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New Atlanticist

Oct 22, 2018

The INF treaty: what it means and why the United States is leaving

By David A. Wemer

Although the Obama administration identified the Russian violations, support for a US withdrawal from the INF Treaty did not gain steam until the start of the Trump administration.

Nuclear Nonproliferation Russia

New Atlanticist

Oct 22, 2018

Why is a caravan of Central American migrants fleeing to the United States?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

"It is important to take into account that the underlying conditions that are forcing people to leave have been endemic in these countries for decades. Fixing them will take a committed, multi-pronged, multiyear strategy," said Jason Marczak director of The Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

Central America Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Oct 22, 2018

Good News: Ukraine Finally Gets New IMF Agreement

By Anders Åslund

On October 19, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it had finally reached a staff-level agreement with Ukraine on renewed lending. Ukraine hasn’t received any IMF funds since April 2017. Experts had warned that without an IMF tranche, Ukraine’s economy might face a serious financial crisis this fall.

Ukraine

MENASource

Oct 22, 2018

The Khashoggi reset

By Frederic C. Hof

The murder of Jamal Khashoggi—a resident of the United States and a citizen of a Kingdom that owed him protection—highlights the purely transactional nature of the relationship between Riyadh and Washington.

Saudi Arabia

IranSource

Oct 22, 2018

Dealing With Saudi Arabia Requires Lessons From Iran’s Global Assassination Campaign

By Gissou Nia

Gruesome details of the possible premeditated killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi state actors are gradually being revealed. This has invited inevitable comparisons between the brutality of Saudi Arabia to its regional rival, Iran. While the comparisons have prompted a fair number of social media snipes and tu quoque arguments, the parallels here […]

Iran Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

Oct 21, 2018

Trump to pull plug on arms control treaty with Russia

By David A. Wemer

White House officials, especially National Security Advisor John Bolton, have been pushing to abandon the treaty as they believe it is limiting Washington’s ability to counter China’s growing nuclear arsenal in East Asia.

China Missile Defense

MENASource

Oct 19, 2018

Murder in Istanbul and the Turkish Saudi rivalry

By Aaron Stein

On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national living in self-exile in the United States, walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. That was the last time he was seen alive.

Saudi Arabia Turkey

New Atlanticist

Oct 19, 2018

Why Afghanistan’s parliamentary election matters

By Roshni Majumdar

Holding the election is “an important measure of progress that underscores how far Afghanistan’s nascent democracy has come,” said Javid Ahmad, a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center.

Afghanistan Democratic Transitions

New Atlanticist

Oct 19, 2018

State department official sounds warning on Russian, Chinese influence in Central and Eastern Europe

By David A. Wemer

“We must not see it as a foregone conclusion that countries will automatically remain friendly to America,” said A Wess Michell, assistant secretary for the US State Department Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

Central Europe Eastern Europe

IranSource

Oct 19, 2018

Signs of a Spectacular Policy Shift in Iran

By Shahir Shahidsaless

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supported by religious conservatives, has the last word on major Iranian policy decisions, including relations with the United States. His long-standing position has been “no talks, no relations with America,” especially after US unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal in May. But there are signs that this hard line […]

Iran