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UkraineAlert

Jun 28, 2016

Memo to NATO: Wake Up Before Putin Turns the Black Sea into a Russian Lake

By Stephen Blank

By invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin has transformed the security situation in the Black Sea. Upon capturing those territories, Moscow lost no time in seizing Ukrainian energy facilities in the Black Sea and accelerating its ongoing military modernization there. As a result, Moscow has built a combined arms force of land, […]

NATO Russia

MENASource

Jun 28, 2016

Turkey-Israel Rapprochement: Business as Usual

By MENASource

On June 26, Turkey and Israel announced the end of a diplomatic row reached a head in 2010, after eight Turks and a Turkish-American citizen were killed on an aid flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, bound for Gaza. Soon after the incident, Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Israel, and within six months had expelled the Israeli […]

Israel Turkey

Bremain vs Brexit

Jun 28, 2016

With Brexit Looming, United States Advised to Forge Ties with Germany, the UK

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Germany has economic and political dominance in Europe, said Atlantic Council board member R. Nicholas Burns In light of the British decision to leave the European Union, US President Barack Obama and his successor must forge a closer bond with Germany and shore up the “special relationship” with the United Kingdom, said R. Nicholas Burns, […]

European Union Germany

UkraineAlert

Jun 27, 2016

What Brexit Means for Ukraine

By Andreas Umland

After British voters approved a referendum to leave the EU on June 23, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for European Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said: “We respect the British citizens’ decision, but Ukraine feels sorry for these events. To my mind this will weaken the EU and it will have to concentrate on its own problems.”  The […]

Ukraine
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Feb. 5, 2015

NATOSource

Jun 27, 2016

Stoltenberg Concerned Brexit Created A ‘More Unpredictable Situation’ for NATO

By Wall Street Journal and Reuters

From Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal: The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said the British vote to leave the European Union leaves the continent more fragmented.

NATO Security & Defense
Canadian CF-188 Hornet over Lithuania, Nov. 20, 2014

NATOSource

Jun 27, 2016

NATO Summit Special Series: Canada

By Stephen M. Saideman

Because Canada is far away from the two biggest threats facing NATO, Russia and the Middle East, the concern in Ottawa is probably less focused on what NATO should do, but more on what NATO will ask of Canada.

Europe & Eurasia International Organizations

AfricaSource

Jun 27, 2016

Factionalism in South Africa’s ANC Fuels Violent Protests

By Chloë McGrath

On June 20, violent protests broke out in Tshwane, the metropolitan municipality encompassing South Africa’s executive capital, Pretoria. The death toll associated with the chaos that ensued cost five people their lives. While violent protests are not an unusual occurrence in the embattled democracy, last week’s events are particularly significant. With just six weeks to […]

Africa South Africa

SyriaSource

Jun 27, 2016

On the Anniversary of Hafez al-Assad’s Death: How He Divided the Alawite Sect

By Saleem al-Omar

This month marks the sixteenth anniversary of the death of Hafez al-Assad, a man who built the foundation of Syria’s civil war and still influences its course today. He had supported his Alawite sect along with other minorities to secure their support for him and as a counterweight to the Sunnis, showing favoritism towards those […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Jun 27, 2016

The Dangerous Perspective of Theo Sommer

By Alexander J. Motyl

This time, Theo Sommer has outdone himself. After closing his eyes to the mass murders of the Soviet regime in an article published on May 31, the editor-at-large of Germany’s prestigious Die Zeit newspaper has now demonstrated in a just-published piece an alarming ignorance not just of Ukraine but of elementary strategic logic. The former […]

Germany Ukraine
Royal Marine Commando, July 15, 2013

NATOSource

Jun 24, 2016

NATO Summit Special Series: United Kingdom

By Lisa Aronsson

The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union, exposing the depth of anti-European sentiment across the country, raising questions about the UK’s future security strategy, and about its orientation vis-à-vis its European partners.

NATO Nuclear Nonproliferation