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MENASource

Jan 25, 2018

After the Ritz Carlton crackdown, what’s next?

By Mohammed Alyahya

Last week it was reported that the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh would start taking reservations again on February 14, after months of serving as a detainment facility for Saudi elites accused of graft. In a dramatic blitz in the middle of a November night in Riyadh, Saudi security forces moved to detain dozens of powerful suspects […]

Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

Deterring Russian Hacking

By Brian O'Toole and Daniel Fried

The apparent lack of US preparation and defense nearly eighteen months after Russia’s interference in the presidential elections, especially given numerous media reports that Russia aims to interfere in the 2018 US midterm elections, is deeply troubling. We are heartened that Congress has taken up leadership to defend the US electoral process. But notwithstanding its […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

Erdoğan’s war on the Kurds

By Rachel Ansley

Turkey’s ties with the United States could become casualty of latest offensive Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria will eventually push the United States to choose between two clashing allies, and “Ankara may not like where US policy ends up,” according to the Atlantic Council’s Aaron Stein. The Turkish operation has deepened […]

Syria Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

Brazil’s Lula Suffers a Setback

By Ashish Kumar Sen

An appeals court in Brazil on January 24 upheld the conviction of the country’s former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on charges of corruption and money laundering. The court’s ruling complicates Lula’s plans to run for a third term in office in the election on October 7. Lula was an early favorite, according to […]

Brazil

MENASource

Jan 24, 2018

January 25: experts weigh in seven years later

By MENASource

We asked several Egypt experts where they think Egypt stands seven years after the January 25, 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak. A common takeaway has been that Egypt is continuing to regress to its pre-2011 days. EconomyIn the aftermath of the 2011 Revolution, the Egyptian economy went into […]

Democratic Transitions North Africa

UkraineAlert

Jan 24, 2018

What Lavrov’s Lies Mean for Ukraine

By Stephen Blank

Voltaire reportedly said that those who can persuade one to believe absurdities will lead one to commit atrocities. In contemporary politics Russia’s stance on Ukraine represents a cardinal example of the enduring validity of his remark. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently restated three lies: there are no Russian troops in the Donbas, the conflict […]

Russia Ukraine

SyriaSource

Jan 24, 2018

The Battle for Afrin: Turkey’s Greatest Challenge in Syria

By Abdullah Almousa

Following news that Turkish forces and their Syrian opposition allies’ intend to enter Afrin and Manbij, both under the control of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkey now faces its greatest challenge in Syria to date. This challenge comes at a time when the United States, Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime have divided […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

What Do the Protesters in Iran Want?

By Mohsen Sazegara

What is driving the protests that have recently rocked Iran and where is this movement headed? As an observer, rather than a political activist, I would formulate the profile of this movement—which the protesters have dubbed the “Iranian national revolution”—as follows.

Iran

AfricaSource

Jan 23, 2018

Aubrey Hruby testifies before the US International Trade Commission

By Aubrey Hruby

On Tuesday, January 23rd, Africa Center Senior Fellow Aubrey Hruby testified on US-Africa trade and investment before the US International Trade Commission hearing on US Trade and Investment with Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent Developments, #332-564. Distinguished members of the committee, Ambassadors, and fellow witnesses: I would like to begin by thanking you, not only for the […]

Africa East Africa

MENASource

Jan 23, 2018

While national and international actors stall, local leaders in Libya step up

By Karim Mezran & Frank Talbot

The impression that the political situation in Libya is stalled is widespread. The lack of productive movement from national-level actors is undeniable: the UN-led mediation is faltering, the transitional government in Tripoli is not moving forward as fast as it should, and the House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk continues to under-perform, plagued by a […]

Libya
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