New Atlanticist

Will Donald Trump Empower Strongmen in the Middle East?

US President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy will likely seek to support the “strongman vision” of authoritarian leaders in North Africa, said Karim Mezran, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Mezran joined Elissa Miller, assistant director with the Hariri Center, for a Facebook Live discussion on the future […]

US Must Remain Committed to Paris Climate Deal

Continued US commitment to the Paris agreement is crucial to the future of the deal and its ability to combat climate change, said Richard L. Morningstar, founding director and chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. Morningstar joined Tom Cunningham, deputy director of the Global Energy Center, for a Facebook Live discussion on the […]

Article 5 Must Be ‘Red Line’ of US-Russia Reset, says Former NATO Secretary General

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Newsmaker Interview: George Robertson served as secretary general of NATO from 1999 to 2003 Russia would be “ill-advised” to take great comfort from Donald Trump’s election, said George Robertson, a former secretary general of NATO, adding that NATO’s commitment to the defense of its member states must be at the core of any future reset […]

Moldova Elects a Pro-Russia President

By Michael Getto

While not as globally consequential or shocking as the US presidential race, won by Donald Trump on November 8, the result of Moldova’s presidential runoff election does have significant ramifications for the future of democracy and economic reform in Eurasia. On November 13, Moldovans elected Socialist parliamentarian and former Economy Minister Igor Dodon as president […]

Lebanese Hezbollah Offers a Glimpse of its Firepower

By Nicholas Blanford

Lebanon’s militant Shi’ite Hezbollah displayed its new armored capabilities for the first time during a military parade in the Syrian town of Qusayr in Homs province, offering the most compelling example yet of the Iran-backed group’s adoption of conventional military tactics and equipment alongside its traditional low-signature asymmetric doctrine. The parade was held on November […]

Trump Must Avoid the Russia Reset Trap

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As a candidate, Donald Trump said that if elected president he would examine the possibility of recognizing Russia’s claim to Crimea and lifting sanctions imposed by the United States in response to Kremlin-orchestrated aggression in Ukraine. On November 8, Trump was elected the forty-fifth president of the United States. The question now is: will he […]

Trump’s Victory: It’s Still the Economy, Stupid

By Andrea Montanino and Jacqueline Lavalleye

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election on November 8 came as a major surprise— especially to pollsters and political pundits. But it should have come as no surprise to those who were paying close attention to the economic indicators in the swing states, states that can tip the outcome of a US presidential […]

Between Trump and Putin: A Way Ahead for Georgia

By Alexandra Hall Hall

The election which mattered most for Georgia was not the one that returned the incumbent Georgian Dream party to power last month, but the one that took place in the United States last week. Georgia’s leaders were swift to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump and express confidence in the US-Georgian relationship. But privately, they may harbor […]

President-Elect Trump, Do More Trade with Mexico

US President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric denouncing free-trade deals, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has created a climate of uncertainty for the global market. Instead, increased US trade links and collaboration with Mexico would be beneficial for both countries, a former member of the National Innovation and Competitiveness Strategy Advisory Board said […]

Trump’s Unsurprising Triumph

By Richard R. Burt

Donald J. Trump’s election as the forty-fifth president of the United States of America has brought a deep sense of uncertainty for the future, but it should come as no surprise when considering the conditions that made it possible for this New York City billionaire to win the highest office in the land. Three factors, […]