Category: Blogs

NATO Needs to Look in Mirror on Coup Attempt, Says Turkish Defense Minister

By Fikri Işık and Barçın Yinanç , Hurriyet Daily News

It is time for NATO to sit down and evaluate its mistakes in its response to the July coup attempt in Turkey that left a deep trauma in society that has not been properly appreciated outside the country,

Aleppo: A Chance to Save US Syria Policy

By Feras Hanoush

For years, the White House administration has focused its Syria policy on fighting terrorism, even as it reluctantly remains a main player in efforts to negotiate a settlement. To this end, the White House has offered to cooperate with the Russian military in Syria, to exchange information and set strategic goals to coordinate strikes on […]

Why Peace Is Impossible with Putin

By Alexander J. Motyl

Peace in Europe is impossible as long as Vladimir Putin remains Russia’s leader. As both the biggest obstacle to peace and the key source of potential war, Putin has become the main threat to Russia’s neighbors and the West. But what, exactly, motivates him? Analysts are divided over the reasons for Putin’s foreign policy moves. […]

How Russian Propaganda Portrays European Leaders

By František Vrabel, Jakub Janda, and Veronika Víchová

Russia’s efforts to spread disinformation in other countries as part of a hybrid war against the West sometimes make us forget that the media networks inside Russia also greatly matter. Even though Russia’s domestic media targets the Russian-speaking population, its narratives and portrayals of the international scene can tell us a lot about Russia’s foreign […]

NATO’s Opportunity to Help Refugees

By Spencer Grady-Pawl

Facing criticism for her steadfast commitment to an open-door refugee policy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a recent press conference quoted the first clause of the first article of Germany’s constitution, which states that “Human dignity shall be inviolable.”

The Political Moves behind the Siege of Aleppo

By Youssef Sadaki

The latest battle for Aleppo is not just over the fate of the city, or even the fate of the Syrian civil war. The balance of power in the region as a whole is also at stake. Complex events at the local and international levels have led to the regime tightening siege around Aleppo and […]

Turkish Military Officer Seeking Asylum in United States

By Phil Stewart and Yara Bayoumy, Reuters

A Turkish military officer on a U.S.-based assignment for NATO is seeking asylum in the United States

Why Nord Stream II is Not Only Eastern Europe’s Problem

By Sijbren de Jong

In November of 2015 the Council of State in the Netherlands decided that natural gas production in the province of Groningen should be capped at 27 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year. As the region suffers from earthquakes due to natural gas production, the level of such is a delicate topic for the Dutch political […]

Public-Private Partnerships on Cybersecurity Seen as Key to Pass Effective Security Legislation

Increased cooperation between government cybersecurity officials and independent hacker communities can lead to streamlined and higher quality legislation for technology security measures, according to cybersecurity expert. “We are seeing a change from a completely adversarial relationship between the government and the hacker community and it’s starting to thaw a bit where there is a lot […]