Category: Blogs

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SyriaSource

Mar 2, 2018

Speaking, Acting, and Unintended Consequences

By Frederic C. Hof

If one were to write an account chronicling, analyzing, and critiquing the unintended negative consequences of American policy toward Syria since March 2011, it would be a long and depressing read. If this writer were to highlight the deadliest and most damaging of unintended consequences, it would be this: the Assad regime’s interpretation of the […]

Syria

IranSource

Mar 1, 2018

Wrestling Chief Joins Others Refusing to Play Iran’s Game

By Barbara Slavin

For 40 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has imposed strict rules about a wide variety of matters, from personal appearance to contact with people from adversarial nations. In this winter of discontent, however, more and more Iranians are refusing to abide by regulations that they regard as stifling and self-defeating. The latest is Rasoul […]

Iran

UkraineAlert

Mar 1, 2018

Ukraine Scores Major Win over Russia and Gazprom

By Timothy Ash

Ukraine received a useful fillip on February 28 when the Stockholm Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the state gas supply and transit company, Naftogaz, and against its Russian counterpart, Gazprom, in a four-year dispute over gas transit. The court awarded Naftogaz $4.63 billion in damages, finding that Gazprom failed to pump agreed upon […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 1, 2018

Inconvenient Facts: Putin’s War Is Killing Russian Speakers

By Taras Kuzio

Russia has downplayed its military support for its proxies in eastern Ukraine by portraying the conflict as a “civil war” between Russian and Ukrainian language speakers. Western media often mistakenly portray the war in eastern Ukraine as a cultural war between Ukrainian and Russian speakers, drawing on the deeply held stereotype of a country divided […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Mar 1, 2018

How Putin Outsources His Meddling

By Stephen Blank

On February 7-8, Syrian soldiers and Russian private military contractors attacked a base in Deir Ezzor, Syria, held by Kurdish forces and where US military advisers were present. Although the Russians knew that the Americans were in the vicinity, they nevertheless attacked on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff, Anton Vaino. […]

Russia Syria

New Atlanticist

Mar 1, 2018

Vladimir Putin Flexes His Nuclear Muscles

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 1 boasted that Russia has developed “invincible” nuclear-capable missiles that can render existing missile defense systems “completely useless.” Putin used his annual state of the nation speech—delivered just weeks before the March 18 presidential election that he is guaranteed to win—to tout Russia’s military might.

Nuclear Nonproliferation Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Feb 28, 2018

What’s Next in the Brexit Negotiations?

By Bart Oosterveld and Álvaro Morales Salto-Weis

On February 28, the European Union (EU) published the draft Brexit Withdrawal Agreement which provides concrete terms for the United Kingdom (UK)’s separation. The draft marks the beginning of the second phase of Brexit negotiation, focused on the nature of the future relationship between the EU and UK. With the publication of the draft at […]

New Atlanticist

Feb 28, 2018

Why Italy’s Election Matters

By Louis Golino

On March 4, Italy will hold an important national election that is being closely watched on both sides of the Atlantic for its potential impact within the country and in Europe, and as bellwether of the rise of populism in the democratic world. The election will be in part a key test of the Italian […]

European Union International Organizations

MENASource

Feb 28, 2018

Algeria’s Libya problem

By Andrea Taylor

Algeria has a problem knocking on its door: Libya. A relative powerhouse in North Africa, a combination of political and economic issues has weakened Algeria in recent years, limiting its engagement in Libya while it dealt with its more immediate concerns at home. Despite these challenges, Algeria may step up in the face of continued […]

Libya North Africa

MENASource

Feb 28, 2018

The role of Hezbollah among its Shia constituents

By Mona Alami

Hezbollah’s power and resilience at the Lebanese level is not only derived from its military might and Tehran’s constant backing, but more importantly, from the tireless support of its Lebanese Shia Muslim community base. The allegiance of Lebanese Shia to Hezbollah is widely known to be rooted in the party’s capability to win hearts and […]

Middle East Terrorism
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