New Atlanticist

Rethinking the Medium-Term Demand Outlook for Oil

By Robert J. Johnston

This article is part one of a two-part series. While oil markets agonize over the possibility of a “production freeze” agreement among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members facing political and economic distress from lower oil prices, much larger and strategic data points are receiving less attention. These data points, while too […]

Syria Ceasefire: Beyond Hope?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The United States and Russia have little chance of resurrecting the fragile Syria ceasefire, said Frederic C. Hof, director of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. “The odds do not favor the ceasefire being salvaged, sad to say,” said Hof, who served in the Obama administration as a special adviser for […]

Brazil After Dilma: A Reason for Optimism

By Andrea Murta

A year ago, Dilma Rousseff, the former president of Brazil, and Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, were involved in a public duel that threatened the pillars of the republic. Today, both have lost their jobs. That doesn’t mean that a turbulent chapter in Brazil’s history has ended. Now begins an […]

Anti-Terror Law Casts Shadow Over Russian Election

A combination of suspicions of Russian government involvement in the theft of Democratic National Committee e-mails and new anti-terrorism measures recently signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin bode ill for Duma elections scheduled for September 18. The DNC hack, while not confirmed as an attempt by the Kremlin to manipulate the results of […]

Venezuelan Opposition Looks for Game Changer in Bid to Oust Maduro

Venezuelans currently face “the challenge of beating by democratic means a regime that is not democratic,” said Julio Andrés Borges Junyent, the majority leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly and part of the opposition that is challenging the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro. On September 1, thousands of Venezuelans participated in a protest organized by the […]

In Syria, the United States Must Navigate a Complex Intelligence-Sharing Landscape With Russia

The Obama administration will carefully consider what intelligence it shares with Russia pertaining to enemy targets in Syria in part due to the belief that the Russians do not apply the same degree of care to avoiding civilian casualties, a senior US official said at the Atlantic Council on September 13. Noting that the US […]

Georgia’s European Choice ‘Irreversible,’ says Georgian Prime Minister

By Ashish Kumar Sen

In an election season in which Georgia’s NATO aspirations have been hotly debated, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili insists that his country’s European choice is “irreversible.” “An overwhelming majority of the people of Georgia consider the goal of joining EU and NATO to be a necessity that will lead to a higher standard of democracy, […]

Culture Under Threat: Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra as Case Study

By Vladislav Davidzon

In the last two years, it has become routine to acknowledge that the Maidan revolution unleashed torrents of creative energy in Ukraine. Myriad articles have been written about the ferment of cultural activity taking place across every discipline. Yet classic cultural institutions and performing arts groups continue to face many of the same problems they […]

White House Hopeful India Will Ratify Paris Climate Deal This Year

By Rachel Ansley

The White House is optimistic that India, a major polluter, will this year ratify the Paris climate agreement, increasing the likelihood that the deal that is intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions will come into effect before US President Barack Obama leaves office in January of 2017. “We are very, very committed to seeing this […]