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New Atlanticist

Dec 10, 2018

Why the Irish border matters

By Dan Haverty and Brendan Reaney

It remains unclear if the withdrawal agreement May has reached with Brussels will impact the life of her government, but it is clear that the Irish border has impacted the Brexit debate and will force the prime minister to turn to her party’s rivals to push the deal through Parliament.

Democratic Transitions Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Dec 10, 2018

Why human rights matter

By Iain Levine

Even the most basic value that underpins human rights—that every human life has equal worth—is threatened by those who talk and tweet of “the other” in ways that question their very humanity.

Civil Society Human Rights

SyriaSource

Dec 10, 2018

Syria, Israel, and the Golan

By Frederic C. Hof

In mid-November 2018, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for a resolution demanding, among other things, “that Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan . . .” With only Israel and the United States voting “no,” 151 members of the General Assembly told Israel to withdraw from territory occupied since June 1967 and […]

Israel Syria

IranSource

Dec 10, 2018

New Tehran Mayor Takes Office After Controversy

By Tahereh Hadian-Jazy

Pirouz Hanachi was narrowly elected mayor of Tehran last month by the capital’s city council, besting former roads and urban development minister Amir-Abbas Akhoundi by one vote—eleven to ten. Hanachi replaces Mohammad Ali Afshani as the third mayor of the capital in the council’s current term. However, the Interior Ministry delayed accepting his election and officially ratifying […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Dec 8, 2018

OPEC attempts to recast its relationship with the United States

By Randolph Bell and Reed Blakemore

Though previous US administrations have taken an interest in OPEC and oil prices, Trump’s consumer-oriented approach to the oil market—and his willingness to use his Twitter account to advocate for that approach—has made always-difficult OPEC negotiations that much more challenging.

International Organizations Oil and Gas

New Atlanticist

Dec 6, 2018

Right-Wing party gains ground in Spain

By Alex Baker

The December 2 regional election in Andalusia ended the Spanish anomaly. As the results poured in, heads turned in Europe as Vox, a populist right-wing party, won 11 percent of the vote and twelve seats in the Andalusian parliament.

Elections Populism

New Atlanticist

Dec 6, 2018

The Trump administration has lost the debate on US-Saudi relations

By Nabeel Khoury

Logically, a superpower like the United States, and one on which the Saudis are almost completely dependent for their security, should be able to demand a genuine corrective course from its ally without having to throw the whole relationship into question.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Politics & Diplomacy

Trade in Action

Dec 6, 2018

TRADE IN ACTION December 6, 2018

By Global Business & Economics Program

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

SyriaSource

Dec 5, 2018

Why the situation in Rukban is deteriorating

By Aisha Han and Rachel Rossi

In the remote Rukban desert along the Syrian-Jordanian border, there is a makeshift settlement that houses approximately 50,000 Syrian refugees. The settlement is located inside a 20-square-mile deconfliction zone, north of the sand berm where the Jordanian, Syrian, and Iraqi borders meet; it is also south of the nearby US-led coalition base in al-Tanf. Starting […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Dec 5, 2018

An uncertain future for Georgian democracy

By Luis Navarro

In her election night victory speech on November 28, Zurabishvili took an important, positive step by acknowledging the need to reach out to those who didn’t vote for her after a very tough and divisive race.

Central Asia The Caucasus