Atlantic Council blogs

Atlantic Council blogs provide short-form analyses from Council experts and a wider community of global voices on the world’s most important news stories.
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New Atlanticist

Jul 27, 2016

Upcoming Elections Spotlight South Africa’s Worsening Economic Crisis

By Chloë McGrath

South Africa’s upcoming municipal elections on August 3 have brought the country’s economic crisis to the forefront of public discussion. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party will be striving to maintain its political foothold against the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party as the country continues to deal with a protracted […]

Economy & Business Elections

IranSource

Jul 27, 2016

Relatives of Jailed Iranians Seek Resolution Before Obama Leaves Office

By Barbara Slavin

Among the most dispiriting aspects of Iranian policy since the 1979 revolution has been the seizure of foreign hostages. From the 444-day ordeal of 52 Americans in the immediate aftermath of the revolution to the present-day captivity of three Iranian Americans and four other dual nationals, this policy has blackened Iran’s reputation and stymied its […]

SyriaSource

Jul 27, 2016

Will Turkey Accelerate Granting Citizenship to Syrians after the Failed Coup?

By Hosam al-Jablawi

Early this month, a speech by Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan announcing an initiative to grant citizenship to Syrian refugees caused widespread controversy in Syrian and Turkish circles alike. Recent events in Turkey may have accelerated the program, with the government now taking tangible steps towards the initiative, particularly as relates to prominent Syrian artists […]

Syria Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jul 27, 2016

Europe’s (In)security Challenge

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Cooperation among European law enforcement agencies is a ‘big challenge,’ says Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell A spate of terrorist attacks across Europe over the past nineteen months has shaken confidence in European security, but has had divergent impacts on the popularity of the leaders of France and Germany, according to the Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell. […]

France Germany

UkraineAlert

Jul 27, 2016

Ukraine’s Deadly Profession: Three Journalists Attacked in July

By Melinda Haring

On July 20, investigative journalist Pavel Sheremet was assassinated in Kyiv. Sheremet hosted a morning show at Radio Vesti and was a top reporter at Ukrainska Pravda. A crusading journalist and native of Minsk, Belarus, he had already been expelled from both Belarus and Russia. He was killed by a car bomb. It would be […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2016

Will Erdoğan’s Crackdown After Failed Coup Chill Turkey’s EU Dream?

By Mitch Hulse

In the wake of an attempt by factions of the Turkish military to oust Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from power on the night of July 15, foreign policy experts point to increasing instability and a tightening authoritarian grip as core barriers to the resumption of Turkey’s European Union accession negotiations. “There will be no […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Jul 26, 2016

Intrigue, Outrage, and Relatively Free Elections in Ukraine

By Vladislav Davidzon

On the eve of Ukraine’s special elections on July 17, Nadiya Savchenko walked into the crowded Stansiya Lughansk district commission offices in eastern Ukraine. She was there to campaign for Fatherland’s Iryna Verihina, who had been Luhansk’s governor for about six months before being replaced. Catching sight of Serhiy Shakhov, a candidate for Nash Krai […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 26, 2016

Established Political Parties Benefit from Ukraine’s New Reform

By Miriam Kosmehl and Andreas Umland

This month, Ukraine introduced state financing of political parties in the hopes that it will create a more transparent, equal, and democratic playing field for politicians and their organizations. But the process will not be as beneficial to Ukraine’s reform efforts as it could have been. In October 2015, the Ukrainian parliament adopted Law No. […]

Ukraine

IranSource

Jul 26, 2016

Sand Storms Turn Some Regions in Iran into “Hell”

By Fatemeh Aman

Iran is facing a series of environmental disasters this summer, including forest fires, record heat indexes in some provinces and sandstorms threatening the capital, Tehran. Namak (Persian Salt) Lake in Qom province, which once measured 200,000 hectares, has completely dried up because of climate change, the ill-considered construction of tens of dams and depleted underground […]

SyriaSource

Jul 25, 2016

Besieged Syrians Defy Hunger and Death with Makeshift Innovations

By Hosam al-Jablawi

Thousands of Syrians in besieged areas across the country from all sides of the conflict fight daily to secure a livelihood and fulfill their basic needs using makeshift means, some which stand out for their spirit of innovation. Whereas some fortunate areas have been able to overcome the blockade through autonomous production initiatives and establishing […]

Syria