New Atlanticist

Tillerson’s Views on Russia Remain Murky

By Alina Polyakova

Russia dominated the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s grilling of Rex Tillerson, whose views on the country have been the subject of much speculation. As chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, Tillerson had extensive business dealings with Russia. The senators used that experience at Tillerson’s confirmation hearing on January 11 to press US President-elect Donald […]

Tillerson Could Boost Energy Diplomacy

By Agnia Grigas

With the United States having emerged as an energy superpower, US President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate the former chief executive officer of energy giant ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson, as secretary of state is significant. Under Tillerson’s leadership, the State Department will have an opportunity to pursue a powerful energy diplomacy strategy.

A Roadmap for Donald Trump

From the outset of his administration, US President-elect Donald Trump must develop a coherent foreign policy and national security strategy which establishes a clear US stance on the world stage, deters adversaries, and reassure allies, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright said on January 10. While acknowledging the value of a new perspective, Albright, […]

Democrats Making a Mistake by Looking for a ‘Scapegoat’ for Clinton’s Loss, says Trump Advisor

By Ashish Kumar Sen

A senior national security advisor to US President-elect Donald Trump said on January 10 that the Democrats are making a mistake by looking for a “scapegoat” on which to blame Hillary Clinton’s presidential election defeat. “For anybody who wants to blame the loss of Hillary Clinton or the Democrats… you are making a mistake if […]

Trump Must Stand Up to Russian Cyberattacks

In light of the intelligence report unequivocally attributing cyberattacks during the US presidential election to Russia, US President-elect Donald Trump must take stock of the magnitude and implications of the Kremlin’s actions, and react appropriately, according to John E. Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center. “We are facing Mr. Putin, a […]

Trump’s National Security Advisor Seeks to Reassure Allies

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President-elect Donald Trump’s national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, on January 10 sought to reassure US allies of the incoming administration’s commitment to alliances. Flynn said the incoming National Security Council’s mission, guided by Trump’s vision to “make America great again,” will be supported by an overarching policy of “peace through […]

John Kerry Sets the Record Straight

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Secretary of State warns against ‘factless political environment,’ says the United States has been leading US Secretary of State John Kerry on January 10 took a thinly veiled swipe at US President-elect Donald Trump while warning of the perils of living in a “factless political environment” and expressing consternation that the process for nominating officials […]

Donald Trump: A Bull in a China Shop?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

China could retaliate in several ways that would cause serious damage to the United States if President-elect Donald Trump were to overplay his hand with the Asian nation, according to an Asia expert at the Atlantic Council. Noting that Trump has a “grotesquely inflated sense of American leverage,” Robert A. Manning, a senior fellow with […]

ISIS Puts Turkey in its Crosshairs

By Rachel Ansley

Though Turkey’s engagement in the war in Syria has resulted in a series of attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) over the course of the past year, the most recent attack on a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year’s Day will only harden the Turkish government’s resolve to defeat the Islamist […]