Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

The climate and equity dilemma: Bending the coal curve in South and Southeast Asia

By Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

South and Southeast Asia are leading the world in terms of developing countries’ energy growth—how can need be met while avoiding new coal investments?

“US energy priorities abroad,” a conversation with US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette

By Global Energy Center

The Hon. Dan Brouillette, secretary of the US Department of Energy, discusses his priorities for international cooperation to provide safe, secure, and affordable energy sources in Latin America and Europe.

Handler in Lawfare: Election Security After Iowa

By Atlantic Council

The Iowa caucus debacle showcased how unhinged conspiracies can inflict damage on democratic institutions that’s just as severe as more direct electoral manipulation—along with the risk posed by overblown electoral outrage. To the extent that Iowa was a dry run for more pernicious election security issues that might arise in the general election, just about everyone failed the test.

UN Under-Secretary-General speaks to the complexity of countering desertification

By Africa Center

On Thursday, February 6, the Africa Center hosted a roundtable with Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Kenyan president says global leaders must see Africa as “the world’s biggest opportunity”

By David A. Wemer

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta implored an Atlantic Council audience on February 5 to see Africa as “more than just a continent producing security threats or unregulated migration that must be contained,” but rather as a region that has “immense strategic importance to the security and prosperity of the transatlantic alliance.”

Prime minister promises “Sudan will never be the same again”

By David A. Wemer

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok became the first Sudanese leader to travel to Washington, DC in more than thirty years, seeking to win more international support for his transitional government as it tries to guide Sudan towards democracy. “There is a success story that is emerging” in Sudan, Hamdok told an audience at the Atlantic Council on December 5. In a “region full of crises and riddled with conflicts, Sudan provides hope,” Hamdok declared.

CCS in Norway: Propelling global innovation for decarbonization

By Lee Beck

Northern Lights, a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project backed, in part, by the Norwegian government is set to bolster European and global carbon capture innovation, accelerating climate progress and exemplifying the next wave of global CCS facilities.

In their own words: Millennium Fellows reflect

Three Millennium Fellows shared their thoughts with us on their motivations to join, where they found the most value, and shared some advice for prospective applicants and the incoming class. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Energy and the threat

By Amb. Thomas Graham, Jr.

Nuclear energy is our greatest asset in the fight against climate change. In my view, success in the struggle against climate change likely is simply not possible without a robust and immediate commitment to nuclear power.

Bioweapons, secret labs, and the CIA: pro-Kremlin actors blame the US for coronavirus outbreak

By Eto Buziashvili

Multiple narratives begin to emerge on fringe Russian outlets and social media, following a familiar playbook