Category: Blogs

Who Will Take Deir Ezzor from ISIS?

By Abdullah Almousa

Observers are focusing increasing attention on the coming battle for Deir Ezzor, which will come next after the battle for Raqqa, the latter having been launched by the Syrian Democratic Forces on June 6, 2017.

Will the Trump Administration Address the GCC-North Korea Nexus?

By Giorgio Cafiero and Theodore Karasik

Several recent articles on North Korea’s relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have drawn this Northeast Asian country into an ongoing crisis within the bloc. From Washington’s perspective, GCC-North Korea relations threaten to undermine US efforts to isolate Pyongyang and squeeze it economically in response to its belligerent behavior marked by the recent […]

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham: The Fatwas that Ignited a War for Money

By Saleem al-Omar

In an audio recording, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s cleric, Abu al-Yaqzan al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Naji, a former member of the Salafist al-Nour Party in Egypt according to Arabi 21, issued a fatwa on the need to fight his former faction, Ahrar al-Sham. He further urged Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters to kill anyone who […]

Washington’s Got a New Tool to Counter Putin, and It’s Not What You Think It Is

By Mari Dugas

Washington’s got a new way to counter Russian influence in Europe, and it’s not what you might expect. Thanks to new technology, the United States has experienced a boom in natural gas production and is set to become the world’s third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2020. The United States has recognized this […]

The Russia Sanctions Bill Is a Decisive Moment for US Policy—Now What?

By Edward Fishman

On August 2, President Donald Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill that passed the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities. Trump had little choice; had he rejected the bill, it would have become law anyway. Despite concerns that House Republicans would water down the bill after it initially sailed through the Senate on June 15, […]

Putin Lashes Out

Will Russia’s reaction to US sanctions be short-lived? [Editor’s note: US President Donald J. Trump signed the new sanctions bill on August 2.]  The Kremlin’s reaction to the new US sanctions indicates that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in a “lashing-out mood,” that, while unsettling, will be short-lived, according to Daniel Fried, a distinguished fellow […]

Targeting Russia’s Oil: Why Sanctions Will Ultimately Work

By Lukas Trakimavičius

It has been three years since the European Union (EU) and the United States enacted a series of sanctions against Russia for the unlawful annexation of Crimea and the subsequent war in eastern Ukraine. Some of these sanctions deliberately target Russia’s oil industry because it is the backbone of the country’s economy. However, as Russia’s […]

The Failure of Libya’s EU-Backed Coastguard

By Hadeel Elaradi

On May 25, a Libyan coastguard unit opened fire on Europe-bound boats full of refugees while rescue attempts were under way. Two Libyan coastguards were also accused of looting the boats, taking phones, money, and other belongings from the passengers. The incident raised serious concern over the basic rights of migrants and refugees and the […]

Why Trump is Wrong about Ukrainian Interference in US Elections

By Adrian Karatnycky

President Donald Trump’s July 25 tweet sent shockwaves through Ukraine, a country that relies on US support to resist an ongoing Russian military attack and occupation of large chunks of its territory. It is understandable why Trump and his media cheerleaders like Sean Hannity might be scrambling to find examples of other countries interfering in […]