Category: Blogs

Securing the Internet of Things

As a consequence of our dependence on gadgets that are increasingly interconnected, securing these devices has become a “homeland security issue,” a senior US official said at the Atlantic Council on October 14, while exhorting industry and civil society leaders to address potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The system of interrelating, connected computing devices with the ability […]

Europe Funds Russian Aggression in Ukraine, Syria, and Beyond

By Mykhailo Gonchar and Hanna Hopko

Three-Fourths of Russian Oil Sold to Europe On October 20, the Council of the European Union will consider its strategy toward the Russian Federation. Following the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Europe faces a genuine challenge: to recognize Russian aggression against Ukraine for what it is, and to provide truly […]

Ukraine Scores Diplomatic Breakthrough

By Vera Zimmerman

“Security First, Elections Next,” the West Concedes After long resisting Western pressure to implement the political points in the Minsk agreements, Ukraine scored a diplomatic victory last week when the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed two important resolutions. The first resolution officially defines the conflict in Ukraine as Russian aggression, countering […]

Russia Seen Guiding the Illiberal Turn in Central and Eastern Europe

Russia is financing far-right political parties and critics of the European Union as part of a broader Kremlin strategy to sow disinformation and mistrust on the Continent, according to a member of the European Parliament (MEP). Ivan Stefanec, an MEP from Slovakia, contended that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is now more closely aligned with […]

Getting the Most Out of Renewables

By Clare Magee

Nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies, including Apple, Facebook, General Motors, Google, Target, and Wal-Mart, have announced sustainability and/or clean energy targets. Non-utility customers accounted for 52 percent of last year’s 4,000 megawatts of US wind deals, and US companies represented 907 megawatts of solar in 2015—a nearly 60 percent increase over the previous year. However, […]

Protecting Cyber Life Zones

By Ian Fairchild

Humans and technology are converging in unexpected ways, and more rapidly than ever before.  For instance, Tesla is integrating radar into its cars.  Delta Airlines tracks luggage with microchips.  Even our home energy controls are becoming smarter.  As humans increasingly inlay technology into daily life, greater interaction necessitates both dialogue and action.  We must critically […]

Ukraine’s New Liberals Face Tough Climb from Streets to Seats in Parliament

By Melinda Haring

Ukraine now has a liberal European party, but can it become a nationwide party with real heft in parliament? On July 9, Euromaidan leaders joined forces with the Democratic Alliance party. The reinvigorated party is still preparing its program statement, but broadly it’s a liberal European party that supports free market ideas, strongly opposes corruption, […]

900th Day in Prison for Founders of NGO for Street Children

By Khaled Dawoud

900 days since her arrest, Aya Hijazi remains in prison. While Egypt and the United States exchanged critical statements over the case of the dual Egyptian-American national in September, she, her husband, Mohamed Hassanein, and six other detainees, remain among those who have exceeded the limit of Egypt’s two-year pretrial detention period. 

GERD: Politics and the Art of Possibility

By Mohamed Mahmoud

Egyptian officials, faced with the reality of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are meeting the potential risks with mixed views on how to respond. Some believe that Egypt should be firm about the dam, which according to experts, represents a danger to the country’s water security. Others believe that Egypt could work with the situation […]