New Atlanticist

Russian Policies towards Ukraine are Illogically Consistent

By Taras Kuzio

The European Parliament on September 12 called on Russia to respect the right of EU Eastern Partnership members such as Ukraine to enter Association Agreements. The resolution, which received overwhelming support across the parliament’s political groups, called on Russia to not use trade sanctions to force Ukraine to choose the Eurasian over the European Union.

Why Nairobi

By Bronwyn Bruton

The attack on Nairobi’s Westgate mall is a vicious development in the war on terrorism: It signals the evolution of an unpopular splinter faction of a radical Somali group into a truly transnational terrorist organization. It also marks a major failure for the United States’ counterterrorism strategy in Somalia.

An Opportunity for Breakthrough Diplomacy

By R. Nicholas Burns

Something important, rare, and very positive happened in the Middle East this week: Iran and the United States agreed to negotiate for the first time in three decades. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and Barack Obama signaled in back-to-back UN speeches that they are ready for diplomacy. This doesn’t mean they will succeed or even make […]

Rouhani Charts Cautious Course in UN Debut

By Barbara Slavin

Midway through Hassan Rouhani’s debut on the international stage, his American reviews are mixed. The Iranian president bypassed a chance to shake hands and chat with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly despite anticipation in both Iran and the United States that such an encounter would happen. “Too complicated” for the […]

The Rule of Ten, US Military Power, and 2020 Hindsight

By Harlan Ullman

Legitimate yelps of pain along with klaxons sounding alarms are reverberating throughout the Pentagon. The cause is sequestration and annual cuts of $50 billion for ten years to defense spending mandated by last year’s Budget Control Act. While $50 billion a year against an annual budget of $500-600 billion may not seem draconic, the simple […]

The Real Reason al-Shabab Attacked a Mall in Kenya

By Bronwyn Bruton

Kenya has suffered devastating terror attacks in the past, worst among them al-Qaeda’s bombing of the American embassy in Nairobi (and simultaneously in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) in 1998. That attack killed almost two hundred Kenyans, and was followed in 2002 by an attempted missile strike on an Israeli commercial airline and the destruction of […]

Advocates Join Forces to Explore Impact of TTIP on All 50 States

In summer 2013, representatives of the United States and European Union opened negotiations to establish the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which seeks to deepen the relationship between the world’s two leading economies and create the world’s largest free trade area. The effort will align the two regions’ regulatory regimes, strengthening the economies without […]

Photos from Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi

Terrorists attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday, September 21. Since early 2012, experts from the Africa Center have talked about the likelihood of Kenya becoming a target for Somali terrorist groups. We’re aggregating relevant content, including media appearances and publications.Below are photo galleries from the initial attack and from earlier today when […]

Could US, Iran Agree On Syria Without Assad?

By Barbara Slavin

More than two years after President Barack Obama said it was time for Syria’s president to go, Bashar al-Assad is still in power in Damascus. But new evidence from the United Nations pointing to his regime’s large-scale use of chemical weapons makes it more plausible that Assad could leave office as part of an international […]