Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

#ElectionWatch: Bots and Boosters in Mexico

By Ben Nimmo and Donara Barojan

Mexican political party the New Alliance (Nueva Alianza, or PANAL) has been benefiting from significant online amplification by a cluster of activists and probable Twitter bots, in the countdown to the country’s July 1 election.

Colombia’s Vote: The Road Ahead for Iván Duque

By Carolina Portela-Blanco

On Tuesday, June 19, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center hosted an event titled, “Colombia’s Vote: The Road Ahead for Iván Duque.” The event brought about a rapid reaction discussion to Iván Duque’s victory over Gustavo Petro in the Colombian election held on June 17th. The speakers touched on a range of topics, […]

Diversity of electricity generation in the United States has increased, not decreased

By Varun Rai

Resilience of the electric grid and the role of diversity of fuel sources within it have recently become hotly debated topics. In 2017, the US Department of Energy (DOE) attempted to shore up grid resilience by introducing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) that would compensate power generators for maintaining ninety-day supply of fuel on […]

#ElectionWatch: Eyes on Colombia from Venezuela

By Jose Luis Peñarredonda

The Colombian elections have spurred significant interest in Venezuela, as evidenced by the social media activity of accounts based in the country or managed by Venezuelans.

Plight of Rohingya Worsens

By Masoud Mostajabi and Sachin Mathur

The deplorable condition of ethnic minorities in Myanmar has further deteriorated in recent years and Myanmar’s ongoing transition to democracy has been imperiled by ethnic conflict, pervasive religious discrimination, and other recurrent human rights abuses. Once a thriving hub for trade and a major agricultural producer, the State of Rakhine in western Myanmar has more recently […]

#ElectionWatch: Bees Cause Buzz in Colombia

By Jose Luis Peñarredonda

A week before the election, people attending a campaign rally for Colombian presidential candidate Iván Duque were attacked by a swarm bees.

The third international conference on Baltic Sea Security – Merging Perspectives in Northern Europe

By Atlantic Council

On June 12 2018, the Atlantic Council’s Northern Europe Office and the Swedish Armed Forces arranged the third international high-level, full-day conference on Baltic Sea Security in Stockholm, with the theme Merging perspectives in Northern Europe. Previous conferences took place in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Since 2013, a lot has happened, with a deteriorated situation […]

The irony of Italy’s election for energy

By John Roberts

The new Italian government’s declaration that it is reviewing the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project threatens to derail a $40 billion set of projects that will bring Caspian gas to Europe and hand Russia a major victory in the process. What is at stake is the final leg of a complex set of projects referred […]

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats: ‘Look at the Actions of the Russian State, Not Putin’s Pronouncements’

Remarks as prepared for delivery by The Honorable Dan Coats Director of National Intelligence Tocqueville Conversation Friday, June 8, 2018 Normandy, France Good evening, and sincere thanks to the Atlantic Council, Le Figaro, and the Tocqueville Foundation for organizing this important conversation about Democracy in the West. I enjoyed catching up with Atlantic council board […]