Content

Spotlight

Feb 11, 2021

Spotlight: 10 Questions for Latin America and the Caribbean

By Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

As February begins, we can now look ahead to the rest of the year with our annual predictions of what may or may not transpire in this unpredictable world.

Brazil
Caribbean

EnergySource

Feb 10, 2021

A paradigm shift under President Joe Biden: From “energy dominance” towards climate cooperation

By Friedbert Pflüger

The US return to the Paris Agreement and the appointment of John Kerry as the new US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate indicate a new paradigm: international energy and climate cooperation is back on the agenda. While there may be challenges to achieving broader goals, hopes are up for a transatlantic New Energy Deal between the United States and the EU in light of new policy substance with ambitious climate targets, and a new tone.

Climate Change & Climate Action
Energy & Environment

Event Recap

Feb 10, 2021

WFP head offers readout on Horn of Africa trip

By Africa Center

On Wednesday, February 10, the Africa Center had the privilege of welcoming back Gov. David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), to the Atlantic Council platform for a private virtual briefing on his latest trip to the Horn of Africa, where he met with civilian and military leaders in Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.

Africa
Conflict

Event Recap

Feb 10, 2021

Sudan’s outgoing state minister of foreign affairs reflects on regional issues

By Africa Center

On Wednesday, February 10, the Africa Center hosted a private virtual roundtable featuring H.E. Omer Gamereldin Ismail, the outgoing Sudanese state minister of foreign affairs, for a discussion on key regional and bilateral issues for Sudan.

Africa
Conflict

Event Recap

Feb 10, 2021

Event recap | The geopolitics of emerging tech during the pandemic

By the GeoTech Center

A GeoTech Hour with panelists sharing insights on lessons learned, ongoing challenges, and requisite next steps to be taken when considering the intersection of geopolitics, modern technologies, and COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus
Cybersecurity

NATO 20/2020

Feb 10, 2021

Supersize cyber: NATO 20/2020 podcast

By Safa Shahwan Edwards, Simon Handler

NATO should adopt a digital .2 percent policy whereby member states commit to spend .2 percent of their gross domestic product on cybersecurity and digital defense modernization.

Cybersecurity
Europe & Eurasia

Event Recap

Feb 10, 2021

Looking beyond COVID-19: The need to focus US national strategy on the next major crisis

By Julia Siegel

Health security and technology experts joined the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center and its Forward Defense practice for a discussion on building resilience for the next major national security shock.

Coronavirus
Crisis Management

Op-Ed

Feb 9, 2021

Zarazinski in Hacker Noon: Venezuela is patient zero challenging the Western financial system with Bitcoin

Global sovereign currencies are regulated and mediated by central banks, with significant tracking and infrastructure capabilities to allow for secure currency transactions, to enforce government policy, and to monitor criminal behavior. These safeguards do not exist with cryptocurrencies, which enable peer-to-peer instantaneous and immutable blockchain transactions. The result: participants can sidestep American controlled transaction mechanisms. […]

empowerME Conversations

Feb 9, 2021

Transforming homz

By Atlantic Council

In episode 5 of empowerME Conversations podcast, host Amjad Ahmad interviews Homzmart Co-Founder and CEO Mahmoud Ibrahim about his multiple entrepreneurial ventures, the growth in e-commerce in the Middle East, proactive changes governments are making to laws and regulations (and changes that are still needed), the importance of developing talent through mentoring, women’s economic inclusion in his businesses, and the need for the region to go beyond digitization and create change through innovation.

Economy & Business
Middle East

In the News

Feb 8, 2021

Garlauskas on Strauss Center’s webinar: The North Korea forecast for 2021

On February 2, Markus Garlauskas made an appearance as a guest speaker at a virtually held event by the Strauss Center for International Security and Law housed in the University of Texas at Austin, titled “The North Korea Forecast for 2021: A Former National Intelligence Officer’s View”. Based on his experience at the US National […]

Arms Control
Korea