Atlantic Council blogs

EconSource: Jordan’s Economy Continues to Recover

By EconSource

Jordan’s economy appears to continue to recover from its near economic crisis in 2012, despite the worsening regional context. Real GDP growth for the first half of 2014 rose to 3.0 percent, compared with 2.8 percent in 2013. The authorities are continuing to implement the national reform agenda with the support from the International Monetary Fund […]

What Went Wrong in Idlib?

By Faysal Itani

Last week, Syria’s mainstream opposition suffered a major defeat in its heartland of Idlib province, northern Syria. The al-Qaeda-aligned Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN) captured several key towns from the US-backed Syrian Revolutionaries Front and Harakat al Hazm, with some fighters defecting to JAN.

US European Commander Asks for More Troops

By Paul McLeary, Defense News

In the face of sustained Russian incursions into Ukraine and the dozens of fighter and bomber flights that have skirted European airspace in recent weeks, the head of US European Command has come to the Pentagon to ask for more troops and equipment.

Ukraine’s New Government: Here’s What to Expect

By New Atlanticist

Amid Horse-Trading by Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk, a New Parliament Speaker Is Likely The Atlantic Council’s Kyiv-based senior fellow, Brian Mefford, writes on the likely makeup of Ukraine’s post-election government. His key observations are below, and you can read his detailed analysis on his own blog.

Ennahda Loses in Tunisia: What Comes Next?

By Duncan Pickard and Daniel Tavana

The transfer of power has been a confounding challenge in modern Arab politics. Tunisia’s success is again the exception. Last year, Tunisia’s Ennahda became the first Islamist party in the Arab world to step down peacefully, part of a package compromise with secular opposition parties to adopt the constitution.

Top News: ISIS Beheads Eight Rebels Who Surrendered Under False Amnesty Deal

ISIS group jihadists beheaded eight rebels who had surrendered in a town on the border with Iraq last week despite pledges of an amnesty, a monitor said Monday.

Top News: Prosecutor Orders Detention of Thirty-five for Islamic State Affiliations

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s prosecutor-general has ordered the detention of thirty-five suspects accused of joining terrorist organizations, pending fifteen days further investigation.

As Russian Provocations Increase, Should the US Continue to Cut Forces in Europe?

By Jorge Benitez, The Hill

Last week, jets from six NATO air forces intercepted 19 Russian military aircraft in just one day.

What Would the Turkish Buffer Zone Mean for Syria’s Displaced?

By Matthew Hall, a Q&A with Elizabeth Ferris

In September, the radical jihadist group ISIS launched a major offensive in northeastern Syria, overrunning scores of Kurdish villages along the warpath to Kobani, a strategic town on the Turkish border.

EconSource: Egypt Signs $350 Million Financing Deal With Saudi Arabia

By EconSource

Egypt signed a $350 million financing agreement with Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 1. The money is aimed at upgrading the country’s power grid and securing imports of petroleum products. Egypt is currently facing its worst energy crisis in decades.