is Reacting to the US Strikes in Syria

On April 6, US President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States had carried out a missile strike on a Syrian air base in response to a chemical attack by the Syrian government, which killed nearly eighty civilians on April 4. Trump said the strike was in the “vital national security interest of the […]

Assad Must Be Held Accountable for All Types of Terror

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US missile strikes cannot be a one-off response, said the Atlantic Council’s Frederic C. Hof US missile strikes on a Syrian air base from where a deadly chemical weapons attack is believed to have been launched send a clear message that the United States is now “directly engaged” in addressing the mass homicide perpetrated by […]

Innovation Key to Maintaining US Defense Leadership

The United States’ role as a global leader in defense is not “automatic,” it must be maintained and improved by building bridges between the technology and security sectors to encourage innovation in military operations, former US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at the Atlantic Council on April 4. While the US military “is the finest […]