CYBERSECURITY CREATES NEW HORIZONS FOR ABRAHAM ACCORDS - The expansion of the Abraham Accords to include cybersecurity was announced on February 3, 2023 by the US Department of Homeland Security, alongside cybersecurity officials from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Addres...

WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM: EIGHT MONTHS OF ONGOING PROTESTS IN IRAN - The last eight months in Iran have been marked by a wave of anti-government protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman who died at the hands of the so-called morality police for “violating”...

WHAT CAN IRAN’S PROTESTERS LEARN FROM OTHER PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENTS? - The Atlantic Council’s Iran Strategy Project hosted an in-person panel discussion on February 23, 2023, with activists and experts from Syria, Sudan, and Venezuela.

After the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini by the so-called “moral...

A CONVERSATION WITH FUAD HUSSEIN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ - H.E. Fuad Hussein shared insights from his trip to Washington and discussed several issues that the new Iraqi government aspires to implement in its government programs, including ref...

TRAJECTORIES OF IRAQI YOUTH TWO DECADES AFTER THE 2003 INVASION: BETWEEN ASPIRATIONS AND REALITY - The discussion featured diverse viewpoints from young Iraqis, particularly those born after 2003. It explored their future aspirations, the role of the US and the international community in shaping ...

SAUDI ARABIA’S NEW ECONOMIC FORCE: WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS - The Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a hybrid panel discussion with its WIn Fellowship Roadshow participants on Thursday, March 2.

The WIn Fellowship Roadshow participants, chosen from a highly competitive cohort of more than t...

PRIORITIZING RESPONSE AND RECOVERY FOR US PERSONS WRONGFULLY DETAINED ABROAD - Terrorist and other transnational criminal organizations are no longer the only culprits of hostage-taking. Americans are now just as likely to be wrongfully detained by foreign governments to gain political leverage. ...

A CONVERSATION WITH IRAQ’S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND FINANCE MINISTER H.E. ALI ALLAWI - The Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative hosted a conversation with His Excellency Ali Allawi, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance. As Iraq faced a stalled government formation process, the econom...

LEFT BEHIND: LEGAL AND POLICY PATHS FOR IRAN’S HOSTAGES - The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs hosted a hybrid panel discussion about wrongful detention in the Islamic Republic of Iran, how the United States and Europe handle such cases, and the impact that they have ...

A SURGE IN CRACKDOWNS ACROSS IRAN - The Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs and Human Rights Activists’ (in Iran) hosted a discussion about the surge in crackdowns across Iran.

Just over a year into Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency, the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic standed grimm...

PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINISTER OF EGYPT H.E. HALA H. ELSAID - In recent years, Egypt made significant progress with macroeconomic reforms, which helped strengthen growth, reduce unemployment, increase foreign exchange reserves, and put public debt on a downward path. The Egyptian gove...

A CONVERSATION WITH THE FINANCE MINISTER OF JORDAN H.E. MOHAMAD AL-ISSISS - The World Bank recently announced that Jordan’s economy is projected to grow by 2.1 percent; however, the country must still address certain economic challenges, including attracting more investment to spur job creation a...

A CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL ISAAC HERZOG - The Atlantic Council, in partnership with the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation, presented an N7 Initiative public event with President of Israel Isaac Herzog on October 25, 2022.

Following the second anniversary of the signing of the Abraham...

A CONVERSATION WITH UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL PRESIDENT AMB. FEDERICO VILLEGAS - The recent escalation of human rights crises in Ukraine, Iran, and China, and broader global threats such as climate change, have required the international community to reassess the development of international human ...

A CONVERSATION WITH THE UAE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN TRADE H.E. THANI BIN AHMED AL ZEYOUDI - The United Arab Emirates’ foreign trade hit 2.2 trillion dirhams ($599 billion) in 2022, up 17 percent year-on-year. As the UAE continues to expand its non-oil foreign trade sector by investing in tr...

A CONVERSATION WITH ITALIAN CHIEF OF DEFENSE ADMIRAL GIUSEPPE CAVO DRAGONE - The Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and Middle East Programs hosted Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Italy’s Chief of Defense, on April 19, 2023, for a conversation assessing Italy’s defense posture in light of Russia’s c...

REIMAGINING A WAY FORWARD: IRAQ’S ECONOMY AND ENERGY SECTOR IN THE POST-INVASION ERA - The Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative invites you to a hybrid panel discussion on Monday, April 24, 2023, from 3:00 – 4:30 pm ET featuring distinguished speakers and experts examining the state of Iraq’s econo...

NEW POWER DYNAMICS IN MENA AFTER UKRAINE CRISIS - A new multipolar order is reshaping the MENA region as global powers like China, Russia, and the U.S. vie for influence amidst uncertainties stemming from Russia’s actions in Ukraine. MENA nations are reevaluating alliances, driven by regional sec...

BALANCING GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT AND DOMESTIC GROWTH: IRAQ’S FUTURE IN AN EVOLVING LANDSCAPE - Join the Atlantic Council for its upcoming Iraq Initiative Conference on October 26, 2023.

The conference will convene a community of leading experts and policymakers, comprised of Americans and Iraqis, and...

IRAN-RUSSIA ALLIANCE: OPPORTUNITIES, LIMITS, AND CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST - Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to unprecedented levels of Iran-Russia cooperation across military, economic, and political fronts. The ongoing war in Gaza shows widening Iran-Russia coordination; senio...