Category: Blogs

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MENASource

Aug 15, 2016

Libyan Matryoshka

By Fadel Lamen and Karim Mezran

Analyzing the situation in Libya and trying to define the root causes of the crisis is akin to unboxing a traditional Russian nesting doll—identical matryoshka dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other ad infinitum. An initial reading may reveal the main cause of the Libyan crisis to be ideological divisions between Islamists and […]

Libya

UkraineAlert

Aug 15, 2016

Why Putin Turns the Heat Up on Ukraine Now

By James J. Coyle

Russian President Vladimir Putin may be preparing a new offensive in Ukraine. Russia has prepared an excuse for a military incursion to connect Crimea with rebel-held areas of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. Fighting along the corridor has already heated up; the Ukrainian military reports that on the night of August 8 more than 200 […]

Russia Ukraine
Artillery of the 2nd Taman Motorized Rifle Division

NATOSource

Aug 15, 2016

Are Russia’s Military Advances a Problem for NATO?

By Jonathan Marcus, BBC

In Ukraine, the Russians have proved adept in many of the disciplines of modern high-intensity warfare.

NATO Russia
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik, June 14, 2016

NATOSource

Aug 15, 2016

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,

NATO Security & Defense

SyriaSource

Aug 15, 2016

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 […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Aug 15, 2016

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. […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 13, 2016

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 […]

Russia Ukraine
A rigid-hulled inflatable boat from Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), Oct. 6, 2014 (photo: Specialist Amanda S. Kitchner/US Navy)

NATOSource

Aug 12, 2016

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.”

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Aug 12, 2016

Dismissal of Putin’s Top Aide Reveals Rifts in Kremlin Security Services

By ANDERS ÅSLUND

On August 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed his long-time chief of staff Sergei Ivanov. Ivanov was the second most important person in the Russian political hierarchy; this is a major change in the Putin government with many implications. Putin replaced Ivanov with Anton Vaino, a former diplomat and head of Putin’s protocol office for […]

Russia Ukraine

SyriaSource

Aug 12, 2016

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 […]

Syria
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