Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

Sanctions prompt Iran to remain relevant in the global energy calculus

By Sara Bazoobandi

The Islamic Republic is determined to push back against maximum US pressure. Iran’s actions will not only be disruptive for security of energy transportation through the Gulf but they will also increase the risk of a sudden military escalation.

It’s Time for a NATO-China Council

By Barry Pavel, Ian Brzezinski

Such a group would help to collectively engage Beijing, which prefers to deal with countries in isolation.

The Chinese export we should be targeting: Climate change

By David Yellen

The Trump Administration’s trade war with China has aimed to reduce the trade deficit, but the volleys of tariffs between the US and China have impacted industries from railways to energy, and even required an aid package to keep the agriculture industry afloat. However, US trade policy should instead focus on a more menacing and enduring Chinese export, one that it does not send to the United States but whose emissions […]

Public Event with Iraqi MP Sarkawt Shamsulddin

On August 6, the Atlantic Council Iraq Initiative hosted Iraqi Council of Representatives Member Sarkawt Shamsulddin for a public event. In 2018, Shamsulddin became the youngest member of the Iraqi parliament, securing the top position of the New Generation Movement in Sulaymaniyah Province. He is now one of the leaders of The Future parliamentary bloc […]

Nuclear energy in context: What we’re reading

By Amb. Thomas Graham, Jr. and Admiral Richard Mies

The current discourse around nuclear energy reflects the extent to which the stakes have grown higher, both for environmental impact and US national security.

Gaming out the disaster: What could go wrong with the FSO Safer

By Dr. David Soud, Rohini Ralby, and Dr. Ian Ralby

In April, we sounded the alarm about how the Safer, an oil tanker converted into a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) near the Red Sea coast of Yemen and filled with an estimated 1.1 million barrels of crude oil, was not only structurally deteriorating but might actually explode. In the past week, news outlets around […]

Private virtual roundtable with Al-Bayan Center on US-Iraq relations

By Atlantic Council

On July 19, the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative hosted a roundtable with Al-Bayan Center, a think tank based in Baghdad. Iraq Initiative Director Dr. Abbas Kadhim moderated the conversation. The participants from Al-Bayan joined by videoconference.