Category: Blogs

Trump and Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

For many Syrians, five-plus years of pain and suffering seem now to be crowned with another catastrophe: the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States.  Feelings of foreboding and doom are deepened by much of the instant analysis pouring forth from Washington think tanks and editorial writers: analysis that recites […]

Part 2: This is How They Killed Me Twice

By Hadi Alabdullah

In a hospital ICU room in Aleppo, with doctors all around me, I tried to open my eyes after a series of surgeries on my stomach and legs. I could see the fear and pity in their eyes. This is how they treat all of their patients; despite their personal tragedies, their hearts still have kindness […]

What a Donald Trump Presidency Means for the Middle East

By MENASource

On November 8, Donald J. Trump was elected the forty-fifth president of the United States. In transcribed interviews, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East experts weigh in on what a Donald Trump presidency means for the Middle East.

Trump’s Victory is Brexit Gone Global

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Interview with Atlantic Council Executive Vice President Damon Wilson Atlantic Council Executive Vice President for Programs and Strategy, Damon Wilson, discussed the implications of Donald Trump’s election victory, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Wilson spoke in an interview with the New Atlanticist’s Ashish Kumar Sen. Here are edited excerpts from our interview: […]

Here’s Why Nord Stream 2 Isn’t the Only Game in Town

By Olga Bielkova

Most Russia watchers, including those at the Atlantic Council, recognize that in this age of hybrid warfare, energy trade is a potent weapon. What has changed with Nord Stream 2 is that the weapon is now pointed directly at the EU rather than Ukraine, and it is masquerading as a commercial project. But who could […]

Secretary General Reminds Trump that NATO Members Have ‘a Solemn Commitment to Defend Each Other’

By Jens Stoltenberg, NATO

I congratulate Donald Trump on his election as the next President of the United States. And I look forward to working with him.

A Brave New Post-Liberal World?

By Fabrice Pothier

President-elect Donald J. Trump has delivered the greatest upset to Western politics in memory. This is Brexit on a global scale. Bye bye liberal order; welcome new post-liberal world! 

Does Saakashvili’s Resignation Mark the End of Reform in Ukraine?

By Diane Francis

Mikheil Saakashvili’s resignation this week does not mark the failure of reform efforts in Ukraine. It opens a new chapter. “Odesa can only develop once Kyiv will be freed from these bribe takers, who directly patronize organized crime and lawlessness,” he bluntly told journalists when he announced he was quitting on November 7. This opinion […]

Strategic Questions for President-Elect Trump

Donald John Trump will be the 45th president of the United States. He rode a wave of populist anger straight to the Oval Office on November 8 and now has a mandate to reverse years of neoliberal global and domestic politics. He will spend his time focusing on fixing those issues, many of which have […]