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EnergySource

Mar 29, 2018

Is it time for a central energy regulator in the European Union?

By Branko Terzic

The European Union (EU)’s energy sector has undergone many changes in the march to create a liberalized European energy market. However, while the EU has outlined common rules and implemented shared standards, the bloc still lacks a central energy regulator akin to the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC). The European Union has been […]

Energy Markets & Governance European Union

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

Coordinated Russian Expulsions a Great Start. What Next?

By Brian O'Toole

The announcement of the coordinated expulsion of more than 150 Russian diplomats and intelligence officers from the US, Europe, and other global partners showed what the deft hand of diplomacy can accomplish in countering Russian aggression.  The expulsions, declared by allies around on the world on March 25, constituted a direct response to the attempted […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

In Egypt, Voter Turnout Falls Short

By Elissa Miller

Evidenced by low voter turnout in the presidential election, Egypt’s optimism after the 2011 revolution that ousted strongman Hosni Mubarak has been replaced by apathy amid the rule of a new strongman, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. In Egypt’s third presidential election since the revolution, Sisi ran for his second term as president in the voting […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

Here’s What Happened During the Saudi Crown Prince’s International Debut

By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States, following on the heels of his trips to the United Kingdom and Egypt, marks his debut on the international stage as the king-in-waiting of a country he could rule for decades. In the United Kingdom and now in the United States, the crown prince, […]

Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

North Korea’s Claims to Denuclearize ‘Almost Certainly’ Empty Promises

By Rachel Ansley

Though North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged his country’s commitment to denuclearization in a secret meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, it is unlikely that his sentiments are sincere. According to Jamie Metzl, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, North Korea will “almost certainly,” ultimately refuse to give […]

Korea

UkraineAlert

Mar 28, 2018

Ukraine’s Glaring National Security Gap that No One Has Heard Of

By Anders Åslund

My article about Ukraine’s new electricity tariffs aroused quite a few interesting comments, which deserve responses. Since these comments are private and many from people in high positions, I shall not mention their names. The arguments circle around pricing, ownership, privatization, investment, and taxation. The natural start is ownership. No one favors state enterprises. They […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

Kissing the ring: Kim pledges denuclearization after meeting with China’s Xi

By Robert A. Manning

Overnight, China ended the mystery and intrigue of its secret visitor: Yes, it was North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, making his first foreign trip to Beijing. While there, Kim pledged a commitment to North Korean denuclearization. Kim said: “It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearization in accordance with the will of […]

China Korea

MENASource

Mar 28, 2018

Goodbye

By Frederic C. Hof

As Easter Sunday dawns, my tenure as Director of the Rafik Hariri Center ends, along with my fulltime affiliation with the Atlantic Council. Leaving behind a Hariri Center team that personifies grace, diligence, decency, expertise, initiative, and collegiality will not be easy: it is the finest group of people with whom I have worked in […]

SyriaSource

Mar 28, 2018

Leaving

By Frederic C. Hof

When I joined the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center in late 2012, I had one goal: to build a Syria program that could, from outside government, do that which I had failed to do on the inside. I wanted to persuade senior officials that a drifting Syria policy left unchanneled would facilitate human suffering on […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Mar 27, 2018

Good to Be King: Ukraine’s Fugitive Oligarch Blocks Reforms and Benefits from International Handouts While Under House Arrest

By Oleksandr Kharchenko

Corruption is still a major challenge in Ukraine, and the energy sector is particularly vulnerable to illegal activity. But although it is tempting to view corruption as a problem indigenous to Ukraine, outside actors—sometimes tolerated or even supported by the government in Kyiv—play a leading role in perpetuating corruption inside Ukraine. A key illustration of […]

Ukraine