Category: Content Series

The COVID-19 crisis and US and EU emissions in the new decade: Opportunities for a clean energy recovery

By Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sudden decline in global electricity demand of up to 20-25 percent in some countries, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects global electricity demand for 2020 will fall by 5-10 percent, contributing to an 8 percent overall drop in energy sector CO2 emissions. This piece updates evaluates the performance of the US and EU power sectors in 2019 within the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

Safeguarding the Red Sea amid the coronavirus: Preventing the spill of the FSO SAFER

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

The global COVID-19 pandemic has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and caused unprecedented harm to the global economy. At the same time, the pandemic has diverted global attention away from other matters of concern, notably the Floating Storage and Offloading Vessel (FSO) SAFER, a converted oil tanker moored four miles off the coast of Ras Isa, Yemen, in the Red Sea continuing to degrade after years of neglect. If no action is taken, the SAFER will spill as much as 1.14 million barrels of Marib Light crude into the water. Much of the world’s activity may be on hold, but the ongoing corrosion on the SAFER is not taking a break to wait out the pandemic.

#AlertaVenezuela: May 5, 2020

By Atlantic Council's DFRLab

Following a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Nicolás Maduro on April 20, the Spanish-language version of Kremlin-funded website Avia.pro, Avia-es.com, claimed Russia would support the Bolivarian Republic by sending troops to confront U.S. forces stationed in the Caribbean Sea, near the coast of Venezuela.

Turkey weekly news roundup – May 4, 2020

By Atlantic Council in Turkey

Below is a selection of articles on Turkey we have been following, covering the most important issues over the past week. COVID-19 International Cooperation Regional Conflicts

COVID-19 provides China a historic chance to tilt the world in its favor, but it may not last long

By Frederick Kempe

COVID-19 has provided a clarifying force revealing more clearly than ever before both the nature and relentlessness of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s ambition to place itself at the center of global power and influence. At the same time, the U.S. response to China has been inconsistent, lacking in long-term strategy and close coordination with allies.

The “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence

By Joanne Chukwueke

While lockdowns and social distancing measures have been essential in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, they have also produced unintended consequences: increased rates of domestic violence. As COVID-19 spreads in African countries, demand for support services for victims of gender-based violence continues to rise.

Zelenskyy’s foreign policy: One year in

By Atlantic Council Eurasia Center

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swept into office with three key promises. A year after his administration began, how has Zelenskyy done?

Loose cobras: DPRK regime succession and uncertain control over offensive cyber capabilities

By JD Work

Unconfirmed rumors surfaced in mid April 2020 regarding the potential incapacitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, leading to speculation about the ramifications of a sudden transition of leadership in Pyongyang. These rumors raise serious concerns over the stability of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) control of offensive cyber operations capabilities.

Building Virtual Communities: The Power of Technology to Connect People

Today’s technology has become the connective tissue of our physically distant lives and positioned us to quickly learn about and respond to COVID-19.

Coronavirus has exposed the United States’ own political virus

By John Raidt

Well before COVID-19 upended the world, another kind of virulence was seizing the United States by the throat—a lethal strain of division and dysfunction infecting the nation’s body politic. Though US economic indicators had been climbing to new heights, the public perceived the danger in political indicators tumbling to alarming new lows.