The paper proposes a new model for the initiation of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and eruptive flares, addressing two key properties that have been difficult to explain with previous models. The model suggests that CMEs occur in multi-polar topologies, where reconnection between a sheared arcade and neighboring flux systems triggers the eruption. This "magnetic breakout" model allows very low-lying magnetic field lines to open toward infinity during an eruption, driven solely by magnetic free energy stored in a closed, sheared arcade. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the model can account for the energy requirements for CMEs. The model also discusses implications for CME/flare prediction, emphasizing the importance of magnetic complexity and the role of reconnection above the erupting arcade.The paper proposes a new model for the initiation of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and eruptive flares, addressing two key properties that have been difficult to explain with previous models. The model suggests that CMEs occur in multi-polar topologies, where reconnection between a sheared arcade and neighboring flux systems triggers the eruption. This "magnetic breakout" model allows very low-lying magnetic field lines to open toward infinity during an eruption, driven solely by magnetic free energy stored in a closed, sheared arcade. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the model can account for the energy requirements for CMEs. The model also discusses implications for CME/flare prediction, emphasizing the importance of magnetic complexity and the role of reconnection above the erupting arcade.