Category: Blogs

Top News: Egypt’s Judicial Council Approves Draft Anti-Terror Law

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s highest judicial authority, the Supreme Judicial Council, on Sunday approved a draft anti-terror law that will impose harsher punishments on those convicted of terrorism charges.

NATO Special Forces Helping Members Address Threat from Hybrid Warfare

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Washington Post

The Pentagon is increasingly concerned about how to combat “hybrid warfare,” the combination of stealth invasion, local proxy forces and international propaganda that Russia used to annex Crimea and destabilize eastern Ukraine, U.S. officials said.

Wanted: US Strategy for Regional Security in Middle East

Atlantic Council’s Bilal Y. Saab says Iran nuclear deal will not pacify the region As US, European, and Iranian negotiators race to conclude a deal that would limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for an end to punishing economic sanctions, the Atlantic Council’s Bilal Y. Saab says that alone won’t bring security to the region—nor […]

EconSource: Egypt’s Central Bank Governor Says Pound Depreciation Not Worrying

By EconSource

Egyptian Central Bank Governor Hisham Ramez sought to calm local market nerves on Sunday following a surprise 2.5 percent weakening of the Egyptian pound against the US dollar.

Ukraine Is More Important Than Greece

By Anders Åslund

For one year, Russia has pursued a long, costly war of aggression against Ukraine. Its objective is obvious: to destabilize Ukraine so that the new democratic regime fails. Therefore, the West should adjust its goals accordingly to offer Ukraine financial support. The Kremlin has presented one false objective after the other for this aggression. On […]

History as a Weapon of Mass Deception

By Ruben Gzirian

Leading up to the seventieth anniversary of Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany on May 9, seemingly every Russian media outlet buzzed about the unveiling of the country’s new premier tank, the Armata T-14. Outfitted with an advanced remote-controlled armed turret, a new 125-mm 2A82-1M smoothbore cannon, the new tank was rumored to come with a […]

How to Reduce the Chances of War in Europe

By Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs

NATO currently has few forces in the Baltics, and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have very limited militaries of their own.

Commanders: NATO Navies Should Beef Up Against Russia

By AFP and NATO Maritime Command

From AFP:  NATO should beef up its maritime arm in response to the rising threat from an increasingly “bold” and “aggressive” Russia, commanders said Wednesday.

A Unilateral Turkish Intervention in Syria?

By Aaron Stein and Faysal Itani

In recent weeks, Syrian Kurdish fighters made substantial territorial gains in northern Syria, along the Turkish border.

Dilma’s Visit Injects New Vigor into US-Brazil Relations

By Larry Luxner

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has wrapped up her historic visit to the United States and is heading back home, where a shrinking economy and a growing corruption scandal at state-owned oil giant Petrobras have made her deeply unpopular among Brazilians. In fact, it’s that scandal—not the one involving spying by the National Security Agency two […]