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In the News

Oct 5, 2017

Hellyer in ABC: The Once and Future Azhar: Counter-Extremism and the Credibility of Sunni Islam’s Preeminent Institution

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here.

North Africa

Energy Diplomacy Initiative

Oct 5, 2017

Regional Energy Integration: The Growing Role of LNG in Latin America

By Elise Emil

On Thursday, October 5, 2017 the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center jointly hosted Mr. Gonzalo Aguirre, Mr. José María Castro, Mr. Giovani Machado, and Ms. Sue Saarnio for a discussion about the changing energy markets in Latin America and the role of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the regional […]

Energy & Environment
Latin America

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series

Oct 4, 2017

US strategy toward China’s belt and road initiative

By Gal Luft

The balance in Eurasia is shifting. China’s President Xi Jinping has ambitious visions for Asia, while the rest of the world reshuffles to find its place in the rapidly changing global order. The United States would be better off engaging with the BRI and trying to influence its design and mechanics from within, rather than staying on the sidelines and witnessing its allies gravitating toward China.

Africa
China

Defense Industrialist

Oct 3, 2017

The military implications of Catalonian secession—an update

By James Hasik

assuming that Catalonia was admitted to NATO, what would the newly independent country contribute? At the 2014 Strategic Foresight Forum at the Atlantic Council, Anne Marie Slaughter of the New America Foundation opined that an independent Catalonia would do a fine job of defending itself. After all, Catalonia is a country of over 7 million people, with more than $300 billion in GDP. Spending just 1.6% of that—well below the widely-ignored NATO threshold, of course—provides over $4.5 billion annually. y de-emphasizing the military forces that any landlocked country will have, and instead steering investments towards those it is comparatively positioned to provide, Catalonia could punch above its weight in European political affairs.

Defense Policy
Eastern Europe

Issue Brief

Oct 2, 2017

The roots and evolution of Iran’s regional strategy

By Suzanne Maloney

Understanding what drives Iran’s regional policies is crucial to confronting its challenges. In her new paper, entitled The Roots and Evolution of Iran’s Regional Strategy, Suzanne Maloney, deputy director of foreign policy and senior fellow for Middle East policy at the Brookings Institution, explores how the Islamic Republic operates throughout the Middle East, and the […]

Iran
Politics & Diplomacy

Issue Brief

Sep 29, 2017

The new Russia sanctions law: What it does and how to make it work

By Daniel Fried, Brian O’Toole

In “The New Russia Sanctions Law–What It Does and How to Make It Work,” authors Ambassador Daniel Fried, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and former coordinator for sanctions policy at the US State Department, and Brian O’Toole, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, explain that Congress primarily adopted the law to block […]

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion
Russia

In the News

Sep 24, 2017

Hellyer in The Globe and Mail: Seeing the Human Side of Islamic State Helps to Defeat Them

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here.

MENASource

Sep 18, 2017

Al-Azhar and the battle of ideas against extremist Islamism

By Dr H. A. Hellyer

The subject of extremist Islamism, and refuting it, remains a live one—and it is unlikely that it will change anytime soon. If there is ever a comprehensive and thorough response to extremist Islamism, it will have to take on board the need to deconstruct religious arguments from within religion. Pre-eminent among institutions that are called […]

Extremism
North Africa

In the News

Sep 13, 2017

Hellyer in The National: Outrage, Shallow Populism and Symbolic Gestures Will Not Help the Rohingya

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here

Defense Industrialist

Sep 13, 2017

An EU air force is impossible; Fortunately, it’s not necessary.

By James Hasik

To rebuild robust air forces, Europeans should just get back to basics. Early last month, as David Cenciotti of the Aviationist reported, A-10Cs of the Maryland Air National Guard were again practicing landings and take-offs from stretches of highway in Estonia, though with occasional casualties amongst the roadsigns. About a year prior, it was A-10Cs of the […]

Defense Industry
Defense Technologies