Category: Blogs

The Myth of a European Army

By Leo Michel

Are European Union member states about to launch a serious effort to create a “European army?” EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, reacting to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, famously broached the idea in March 2015.

What’s the Alternative?

By Frederic C. Hof

One prays that Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest foray into the tangled web of Syrian diplomacy will bear the most precious fruit of all: the sustained and even permanent protection of Syrian civilians from the rapacious assaults of the Assad regime (fully supported by Iran), Russia, the Islamic State (ISIL, ISIS, Daesh), and others. […]

In Syria, the United States Must Navigate a Complex Intelligence-Sharing Landscape With Russia

The Obama administration will carefully consider what intelligence it shares with Russia pertaining to enemy targets in Syria in part due to the belief that the Russians do not apply the same degree of care to avoiding civilian casualties, a senior US official said at the Atlantic Council on September 13. Noting that the US […]

Fighters from the Caucasus Join ISIS to Fight Russia

By Feras Hanoush

People from the countries of the Caucasus, a region situated between Europe and Asia that broke politically from the Soviet Union in the late twentieth century, are an important resource for the Islamic State (ISIS).

TTIP&TRADE in Action – September 14, 2016

By Global Business & Economics Program

President of the EU Commission Jean-Claude Juncker addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on September 14 for his 2016 State of the European Union address.

The Fears of Syrians Living in Turkey

By Hasan Arfeh

During the hours of the failed coup against the Turkish government last month, Syrians living Turkey—including refugees, employees, politicians, and journalists—were just as anxious as the Turks. The same anxiety was present when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travelled to Russia on Tuesday, August 10, to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Georgia’s European Choice ‘Irreversible,’ says Georgian Prime Minister

By Ashish Kumar Sen

In an election season in which Georgia’s NATO aspirations have been hotly debated, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili insists that his country’s European choice is “irreversible.” “An overwhelming majority of the people of Georgia consider the goal of joining EU and NATO to be a necessity that will lead to a higher standard of democracy, […]

The Future of Secularism in Iraq

By Safwan Al-Amin

In today’s Iraq, political movements and politicians shy away from promoting secularism or proclaiming to be secularists. The reasons for this—and the reasons for the rise of religious (and religious identity) politics in Iraq after the 1958 coup in which the Hashemite monarchy was overthrown—are numerous and complex. Some of the main factors that may […]

The Growth of the Syrian Media and Responsible Voices

By Caroline Ayoub

For the forty years under the Assad regime, Syrians had limited access to information and no freedom of expression. The initial media rush was part of a larger movement in which Syrians were able to express themselves in protests through signs, songs, art, and other creative expressions. However, a few qualities set media work apart. […]

Culture Under Threat: Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra as Case Study

By Vladislav Davidzon

In the last two years, it has become routine to acknowledge that the Maidan revolution unleashed torrents of creative energy in Ukraine. Myriad articles have been written about the ferment of cultural activity taking place across every discipline. Yet classic cultural institutions and performing arts groups continue to face many of the same problems they […]