Atlantic Council blogs

Top News: Sinai State Claims Responsibility for Attack on Navy Vessel

By EgyptSource

The Islamic State’s affiliate in Egypt’s Sinai says it has destroyed an Egyptian navy vessel with a rocket off the strategic peninsula’s Mediterranean coast.

Top News: Exiled Yemeni Ministers Return to Aden

By MENASource

Senior members of Yemen’s exiled administration flew into Aden on Thursday to make preparations for the government’s return, an official said, three months after being pushed out by the armed Houthi group. The visit by ministers and intelligence officials follows military setbacks for the Houthis at the hands of Saudi-backed Yemeni fighters, which may mark […]

EconSource: Saudi Bond Issues to Soar as Government Plugs Deficit

By EconSource

Bond issues by Saudi Arabia’s government are expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars by the end of 2015 as the state ramps up debt sales to fill a gap in finances created by low prices for oil exports.

Ukraine Bank Deputy Dmytro Solohub: Economic recovery ‘difficult, but still possible’

Dmytro Solohub admits that the Ukrainian economy is “very fragile” and faces “lots of security risks”— but says he’s doing everything he can to stabilize Ukraine’s currency, control galloping inflation, and return his country to prosperity as quickly as possible. Solohub, 37, took over in mid-March as Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine […]

Russia Invited to Observe Key NATO Military Exercise

By Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal

Among the guests invited to observe the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s biggest military exercise in more than a decade will be the alliance’s once, and potentially future, adversary: the Russians.

Details of Trident Juncture, NATO’s Largest Exercise in 13 Years

By Oana Lungescu, NATO

Trident Juncture 15 will take place in October and November, mainly in Spain, Italy and Portugal.

TTIP Action – July 14

By Global Business & Economics Program

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström addressed the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee on Monday. This Week’s Trade Highlights The tenth round of TTIP negotiations is underway in Brussels, where one talking point is sure to be the European Parliament’s set of recommendations to EU negotiators, which you can read here. Having long suffered a reputation […]

Here’s Why the IMF Insists on Debt Restructuring for Greece

By Andrea Montanino

On June 26, just before Greece’s referendum, and on July 14, one day after the so-called agreement between the Greek government and the creditors (the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the European Central Bank), the IMF unusually made public a short but crucial document in any negotiation over a financial aid package: the debt […]

Defending the Iran Nuclear Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran bound ‘in perpetuity’ not to build a nuclear bomb, says Obama administration official Iran is not permitted to build a nuclear weapon after the duration of the agreement reached in Vienna this week, nor does the deal give the Islamic Republic a “signing bonus” in terms of immediate sanctions relief, a senior Obama administration […]

Earth to Russia. Come Back to Reality.

By Ariel Cohen

The conflict in Ukraine highlights dangerous trends in Russian foreign policy. Russian-backed separatists and the Russian military have killed thousands of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in eastern Ukraine. It’s the starkest example of Moscow’s neo-imperialist foreign policy so far. However, even more worrisome trends have emerged. Last week, Yevgeny Fedorov, a ruling party Duma majority […]