International Organizations

State of the Order: Assessing January 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Bhasan Char: An inflection point in the Rohingya refugee crisis?

By Imrul Islam

On December 4, 2020, Dhaka followed through on its promise to move refugees from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char, starting a new, unpredictable chapter in the Rohingya crisis. However, Bhasan Char does not solve these problems as much as it relocates them. Separating some refugees from others does not address the underlying drivers of crime within the refugee camps. If anything, relocation splinters aid response, and further attenuates humanitarian space.

Relaunching the transatlantic trade agenda: A European perspective

By Emilie Bel

By analyzing the lessons learned from the failure of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations and drawing on interviews with European officials, this paper recommends adopting a step-by-step approach that pays greater attention from the start to the concerns of public opinion—notably, on climate change—the diversity of European sensitivities, and the need to rebuild trust progressively.

International Criminal Court is no panacea for Ukraine

By Wayne Jordash and Anna Mykytenko

The International Criminal Court announced plans in December 2020 for a probe into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine since 2014, but past experience indicates the road to justice will be long.

The top ten risks and opportunities for 2021

By Mathew Burrows, Robert A. Manning

COVID-19, the kind of “grey swan” event that is predicted but never pinpointed in time, finally came calling in 2020. Drawing on years of foresight experience at the US National Intelligence Council, we are assessing the top 10 risks and opportunities in the new year, for the US in particular, but with global implications.

Atlantic Council Announces Launch of Strategic Litigation Project

By Atlantic Council

New effort from Middle East Programs and the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative seeks to inject fresh thinking into how governments and practitioners can apply legal tools to further foreign policy interests and advance human rights and democracy around the world.

America’s fleeting second-mover advantage is here

By Matthew R. Crouch

Though Chinese initiative has upset the status quo, their first move clarifies their vulnerabilities and exposes potential effective counterweights. By acting promptly to exploit these opportunities, the United States can take the second-mover advantage.