Category: Blogs

EconSource: World Bank Lends Tunisia $500 Million for Economic Reforms

By EconSource

The World Bank has approved a $500 million loan for Tunisia to help finance economic reforms and address the impact of two large attacks on the country’s tourism industry.

Can Guinea’s Election Be Credible?

By J. Peter Pham

For months, I have been warning that Guinea’s young democracy was extraordinarily fragile and might well prove stillborn. Last month, I highlighted the broader significance of next week’s presidential election, noting that its conduct will either consolidate the major advance for democracy in Africa achieved earlier this year when the continent’s most populous country and […]

Atlantic Council Awards Honorees Urge International Cooperation to Tackle Global Challenges

The Atlantic Council presented its annual Global Citizen Awards on October 1 to four dynamic individuals whose exceptional and distinctive contributions have been instrumental in addressing some of today’s most pressing global challenges.   This year’s awardees were Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos; former US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger; European […]

John Galvin, NATO Commander at the Close of the Cold War, Dies at 86

By Washington Post and New York Times

From Harrison Smith, Washington Post: John R. Galvin, a four-star Army general who served as the United States’ and NATO’s top military commander in Europe in the final years of the Cold War and whose foresight on counterinsurgency strategy influenced one of his young aides, future general and CIA director David H. Petraeus, died Sept. […]

A Close Look at the Changes to Egypt’s Ministries

By Elissa Miller

When Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi swore in a new cabinet in mid-September, several ministries were merged or abolished, and one new ministry was created. The Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Urban Development, the Ministry of Scientific Research, and the Ministry of Population, were each merged with other ministries, the […]

Russia’s Opening Salvo in Syria

By Faysal Itani

The Russian military carried out its first reported air strikes in Syria on September 30, targeting the northern suburbs of the strategically important city of Homs and the village of Lataminah further north. Russia insists that its mission in Syria is fighting the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL), which the Russian Defense Ministry claimed was […]

Is NATO’s New Fulda Gap in Poland?

By Paul McLeary, Foreign Policy

The head of U.S. Army Europe is eyeing a narrow sliver of land connecting Poland with Lithuania, concerned about the Russian troops and equipment he has been watching pile up on either side.

Top News: HDP Stage Walkout at Opening Ceremony of Interim Turkish Parliament

By MENASource

On Thursday, a collective protest by Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputies against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was held at the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey’s opening ceremonies in Ankara.

Top News: Egypt’s Security Forces Kill Four Alleged Brotherhood Members in Alexandria

By EgyptSource

Egyptian security forces killed four alleged members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were wanted for their role in a number of attacks against police officers, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Norway Must Increase Defense to Counter Russian Build-Up: Military Chief

By Henrik Stolen, Reuters

Norway needs to scale up and modernize its defense as Russia’s military buildup in the Arctic is creating a more uncertain security situation, its military chief said on Thursday.