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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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MENASource

Oct 28, 2015

Top News: Sisi Extends State of Emergency in North Sinai State for Another Three Months

By EgyptSource

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree on Wednesday extending the state of emergency in North Sinai by another three months.

MENASource

Oct 28, 2015

Top News: Iran to Join International Syria Talks

By MENASource

On Wednesday, Iran’s state TV and semi-official news agency said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will attend the international Syria talks, set to begin Thursday and Friday in Vienna. US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and several top European and Arab diplomats will be attending.

SyriaSource

Oct 28, 2015

Top News: October 28, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Iran to join international Syria talks– ISIS advances on regime town in north Syria– Syria war costs oil industry over $50 billion – UN programs struggle to meet needs of Syrian refugees– Iraq says did not ask for US ground operations– ISIS behind October 10 Ankara massacre, says Turkey’s chief prosecutor

Syria

UkraineAlert

Oct 28, 2015

Five Steps to Unleash Ukraine’s Economy

By Sergiy Tsivkach

Ukraine faces numerous challenges that would be hard for any government to address. However, it must implement economic reforms to stabilize the country and show immediate positive results. Ordinary Ukrainians want to see their bottom line improve, and businesses want fair rules. Developing an effective competition policy to eliminate the poisonous influence of monopolies and […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Oct 28, 2015

EconSource: World Bank Releases 2016 Doing Business Report

By EconSource

The World Bank launched its latest annual Doing Business report on Tuesday. The 2016 report ranks the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the top of countries in the Middle East and North Africa for ease of doing business.

SyriaSource

Oct 28, 2015

Iran and the Syrian Political Transition

By Frederic C. Hof

Whether or not Iran will accept an invitation to Syria-related discussions in Vienna this Friday with the United States, Russia, and others remains unknown, at least to the Department of State spokesman. Clearly Iran is a “stakeholder” in the Syrian conflict and a party vitally interested in that conflict’s outcome. Given its deep and abiding […]

Syria

MENASource

Oct 27, 2015

Libya: Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will

By Karim Mezran

This old saying by the Italian political philosopher Antonio Gramsci may best summarize the most accurate perspective on the situation in Libya today.

Libya

MENASource

Oct 27, 2015

Run-offs in Egypt’s Parliamentary Race: A New First Phase?

By Omar Halawa

Last week, the High Elections Committee (HEC) announced the results of the first phase of Egypt’s parliamentary elections. With only four candidates securing their seats, another 436 candidates are contesting the remaining 222 seats in a runoff round which will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. 224 of those candidates are affiliated with twelve political […]

Elections North Africa

New Atlanticist

Oct 27, 2015

US Trade Representative Froman Confident Congress Will Back TPP

By Ashish Kumar Sen

A trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration and eleven other Pacific Rim countries, while not perfect, will eventually win bipartisan support from members of Congress, US Trade Representative Michael Froman said at the Atlantic Council on Oct. 27. “We are heading into a critical period for this effort,” Froman said. “At the end of […]

Economy & Business Trade and tariffs
Former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, Feb. 13, 2015

NATOSource

Oct 27, 2015

Carl Bildt Warns of Continuous Cyber Conflict

By Carl Bildt, Project Syndicate

In a way, we are already in a low-level continuous conflict in cyberspace.

China Cybersecurity