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Fast Thinking

Nov 23, 2020

FAST THINKING: How Tony Blinken sees America

By Atlantic Council

Joe Biden is reportedly about to make his first major foreign-policy move by announcing that he’ll nominate Tony Blinken, his longtime advisor and a veteran of the Clinton and Obama administrations, as secretary of state. To answer the big questions about who Blinken is and how he might serve in the role, we turned to Dan Fried, a former US ambassador who spent forty years in the foreign service and has known Blinken for decades.

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 23, 2020

Why foreign election interference fizzled in 2020

By Scott Jasper

The lessons of 2016 seem to have been heeded by those looking to protect us from disinformation from abroad, but the real threat in 2020 came from misinformation within the United States.

Disinformation

IranSource

Nov 23, 2020

Regional stability is in the interest of both Saudi Arabia and Iran

By Mohsen Tavakol

Contrary to common stereotypes, Riyadh and Tehran actually share a number of common interests.

Iran
Middle East

EnergySource

Nov 22, 2020

In states with key clean energy wins, utilities have a strong hand in driving or stalling progress

By Emily Burlinghaus

The 2020 US elections delivered some notable state and city-level wins for clean energy across the United States, notably in Nevada, Colorado, and Ohio. However, even in states that delivered victories for clean energy, utilities will still play a key role in driving—or stalling—the clean energy transition. The complex history of clean energy policy in each of these states points to the divergent paths both cities and states can take to decarbonize and the importance of striking a delicate balance between government, utilities, and public interests.

Climate Change & Climate Action
Elections

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2020

How Ukraine’s Orange Revolution shaped twenty-first century geopolitics

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution is often overlooked but it is worthy of more attention as one of the great geopolitical turning points of the early twenty-first century that set the stage for today's Cold War climate.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

Fast Thinking

Nov 20, 2020

Can Joe Biden really revive the Iran nuclear deal?

By Barbara Slavin, Matthew Kroenig

Is the JCPOA DOA? On this episode of Fast Thinking, Barbara Slavin and Matthew Kroenig share their thoughts on whether the Biden administration will try to revive the controversial 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. But will Tehran even play ball? Barbara and Matt agree that there is a future for the deal, and with continued […]

IranSource

Nov 20, 2020

Iran tries another lockdown as coronavirus cases soar

By Tahereh Hadian-Jazy

Faced with a new surge in coronavirus cases, Iranian authorities have ordered hundreds of cities across the country to obey a variety of stringent new restrictions starting from November 21.

Coronavirus
Politics & Diplomacy

Event Recap

Nov 20, 2020

Event recap | Trust and risk in the software supply chain

By the GeoTech Center

Event description On Friday, November 20, the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative and the GeoTech Center jointly hosted a private roundtable to discuss policy and technical recommendations to bolster the security of and trust in the software supply chain. Ms. JC Herz, Cofounder and COO at Ion Channel , and Mr. David London, Senior Director […]

Cybersecurity
Technology & Innovation

Fast Thinking

Nov 20, 2020

FAST THINKING: Get up to speed on the crisis in Ethiopia

By Atlantic Council

A fast-developing crisis in Ethiopia has the crucial US ally edging closer to all-out war, just two years after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office promising democratic reforms and a year after he won the Nobel Peace Prize. So what happened? Today we’re turning to Cameron Hudson, an expert on the region and former US diplomat and intelligence officer, for a look behind the headlines.

Africa
Conflict

The future is here

Nov 20, 2020

The post-COVID world this week: A new global role for the United States, the WHO’s latest warning, and the economy’s imprint on Generation COVID

By Atlantic Council

What can we expect from a post-COVID world after a pandemic that has reshaped international affairs? A reimagined US role in the world.

Coronavirus
Politics & Diplomacy