Category: Blogs

Negotiating a Brexit

By Ashish Kumar Sen

EU will seek ‘best exit possible’ for the United Kingdom, says David O’Sullivan, EU’s ambassador to the United States The European Union wishes to negotiate the “best exit possible” for the United Kingdom from the bloc, said David O’Sullivan, the EU’s ambassador to the United States. “I don’t think it is a question of saying […]

Increasing Tactics of Forced Displacement in Syria

By Hosam al-Jablawi

Four years of siege and starvation have forced remaining civilians in the Syrian city of Darayya to negotiate with the regime and accept being forcibly displaced in exchange for their lives. The city, which five years ago was home to 250,000 people, is now empty, just like so many other regions in Syria that have […]

Jets From Four NATO Members Scramble As Russian Bombers Fly from Norway To Spain

By BBC

Two Russian Blackjack bombers were intercepted by fighter jets from four European countries as they flew from the direction of Norway to northern Spain and back, it has emerged.

Investing in a Solution to the Migrant Crisis

Nations that have taken in refugees must prioritize economic development while seeking political solutions to the crises that have forced migrants to flee their homes. Matthew T. McGuire, the US executive director at the World Bank Group, said “one of the biggest indicators for someone returning to their home country is how well they’ve fared […]

Saving Libya to Defend NATO’s Southern Flank

By Karim Mezran

Roughly 20 years ago, Carlo Maria Santoro, a professor of international relations at Milan and one of Italy’s foremost experts on geopolitics, wrote a book titled, The Risk from the South. He warned of Libya’s centrality to the stability of North Africa and the countries of Southern Europe. He was, at the time, referring to […]

Inoculating Against a Cyber Attack

By Rachel Ansley

The recently reported vulnerability in insulin pumps, while not in itself a significant threat, underscores the danger posed by hackers who could take control of medical devices, according to Beau Woods, deputy director of the Atlantic Council Cyber Statecraft Initiative. “The risks of connected medical devices can be anywhere on a spectrum: from almost none […]

Berlin or Bust: Germany Key to Maintaining Sanctions on Russia

By Oksana Bedratenko

When Russia illegally annexed Crimea and armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, the United States and the European Union jointly condemned it. Together they introduced sanctions on Russia in July 2014 that limited access to finance for key companies in Russia’s energy, defense, and financial sectors; froze assets and banned travel for officials directly involved in […]

Can an EU Army Be More Than Just a Pipe Dream?

By Lukas Trakimavičius

In recent weeks, the idea of establishing a European Union army was reintroduced to the public debate. During a visit to Lithuania, Germany’s defense minister, Ursula von der Leyden, noted that “it’s time to move forward to a European defense union.” Days later, in his State of the Union address, the president of the European […]

Morocco’s Upcoming Elections: Gradual Change or More of the Same?

By Sabina Henneberg

Parliamentary elections scheduled for October 7 mark the end of the five-year mandate of Morocco’s current government led by the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD). Approximately 30 political parties will compete for seats in the directly-elected House of Representatives. The secular Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) represents the PJD’s main rival. While important for […]