Atlantic Council

Digging into the details of the US-Saudi deals Our experts dive into the US-Saudi announcements that followed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s White House visit on Tuesday.

FAST THINKING | Atlantic Council experts dive into the 🇺🇸 🇸🇦 US-Saudi announcements that followed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s White House visit on Tuesday:

How China’s Economic Slowdown Will Impact Africa Executive summary China’s economic rise and its integration with Africa have catalyzed new infrastructure and industries across the continent. But this also now exposes African countries to negative…

In our latest report with the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social GeoEconomics Center, we unpack what China's economic slowdown means for African economies.

Read the full report:

Building the digital front line: Understanding big tech decision-making in Ukraine Private technology companies have provided essential and often irreplaceable support to Ukraine following Russia's invasion in 2022.

🇺🇦 Tech companies have played a crucial role in supporting Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.

In a new report, Emma Schroeder analyzes the key factors that shaped how and why these companies chose to help:

How Trump can leverage the Saudi crown prince's visit to help secure Gaza's future Trump should work with Saudi Arabia and the UAE on a Gaza stabilization fund and a more cohesive plan for implementation.

If used well, this week’s US-Saudi talks in Washington can give the Gaza cease-fire a realistic chance of holding and shape the framework for the territory’s postwar transition, writes Melanie Robbins.

Chile's next president will either be from the far right or the far left. Washington should watch closely. Either José Antonio Kast or Jeanette Jara will be Chile's next president. The country is headed for a change no matter who wins.

No candidate secured the 50% plus one needed to win in Chile’s presidential election on Sunday.

As the race heads to a runoff, Maite Gonzalez Latorre explains why the outcome matters for Washington:

Biometrics in Africa: The market behind digital identity The Atlantic Council’s Democracy + Tech Initiative hosts a conversation on biometric and digital identification systems in Africa.

📅Nov 19 @ 9AM | Digital identity systems are transforming governance across Africa while raising big questions about privacy, inclusion & power. Join DFRLab's Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance, elections & rights across the continent
bit.ly/3K4IPxk

Operationalizing the National Defense Industrial Strategy for great power competition Russia is setting a rare-earth extraction roadmap; the United States must do the same to ensure military readiness.

My latest with Morgan Bazilian in @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social on how the U.S. can improve its defense industrial base (DIB) by improving metrics, financial incentives for midstream manufacturers & a DIB doctrine for acquisition offices and defense planners:

www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/energy...

Experts react: Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia. What does this mean for Bangladesh’s future? A tribunal in Dhaka has sentenced the former Bangladeshi prime minister for her role in the government’s deadly crackdown in July 2024.

On Monday, a tribunal in Dhaka sentenced former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia.

Our experts share their verdict on the sentencing, what it means for the country, and what comes next:
https://bit.ly/49Vhc4k

Gen Z protests have spread to seven countries. What do they all have in common? While the root causes vary, the data reveal several broad similarities among the countries that have seen massive Gen Z protest movements in recent months.

“The past year’s Gen Z protests are worth analyzing together for what they have in common, as these movements are influenced by one another and were all initiated by youth adept at using technology to organize,” writes Will Mortenson.

The expert conversation: What's Trump's endgame in Venezuela? We spoke to Matthew Kroenig and Jason Marczak to shed light on the US campaign of attacks on alleged drug boats and lay out what's next.

President Trump has ramped up attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific while building up US military presence in the region.

The Atlantic Council’s Matthew Kroenig and Jason Marczak shed light on what’s going on and what to expect next:

With Trump’s threats of military intervention in Nigeria, Tinubu faces a delicate balancing act With Nigeria on the brink of a diplomatic crisis with the United States, President Bola Tinubu must confront extremist violence without inflaming sectarian divides and rebuild diplomatic ties with Was...

With Nigeria on the brink of a diplomatic crisis with the US, President Bola Tinubu must confront extremist violence without inflaming sectarian divides and rebuild diplomatic ties with Washington, writes Ohimai Amaize.

Experts react: Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords. Here's what that means for the US, the Middle East, and Central Asia President Donald Trump announced the news during a White House meeting with Kazakh President Kassym Jomart-Tokayev and other Central Asian leaders.

President Trump announced on Thursday that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords.

Atlantic Council experts share their insights on the broader implications of the development:

Facing the threat of US strikes, Maduro has requested Russia’s help. He shouldn’t expect much. Focused on its war against Ukraine and struggling with sanctions, the Kremlin is unlikely to provide significant help to the Maduro regime.

Following Maduro's request to #Russia for aid,
@shelbyjmag.bsky.social and I unpack what assistance #Venezuela might actually receive (spoiler: not much!) for the
@atlanticcouncil.bsky.social: www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...

Trump has an opportunity to unblock Ukraine’s EU accession in his meeting with Orbán Getting Hungary to drop its opposition to Ukraine’s European Union accession would be a strategic coup for Ukraine, Europe, and Washington.

If President Trump wants to make progress on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, he should use tomorrow's meeting with Viktor Orban to push for Hungary to drop its veto over Ukraine's EU accession and stop buying Russian energy, writes James Batchik for @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social.

How will Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ approach foreign policy? While new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is a protégé of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, she will need to chart her own course for Tokyo in a changed world.

A protégé of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s first female prime minister Takaichi Sanae “will need to be selective in which foreign policies she sustains from Abe’s legacy to best address a fundamentally different global and domestic political environment,” writes Kyoko Imai.

Energy Sanctions Dashboard This dashboard focuses on US sanctions and restrictive measures placed on crude oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela—including the unintended consequences and the lessons learned.

NEW | The Atlantic Council’s Economic Statecraft Initiative and Global Energy Center have launched the Energy Sanctions Dashboard—a first-of-its-kind tool that offers insights into the impact and consequences of energy sanctions.

Explore the dashboard below:

In Trump-Xi summit, a shifting power dynamic on display The balance of power between the US and China has shifted since Trump launched his trade war in 2018.

China believes it is “far, far closer to a peer now”, said Dexter Roberts, a non-resident senior fellow at the
@atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Global China Hub. aje.io/qcyznh

How will Trump's new Russian oil sanctions shift the war? The sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil mark the first sanctions against Russia of the second Trump administration.

The US sanctioned Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil on Thursday—the first such action against Russia in Trump’s second term. How will this affect Russia’s war on Ukraine?

Atlantic Council experts share their perspectives below:

Budapest summit postponed as Putin rejects Trump's ceasefire proposal Just days after US President Donald Trump announced plans for a new summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, their proposed Budapest meeting has been thrown into doubt by Russia's rejection of a ceasefire in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

#UkraineAlert – With the proposed Trump-Putin summit in Budapest now postponed, “Putin will doubtless continue to profess his desire for peace while engaging in stalling tactics and playing for time,” writes Peter Dickinson.

How the US and Europe can deter and respond to Russia's chemical, biological, and nuclear threats The results of our workshops, interviews, and secondary research illuminated opportunities to enhance US and European responses to a CBRN attack should deterrence fail.

A willingness to use chemical weapons has long been a feature of Russian aggression, in Ukraine and across Europe.

In a new report, Atlantic Council experts examine how Russia employs these threats and recommend a strong NATO response:

Dispatch from Washington: Is this the calm before the economic storm? At the IMF-World Bank annual meetings, cautious optimism about the global economy was tempered by what could come next.

At the IMF-World Bank annual meetings, cautious optimism about the global economy was tempered by what could come next, writes Frederick Kempe in #InflectionPoints.

The pioneering greenhouse-gas reduction treaty for shipping has failed.

Here's more about it in a report from earlier this year www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/u...

(Part of @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social's Maritime Threats initiative.)

Twenty questions (and expert answers) about the next phase of an Israel-Hamas deal What will follow part one of the cease-fire deal brokered by the Trump administration? Atlantic Council experts share their answers.

What will follow part one of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal brokered by the Trump administration?

Atlantic Council experts answer twenty pressing questions below:

Behind the scenes of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings as leaders adjust to a new normal of uncertainty We sent our experts to the IMF and World Bank headquarters to glean a sense of what may be in store for the global economy--and what policymakers should do about it.

What lies ahead for the global economy? As IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva put it: “Uncertainty is the new normal, and it is here to stay.”

Live from the IMF–World Bank #AnnualMeetings, Atlantic Council experts unpack what this uncertainty means for global markets and policymakers:

As the trade war resumes, China may be keeping one eye on Trump and one on the Supreme Court The US president's leverage with Xi Jinping could be undercut by the Supreme Court's deliberations.

As the US-China trade war resumes, could President Trump’s leverage with Xi Jinping be impacted by the Supreme Court’s deliberations?

The Atlantic Council’s Josh Lipsky weighs in:

Israel and Hamas just struck a ‘phase one' deal to return hostages. Is the end of the war near? In this initial phase, Hamas will return living hostages, while Israel will begin to pull back its forces in the Gaza Strip.

FAST THINKING | Israel and Hamas just struck a ‘phase one’ deal to return hostages. Is the end of the war near?

Atlantic Council experts share their insights:
https://bit.ly/4o1m3W5

‘Bread and circuses' no more: Morocco's Gen Z rejects spectacle politics The youth-led demonstrations make clear that Morocco stands at a crossroads between spectacle and substance.

“Gen Z Moroccans are charting their own course toward justice and belonging,” writes Sarah Zaaimi.

“Their quest is not against the crown or the system, but against the illusion that performance equals progress.”

“Putin’s theory of victory rests on the idea that he will outlast Ukraine and the United States in terms of longevity and support on the battlefield,” said Institute for the Study of War President Kimberly Kagan at the Atlantic Council on Tuesday

Watch the full event here: https://bit.ly/4q1zqqo

How a weaker US dollar can help debt-burdened African countries Trump’s drive to weaken the US dollar is having global side effects. For some African countries, it is helping to ease immediate fiscal pressures.

📉 Since the start of Trump’s second term, the US dollar has fallen about 12% against a set of major African currencies.

Bart Piasecki explains how debt-burdened African nations can turn this to their advantage: https://bit.ly/4mU8rdw

Hamas just agreed to release all remaining hostages. What does that mean for the Trump peace plan? On Friday, Hamas agreed to release all of the remaining hostages that it captured during its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. Our experts share their perspectives on what this means for a potential cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

On Friday, Hamas agreed to release all of the remaining hostages that it captured during its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.

Atlantic Council experts share their perspectives on what this means for a potential cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war: