Atlantic Council

“With the world fixated on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Donald Trump’s peripatetic presidency, it’s worth a reminder that the geopolitics of AI will almost certainly have far more lasting consequences,” writes @FredKempe. Read more ⤵️ atlanticcouncil.org/content-series…

🇯🇵 Japan’s economic model and geopolitical alignment are under strain amid rising geoeconomic pressures and scrutiny from allies, writes @ACGeoEcon’s @clichfield1. Read more ⤵️ atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/eve…

Jerome Powell’s track record and experiences in dealing with inflation, promoting maximum employment, supporting financial stability, and defending the Fed’s independence can serve as lessons for his successors, writes @ACGeoEcon’s Hung Tran. atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/jer…

🌍 The Atlantic Council hosted over 75 events across Washington during the 2026 IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, bringing together global financial leaders. Check out the highlights with insights from @joshualipsky on what comes next ⤵️

Mali’s security situation is deteriorating following coordinated attacks across multiple cities on April 25. Hussein Ba and @ACAfricaCenter’s @ramayade examine the stakes and what could come next: atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/africaso…

Space + AI + Cyber = the new geopolitical frontier. On June 2, @AtlanticCouncil's GeoTech Center is hosting an executive training in DC to help leaders navigate this convergence. One day. Expert-led. Scenario-based. Seats are limited 👇 tinyurl.com/zjts2kb8

This morning, President Trump threatened a potential 25% tariff on 🇪🇺 EU cars and trucks not made in the US, citing the EU's alleged non-compliance with the US–EU trade deal signed in July 2025. 📈 Are tariffs back? 🧵

🇪🇺 🇺🇦 Since Trump returned to the White House, it is clear that Europe needs to develop its own strategic vision for the continent’s defense, and Ukraine must be central to this vision, writes @zaharhryniv in #UkraineAlert. Read more ⤵️ atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainea…

🇮🇶 Iraq’s Shia-led Coordination Framework selected Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister after months of internal stalemate. @ACMideast’s @VictoriaT_ and @SafwanAmin outline the challenges before the incoming prime minister: atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/can…

US outreach to Belarus has secured the release of around five hundred political prisoners but risks legitimizing its dictator without changing his regime’s behavior, writes @AmbDanFried. Read more ⤵️ atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/how…

“With the world fixated on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Donald Trump’s peripatetic presidency, it’s worth a reminder that the geopolitics of AI will almost certainly have far more lasting consequences,” writes @FredKempe. Read more ⤵️ atlanticcouncil.org/content-series…

It was an honor to unveil renowned Turkish artist Devrim Erbil's artistic depiction of the US Capitol at a reception with the @USConsIstanbul in Istanbul. A testament of US-Turkish cultural and artistic relations, the work of art will be featured at the @AtlanticCouncil headquarters in Washington.

By courting Belarus dictator Lukashenka, the US has gotten 500 political prisoners out of prison. That’s something. By energizing a second track - with the people of Belarus - the US can do even more to advance its interests & freedom. atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/how…

The Arabian-Gaza Oil & Rail Corridor? As the war with Iran has disrupted the security and geoeconomic balance of power, there is growing recognition that land-based oil pipelines can help mitigate some of the risks posed by vulnerable chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb. The Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxy in Yemen, the Houthis, have demonstrated the ability to compromise two of the most critical waterways for the passage of Gulf oil to global markets. One challenge is that many of the end users of Gulf oil are based in Asia, where super tankers have been incredibly effective at supplying vast quantities that pipelines cannot match. Nevertheless, European markets remain a critical end user of Middle Eastern oil even as they seek alternative and renewable energy sources. This is where a new pipeline from the Gulf region to Gaza can play a central role in transforming the future of Israel’s integration with the Arab world, and the transformation of the Strip into a coastal powerhouse that is no longer reliant on aid, the UN, and predictable cycles of violence, not to mention Hamas and the rotten armed resistance narrative. Through the IMEC corridor (India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor) that the United States has championed, Gaza could play a central role in rewiring the energy and commercial infrastructure of the region by providing a coastal outlet that allows for the export of Saudi, Emirati, Kuwaiti, and even Iraqi oil to Europe via pipelines, which would support regular tanker ships to dock offshore and load Europe-bound shipments. Oil is not the only benefit of Gaza becoming a massive port area, as this would permit the importation of goods and items that could supply Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Iraqi, and other markets, which could be connected to the Strip through a series of rail and fiber-optic corridors. Even if Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel, it would still be an easier sell to have its oil exported through a pipeline that stops in Gaza, even if it has connecting sections with the ports of Ashdod and Haifa. The United Arab Emirates, through its extensive logistics management and companies such as DP World, can play a critical role in managing this seaport, alongside rising Palestinian talent and private sector enterprises that can eventually play a critical role in operating the facility and ensuring it becomes a central pillar of Gaza’s renaissance and reconstitution. Beyond the horror and uncertainty of the current moment, which still has numerous unknowns, the regional geostrategic complexity and Gaza’s grim prospects may offer pragmatic, positive, and constructive ways to look at how energy, economic, and geostrategic transformations can unfold. Since I got to Washington, I have advocated through Realign For Palestine for Gaza to be included as a component of the IMEC economic corridor to the territory’s connectivity with the outside world, and to transform the territory and promote its connection with the outside world in a manner that breaks the shackles of extremism from nationalists or Islamists who have ultimately failed to provide viable alternatives. Internationalizing Gaza and making it part of the Arab world is the only hope for the Strip’s salvation.

Today, Senator @RubenGallego joined us for a timely conversation on Colombia’s 2026 elections and what they could mean for the future of the US-Colombia relationship. The discussion focused on the electoral environment, security concerns, and the importance of a free and fair process as Colombians prepare to head to the polls. Stay tuned for a further Colombia-focused event with Senator @berniemoreno. #ACLatAm #ACColombia @AtlanticCouncil

🇺🇦 Ukraine rejects Russian demands to withdraw from northern Donetsk province as part of a peace deal and insists the region’s fortress belt is indispensable for the defense of the country, writes Marc Goedemans. Read more ⤵️ atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainea…

Tune in now to hear my live conversation with @AtlanticCouncil about Colombia’s Presidential Elections! youtube.com/live/MAgIUaLUP…

“Undermining its role as an effective mediator, separating itself from its Gulf neighbors, angering the U.S., and cozying up to Iran — this all can’t end well for Oman,” write Marc J. Sievers and @ACMideast’s @WillWechsler in @jstribune. Read more ⤵️ jstribune.com/omans-failed-d…

.@RubenGallego: “The world is looking at Colombia.” For the US, we’re interested because we have a special relationship with Colombia, he tells @jmarczak. 🇺🇸🇨🇴 “It’s good that we’re observing, but observing to also not interfere in the process is very important,” he adds.

🇨🇴 If we can help Colombia deliver societal goods—justice, education, roads, or trade—then militant organizations will become less and less important, Senator @RubenGallego tells @ACLatAm’s @jmarczak.