Category: Blogs

Venture Capital in Europe: State of Play

By Ole Moehr

 European venture capital (VC) suffers from fragmentation, undersized funds, lack of private capital, excessive and unfavorable regulations, dependence on public investment, and an often risk-averse culture. These factors that stymie VC in Europe are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. The European Union (EU) is still not one large VC market; instead, the EU is made up […]

The Failed Serraj Experiment of Libya

By Wolfgang Pusztai

On March 30, 2016, Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and a few other members of Libya’s Presidency Council (PC) and Government of National Accord (GNA), the two government bodies that the UN-brokered Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) established, arrived to Tripoli’s Abu Sita navy base after having operated in Tunisia for three months. While the international media […]

Obama and Trump on Assad: Change of Policy?

By Frederic C. Hof

Syria-watchers, including members of the United States Senate, reacted critically to statements by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley about the Trump administration’s position on the status of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In Ankara on March 30th Tillerson commented that Assad’s long-term status “will be decided by the […]

Is Russia Getting Ready to Invade Ukraine Again?

By Stephen Blank

Recent Russian actions suggest a new stage of the Russian threat to Ukraine—and potentially to the Caucasus, Belarus, or the Baltic States as well—that could presage a new large-scale military operation. First, in 2016, Russia created twenty-five division formations and fifteen brigades, while raising manpower by only 10,000 men. This suggests the possibility that Russia […]

Is Brexit Good for the EU?

The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) has strengthened solidarity among the bloc’s other twenty-seven member states, David O’Sullivan, the EU’s ambassador to the United States, said at the Atlantic Council on March 29. “The debate around Brexit has strengthened support for the European Union elsewhere around Europe,” according to O’Sullivan. “If […]

What to Expect from Sisi’s White House Visit

By Elissa Miller

On April 3, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will visit the White House to meet with US President Donald Trump. Sisi’s first visit to the White House is important for US-Egypt relations. Both leaders have repeatedly expressed admiration for one another, and Cairo appears eager to push for a stronger bilateral relationship that it perceives […]

Putin is Not Russia

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US senators, Russian opposition activist call for calibrated pressure on Vladimir Putin Two US senators—one a Republican and the other a Democrat—and a Russian opposition activist who has survived two apparent attempts on his life made a call for greater international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to respect human rights. Speaking at the Atlantic […]

TRADE in ACTION, March 30, 2017

By Global Business & Economics Program

On March 25, the European Union celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome. They signed the Rome Declaration which resolves to create a “stronger more resilient” union that is ready to address current and future challenges.  A few days later, the United Kingdom officially triggered exit negotiations (as specified in Article 50 of the […]

Why Putin’s Flirtation with the French Far Right May Backfire

By Péter Krekó and Alina Polyakova

On March 24, Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s National Front (FN) party and a contender for the French presidency, flew to Moscow for a surprise visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Le Pen’s photo op of a one-on-one meeting with Russia’s president certainly made her look presidential, but it’s an image that may […]