International Organizations

America First Also Means Europe First

By Louis Golino

The NATO summit in Brussels on May 25 was an important opportunity for US President Donald J. Trump to turn his recent statement about the Alliance no longer being obsolete in his opinion into real progress in transatlantic relations. However, Trump’s boorish behavior at the summit, his failure to endorse the Alliance’s mutual defense clause, […]

Creating a More Competitive Energy Market in Europe

By Valerio Zanovello

One of the key characteristics—and potential vulnerabilities—of the European energy market is its dependence on imports. The European Commission has drawn up a list of 195 key energy infrastructure projects, known as Projects of Common Interest (PCI), to create a more competitive energy market and alleviate this dependence. Some of these projects could considerably improve […]

TRADE in ACTION – May 19, 2017

This week in TradeinAction: On the US side, Robert Lighthizer was sworn in as new USTR, President Trump met with President Santos of Colombia and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

Trump Navigates the Middle East

By Giorgio Cafiero and Theodore Karasik

US President Donald J. Trump signaled through his meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ), crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Washington on May 15 his administration’s commitment to working closely with the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states […]

Balkan troubles: The European perspective and the case for US engagement

By Catherine Schaper

On May 16, the Atlantic Council’s Future Europe Initiative, in partnership with the European Fund for the Balkans, hosted a panel discussion on European perspectives regarding US engagement in the Balkans. Moderated by Damon Wilson, executive vice president of the Atlantic Council, and introduced by Igor Bandovic, senior programme manager at the European Fund for […]

TRADE in ACTION – May 12, 2017

By Global Business & Economics Program

This week in TradeinAction: Emmanuel Macron wins French presidency, routing Le Pen, Robert Lighthizer won Senate approval Thursday to become President Donald Trump’s top trade envoy, the G7 Finance Meeting starts today and European Trade Ministers meet in Council meeting to discuss Anti Dumping and Ukraine.

The Avoidable Return of Geopolitics in the Balkans

By Florian Bieber, Dane Taleski and Nikola Dimitrov

Political crises, regional tensions, and the decline of democracy point to an increased risk of conflict and instability in the Balkans. Peace, democratic reform, and stability in the Balkans have been guaranteed for the past two decades by the prospect of European Union (EU) membership and by US and NATO security guarantees. Both pillars of […]

Macron Faces a World of Challenges

By Louis Golino

Emmanuel Macron’s election as the next president of France is consequential not just because it is the first time that a centrist who has never held elected office has won or that it reinforces, after the recent Dutch and Austrian elections, the fact that the forces of nationalism have, at least for now, been kept […]

Macron’s Victory is Welcome News for Saudi Arabia and Qatar

By Giorgio Cafiero and Theodore Karasik

Emmanuel Macron’s election as the next president of France is positive news for Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Among the four leading candidates in the presidential election, Riyadh and Doha most favored Macron, whose foreign policy positions are pro-European Union (EU) and who is expected to continue Paris’ overall approach to international affairs. More specifically, Macron’s […]