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SyriaSource

Apr 3, 2018

The Second Exodus:Tracing the Footsteps of Palestinian Refugees in Syria

By Hanan Elbadawi

The case of Palestinian Refugees registered in Syria (PRS) is a difficult one. Once considered lucky, compared to Palestinian refugees in neighboring countries, PRS now face secondary displacement due to the Syrian conflict. Many fled to neighboring countries with little protection, making them among the most vulnerable refugee groups. The war in Syria impacted PRS […]

Syria

AfricaSource

Apr 3, 2018

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam marks milestone, approaches completion

By J. Peter Pham

The April 2 anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011 passed largely unremarked amid the cascade of momentous news coming recently from Ethiopia, including several years of unrest, the sudden release of thousands of detainees in mid-February, the resignation of the prime minister one day […]

Africa East Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 3, 2018

Trump Tells Baltic Leaders He is Tough on Russia

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Donald J. Trump has assured leaders of the three Baltic States—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—that no one has been tougher on Russia than him. He also said that he thinks he could have a “very good relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump made the comments in a joint press conference with the three […]

Northern Europe

UkraineAlert

Apr 3, 2018

Two Ways the West Enables Corruption in Ukraine

By Taras Kuzio

Western pressure on Ukraine to fight corruption has never been greater. But the pressure has been one-sided and focused on Ukraine, which isn’t fair. The West bears some culpability, too. Ukrainians flee criminal prosecution and receive political asylum in the West, and they use Western banks to launder capital from Ukraine. It is time to […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 3, 2018

Reluctant Russophobes: The Underwhelming International Response to Putin’s Hybrid War

By Peter Dickinson

If Moscow is genuinely innocent of all the misdeeds attributed to it, why does it always seem to get the blame? The Kremlin attributes every new allegation to Russophobia. This excuse has proven ideally suited to the varied terrain of hybrid warfare, serving as a one-size-fits-all explanation for virtually any charge. Whether the claims relate […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Apr 3, 2018

Halting the ‘Caravans’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Addressing push factors is key to stemming flow of unauthorized migrants, says Atlantic Council’s Jason Marczak US President Donald J. Trump on April 3 announced that he would deploy US troops to the border with Mexico to stop the flow of unauthorized migrants into the United States. The comment followed a series of tweets in […]

Central America Mexico

SyriaSource

Apr 3, 2018

Is Local Government Legitimacy Possible in Eastern Syria?

By Emily Burchfield

As operations in areas of eastern Syria cleared of the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) transition from immediate humanitarian response to longer-term stabilization efforts, the establishment and empowerment of inclusive, representative, and legitimate local governance will be crucial in preventing the resurgence of extremism and violence. Understanding the current conditions of local governance in this […]

Rebuilding Syria

Apr 2, 2018

The Resilience of Agriculture in Syria Amid Conflict

By Savannah Carter

In January 2018, Syria Independent Monitoring published a research report titled “Understanding Market Drivers in Syria” in which it conducted field research into the olive/olive oil and spice/herb market systems in northeastern and northwestern Syria to assess the flow of food commodities—that has been highly impacted by the conflict —in the dynamic and adaptable agricultural markets that […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Apr 2, 2018

Is Putin Getting Ready to Exit the Donbas?

By Michael Bociurkiw

For the second time in less than a month, a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was agreed to. The pause in shooting was to have gone into effect just after midnight Thursday, March 29. That’s not particularly unusual; many ceasefires have been declared since the conflict began in the spring of 2014. And like the others, […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Apr 2, 2018

Pork with a Side of Tariffs

By Ashish Kumar Sen

China’s decision to impose tariffs on about $3 billion worth of US imports sent stocks tumbling on April 2 and fueled fears that a trade war—or at the very least a trade skirmish—is imminent. The Chinese tariffs, which went into effect on April 2, target 128 US products, including pork, fruit and nuts, and steel […]

China Economy & Business