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SyriaSource

Mar 22, 2016

Bombings in Brussels

By Frederic C. Hof

Mass murder in the Brussels airport and metro was almost certainly either Islamic State-planned-and-executed or inspired. Coming as they did very soon after the arrest of a Brussels-based perpetrator of the November 13, 2015 ISIS massacres in Paris—an operation planned in Raqqa, the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) “capital” in Syria—these Brussels outrages may have […]

Syria

UkraineAlert

Mar 22, 2016

Don’t Mess With Kyiv’s Activists

By Josh Cohen

Ukrainians may soon be granted visa-free travel within the European Union, thanks to Kyiv’s watchful activists. But that status was in jeopardy after parliament weakened a key anti-corruption law on February 16. Visa-free travel was linked to a series of reforms, including a law that discloses the income of Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 22, 2016

Can Minsk Deliver a Sustainable Peace?

By Melinda Haring

Is the Minsk process salvageable? Twelve experts gathered at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, on March 17 to debate whether the Minsk ceasefire can deliver a sustainable peace in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has claimed over 10,000 lives and displaced more than 1.6 million people. The Minsk accords, signed in 2014 and 2015, […]

Europe & Eurasia Russia

SyriaSource

Mar 22, 2016

#5YearsWeFled: Cutting Ties to the Past

By Ayman Jalwan

This is the second part of a series of interviews with the lawyer Ayman Jalwan. It highlights the difficult choice that Syrians face—dying in the war zone that Syria had become, or fleeing the land they love. Last year, Ayman Jalwan and his wife said goodbye to their families and joined the wave of citizens […]

Syria

MENASource

Mar 21, 2016

The Problem with the Obama Doctrine

By H.A. Hellyer

The ‘Obama Doctrine’ is finally taking shape—with The Atlantic magazine revealing its most salient points through a series of conversations with the US president—but the insights are not all flattering, not least when it comes to the Arab world.

Iraq Libya

New Atlanticist

Mar 21, 2016

Will the US Congress Chip Away at the Embargo on Cuba?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Obama administration has done almost all it can to loosen embargo, now the ball is in Congress’ court, say Atlantic Council analysts US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raúl Castro, agree on at least one thing: the US trade and travel embargo on Cuba has to go. That is easier said than done. […]

Cuba Latin America

New Atlanticist

Mar 21, 2016

It’s Time to Sharpen NATO’s ‘Spearhead’ Force

By Robbie Gramer

Funding issues and decision-making challenges may render obsolete NATO’s “spearhead” force, which was set up in response to Russia’s military aggression along its eastern flank. This is another critical gap for NATO given Russia’s ramped up pressure on Eastern Europe, a move that has many Alliance officials even more worried after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s […]

European Union International Organizations

IranSource

Mar 21, 2016

Putin Decision to Withdraw Forces from Syria Is a Betrayal of Iran

By Abbas Qaidaari

It seems that most Western elites and politicians believe that Iran and Russia have an amiable relationship and that Tehran and Moscow confide in each other thoroughly. However, this is not the case, as Russia’s recent decision to withdraw forces from Syria shows.

Iran

SyriaSource

Mar 21, 2016

Top News: March 21, 2016

By SyriaSource

– Pro-regime fighters killed battling ISIS near Palmyra – Syria peace talks grind toward pivotal Assad question – Death toll climbs from air strikes on ISIS-held Raqqa – Russia says might use force against ceasefire violators in Syria – Suicide bomber kills four, wounds 36 in Istanbul shopping district – EU-Turkey deal to return refugees from Greece comes into force

Syria

MENASource

Mar 21, 2016

Top News: US Concerned by Egypt’s Investigation of Human Rights Groups; Nazra for Feminist Studies Summoned in Investigation

By EgyptSource

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday he was deeply concerned by the deterioration in the human rights situation in Egypt, including Egypt’s decision to reopen an investigation of non-governmental organizations. In a statement released by the State Department, Kerry said the decision by the Egyptian government this week to investigate the NGOs, which were documenting human […]

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