Category: Blogs

Conflict Flares Between Sinai Tribes and the Islamic State

By Ahmed Zaghloul Shallata

Recent clashes occurred in the south of Rafah between fighters loyal to Wilayat Sinai––previously known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which joined the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) in 2014––and the Tarabin tribe. This follows a militant attack on April 17 against a truck belonging to a Tarabin tribesman as it carried cigarettes towards Gaza. After […]

Will He, Won’t He? Awaiting Trump’s Decision on Paris Deal

By Ellen Scholl

The world continues to wait nervously for US President Donald J. Trump’s promised decision, one that could have global implications for decades to come—will the United States pull out of the Paris climate agreement? Agreed to by 197 parties in 2015 and entered into force one year later, the Paris agreement set forth the first […]

Cyber War’s Terror Trinity: Means, Motive, and Opportunity

By Ian Fairchild

In March of 2003, I commanded an EC-130 Compass Call, an aircraft configured to perform tactical command, control, and communications countermeasures, over the skies of Iraq. My crew’s mission was to jam enemy communications and help allied forces preserve Iraq’s oil infrastructure. During these missions, we positioned ourselves some distance from the intended target, while […]

Will Ukrainians Ever Trust the Press?

By Adam Tismaneanu

Journalism has changed since the Euromaidan, but most Ukrainians still don’t trust the media. Oligarchs continue to own a majority of the major outlets. Since 2014, reformers have established a public broadcasting service and are in the process of privatizing several hundred state-owned newspapers. Those steps may not be enough. The media suffers from a […]

The Yemen War, Media, and Propaganda

By Afrah Nasser

Yemeni media is one of the most affected aspects in the raging war in Yemen. In an unprecedented case, a Houthi-controlled court issued a death sentence earlier in April, against journalist Yahya al-Joubayhy, for being a “Saudi spy,” reflecting a glimpse of the risks Yemeni media workers endure.

France’s Constitutional Conundrum

By Alexandre Aubard

Neither of France’s two presidential candidates—Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron—is likely to obtain a favorable majority in the parliament in legislative elections in June. For the first time since the creation of the Fifth Republic in 1958, the president’s party is likely to be a minority party in the National Assembly and the Senate from […]

Mikheil Saakashvili: “By my own standards, I failed on every account in Odesa.”

By Diane Francis

Mikheil Saakashvili strode into the Toronto Four Seasons Hotel on a Saturday morning, all smiles and apologies for being late. The café was empty, except for myself, a handful of patrons, and a young waiter who had recently immigrated from Ukraine. I told him who I was waiting for and he smiled. Saakashvili is only […]

Trump’s First 100 Days: A Mixed Bag

US President Donald J. Trump’s first one hundred days in office have been defined by uncertainty, rhetorical blunders, and a degree of success, which, despite the criticism levelled at Trump, is part of the “learning curve” for any new president, according to a former Director of National Intelligence. “I’ve noted in past presidencies not unsimilar […]

Can Tunisia’s Government Make Necessary Reforms in the Face of Popular Demonstrations?

By Elissa Miller

Last summer, Tunisia’s parliament ousted former Prime Minister Habib Essid, a vote of no-confidence, as President Beji Caid Essebsi announced his intent to form a new unity government. He appointed Youssef Chahed, a little known young technocrat, to replace Essid. Chahed was presented as a fresh-faced, “courageous alternative” who would be better situated to push […]