Category: Blogs

Content

UkraineAlert

Sep 13, 2016

Ukraine’s Signature Transparency Initiative Comes Under Fire Again

By Josh Cohen

In October 2014, Ukraine’s parliament passed a law requiring all public officials to file an electronic declaration disclosing their assets. The law requires the identification of assets directly held by officials, as well as those held by family members, which means officials can no longer hide illegally obtained assets in the names of family members. […]

Ukraine
Finnish Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö and CHOD Gen. Jarmo Lindberg, July 11, 2016

NATOSource

Sep 12, 2016

Defense Minister Downplays Swedish Report Citing Risks of Defense Cooperation with Finland

By Yle

Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö says that a recently-released Swedish security policy report provides no reason to re-evaluate defence cooperation arrangements between Sweden and Finland.

NATO Northern Europe

MENASource

Sep 12, 2016

Libya’s Future and Haftar’s Oil Grab

By Karim Mezran and Mattia Toaldo

The situation in Libya seems to be heading toward a military confrontation between forces loyal to the UN-sponsored Government of National Agreement (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of General Khalifa Haftar. The General is nominally under the authority of the House of Representatives (HoR), the parliament seated in Tobruk and of the […]

Libya

SyriaSource

Sep 12, 2016

Re-engineering the Population: the Syrian Regime’s Policy to Eliminate the Opposition

By Hosam al-Jablawi

In light of the ongoing war, the conflict approaching the city of Hama, and the increasing displacement of people from the countryside, the regime has adopted a policy of re-engineering the population to ensure a base of popular support in city centers. This policy exacerbates the suffering of people currently living in the Hama region, […]

Syria
NATO's decision on September 12 was historic

NATOSource

Sep 12, 2016

Never Forget: NATO’s Support for the US on September 12

By Douglas Lute, New York Times

Americans will always remember Sept. 11, 2001. Fifteen years later, the feelings of confusion, shock and loss from the deadly attack on our country are still vivid. But the next day, Sept. 12, 2001, was also historic.

NATO Security & Defense

SyriaSource

Sep 10, 2016

Frederic C. Hof and Faysal Itani’s Joint Statement on US-Russia Agreement for Syria

By Frederic C. Hof and Faysal Itani

If, in the end, Russian air strikes in Syria are subjected to an American veto, the Assad regime is kept from striking civilian neighborhoods, and significant aid flows resume to opposition areas, something of great value will have been accomplished. Nothing good can happen politically in Syria unless civilians are removed from the Assad regime […]

Russia Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 9, 2016

Iran Seen Abiding by Terms of Nuclear Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran is living up to the commitments it made as part of a nuclear agreement reached with six world powers in 2015, a senior State Department official said on September 9. “On the nuclear side, so far, Iran has lived up to its commitments, and that’s a good thing,” said Chris Backemeyer, deputy assistant secretary […]

Iran

MENASource

Sep 9, 2016

Will Increased US Attention on Yemen Help End the War?

By Jillian Schwedler

US Secretary of State John Kerry met two weeks ago with Gulf Cooperation Council representatives, officials from the United Kingdom, and the UN special envoy in Jeddah to discuss the war in Yemen and the desperate need to advance the peace talks. He pledged $189 million in humanitarian aid and called for a new peace initiative.  […]

Yemen

SyriaSource

Sep 9, 2016

Analysis: How Evacuating al-Waer and ‘Other Darayyas’ Will Help Assad

By Annia Ciezadlo

BEIRUT – A little girl shakes violently, crying as two men soothe her burned skin with mud, the only first aid they can find. A little boy trembles and screams as adults try to find gauze to put on his burns. Other photos, too horrible to share, show the charred bodies of two-year-old Hamza and seven-month-old […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Sep 9, 2016

What Poroshenko Said and Didn’t Say

By Kateryna Kruk

Unsurprisingly Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko kicked off his annual televised address to parliament on September 6 with words of unity. “At a time when Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is still ongoing, when the military threat from the east is the most difficult strategic challenge, the issue of national unity and political consolidation is a matter […]

Ukraine
Load More