Politics & Diplomacy

Politics & Diplomacy

Healthy democratic societies are governed through the holding of elections, passage of policies through government institutions, and equal application of the law to all citizens. These activities influence not only the internal decisions of these societies, but also inform the ways countries interact with their regional and global neighbors, whether through direct bilateral ties or encompassed in larger international organizations.

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The Iran war is a game of liar’s poker

New Atlanticist Mar 18, 2025

The Gaza cease-fire is over. What’s next from Israel, Hamas, and the US?

By Atlantic Council experts

In the early hours of March 18, Israel launched air strikes on Gaza, ending the two-month cease-fire. Atlantic Council experts answer pressing questions about the resumed conflict.
Conflict Israel
The Iran war is a game of liar’s poker

New Atlanticist Mar 17, 2025

Enough carrots for Putin. For better negotiations, serve ‘maximum pressure’ instead.

By Benjamin L. Schmitt, Richard L. Morningstar, and Daniel Fried

Since Russia appears content for negotiations to move slowly, the Trump administration should turn up the pressure with new sanctions.
Conflict Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion
The Iran war is a game of liar’s poker

Issue Brief Mar 13, 2025

Present without impact? How the Middle East perceives China’s diplomatic engagement

By Jonathan Fulton

Despite economic advancements and high-profile diplomatic engagements, China’s influence remains largely economic rather than political, Jonathan Fulton argues.
China Economy & Business

Content

MENASource

Jun 11, 2026

The Iran war is a game of liar’s poker

By Khalid Azim

The central question has not simply been who possesses power, but who is willing to absorb pain, tolerate risk, and continue escalating when conventional logic suggests restraint.

Conflict Iran

Fast Thinking

Jun 11, 2026

Is this the end of the Iran war? 

By Atlantic Council

Our experts break down the latest strikes and Trump's announcement of a pending deal to end the conflict.

Conflict Iran

Dispatches

Jun 10, 2026

From a gap to a chasm: Diverging US and Israeli interests in the war with Iran

By Daniel B. Shapiro

The once-modest gap between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump has widened in recent weeks.

Conflict Iran

Dispatches

Jun 10, 2026

How energy could redefine the US role in the Western Balkans

By Agon Maliqi

A new report from the Trump administration redefines the US goal as effectively being “stability … as a means of pursuing economic cooperation.”

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Issue Brief

Jun 9, 2026

How global authoritarians sustain inequality

By Deng Liu

Authoritarian leaders across the world use targeted strategies to sustain inequality. But developing countries should instead pull from a variety of existing development models to create societal prosperity.

East Asia Freedom and Prosperity

Dispatches

Jun 9, 2026

Four questions (and expert answers) about Armenia’s elections and what to expect next

By Atlantic Council experts

Atlantic Council experts look at what Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s victory means for the South Caucasus region and for the US and Russia.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jun 9, 2026

Countries across Russia’s former empire are reclaiming place names to assert identity

By Joseph Epstein

Ukraine's campaign to strip Soviet and Russian imperial place names from the country’s towns and cities is not a reaction to the current war so much as the leading edge of a region-wide rejection of Moscow's cartography, writes Joseph Epstein.

Central Asia Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Jun 8, 2026

The Ukraine Support Act sends a strong signal even if it won’t send weapons

By Leslie Shedd

As momentum in the Russia-Ukraine War shifts in Kyiv’s favor, the US Congress took a tentative step last week toward rewarding Ukraine’s progress with much-needed weapons for their troops and support for the country, writes Leslie Shedd.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

In the News

Jun 7, 2026

Charai for Newsmax: No Trust, No Illusions, No Nuclear Iran

By Atlantic Council

Iran Middle East

Issue Brief

Jun 5, 2026

Countering terrorist propaganda in the age of AI

By Danielle Cosgrove, Doug Livermore, Erin K. McFee, Morgan Tadych, Timothy “Tito” Torres

More people are being exposed to violent propaganda online, and the time between seeing such content, recruitment by a terrorist organization, and action is getting shorter. Counter-terrorism today thus must mean limiting the spread of terrorist content.

Artificial Intelligence Politics & Diplomacy
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Experts

Millennium fellow

Fatima Abbas

Director of Tribal and Native Affairs, Department of Treasury

Millennium Leadership Program

Politics & Diplomacy Rule of Law

Fellow

Nasredeen Abdulbari

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Project for Middle East Integration

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Africa Arabic

Fellow

Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Distinguished Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Middle East National Security

Fellow

Ahmed Aboudouh

Former Nonresident Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic China

Fellow

Gbemisola Abudu

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Africa Center

Africa Economy & Business

Staff

Aalaa Abuzaakouk

Deputy Director, Millennium Leadership Program

Millennium Leadership Program

Arabic Civil Society
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Events

Online Event Thu, June 18, 2026 • 12:00 pm ET

Is Russia losing the war?
Eastern Europe Europe & Eurasia Politics & Diplomacy Russia