Content Type: Timely Commentary & Analysis

IAEA mildly reprimands Iran over suspect nuclear sites

By Mark Fitzpatrick

The board on June 19 issued a mild rebuke, echoing IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi’s expression of “serious concern” that Iran has not provided access to two locations where unreported nuclear activity allegedly took place nearly two decades ago.

Iran’s muddled relationship with cryptocurrency is self-inflicted

By Steven Terner

On an institutional level, Iranian policymakers are having a very difficult time understanding how blockchain technology works.

Gulf states should defend their sea lanes: Here’s how

By Richard LeBaron, John W. Miller

The United States should play more of a supporting role with the Gulf states themselves providing more leadership and most, if not all of the forces.

Event recap | Data salon episode 2: Could better technology protect privacy when a crisis requires enhanced knowledge?

By Stewart Scott

On Wednesday, May 27, 2020, the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center and Accenture hosted Dr. Jennifer King, Director of Consumer Privacy at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School, and Ms. Jana Gooth, legal policy advisor to MEP Alexandra Geese, for the inaugural episode of the jointly presented Data Salon Series. The event was co-hosted by Mr. Steven Tiel, Senior Principle, Responsible Innovation at Accenture and Dr. David Bray, Inaugural Director, GeoTech Center at the Atlantic Council.

Event recap | New approaches to trust in manufacturing

By Stewart Scott, Henry Westerman

On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center and Nanotronics hosted Dr. Joseph Bonivel Jr., Subject Matter Expert at the US Department of Defense, Mr. Donald Codling, President of Codling Group International, Dr. Andrea Little Limbago, Vice President of Research and Analysis at Interos Inc., and Ms. Roberta Stempfley, Director of the CERT Division at Carnegie Mellon University, for a virtual private round table about the future of trust in manufacturing. The event was co-hosted by Mr. Matthew Putman, Cofounder and CEO of Nanotronics, and Dr. David Bray, Director of the GeoTech Center at the Atlantic Council.

European Leadership and the Corona Crisis: Geopolitical Effects on Northern Europe

On June 15, 2020, the Atlantic Council Northern Europe Office in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Nordic Office, organized a seminar on the topic of ”European Leadership and the Corona Crisis: Geopolitical Effects on Northern Europe”. The public seminar was attended by experts from all around Europe, representing parliaments, governmental institutions, political parties, think-tanks and […]

Sultan Haitham makes a strong start by addressing economic challenges

By Marc J. Sievers

Sultan Haitham and his government have had to contend with the dual impact of the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and the collapse of world oil prices, which the Omani government depends upon for most of its revenue.

The Cairo Declaration is a false resolution to Libya’s conflict

By Karim Mezran, Alessia Melcangi

The so-called “Cairo Declaration,” backed by General Khalifa Haftar and Libya's parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh, proposes an intra-Libyan resolution as a basis for resolving the country’s conflict.

Refugee conditions deteriorate amidst multiple crises in Lebanon

By Salman Husain and Diam Abou-Diab

As multiple crises are simultaneously bearing down on Lebanon, its fragile humanitarian situation is nearing a breaking point.

Iran’s ‘butterfly children’ impacted by sanctions and corruption

By Shenaz Kermalli

Described by US dermatologists as “the most painful disease you’ve never heard of,” EB is caused by a genetic mutation. In Iran, an estimated 800 to 1,200 patients live with the disease.