Ashish Kumar Sen

Trouble with the Philippines   Tensions between the United States and the Philippines—a former US colony with which Washington has had a mutual defense treaty since 1951—have put a question mark over the future of the relationship and are being watched warily by countries in the Asia-Pacific. 

Keep the Faith: Fighting Islamophobia The United States and Europe have entered a “dark period” of Islamophobia, and no easy solutions are at hand, panelists contended in a discussion at the Atlantic Council in Washington on October 20.

Pushing for Peace in Colombia Two ground realities in Colombia—former guerrillas gathered in remote rural cantonments with scarce infrastructure and nationwide elections in the spring of 2018—make it imperative that a peace agreement that is acceptable to all sides is quickly found, according to Kevin Whitaker, the United States’ ambassador to Colombia.

Building on the Iran Nuclear Deal The next president of the United States must build on the opportunity provided by the nuclear deal to normalize ties with Iran, said Ellen Laipson, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, in Washington on October 19.

In DRC, Questions About President Kabila’s Intentions   Joseph Kabila has no intention of seeking a third term in office. The fact that he will likely remain president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) long after his term ends in December—until a successor is elected—is simply because he respects the constitution, said Barnabé Kikaya Bin Karubi, the president’s diplomatic advisor.

The Rise of the Strongman  In the prevailing atmosphere of growing nativism and xenophobia, the phenomenon of the strongman is on the rise across the globe, said a senior US official, and this will be the case as long as people believe that the world will continue to be chaotic.

Negotiating a Brexit  The European Union wishes to negotiate the “best exit possible” for the United Kingdom from the bloc, said David O’Sullivan, the EU’s ambassador to the United States.

Plebiscite Leaves Colombia’s Peace Process in Limbo   On October 2, Colombian voters rejected a peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. This was a “surprising” outcome of a plebiscite that has thrown into question the prospects for peace in the country, according to Atlantic Council analysts.