Atlantic Council blogs

What Do Russians Think of Ukrainians, and Vice Versa?

By Taras Kuzio

Vladimir Putin’s decade long media campaigns turned Russians against Ukrainians and the Ukrainian state prior to his 2014 annexation of Crimea. The divorce between Russia and Ukraine which began with the disintegration of the USSR gained momentum after the 2004 Orange Revolution. Putin’s authoritarian and great power nationalistic regime fanned ethnic Russian nationalism, turning Russians […]

Why Inflation is So High in Egypt

By Mohsin Khan and Elissa Miller

Over the past decade or so, Egypt has consistently experienced relatively high rates of inflation. But since the advent of the Arab Spring in 2011, the increase in consumer prices steadily accelerated. During 2011-2015, the average rate of inflation was close to ten percent a year, which was well above the corresponding rate of six […]

What Will Ukraine’s Next Big Reform Be?

By Maria Repko

The IMF has told Ukraine that it must push through a number of reforms before it can receive any additional funds. Currently, the major effort is pension reform, something both the government and the IMF are focused on. Pensions account for 11 percent of GDP and 26 percent of public expenditures. Luckily, pension reform—unlike land […]

TRADE in ACTION – June 16, 2017

By Global Business & Economics Program

This week in TradeinAction: The United Kingdom’s turbulent election results are in. A complete analysis of the UK’s election results can be found here. The European Commission introduced a proposal allowing them to strip London of its right to handle certain financial transactions once they officially leave the European Union. On the US side, President Trump focused this week […]

The Perilous Race for Post-ISIS Syria

By Faysal Itani and Ali Marhoon

Iran and its proxies have already begun to shape post-ISIS Syria, and eastern Syria is the most important theater. Yet recent events show that Iranian-backed forces advancing there will inevitability collide with two hostile forces, and compete with one of them. The first lies south in the al-Tanf border area, where US special forces and […]

Reform is the Best Option for USAID

By Rao Komar

The Trump Administration intends to shrink the United States’ foreign aid budget in 2018, cutting the amount of money available for foreign development and humanitarian aid. President Trump’s proposed cuts come amid a shift to national security focused foreign policy, known by the administration as the “America First” policy. Under this framework, money currently allocated […]

Playing Catch Up in Asia

By Atman Trivedi

On June 3, US Defense Secretary James Mattis stepped into the spotlight at Asia’s premier annual security gathering to reassure America’s Asian friends about our commitment to regional peace and prosperity. His remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore sent a much-needed message of commitment to a jittery region. But in the halls, questions lingered […]

A Regional Solution Needed to Heal Rift Within GCC

By Xiaojing Zeng

A resolution to the diplomatic fallout between Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will only come from the nations themselves, until which time the United States must avoid being dragged into the fray, according to an Atlantic Council analyst. Solutions “lie in the region,” and will only come about “when all… sides are […]

BP Study Finds Sharp Decline in Global Demand for Coal

Even as US President Donald J. Trump touts the creation of coal jobs, 2016 energy trends indicate a sharp decline in the demand for coal worldwide, according to Spencer Dale, group chief economist at BP. Overall, according to Dale, these energy trends also indicate a plateau in carbon emissions. In fact, he added, despite Trump’s […]

To defeat extremism, protect civilians

By Frederic C. Hof

The fight in Syria is far from easy and far from over. Yet if there is any inclination at all by coalition forces to do no harm (or as little as possible) in the pursuit of ISIS criminals, the protection of civilians must figure prominently in the anti-ISIS military campaign.