Category: Blogs

What’s next for European energy security? Our experts decipher the State of the European Union Address.

By Atlantic Council experts

Ursula von der Leyen's speech focused on energy and strategic decoupling of supply chains amid Russia's war in Ukraine, but didn't delve into common defense.

Iran’s president let it slip that inflation is at least 60 percent. Here’s how it happened.

By Anonymous

President Ebrahim Raisi is not known for making news in his comments to the press. But on August 28, Raisi accidentally did so when he spoke in detail about the Iranian economy.

Putin’s self-defeating invasion turns southern Ukrainians away from Russia

By Michael Druckman

Putin framed his Ukraine invasion as a crusade to rescue Russian-speaking Ukrainians but polling data indicates that the war has turned traditionally Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine decisively against the Kremlin.

Britain is mourning Queen Elizabeth II. But for many Iranians, she was the ‘Queen of Coups.’

By Holly Dagres

While Queen Elizabeth II did not play a direct role in British imperialism and actually reigned as the empire declined, Iranians inside and outside Iran will never forget the role Britain once played in exploiting their country’s wealth and controlling their destiny.

The complex reality behind Vladimir Putin’s nuclear blackmail in Ukraine

By Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

Putin's recent efforts to blackmail European leaders by threatening a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Ukraine reflect Russia's use of fear and energy as foreign policy tools.

Ukrainian victory shatters Russia’s reputation as a military superpower

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk

The stunning success of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region has exposed the rotten reality behind Russia’s military superpower reputation and convinced many that a decisive Ukrainian victory is now possible.

Ukraine is winning but needs weapons to end Russia’s genocidal occupation

By Kristina Hook

Ukraine's recent Kharkiv counteroffensive was a major breakthrough but the country's Western partners must now deliver more weapons in order to achieve a decisive victory and end Russia's genocidal occupation.

In an ecosystem of growth for batteries, a diversity of options is key

By William Tobin

In the current battery market, much of the demand—and much of the supply chain stress—falls on lithium, whose electrochemical properties make it ideal for energy storage. But other battery technologies could play their own roles, particularly in grid-scale storage. An all-of-the-above approach would allow them to contribute significantly to the energy transition.

State of the Order: Assessing August 2022

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

The international community must see the Bangladesh of 2022

By Mohammad A. Arafat

Though Bangladesh is not without fault, the international community has good reason to see it as a constructive, democratic partner in South Asia.