Category: Blogs

Rebuilding Syria: Opening Statement by Omar Shawaf

By Omar Shawaf

Below are remarks by Omar Shawaf and audio of the event on Rebuilding Syria: Reconstruction and Legitimacy hosted by the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council in Washington on March 21, 2017:

Unseen Casualties of Syrian Sanctions

By Rhys Dubin

In a little-noticed news item, on March 8, security forces in Beirut raided several money transfer shops accused of sending upward of $20 million to militant groups in Syria. Lebanese security forces arrested at least six Lebanese nationals and closed 16 stores in several neighborhoods throughout the city.

Italy Seeks a US-European Front to Face Common Challenges

‘Transatlantic bond remains as important as ever,’ said Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano Unprecedented migration, instability in the Middle East, and the growing threat of terrorism necessitate a joint US-European approach to common security challenges that stem from the Mediterranean region, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said at the Atlantic Council on March 21. “In […]

Tillerson Urges Senate Ratification of Montenegro’s NATO Membership

By Patricia Zengerle, Reuters

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has written to the leaders of the U.S. Senate urging the ratification of Montenegro as the newest member of the NATO alliance

Despite Sen. Rand Paul, Montenegro’s Foreign Minister is Confident of NATO Membership

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Montenegro’s Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic is confident that, despite a procedural setback, the US Senate will ratify a protocol that will allow his nation to become the twenty-ninth member of NATO. This, he said, should happen before the Alliance’s summit in Brussels in May. NATO foreign ministers signed the Accession Protocol with Montenegro in May […]

Russia’s Support for the Taliban Leaves Kabul Feeling Uneasy

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Afghan foreign minister sees threat to peace process Russia’s support for the Taliban—a terrorist group with which the United States has been at war for more than fifteen years and that is dedicated to overthrowing Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government—is causing considerable unease in Afghanistan where officials worry it will undermine efforts to make peace […]

The Economic Case for Syria’s Stabilization

By Rashad al-Kattan

It is fairly easy to consider Syria as a hopeless case, as the country seems trapped in a vicious cycle of nihilistic violence and colossal destruction. The economy is now completely shattered and fragmented, with each party building its own independent entities. The systematic – but imbalanced – collapse of economic foundations is seen across […]

Russian Policy toward Libya: The Egyptian Factor

By Mark N. Katz

A great deal of media attention to Russian involvement in Libya arose as a result of a March 14 Reuters report that Moscow “appears to have deployed special forces to an airbase in western Egypt near the border with Libya.” These forces, reportedly consisting of a 22-man unit, deployed to support General Khalifa Haftar, who […]

Russia Threatens Norway to Stay Out of NATO Missile Defense

By Russian Embassy in Norway and Norway Today

From Russian Embassy in Norway:  Deployment of strategic missile defense capabilities within the global missile defense system might potentially jeopardize the efficiency of Russian strategic nuclear forces as a means of deterrence.

A Message to Europe: Let’s Stick Together

By Stanley Sloan

Dear European friends of America, In these challenging times, I am writing to ask that you not abandon your American ally. We have fallen on hard times, and our new leader, Donald Trump, is different from any other in our history. I know that some have compared Trump to one of his predecessors—Andrew Jackson. But […]