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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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SyriaSource

Feb 29, 2016

Top News: February 29, 2016

By SyriaSource

– Syria truce brings sharp fall in death toll, but attacks continue in some areas – Syria ceasefire task force meets, France wants answers on violations– World powers trade accusations over ceasefire violations– Ban Ki-moon says ceasefire in Syria is holding– Russia says federalism is an option for Syria– Humanitarian aid begins to besieged towns

Syria

UkraineAlert

Feb 29, 2016

The Real Fight for Ukraine’s Future

By Emmet Tuohy

As rain clouds sweep in from the west on a winter morning, the Ukrainian Black Sea town of Mykolayiv does not present the most welcoming picture. Up to three feet of standing water obscure the city’s main intersections, where stray dogs and homeless people rush to traverse four lanes of traffic before the next taxi […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Feb 29, 2016

Top News: Press, Doctors, and Lawyers Syndicates Take Action Against Police Abuses

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s Press Syndicate has filed a complaint with the prosecution and the Interior Ministry criticizing the mistreatment of a group of imprisoned journalists. The syndicate, in a statement on its website, said that journalists in al-Aqrab prison were housed in moldy, poorly ventilated cells, and had seen their allotted time for exercise decreased or cancelled […]

IranSource

Feb 29, 2016

Iranians Once Again Make Lemonade from Lemons

By Barbara Slavin

No one would ever mistake an Iranian election for an American one. The idiosyncrasies of this US campaign season aside, there are fundamental differences in the power of elected institutions in Iran, which are subservient to a clerical Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A body that is largely appointed by Khamenei, the Guardian Council, vets […]

Iran

MENASource

Feb 29, 2016

EconSource: HSBC says Gulf States Face $94 Billion in Debt

By EconSource

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries may struggle to refinance $94 billion of debt over the next two years as the region faces slowing growth, HSBC Holdings Plc has said.

UkraineAlert

Feb 29, 2016

Early Elections in Ukraine Aren’t So Scary. Here’s Why

By Anders Åslund

The dominant view in Washington is that Ukraine must avoid early parliamentary elections. Many Ukrainians, however, see them as inevitable and ultimately they decide. Therefore, we need to discuss not if early parliamentary elections should be held, but instead how and when. Both the United States and the European Union reckon that Ukraine needs political […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Feb 29, 2016

Yemen and the “Man on Horseback”

By Nabeel Khoury

Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, currently residing in Riyadh, has appointed General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar to the post of Deputy Commander of Yemen’s Armed Forces—in essence giving him official command of the portion of Yemen’s military still loyal to President Hadi.

Yemen

SyriaSource

Feb 29, 2016

Cessation of Hostilities: So Far, So Good

By Frederic C. Hof

The opening hours of what would ideally be an open-ended cessation of hostilities in western Syria have reflected generally good results. Residential neighborhoods bombed mercilessly by Russian and Assad regime aircraft—attacks that often focused on medical facilities—are experiencing a modicum of calm for the first time in months and even years. A portion of the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Feb 29, 2016

Russia and the Regime’s War on Civilians in Deir Ezzor

By Fikram

The Syrian regime and its Russian ally are waging war against civilians, not only with light, heavy, and indiscriminate munitions, but also with economic weapons, as they demonstrated in Deir Ezzor these past two months.

Syria

Bremain vs Brexit

Feb 26, 2016

Nuclear Component Must Be Part of NATO’s Deterrence Policy in Europe’s East, says Latvia’s Foreign Minister

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Official says Russia using migrant crisis to divide Europe NATO’s current presence in Europe’s east is insufficient to provide credible deterrence, must be ramped up, and include a nuclear component, said Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevičs. “A nuclear component should be part of the overall NATO Article 5 deterrence policy,” Rinkevičs said, noting that Russian […]

NATO Northern Europe