Atlantic Council blogs

Is Germany Willing to Defend the Baltics?

By Christiane Hoffmann and Rene Pfister, Spiegel

Excerpts from Spiegel interview with historian Heinrich August Winkler.

Sisi’s Spin Man

By Gilad Wenig

Sometime before the July 2013 coup that put Egypt’s military in de facto command of the country, top officers gathered with Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, then the defense minister, to discuss their concerns about the military’s image. The sixteen months of direct military rule following Hosni Mubarak’s ouster damaged the military’s reputation, and the officers hoped […]

Poroshenko’s Vow to Fight Seals a Defeat for Putin

By James Rupert

President Petro Poroshenko’s cancellation of Ukraine’s cease-fire yesterday seals a strategic defeat for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Seven months after Putin strong-armed a malleable Ukrainian leader into scrapping Ukraine’s plan for closer ties to Europe, Ukraine is prepared to fight Russia to preserve exactly that choice.

Opinion Poll Shows Russian Support for Arming Separatist Militants in Ukraine

By Irena Chalupa

Nearly two-thirds of Russians in a survey this month support the arming of the Russian-backed separatist fighters in southeastern Ukraine, according to the Moscow-based Levada Center for public opinion research. In other words, the Russian people are giving President Vladimir Putin the green light to do what he is doing, even as he says he […]

Acknowledging the Corn in Libya’s Wild West

Known for its crime, smuggling, and a rise in Islamic militant activity, Libya’s southwestern border region of Fezzan evokes images of a dry, lawless, and uncontrollable desert with a tribal flare.

US Ambassador Discusses Ukraine Crisis, OSCE Role

By Irena Chalupa

Russian-backed militants in Ukraine have detained (and ultimately released) three varied teams monitoring the crisis there under the aegis of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Security threats to the monitors, including those detentions, are hampering the work of the OSCE in its role as the main international body observing and mediating in […]

Top News: Jihadists Seize Key Town on Iraq Border

By MENASource

The jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)—also known as simply Islamic State (IS)—took control of the key Iraqi border town of Albu Kamal on Tuesday after a fierce three-day battle with rival fighters. A spokesman for rebels fighting IS as well as President Bashar Assad’s regime said the jihadists took over the town […]

DIRECT TRANSLATION: Dispatch from Donetsk – How a Cease-Fire Failed

By Irena Chalupa

As Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced an end to the cease-fire by government forces fighting Russian-backed militants in the Donbas region of the southeast, new accounts emerged to show how futile was the ten-day truce. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reported that the country’s armed forces lost 27 soldiers killed and 69 wounded. And from Donetsk, the […]

Gulf States Reactions to the New War in Iraq

By Nouf Al Sadiq

Since the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) took over (and now rebranded) territory in Iraq, Gulf States have been somewhat less alarmed by this new Sunni uprising than they have about other more political factors in the conflict.