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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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British figher jet intercepts Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber, Sept. 16, 2014

NATOSource

Jan 29, 2015

British Fighter Jets Scrambled to Intercept Russian Bombers

By Kyle MacLellan, Reuters

British Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian Bear long-range bombers which had flown close to UK airspace, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Thursday.

Russia United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Jan 28, 2015

Conditions Ripe for Electoral Violence in Nigeria

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council analysts see threat from Boko Haram, sore losers The fact that the militant group Boko Haram controls vast swaths of territory in northeastern Nigeria will likely disenfranchise voters and has elevated the danger of post-election violence, according to Atlantic Council analysts. “Because of insecurity in the northeast, one party may believe that its […]

Nigeria Politics & Diplomacy
Patriot missile system deployed in Turkey

NATOSource

Jan 28, 2015

Spanish Patriot Missiles in Turkey Now Operational

By NATO

Spanish troops joined NATO’s Patriot anti-ballistic missile deployment in Adana, Turkey on Monday (26 January 2015), replacing a Dutch unit which had been stationed there since January 2013.

Missile Defense NATO

MENASource

Jan 28, 2015

Top New: President Obama visits new Saudi King

By MENASource

President Barack Obama met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Tuesday to pay respects to the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and bolster a relationship that now stretches well beyond oil interests to security cooperation across the Gulf region.

MENASource

Jan 28, 2015

Top News: Violations against Detained Protesters and Lawyers on January 25, say NGOs

By EgyptSource

Human rights groups and NGOs condemned the lack of transparency and violations related to the illegal detention of protesters, and restrictions on lawyers who tried to represent them. The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) issued a report Tuesday criticizing the lack of clarity on the number of arrests on January 25, and […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 28, 2015

Momentum Seen Toward Global Climate Deal in Paris

By Ashish Kumar Sen

White House official cites US-China deal, EU pledges, and India’s embrace of renewable energy A landmark US-China climate change deal, EU pledges to cut emissions, and a new commitment from India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, to expand the use of renewable energy as a way to reduce greenhouse gas pollution are all encouraging signs of “momentum” toward a global climate […]

MENASource

Jan 28, 2015

EconSource: Iraq Lowers Oil Price Forecast in Budget Proposal to $55 per Barrel

By EconSource

Falling oil prices forced Iraq’s cabinet to revise its draft 2015 budget and trim its forecast for oil to $55 a barrel from $60. According to a member of the parliament’s finance committee, spending was reduced to 119 trillion Iraqi dinars. Nonetheless, the budget deficit is expected to rise to 25 trillion dinars. The decision […]

MENASource

Jan 28, 2015

The Past, Present, and Future of Iraqi Tribes in Shaping National Identity

By Jeppe Stavnsbo Sorensen

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s encouragement of a tribal revolution to fight the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL), or the foreign enemy, seems to be a necessary reaction to the dire situation of the state army, struggling to maintain an effective force in the face of the jihadist threat.

Iraq
President Barack Obama at Osan Air Base, Nov. 19, 2009

NATOSource

Jan 27, 2015

After Years of Cuts, Obama Proposes Increasing US Defense Budget

By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One

The Obama administration will propose a defense spending increase to levels not seen since 2012 when it sends Congress a $585 billion Pentagon budget request on Monday.

Afghanistan Iraq

New Atlanticist

Jan 27, 2015

ISIS Puts Down Roots in Libya

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Chaos in North African nation creates ‘natural environment’ for jihadist groups, Atlantic Council’s Mezran says Fighters loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are taking advantage of the chaos in Libya to expand their presence in the North African nation. On Tuesday, an affiliate of ISIS in Libya claimed responsibility for an […]

Libya