New Atlanticist

A Coup in Burundi?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Pham sees risk of another civil war as fired General claims to be in control While details of a reported coup against Burundi’s President, Pierre Nkurunziza, by his former intelligence chief are fuzzy, it is clear that the Central African nation with a long history of civil war and political unrest risks descending […]

A United Kingdom Outside the EU is Just Not as Special to the United States

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Burwell questions Prime Minister Cameron’s push for a referendum on Britain’s EU membership British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Riga, Latvia, May 22 determined to push for reform of the European Union and to renegotiate the United Kingdom’s membership. Emboldened by his recent election victory, Cameron said he wants to give the […]

Can Fracking Survive?

Extraction process seen causing oil prices to slide On May 11, the same day panelists converged at the Atlantic Council to debate the future of hydraulic fracking technology, news broke of a pessimistic report by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) predicting that oil prices would remain well below $100 per barrel for […]

GCC No-Shows ‘Another Unfortunate Milestone’ in US-Gulf Ties

Leaders wanted more than ‘just a statement and more weapons sales’ out of Camp David summit, says Atlantic Council’s Pavel The decision by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and three other Arab leaders to skip a May 14 summit with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders at Camp David reflects deep unhappiness among Washington’s Gulf partners over […]

Is this the Solution to Europe’s Migrant Problem?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

EU plan to bomb traffickers’ ships in Libyan waters ‘counterproductive,’ says Atlantic Council’s Mezran The European Union wants the United Nations to support its plan to destroy human traffickers’ ships in Libyan territorial waters before smugglers use them to ferry migrants across the Mediterranean Sea. Can it work? No, said Karim Mezran, Resident Senior Fellow […]

In Britain, it’s Cameron… Again

By Ashish Kumar Sen

British Prime Minister is now in a much stronger position to counter the euroskeptic wing of his Conservative Party, says Atlantic Council’s Dungan British Prime Minister David Cameron defied political pundits and pollsters May 8 by winning a second five-year term in office. With the results of all 650 seats declared, Cameron’s Conservative Party (the […]

Recalibrating the Regional Political Balance in the Persian Gulf

US President Barack Obama will convene a meeting of leaders from all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries— Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—at the White House and Camp David on May 13 and 14, respectively. The meeting aims to address the Gulf states’ concerns about a nuclear deal that […]

EU Aspirants Face a Closed, if Not Locked, Door on Enlargement

By Robbie Gramer

Aspirant EU members Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are poised to leave the upcoming EU Eastern Partnership Summit disappointed, though not empty-handed. An advance draft of the Eastern Partnership declaration, to be unveiled at the summit on May 21 to 22 in Riga, Latvia, underscores the European Union’s drift away from stronger engagement with its partners.

With an Eye on Iran, Gulf Countries Seek US ‘Security Guarantee’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

UAE’s Ambassador says ‘gentleman’s agreement’ must be replaced with ‘something in writing’ The United Arab Emirates and its five partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—worried about Iran’s hegemonic ambitions in their neighborhood—want a US “security guarantee,” Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s Ambassador in Washington, said May 7 at the Atlantic Council. “We are looking […]

Wanted: A Real Peace in Pakistan’s Northwest

By Nazia Khan

“Peace has been restored,” Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, declared on a visit to North Waziristan earlier in May. He commended the Pakistani army for reestablishing order in the tribal agency that abuts Afghanistan and has been used as a safe haven by a variety militant groups. He also called on those displaced by the […]