Category: Blogs

The Right Land Reform Could Transform Ukraine Now

By Aivaras Abromavičius and Alexey Mushak

Largely in response to the IMF’s condition for further aid, Ukraine is on the verge of launching land reform, possibly its most dramatic and important reform to date. The land reform concept that Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman has proposed, however, is unlikely to gain support from either the agricultural sector or from parliament. Due to […]

May Hopes Snap UK Poll Will Ease Brexit

By Reginald Dale

The snap UK general election called by British Prime Minister Theresa May for June 8 is likely to strengthen her political authority and ease the tortuous negotiation of Britain’s departure from the EU – provided of course she wins. All the signs are that she will.   The political climate is unlikely to be as favorable […]

EU-Turkish Relations ‘Poor’ After Controversial Referendum

The controversial referendum which consolidated the executive powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will negatively impact Turkey’s relationship with the European Union, and may doom prospects for Turkey’s EU membership, according to an Atlantic Council analyst. “The EU process is like a zombie—it moves along, but it’s dead,” said Aaron Stein, a senior fellow […]

The Brexit Election

By Frances G. Burwell

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s surprise decision to call for a snap general election is a powerful admission by her government that Brexit will not be an easy process.  The next United Kingdom (UK) general election had been scheduled for May 2020, a date that would force May to campaign just as all the disadvantages […]

Why We Continue to Misunderstand Putin’s War in Ukraine

By Taras Kuzio

The Euromaidan and Russia’s annexation of Crimea have turned Ukraine into a popular media topic. But Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine has also led to a giant surge in academic and think tank publications about Ukraine, with more than three hundred published since 2014. These scholarly and expert analyses have taken five main […]

Six Things to Watch for in the French Presidential Election

By Romain Warnault

On April 23, France will head to the polls for what is shaping up to be the most competitive presidential race in decades. Of the eleven candidates running for president, only the top two finishers will head to the second round, which is scheduled for two weeks later. The 2017 presidential campaign has not been […]

Under Pressure: The Effect of Conflict on the Euphrates Dam

By Emily Burchfield

 In the race for Raqqa, Tabqa may just be a stop along the way. But the impact of the conflict on the city’s dam could have disastrous and lasting consequences.

US: First Test of Upgraded Nuclear Bomb a Success

By AP and airforce-technology.com

From Susan Montoya Bryan, AP:  Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are claiming success with the first in a new series of test flights involving an upgraded version of a nuclear bomb