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Trade in Action

Mar 30, 2017

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 […]

Economy & Business European Union

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2017

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 […]

Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2017

One Small Step for Georgia, One Giant Leap for the EU

By Alexandra Hall Hall

At a time when doors across the West are closing to migrants, one small country has managed to buck the trend: the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia. On March 28, the country secured visa-free travel to the Schengen area of the EU, which includes all member states except Ireland, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, and […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Mar 29, 2017

Ukraine Is in the Middle of a Counterrevolution Again. Is Anyone Paying Attention?

By Maxim Eristavi

While the world is distracted by multiple crises, Ukraine’s ruling elites are trying to undo the modest progress the country has achieved since the Maidan Revolution. Despite the mainstream narrative, when it comes to reforms in post-revolutionary Ukraine, the record has been anything but black and white. But if you need a consensus on the […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Mar 29, 2017

ISIS Drags out the Battle for Mosul

By Feras Hanoush

The battle to liberate Mosul in northern Iraq from the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) has gone on for four months, reflecting the organization’s stamina and the fact that it has a sophisticated plan for arming, supplying, and defending itself. A combination of Iraqi army and security forces, Shia Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Kurdish […]

Iraq

SyriaSource

Mar 29, 2017

Rebels Advance in Hama Countryside as Regime Mobilizes Army Again to Defend City

By Saleem al-Omar

Syrian rebel forces have reached the village of Qamhana in the northern Hama countryside, the scene of fierce clashes between regime forces and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (the Levant Liberation Committee), which includes jihadist factions such as the Fateh al-Sham Front (formerly the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front). The village lies four kilometers (2.4 miles) from Hama […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 29, 2017

A responsibility to project? Power, law, and ‘nascent norms’ in the Levant

By Anthony Elghossain

America and its allies eviscerated in practice what they elevated in principle. They adopted a bunch of tactically disjointed, strategically counterproductive, morally abysmal, and logically barren half-measures and remedial programs.

International Norms Syria

New Atlanticist

Mar 29, 2017

Trump Needs a Strong European Partner

By Louis Golino

US President Donald Trump has long held disparaging views of the European Union (EU), asserting it is a failure and praising the United Kingdom for its vote to the leave the bloc. However, a weak and fragmented EU, let alone a collapsed one, and the renationalization of European politics that would follow, would be dangerous […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Mar 29, 2017

Watching the Watchdogs: Why Ukraine’s NGOs Should Disclose Assets, Too

By Adrian Karatnycky

A huge kerfuffle has erupted in Ukraine over amendments to a law on income and asset transparency that will require employees of some nongovernmental organizations and investigative journalists who focus on corruption to post detailed income declarations publicly in electronic form. A strong majority in Ukraine’s parliament (266 of 423 legislators) passed the controversial legislation […]

Ukraine

IranSource

Mar 29, 2017

Iran’s Durable Alliance with Assad’s Syria

By Sina Azodi

Iran’s involvement in Syria’s civil war is the Islamic Republic’s first overt foreign policy intervention in the Middle East and its most enduring.