Category: Blogs

Ukraine Must Privatize Failing State-Owned Enterprises Quickly

By Anders Åslund

Privatization has generated controversy in every post-communist country. Ministers of privatization are usually accused of heinous crimes, regardless of how impeccably they have performed their jobs. Yet privatization is vital for all such nations, not least for Ukraine. The goal must be to limit state-owned enterprises so that the private sector dominates. The aim isn’t […]

The Many Variants of Russian Cyber Espionage

By Patrik Maldre, ICDS

Last week, the IT security firm Trend Micro shined a light on yet another case of alleged Russian cyber espionage as part of a report on Operation Pawn Storm.

Top News: Saudi Troops Cross Border into Yemen

Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riad Yassin told reporters that the battle to retake the capital from Houthi rebels will begin within eight weeks. Yassin declined to comment on the number Saudi and UAE troops currently in Yemen.

Exiled Russian Lawmaker Ilya Ponomarev: Current US Sanctions Won’t Work

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The United States must expand the scope of its sanctions well beyond Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle if this effort—a response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine—is to have any real impact, says a Russian lawmaker. “The [US] government machine is doing what it can do, but […]

General Palomeros: NATO Troops Preparing for Maneuver Warfare

By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One

NATO is preparing to hold its most complex military drills in decades — perhaps since the Cold War — as it readies allied troops for a range of hybrid combat scenarios that they might face in coming years.

Top News: Egyptian Court Issues Preliminary Death Sentence to Twelve ISIS Supporters

By EgyptSource

The Zagazig Criminal Court sentenced twelve alleged Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) sympathizers to death on Thursday after convicting them of plotting attacks against police and troops in Egypt.

EconSource: Russia’s Rosneft Signs LNG Deal With Egypt’s EGAS

By EconSource

Russia’s state-owned oil company Rosneft signed a deal with Egypt’s state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) on Thursday to supply Egypt with liquefied natural gas (LNG).

To Prevent Global Catastrophe, Putin Must Go

By Leonid Gozman

The minority of Russians who have not been zombified by official propaganda and who still have any clue about what is really going on in the world—rather than just on television—already know Russia is hurtling toward full-blown catastrophe, though the details might be up for debate. Will the collapse come next month, or more like […]