New Atlanticist

Saving South Sudan

By J. Peter Pham

The new year opens with the very real possibility that the world’s youngest country, South Sudan, may fail at statehood without ever having acquired more than its pro forma trappings: a flag, an anthem, and a seat at the United Nations. The government and rebel forces continued to fight over the weekend and failed to […]

Pluralism Key to Real Change in Arab World

By Barbara Slavin

Three years after the start of political upheaval across the region, transitional governments are struggling to maintain popular support amid rising sectarianism, poverty and violent extremism. Of six Arab countries that have experienced revolts since late 2010, only tiny Tunisia and Yemen appear to be making fitful progress toward political pluralism. Libya is plagued by tribal and religious […]

More Complexities in Implementing the Nuclear Deal With Iran

By Jofi Joseph

Jofi Joseph worked on US policy toward Iran’s nuclear program at the White House. This is the second of his two reports on complications in implementing the November 24 agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear program. Read his previous report here. As Iran and six major powers prepare to implement their November 24 deal to limit Iran’s nuclear […]

Ukraine’s Crisis Settles into Deadlock – for Now

By Adrian Karatnycky

Ukraine’s political crisis approaches the New Year holiday (and the Christian Orthodox Christmas on January 7) in an emerging deadlock. At least for now.  President Viktor Yanukovych, reinvigorated by his December 17 cash infusion from Russia, shows signs of having decided to tough it out and play for the long haul. Russia’s offer of $15 billion in loans, […]

South Sudan on the Edge

By J. Peter Pham

Not even thirty months after it achieved independence, South Sudan teeters on the edge of a profound abyss. What started a barely week ago as an “attempted coup”—at least according to President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s version of events—quickly transformed into an orgy of ethnic violence which, in turn, precipitated a renewed call to arms by […]

A Corruption Investigation Arrests Turkey’s Political Calm

By Ross Wilson

The sweeping anti-corruption arrests carried out this week by Turkish law enforcement authorities and the government’s stern response in sacking a wide range of police commanders mark the biggest political crisis in Turkey since 2007 and signal a further intensification of conflict and turmoil as the country looks at a series of elections in 2014-15. […]

NIST Attempts to Lift All Boats with Draft Cyber Framework

By Danielle Kriz

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released its important and much-anticipated Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework (PDF). The Framework plan was put forward in February 2013 as part of  President Barack Obama’s cybersecurity Executive Order to push a collaborative concept in which NIST takes the lead in coordinating with all interested stakeholders in the development […]

Three Cheers for China!

By Robert A. Manning

At a moment when few give the Obama administration much credit for either competence or strategy, a cascade of events in East Asia in recent days, not least John Kerry’s trip to Southeast Asia, point to important gains for the stabilizing and offshore-balancing role of US policy toward the Asia-Pacific.

The Pemex Door Has Opened

Latin America Center Director Peter Schechter and Deputy Director Jason Marczak wrote a guest blog for the Financial Times to coincide with the newly published briefing on Mexico’s energy reform. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto capped a year of reform with a final act that far exceeded expectations of the 47-year-old leader’s first year. Energy […]