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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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Bremain vs Brexit

May 25, 2016

Brexit Campaign Makes a Meal of Turkey

By John M. Roberts

Turkey has, quite unexpectedly, become a core issue in the United Kingdom’s referendum on membership of the European Union, prompting British Prime Minister David Cameron to effectively call one of his junior ministers a liar for saying the UK has no veto on Turkey’s entry into the EU. While those who favor the UK’s exit […]

European Union International Organizations

MENASource

May 25, 2016

The Non-Option of Disengagement from the Middle East

By Frederic C. Hof

In 2003 American forces successfully took Baghdad, but without the benefit of a ‘day after’ civil-military stabilization plan. The unintended results: a chaotic occupation, a vicious insurgency, the premature withdrawal of the United States from Iraq in 2011, and the subsequent rise of the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh). This and other disappointments—Libya 2011 (again […]

Iraq Libya

MENASource

May 25, 2016

Small Signs of Hope in the Yemeni Peace Process

By Jillian Schwedler

UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has worked tirelessly to keep Yemeni peace talks alive in Kuwait, expressing cautious optimism.  He described the truce on the ground as holding at around 80 to 90 percent, even as the delegations of the Houthi-GPC alliance and the government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi express frustrations at […]

Yemen
Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola and Gen. Nikolay Makarov, May 4, 2011

NATOSource

May 24, 2016

NATO Succeeds When it Combines Defense and Dialogue

By Tobias Bunde, EastWest Institute

[O]nly a more visible presence will make a renewed emphasis on dialogue meaningful, signaling to Russia that NATO will not be intimidated by Moscow. And only a clear commitment to dialogue will allow all Allies to back a stronger defensive posture.

NATO Russia

NATOSource

May 24, 2016

Portuguese Spy Caught Passing ‘NATO Secrets’ to Russian Handler in Rome

By James Badcock, Telegraph

The Kremlin’s espionage offensive in Europe came to the surface on Tuesday after a Portuguese spy was arrested in Rome for allegedly passing Nato secrets to a Russian intelligence officer.

Intelligence Italy

Trade in Action

May 24, 2016

TTIP & Trade in Action – May 18, 2016

By Global Business & Economics Program

President Obama Hosts Summit of Nordic Leaders at White House- This week President Obama hosted the the heads of state from the Nordic Countries to discuss global issues, trade, and areas of cooperation between the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. (The National Law Review)

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

IranSource

May 24, 2016

چگونه می توان ظرفیت های سواحل مکران را گسترش داد؟

By فاطمه امان

ایران به دنبال سرمایه گذاری تازه ای برای توسعه سواحل مکران (یا سواحل دریای عمان) در  طول خلیج عمان است. این سرمایه گذاری می تواند باعث توسعه یکی از محروم ترین مناطق ایران شود، به مبارزه با مواد مخدر یاری رساند، و حضور نیروی دریایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی را فراتر از خلیج فارس گسترش دهد.

Trade in Action

May 24, 2016

TTIP & Trade in Action – May 11, 2016

By Global Business & Economics Program

Merkel Says Working for US – EU Trade Deal this Year Ahead of the G-7 Summit in Japan later this month, Japanese Prime Minister Abe visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. The two leaders held a press conference after their private meeting, during which Chancellor Merkel said, “we will do everything possible to negotiate the transatlantic […]

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

IranSource

May 24, 2016

Impressive Gains for Iranian Cinema after Nuclear Deal

By Mehrnaz Samimi

My movies are generally not happy ones. But I’m pleased that I make my people–or at least part of my people–happy with these awards,” said Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi in his acceptance speech last weekend at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

NATO multinaitonal brigade exercise, Nov. 5, 2015

NATOSource

May 24, 2016

Will Any More European Powers Contribute to NATO’s Eastern Force?

By Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal

Now that the U.S. is only sending one—not two—battalions for the alliance military force on the eastern flank, there is a big question regarding which country will fill the void.

NATO Northern Europe