New Atlanticist

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 […]

EU’s Planned ‘Digital Single Market’ Sparks Internet Debate on Both Sides of Atlantic

The European Union has rolled out its long-awaited plan to forge a digital single market (DSM) among the EU’s 28 member nations—an ambitious but controversial proposal that aims to tear down regulatory walls and boost Europe’s share of the online economy. On May 6, the same day European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled the plan […]

Is this France’s Own Patriot Act?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Controversial surveillance rules unlike the ‘knee-jerk’ US law passed after 9/11, says Atlantic Council’s Dungan Controversial surveillance rules passed May 5 by France’s lower house of Parliament are quite unlike the “knee-jerk” US Patriot Act that followed al-Qaeda’s terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, said Atlantic Council analyst Nicholas Dungan. Dungan, a Nonresident Senior Fellow […]

The British are Voting: Here’s What You Need to Know

By Ashish Kumar Sen

‘It is not important that Britain is not important,’ says Atlantic Council’s Dungan If one thing is nearly certain about Britain’s general elections May 7, it is that they will produce no clear victor and, as a result, could lead to another coalition government—or even a hung Parliament. British Prime Minister David Cameron is leading […]

The Geopolitical Case for Crude Oil Exports

By Chris Brown

The US ban on crude oil exports was a prominent topic of discussion when industry leaders and high-ranking government officials from across the globe convened in Houston in April for IHS CERAWeek, one of the energy industry’s largest annual conferences. Indeed, over the past year the longstanding ban has emerged as one of the hottest […]

2015 Distinguished Leadership Awards: A Night to Remember

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Breedlove, Ghani, Hewson, and Keith receive Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Leadership Award What do Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, Ashraf Ghani, Marillyn A. Hewson, and Toby Keith have in common? The answer to that question is probably: not much. That was until all four were honored with the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Leadership Award at a glittering ceremony […]

Imagining Solutions to Society’s Most Pressing Problems

By Larry Luxner

A Brazilian woman trying to interest her fellow citizens in municipal politics joined a State Department official, a Pentagon strategist, and the publisher of Foreign Policy magazine April 30 for an Atlantic Council discussion titled “Imagining Solutions.” The lively discussion—covering topics from Rio de Janeiro’s impoverished favelas to the worldwide explosion in smartphones—marked the last […]

Takeaways from the Global Strategy Forum

By Larry Luxner

The Washington establishment is unprepared for the technological and geopolitical risks of the future, America is losing influence around the world—and while the United States is still indispensable as a superpower, there’s debate on whether it ought to remain so. These are among the takeaways from the Atlantic Council’s Global Strategy Forum held April 29-30 […]