Category: Blogs

TRADE in ACTION, April 20, 2017

By Global Business & Economics Program

This week in TradeinAction: As international finance leaders convene in Washington for the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, the IMF raises its outlook for global economic growth. Last Sunday, Turkish voters approved a referendum question to replace the current parliamentary system with a presidential system. This Sunday, French voters head to the polls for the first round of […]

Scenarios of a World Transformed

On Monday, April 24, the Atlantic Council, in partnership with the University of Denver’s Pardee Center for International Futures and Zurich Insurance, released a new quantitative study: “Our World Transformed: Geopolitical Shocks and Risks”. Here is a visual look at the different scenarios presented in the report and their implications for global gross domestic product, […]

House Speaker Ryan in Europe: NATO ‘Must be Strengthened’

By Paul Ryan, Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Russia is determined to exploit weakness and opportunity wherever it may surface.

A Strike Does Not a Strategy Make: Trump, Tomahawks, and the Trouble with Targeted Tools

By Anthony Elghossain

President Donald Trump may have already missed the mark in Syria. A fortnight ago, in a process that was as perplexing as it was rapid, Trump reacted to the Assad regime’s attack on Khan Sheikhoun by inadvertently inverting the Obama administration’s approach to the Ghouta gassings in 2013. Even so, Trump has not crafted a […]

Saudi-Led Coalition Setting Up Mobile Force to Fight Terrorism

By Saeed Shah and Margherita Stancati, Wall Street Journal

A Saudi-led coalition force of 41 countries is now taking shape and has found a focus: protecting member nations against the threat from Islamic State

Who’s Been Monkeying with Ukraine’s Judicial Reforms Again?

By Mykhailo Zhernakov

Ukraine is building its new Supreme Court from scratch–a bold move as a part of its comprehensive judicial reform. Candidates who are running for the Supreme Court have undergone a series of tests, but still must pass a final interview. All along, this process offered great hope for dramatic change in Ukraine’s judiciary, but it […]

Trump’s Consistent Message: NATO Allies ‘Are Letting Us Down’

By Donald Trump, White House

[A]lthough he could not be here today, my thanks go to Speaker Ryan, who’s represented this city for nearly two decades in Congress.  And you know where he is?  He’s with NATO — so he has a good excuse.  And I said, Ron, make sure these countries start paying their bills a little bit more.

Shia Afghan Fighters in Syria

By Ali Alfoneh

With at least 629 combat fatalities in Syria, Shia Afghan nationals suffered the second highest losses among foreign Shia fighters supporting the Syrian regime, second only to Lebanese fighters and surpassing Iranian fighters. But what motivates Shia Afghans to fight in distant Syria? How is their military performance in the war and what are the […]