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

May 13, 2016

Joseph Kabila’s Ugly Legacy

By Julian Wyss

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faces a “crisis in governance” under President Joseph Kabila, said panelists at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center on May 12, and, though Kabila is constitutionally ineligible for a third term as president, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he has no plans to step down […]

Africa
President of the BfV Hans-Georg Maassen, July 17, 2012

NATOSource

May 13, 2016

German Intelligence Accuses Russia of Mounting Series of International Cyber-Attacks

By AFP, Deutsche Welle, and Reuters

From AFP:  Germany’s domestic secret service has accused Russia of a series of international cyber-attacks aimed at spying and sabotage, in “hybrid warfare” that also targeted the German parliament last year.

Cybersecurity Germany

New Atlanticist

May 13, 2016

A New Saudi Oil Minister: Tactical Continuation, Strategic Revolution

By Jean-François Seznec

The appointment of Khalid al-Falih as Saudi Arabia’s minister of energy, industry and mineral resources comes as no surprise. He is the most qualified person to replace the brilliant Ali al-Naimi who served as minister of petroleum and mineral resources for over twenty years.  Both men are petroleum engineers steeped in the oil business and […]

Saudi Arabia

UkraineAlert

May 13, 2016

Why Slow and Steady Wins the Race: A Case for Patience in Post-Maidan Ukraine

By Alexander J. Motyl

The aftermath of revolutions is always disappointing. Expectations of immediate transformation come up against intractable reality and a deep and debilitating disappointment usually sets in among much of the population. But not among radicals, who typically demand a thoroughgoing renewal of the elites deemed responsible for “betraying” the cause. In France, which set the pattern […]

Ukraine

SyriaSource

May 13, 2016

An Unexpected Opposition Victory in South Aleppo

By Saleem al-Omar

Despite Russian aerial support for Syrian regime forces, Jaysh al-Fatah has scored an unexpected victory over the Syrian regime and the Iranian militias supporting it. The opposition coalition Jaysh al-Fatah took Khan Tuman, a village located on the highway connecting Aleppo and Damascus. Syrians hope this victory marks a resurgence of Jaysh al-Fatah from a […]

Syria

MENASource

May 13, 2016

The Violent Death of a Violent Man

By Frederic C. Hof

Hezbollah media outlets in Lebanon have announced the death in Syria of Mustafa Amine Badreddine, an intimate of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and the person reportedly in command of Hezbollah forces in Syria. The news outlets initially reported that a Hezbollah facility near Damascus had been engaged by Israeli aircraft; a claim omitted from subsequent […]

New Atlanticist

May 13, 2016

Contributions to NATO More Than Just Budgetary, says Canada’s Defense Minister

By Ashish Kumar Sen

NATO member states’ defense expenditure must be measured in much more than just budgetary terms, Canada’s Defense Minister, Harjit Sajjan, said on May 12. “We had 158 soldiers who died, sacrificed, in Afghanistan. This is a contribution that we made,” Sajjan, a veteran of the Afghan war, said in a brief interaction with journalists at […]

Iraq NATO
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, May 10, 2015

NATOSource

May 12, 2016

Russia’s Hybrid Warfare is Harming Germany

By Ruth Forsyth

Among the multiple crises currently taking place on the European continent, another serious threat has been unfolding. Russia is actively seeking to harm and destabilize Germany.

Germany Russia

SyriaSource

May 12, 2016

Fighting ISIS and the Regime with Renewable Energy

By Amr al-Faham

All parties in the Syrian conflict have used siege tactics to destroy infrastructure and force opponents into submission; a tactic predominantly used by the regime and its allies. Meanwhile, civilians in besieged areas struggle to find alternatives sources for essential services such as waste disposal, potable water, and electricity. With the support of local opposition […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

May 12, 2016

Give (Arab) Peace (Initiative) a Chance

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Deal would elevate Arab-Israeli cooperation to take on challenges posed by ISIS, Iran, says Atlantic Council’s Bilal Y. Saab In the absence of a credible Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, Gulf Arab states and Israel will find it hard to elevate their security cooperation to deal with the threats posed by Iran and the Islamic State of […]

Israel Saudi Arabia