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Showing posts from January, 2019

Venezuela’s Interim Government Shuns Maduro’s Offer of Dialogue

Venezuela’s interim leaders, sensing that their dream of freedom “is tantalizingly close,” are in no mood to enter into a dialogue with Nicolás Maduro’s regime, which has driven the oil-rich South American nation into a humanitarian crisis while cracking down on its opponents. This week, under pressure from a growing number of countries, including the United States, Maduro has sought to involve his international backers, including Russia and Mexico, in a new process of dialogue with the opposition. Venezuela’s interim government is having none of it.

Venezuela: What’s Next?

Even by Venezuela’s standards, it has been an unprecedented week for this oil-rich South American nation. In a span of a few days, the crisis that has been simmering for the past few years has reached a boiling point as the international community, including the United States, has turned up the heat on Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

Here’s What You Should Know About What’s Going on in Venezuela

US President Donald J. Trump’s recognition of Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela ramps up pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Caracas. The recognition is an important step, but also raises many questions. Jason Marczak , director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, addressed some of these questions in an interview with the New Atlanticist’s Ashish Kumar Sen . Here are excerpts from our interview.

A Look at Trump’s Missile Defense Strategy

US President Donald J. Trump on January 17 unveiled a plan to defend the United States and its allies from a missile attack—the first update to the United States’ missile defense strategy in almost a decade.

Trump to Meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un Again in February

US President Donald J. Trump will meet Kim Jong-un for a second time in late February to push the North Korean leader to take steps toward denuclearization, the White House said on January 18. It did not announce a location. The two leaders last met in Singapore on June 12, 2018. That was the first meeting between a leader of North Korea and a sitting US president. Is a second summit a good idea?

Two Years of Trump: Key Moments in Foreign Policy

January 20 marks two years since US President Donald J. Trump took office. We take a look back at some of the big foreign policy headlines made by the president and his administration over these past two years.

Polish Prime Minister Urges Allies to Beef Up Cybersecurity Budgets

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on January 16 called for a collective Western response to cyber threats while urging allies to increase spending on cybersecurity.

Nuclear Power Sparks Different Reactions

Nuclear power evokes a broad spectrum of responses around the world. While the United Arab Emirates is building a nuclear power plant and Saudi Arabia has announced its intention to do so, in Japan—where the memories of the Fukushima plant disaster of 2011 are still fresh—there is a reluctance to embrace nuclear power, while Germany is implementing a plan to take all of its nuclear reactors offline by 2022.

Taking Stock of Energy Security Risks in the Twenty-First Century

Climate change, geopolitics, economic development, energy transitions and security of supply are just some of the challenges facing energy security in the twenty-first century.

OPEC Production Cuts Defended

OPEC’s secretary general and its former president on January 13 defended the group’s decision to cut oil production by 1.2 million barrels per day from criticism that the cut is insufficient to address the slowdown in the market.

United States Determined to Drive Iran’s Oil Exports Down to Zero

The United States is determined to drive Iran’s oil exports down to zero in its effort to maximize economic pressure and force Tehran back to the negotiating table to discuss a “comprehensive deal” in place of the nuclear agreement US President Donald J. Trump abandoned last year, Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran and senior policy advisor to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said at the Atlantic Council’s 2019 Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi on January 12.

How to Survive a Volatile Energy Market

Diversification is key to surviving, and even thriving, in the current volatile energy market. Just ask Musabbeh Al-Kaabi and Claudio Descalzi. Mubadala Chief Executive Officer (Petroleum & Petrochemicals) Musabbeh Al-Kaabi believes that all sources of energy will be required in the future. And so, Mubadala, a global investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has made key investments in upstream (specifically, low-cost resources and natural gas) and downstream (in the highly competitive feedstock in the United States, for example).

Pompeo: The United States is a ‘Force for Good’ in the Middle East

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on January 10 repudiated former US President Barack Obama’s Middle East policies while seeking to reassure allies of the United States’ commitment to the region. Ironically, allies have been rattled of late by US President Donald J. Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. This decision, Pompeo insisted, is not a change of mission.