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SyriaSource

May 23, 2017

How the ‘De-Escalation Zone’ Plan Benefits Syria’s Foreign Players

By Lorenzo Trombetta

BEIRUT – Russia, Iran and Turkey’s recent agreement to create “de-escalation zones” in Syria is a result of Moscow’s significant steps towards partitioning the western part of the country into zones of – sometimes foreign – influence. The Kremlin’s plan, proposed at the recent round of Astana negotiations, safeguards its own interests in Syria, while giving […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

May 23, 2017

By Changing Alphabet, Kazakhs Take Another Step Toward the West

By Ariel Cohen

Kazakhstan has decided to switch alphabets, from Cyrillic to Latin script, by 2025. After decades of Russian and Soviet domination, countries are developing their own cultural code, though some feel uneasy about the change. Yet the Latin alphabet will only boost Kazakhstan’s international integration and its economic, technological, and scientific development. Plus, Latin script isn’t […]

Central Asia

IranSource

May 23, 2017

Iranians Vote for Competence over Ideology

By Barbara Slavin

Iranians celebrated in the streets of their cities this weekend in the aftermath of presidential elections out of relief that the most capable candidate on offer won.

UkraineAlert

May 23, 2017

The Reform Story Isn’t Over in Kyiv

By Ivan Mikloš

In the West, many people are ready to write off Ukraine. They wrongly believe that Ukraine’s reforms are stagnating, corruption is widespread, and the country is at war. But Ukraine’s reforms are definitely not done. To understand Ukraine’s promise, one must first grasp the country’s situation in 2014 when the reforms began. Two decades of […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

May 22, 2017

Macron Signifies a New ‘Third Way’ for France and Europe

By Mayecor Sar

The election of Emmanuel Macron as France’s president on May 7 is a welcome boost for “third way” politics, a centrist political philosophy that broadly advocates a combination of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. For the first time since the 1970s, France has elected a president that does not belong to either of the […]

France

UkraineAlert

May 22, 2017

Why Are Russian Opposition Leaders Democrats at Home and Imperialists Abroad?

By Taras Kuzio

The US Congress has approved $100 million to counter “Russian influence and aggression” and support civil society organizations in Europe and Eurasia. According to the legislation, the funding will be used to “support democracy programs in the Russian Federation, including to promote internet freedom, and shall also be made available to support the democracy and […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

May 22, 2017

Iranians Vote for Competence Over Ideology

By Barbara Slavin

Iranians celebrated in the streets of their cities this past weekend out of relief that the most capable candidate on offer won the presidential election held on May 19. Incumbent President Hassan Rouhani’s solid victory over a younger and more hardline cleric, Ebrahim Raisi, was a triumph of competence over ideology and of openness over […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

May 19, 2017

Pipeline Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean

By Firas Maksad and Jean-François Seznec

A creative solution to a quarrel over maritime borders could serve the interests of Lebanon and Israel Recent oil and gas developments in the eastern Mediterranean have brought back into the spotlight the issue of an ongoing maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon that has created uncertainty among prospective foreign investors over the potential […]

Israel Middle East

SyriaSource

May 19, 2017

Turkey is Missing Out on an Opportunity to Integrate Syrian Refugees and Revive its Economy

By Saleem al-Omar

The victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the constitutional referendum held on April 16 spurred great enthusiasm among the Syrian population in Turkey, who hoped that the AKP would use the victory to also help the Syrian refugees. However, the government has not taken any steps to improve the lives of Syrians. […]

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

May 19, 2017

How Did the US End up at the Gates of Raqqa?

By Loubna Mrie

With Trump’s approval last week to directly arm the YPG, the United States is gearing up for the battle to capture Raqqa city from the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh). To understand how the United States got to this point—arming proxy forces, troops on the ground, all the while conducting air strikes—one can ask: […]

Syria
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