New Atlanticist

The Middle East Transformed by Iran Agreement? Take a Deep Breath; Here’s Why Not

By Richard LeBaron

The reactions to the nuclear agreement with Iran announced July 14 were utterly predictable. Those against the agreement yesterday are those against the agreement today. Those for it are still for it. The Obama administration will fight for its approval by Congress and the Netanyahu administration will fight against it. Republican presidential hopefuls are all […]

An Opportunity to Discuss Iran’s Support for al-Assad

The nuclear deal reached July 14 between Iran and the so-called P5+1—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany—presents an opportunity for the Obama administration and its partners to address Iran’s support for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, writes Frederic C. Hof, a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for […]

EU Must Invest in Its Newest Statesman—and Keep Him Honest

By Matthew Bryza

This past Sunday in Brussels, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras received a well-earned dressing down for seventeen hours by his Eurozone colleagues.  Following months of bombast that destroyed Athens’ trust among its creditors, Tsipras’ most recent two weeks of erratic behavior seemed like a transparent attempt to blackmail the European Union. According to EU officials, […]

The Greek Debt Crisis – Latest Developments

By Demetrios Papageorgiou

After a weekend of marathon negotiations at an emergency Eurozone summit in Brussels, Greece’s creditors—the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB), and various Eurozone countries—have given the country an ultimatum: enact a laundry list of economic reforms by July 15 in order to start formal negotiations on the country’s third financing package […]

Deal will ‘Weaken’ Greece’s Tsipras

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Domestic Politics Weighed Heavily on Greek Negotiations, says Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell The terms of an agreement between Greece and its Eurozone creditors are tough, but there is an implicit recognition that austerity alone is not the answer, says the Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell. “There needs to be solidarity within the Eurozone and one has […]

Not Yet a Done Deal with Greece

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Andrea Montanino sees onerous limitations on Greek sovereignty A deal that paves the way to negotiations on a third bailout for Greece imposes tough limitations on Greek sovereignty that could endanger Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ government, says the Atlantic Council’s Andrea Montanino. Montanino said it is premature to declare that marathon negotiations over […]

#CounteringISISpropaganda

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Web-savvy extremists dominate discourse on social media Web-savvy extremists belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and their online cohort of supporters dominate the conversation on Twitter leaving little hope for the success of US efforts to counter that propaganda, according to a former State Department official. “ISIS has created, using this […]

Three Main Takeaways from Gen Dunford’s Nomination Hearing

Gen Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., the Commandant of the Marine Corps, testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 9 to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He looks likely to be confirmed, and analysis already exists about what kind of job he will do if he assumes […]

At Four Years Old, South Sudan is the ‘World’s Most Failed State’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Pham says President Salva Kiir must step down to give his country a chance Four years after it won independence from Sudan following decades of war, South Sudan is once again trapped in a vicious cycle of conflict that has turned the world’s youngest nation into a failed state, says the Atlantic Council’s […]

Every Effort Being Made to Avoid Grexit, says European Commission’s Dombrovskis

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Official says Greece needs to be credible partner to avoid Eurozone exit Every effort is being made to keep Greece in the Eurozone, but the Greek government has to show that it can be a genuine partner by presenting a credible reform proposal in its bid to secure a bailout, a senior European Commission official […]