New Atlanticist

Understanding Africa’s Disappointing Economic Growth in 2016

By Mayécor Sar

While sub-Saharan Africa has enjoyed an average economic growth of over 5 percent since the turn of the century, a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimate has sparked worries of a continent-wide slowdown. The report estimated that Africa’s combined gross domestic product (GDP) has grown by a mere 1.5 percent rate in 2016, the continent’s […]

Lonely GOP Outpost in Brussels Sees Supporters Slowly Emerge

By Teri Schultz

It’s not a secret that expatriate Americans, along with Europeans, tend to feel more closely aligned with the Democratic Party in the United States. Even when overseas liberals supposedly “fell out of love” with Barack Obama or didn’t, more recently, adore Hillary Clinton as much as they had her husband, there’s no contest between any Democratic […]

Tallinn Manual 2.0: Defending Cyberspace

It is the international community’s responsibility to maintain peace and security in the face of growing cyber threats to a society that is increasingly vulnerable because of its dependence on connected technology, Henne Schuwer, the Netherlands’ ambassador to the United States, said at the Atlantic Council on February 8. “We have to all band together […]

Keeping TTIP Alive By Any Other Name!

By Andrea Montanino and Dante Roscini

US President Donald Trump has been outspoken in his opposition to multilateral trade agreements.  He will seek only to sign bilateral agreements in order to leverage the strength of the United States, the larger economy in any negotiation.  In such an environment, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a free-trade agreement between the United […]

Washington must respond to Russia’s new nuclear missile

By Matthew Kroenig

The New York Times reported on February 14 that Russia has secretly deployed two batteries of a new nuclear-capable cruise missile in violation of its international treaty obligations. The news is disturbing, but hardly surprising. Unless the United States and its allies respond promptly, the situation is likely only to deteriorate further. Russia’s missile deployments […]

Atlantic Council Report Exposes Russia’s Lies in Aleppo

A new Atlantic Council report—Breaking Aleppo—uses satellite images, TV footage, social media, and security camera videos to debunk Russia’s claims that no civilians were killed in its airstrikes on the city of Aleppo in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “In an era where we’re facing a mixture of falsehoods and truths, the report […]

Jordan Steps Up its War on ISIS in Syria

By Shehab al-Makahleh

On February 5, Jordan launched airstrikes in southern Syria, directed at the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Jaysh Khalid bin Al Waleed. Occurring shortly after King Abdullah II’s meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in late January and with US President Donald Trump in Washington at the beginning of February, […]

EU Seeks to Preserve Iran Nuclear Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said all sides must abide by terms of the agreement The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said on February 10 that Brussels is committed to the full implementation of the nuclear deal with Iran, and that she came away reassured from her meetings with US officials […]

Russia’s Cyberattacks Put Transatlantic Security in ‘a Whole Different Light’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a former president of Estonia, sees the dangers of digital warfare Russian cyberattacks that aim to disrupt elections in Europe—much like they did in the United States in 2016—have put transatlantic security in “a whole different light,” Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a former president of Estonia, said at the Atlantic Council on February […]

Iran Tests Trump

Iran is testing the weight of US President Donald J. Trump’s words with its latest missile tests, said an Atlantic Council analyst. Tensions between Iran and the United States have been ratcheted up as Trump and his National Security Advisor Michael Flynn said they were putting the Islamic Republic “on notice” in response to Iran’s […]