Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

Belarus Interior Ministry exaggerates protester violence to justify excessive force

By Nika Aleksejeva

Two months after the contested presidential election, law enforcement has returned to using disproportionate violence against protesters.

Eastern Europe remains an opportunity for US exports and cooperation

By Evan Sieradzki

While the road to greater European energy independence from Russia is long, it leads through Eastern Europe. Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Belarus are eager for energy autonomy, and the United States has the capacity to meet Eastern European energy demand while expanding American LNG and nuclear energy markets.

The world in debt

By Stefan de Villiers

On Tuesday, the IMF released a new World Economic Outlook report for October 2020. In the report, alongside adjusted growth expectations, were updated measures of government debt. From that data, the GeoEconomics Center has created a visualization to track the debt burden felt across the globe. Our new tracker focuses on general government gross debt […]

The US government makes its big push for investment in Africa

By David A. Wemer

Buoyed by bipartisan commitment and a new government agency, the United States has taken new and significant steps to help drive investment in Africa, strengthen the region’s dynamic economies, create lucrative opportunities for US and African businesses, and advance US foreign-policy goals in the region.

Transcript: Investing in Africa’s future, a conversation with African presidents

By Atlantic Council

Immediate recovery and sustained growth in Africa after the pandemic rely in part on increased cooperation between US and African development finance institutions and a concomitant boost in two-way trade and investment. African leaders share their insights about their work with the US International Development Finance Corporation and how it will impact their countries.

Kremlin creates illusion of a religious clash between Belarus Orthodox and Catholics

By Nika Aleksejeva

Open source evidence shows overall solidarity among religious groups in Belarus despite Kremlin attempt to foment conflict between Orthodox and Catholics.

Transcript: The 2020 Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards

By Atlantic Council

At the 2020 Distinguished Leadership Awards, the Atlantic Council honored global leaders and unsung heroes responding to the political, humanitarian, and economic crises of today.

State of the Order: Assessing September 2020

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Artificial intelligence can protect all companies in the energy transition from cyberattacks

By Leo Simonovich

The operational and information technologies responsible for running energy systems today were never engineered to be secured in a digital environment, posing a technical challenge tough to solve and difficult for small and mid-sized operators to afford. New developments in artificial intelligence-based solutions can help all energy companies put defenders ahead of attackers, while adapting to the changing energy landscape.