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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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UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2016

Ukraine, Not Syria, Should Be Top Priority for President Trump

By Melinda Haring

Resolving the conflict in Ukraine should be a higher priority for the United States and Europe than addressing the civil war in Syria, said Archbishop Zoria Yevstratiy, representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, during a visit to Washington, DC. “I’m very sorry about the Syrian people, but Ukraine can’t be compared. Syria never […]

Russia Syria

UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2016

Nerve-Racking November: Ukraine’s Energy Subsidies Leave Some in the Cold

By Oksana Bedratenko

“The first week of November is so nerve-racking. Until I get the bill, I don’t know if my subsidy has been extended for this heating season and what amount will it cover,” my friend’s mother, a 69-year old pensioner in Kyiv, said when I called to check on her. “With these high utility prices—if the […]

Ukraine

IranSource

Nov 9, 2016

Dear President Trump: Don’t Scrap the Iran Deal

By Barbara Slavin

Donald Trump will be a busy man January 20 as he nominates new cabinet secretaries and seeks to reshape a post-Barack Obama agenda in domestic and international affairs. Among the issues he will confront is whether to continue U.S. compliance with Obama’s chief foreign policy legacy: the landmark nuclear agreement reached with Iran last year.

Iran

MENASource

Nov 8, 2016

Floating the Egyptian Pound – Finally

By Mohsin Khan and Elissa Miller

On August 11 this year, the Egyptian government, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), and an International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team reached an agreement on a three-year economic program under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility worth $12 billion. The announcement of the agreement was greeted with considerable fanfare, as it showed Egypt was ready, […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Nov 8, 2016

Hungary Descends into Nationalist Bolshevism

By David Koranyi and Chris Maroshegyi

In 2010, Viktor Orbán was swept to power on the back of a populist backlash against Hungary’s left-wing government, which was mired in corruption scandals and criticized for austerity measures it adopted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Today, Orbán threatens Hungary’s democratic character. As prime minister, Orbán has embarked on a dangerous […]

Hungary

SyriaSource

Nov 8, 2016

Part 1: From Under the Rubble of Death

By Hadi Alabdullah

On June 14, 2016, Hadi Alabdullah and photographer Khaled al-Eissa rushed to the scene of a barrel bomb attack. As they were reporting from the scene, a second barrel bomb hit the same location—a tactic known as the “double-tap.” They survived. Just two days later, an assassination attempt was made on Hadi’s life. An IED […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2016

Here’s How to Fix Public Broadcasting in Ukraine

By Roman Shutov

Zurab Alasania’s resignation from the position of director general of the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (NTU) has roused concerns about the future of public broadcasting reform in Ukraine. Although some experts believe it is already too late to reverse reforms, the coming months will determine the future of public broadcasting just […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Nov 8, 2016

What the Loss of Mosul Will Mean for ISIS

By Mona Alami

As Iraqi forces continue to push further into the Islamic State’s bastion in Mosul, the looming loss of this key city heralds the end of the Islamic caliphate as a pseudo state. The organization, however, may survive as an insurgency and more importantly through the continuity of its “ideological caliphate.”

Iraq Syria
NATO Intelligence Fusion Center, Sept. 3, 2014

NATOSource

Nov 7, 2016

Congress Should Move Forward on Intelligence Center in the UK

By Joe Whited, The Hill

[I]t is disturbing that investments intended to ensure that NATO and the United States have up to date facilities in Europe for the processing and distribution of intelligence to our military leaders and our Allies is being tied up in Congress for largely parochial reasons.

Intelligence NATO
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, Sept. 27, 2016

NATOSource

Nov 7, 2016

German Defense Minister Wants EU Military to Match NATO

By Andrea Shalal, Reuters

Germany’s defense minister said on Monday the European Union must modernize its military defense and security to match NATO’s drive to beef up its own security forces in the wake of a major Russian build-up.

European Union Germany