Category: Blogs

Content

New Atlanticist

Nov 2, 2016

India Makes a Smart Move

By Nidhi Upadhyaya

By 2050, 843 million people will be living in urban areas of India. They will migrate from rural regions for better job opportunities, better health care, and a better life. How will cities sustain this huge influx of people? The government of India is already addressing this question. With the Smart Cities Mission, it is […]

India

UkraineAlert

Nov 2, 2016

Why the Revelation of Officials’ Cash, Cars, and a Church Will Change Ukraine for Good

By Anders Åslund

In a bout of extraordinary transparency, 50,000 Ukrainian officials have declared their assets and incomes and it is easily accessible to the interested public. A staggering amount of wealth has been revealed and this very act is likely to have changed Ukraine for good. As declarations arrived on the publicly accessible register, it recorded the […]

Ukraine

SyriaSource

Nov 1, 2016

Russia and Risk: Who is Answerable?

By Frederic C. Hof

Those who advocate modest military measures to stop or at least slow the mass murder of Syrian civilians by Russia and its Assad regime client should not evade the patently unfair question they are often asked: “Are you willing to risk World War III?” As important as it is to defend civilians—for both humanitarian and […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Nov 1, 2016

Erdogan: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Russian Encirclement

By Stephen Blank

Less than six months ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly complained that the Black Sea had become a Russian lake and sought regional and NATO cooperation against this threat. Russia and Turkey’s long-standing relationship was on the rocks, especially after Turkey had shot down a Russian fighter plane over Syria in November 2015. In […]

Russia Turkey

AfricaSource

Nov 1, 2016

South Africa’s ICC Withdrawal is a Distraction from a Broader Political Crisis

By Chloë McGrath

South Africa, commonly lauded as a beacon of democracy on the African continent, has finally caught the attention of the international community after its official decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The press and human rights organizations are abuzz with the news – decrying the country’s betrayal to “millions of victims of […]

IranSource

Nov 1, 2016

Iran’s Largest Protest Demonstration since 2009

By Mehrnaz Samimi

Iran last week experienced its largest protest demonstration since 2009 rallies after disputed presidential elections. The demonstration occurred on Friday at the tomb of Cyrus the Great in the ancient city of Pasargad, near Shiraz, in southern Iran.

Iran

SyriaSource

Nov 1, 2016

Nusra’s “Mobilize” Campaign to Recruit Children

By Sarah Sheikh Ali

In April of last year, the Nusra Front—now called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham—launched a campaign they called, “Mobilize,” in northern Syria, intended to recruit children. The campaign was conducted by 300 recruiters from the group and adopted the slogan, “Don’t be one of the qaideen [people who do not actively fight; the opposite of mujahideen].” Although […]

Syria

MENASource

Nov 1, 2016

Anbar’s Iraqi Policemen: Between ISIS and a Hard Place

By Kamal al-Ayash, NIQASH

There have been plenty of calls for families who were displaced by the security crisis caused by the Islamic State group to return home, once their territories have been cleared of the extremists. But in the central province of Anbar, it seems that not everybody is welcome.

Iraq

SyriaSource

Nov 1, 2016

Military Operations in Western Aleppo, the Role of Islamists, and Russia’s new Military Buildup

By Saleem al-Omar

Last week, Jaysh al-Fateh (JAF), the opposition Islamist coalition, launched a large-scale military operation to break the regime’s siege on Aleppo, but their advance has slowed. They launched attacks on areas that have not witnessed combat before, including the Assad Suburb (Dahiyat al-Asad) in western Aleppo. Having taken control of most of the suburb in […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Oct 31, 2016

United Russia: Party of Crooks and Thieves, and Then Some

By Ilya Yashin

To international observers, Russia’s ruling party might appear to be a typical political organization. But in fact, there is a deep connection between Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political party, United Russia, and organized crime. The party has become riddled with corruption and lawlessness, and the way to fortune and unbridled power in Russia today is […]

Russia
Load More