Content

UkraineAlert

Jan 19, 2016

How to Help Ukraine: An Alternative Vision

By Vladislav Inozemtsev

Three former US Ambassadors to Ukraine recently wrote an op-ed article in the New York Times (“Investing in Ukraine’s Future,” December 30, 2015) that called for an increase in Western financial assistance to Ukraine and argued that the country is now “teetering on the brink.” I strongly support their willingness to stay firm against a […]

Russia Ukraine

MENASource

Jan 19, 2016

EconSource: Saudi Arabia Plans New Sovereign Wealth Fund

By EconSource

Saudi Arabia plans to create a new sovereign fund to manage part of its oil wealth and diversify its investments. It has asked investment banks and consultancies to submit proposals for the project.

UkraineAlert

Jan 19, 2016

How Ukraine’s Reformers Beat the Pharma Mafia

By Josh Cohen

A little over a month after US Vice President Joe Biden told Ukrainian legislators that graft was eating Ukraine “like a cancer,” an order from Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers struck a decisive blow against pharmaceutical corruption. This order outsources the purchasing of numerous medicines for seriously ill Ukrainians from the Ministry of Health to respected international […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 18, 2016

Seven Key Reforms for Ukraine in 2016

By Anders Åslund

After Orthodox Christmas, I spent a few days in Kyiv. It is quite striking how the mood has changed in a positive direction. The 2016 budget and the modified tax code were adopted on December 24. After two weeks of well-deserved rest, there is a sudden realization that Ukraine accomplished many important economic reforms in […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Jan 16, 2016

Taiwan Just Elected its First Female President. Here’s Why it Matters.

By Robert A. Manning

There was little ambiguity in the landslide victory of Tsai Ing-wen and Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP): Tsai won 56.1 percent of the vote, nearly twice that of Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Eric Chu, and the DPP won sixty-eight of the 113 seats in parliament. The election victory of the DPP, whose charter includes the goal […]

China Indo-Pacific
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow

NATOSource

Jan 15, 2016

NATO and 21st Century Deterrence

By Alexander Vershbow, NATO

New and increasingly authoritarian laws have further restricted basic freedoms for Russian civil society. Russia persists with its efforts to undermine Ukraine politically, economically and militarily. Russia has yet to live up to its part of the Minsk agreements, even though there have been a few lulls in the fighting. Russia’s aggressive military build-up continues, […]

NATO Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

Jan 15, 2016

Sri Lankan Peace Process Would Have Benefitted from Greater International Effort, says Former Negotiator

By Mitch Hulse

A broader international commitment would have ensured the success of an effort to end an over two-decade-long war between the Sri Lankan military and Tamil separatists, Erik Solheim, a former peace negotiator, said at the Atlantic Council on January 14. In the absence of such a commitment, the Sri Lankan military continued a fierce offensive […]

South Asia

EconoGraphics

Jan 15, 2016

Road to Pension Sustainability

By Global Business and Economics

As Greece entered in 2016, the first review of the bailout agreed in August 2015 is not completed yet. Creditors and the Greek Government are meeting next week to discuss a plan for major reforms of the pension system. The goal is to assure the long-term sustainability of the Greek public finances, with proposed cost-saving measures targeting 1 percent of its GDP.

Economy & Business European Union

SyriaSource

Jan 15, 2016

Top News: January 15, 2016

By SyriaSource

– Russia and Syria signed open-ended agreement on military presence – UNICEF confirms severe malnutrition in besieged Madaya – Russia says aid must be allowed into areas in Syria blockaded by militants– United States, Russia agree January 25 Syria talks must go forward– Iraqi force enters southern oil city to disarm tribal fighters– Turkey detains academics who […]

Syria

MENASource

Jan 15, 2016

Top News: Russia and Syria signed open-ended agreement on military presence

By MENASource

The Russian government on Thursday released the text of an agreement signed in Damascus on August 26, 2015, more than a month before Russia launched a bombing campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) and other “terrorists” at the request of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.