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

Nov 17, 2015

Think Before We Talk About War on ISIS

By Richard LeBaron

Whether our political leaders and media commentators are willing to declare war on the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is fast becoming somewhat of a litmus test for whether one is serious about defeating this particular brand of terrorists. While the horror of the attacks in Paris certainly merits a strong response, the […]

France

MENASource

Nov 17, 2015

Top News: United States and Turkey Launch Operation to Take Border with Syria

By MENASource

US President Barack Obama rejected calls for a US-led ground invasion in Syria on Monday. In the wake of the deadly attacks in Paris on Friday, public pressure for a strong military intervention in Syria has risen steeply. The president insisted that a patient approach was needed and committed the United States only to “intensify” […]

MENASource

Nov 17, 2015

ISIS and the Paris Attacks, ‘An Act of War’

By Nabeel Khoury

The words of French President Francois Hollande, commenting on the Paris attacks still unfolding at the time of his statement, resonated with many here in the United States where similar words were used after 9/11. Those in Washington will recall telling the White House that what happens in Syria (and the Middle East) does not […]

Middle East Syria

MENASource

Nov 17, 2015

The Motives behind Salah Diab’s Arrest and Release

By Khaled Dawoud

Four days after Salah Diab’s surprising arrest, the Egyptian businessman and co-founder of one of Egypt’s largest daily newspapers was released. The decision came just one day after the courts had ordered Diab, together with his son Tawfik, detained for another fifteen days on charges of possession of unlicensed weapons. The questions remain: why was […]

North Africa

UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2015

Putin Transformed from Stubborn Holdout to Star at G20

By Anders Åslund

At the G-20 meeting in Antalya, Turkey, on November 16, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin proposed that Russia could restructure the $3 billion Eurobond that he lent former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in December 2013. It comes due on December 20. This was a sudden change of policy. Until that moment, the Kremlin had insisted on […]

Russia Ukraine

MENASource

Nov 17, 2015

Top News: Russia Confirms Bomb Downed its Plane Over Egypt; Cairo Yet to Comment

By EgyptSource

Russia said Tuesday that a passenger plane that crashed in the Sinai desert last month was brought down by “a terrorist act.”

MENASource

Nov 17, 2015

EconSource: United States Approves Sale of $1.3 Billion in Guided Bombs to Saudi Arabia

By EconSource

The United States has approved the $1.3 billion sale of bombing munitions to Saudi Arabia as the Gulf state’s air force strikes rebel targets in Yemen. The State Department said the deal “replenishes” weapons stocks that are being depleted in Saudi counterterrorism operations.

SyriaSource

Nov 17, 2015

The Islamic State’s Molding of Syrian Children

By Feras Hanoush

ISIS is recruiting a new wave of combatants into its ranks following the joint forces’ advances into Raqqa province and to assert its control over larger swaths of the northern outskirts of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that between January and August 2015 1,100 children under the age of sixteen have been […]

Syria
Minute of silence at NATO headquarters in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Nov. 16, 2015

NATOSource

Nov 16, 2015

NATO Allies Helping France Respond to Paris Attacks

By NATO

We have just held a minute of silence at NATO in memory of the victims of the barbaric terrorist attacks in Paris. Allies stand together with France in sorrow and solidarity. We condemn these attacks in the strongest terms.

France NATO

MENASource

Nov 16, 2015

Factbox: Egyptian Reactions to the Paris Attacks

By Elissa Miller and Brandan Martini

Three coordinated teams of terrorists carried out simultaneous attacks at locations throughout Paris late Friday, including the Stade de France, a concert hall, and at least two restaurants. The attack, claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL), left at least 129 dead and over 300 wounded. Numerous countries, including Egypt, condemned the attacks and […]

North Africa