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MENASource

Jul 1, 2015

Arab-Kurdish Gains in Syria Provide an Opportunity to Defeat ISIS

By Wladimir Van Wilgenburg

An operation launched by a joint coalition of Kurdish and Arab rebels in May 2015 culminated in the capture of roughly 4,000 square kilometers from Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants, including the important Tal Abyad crossing on June 15, depriving ISIS of one of the logistics and supply routes from Raqqa from Turkey.

Syria Turkey

MENASource

Jul 1, 2015

Top News: Massive Prison Break in Yemen’s Taiz

By MENASource

Around 1,200 prisoners, including suspected members of al-Qaeda, escaped during clashes at a jail in Taiz on Tuesday, a security official said. The incident is the largest in a series of prison breaks that have freed Yemeni militants in recent years and signals the further erosion of the state amid a raging civil war.

MENASource

Jul 1, 2015

Top News: Militants Attack Egyptian Army Checkpoints in Sinai, Kill Fifty; Sinai State Claims Responsibility

By EgyptSource

Islamic militants on Wednesday unleashed a wave of simultaneous attacks, including suicide car bombings, on Egyptian army checkpoints in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, killing at least fifty soldiers, a security source said.

UkraineAlert

Jul 1, 2015

Why Ukraine Struggles to Reform

By Chris Miller

Listen to the proclamations of Ukraine’s political leaders and you might think the country is in the midst of rapid change. On June 4, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared that “reforms are the key word…The countdown of the period of reforms has started.” There is much talk of reform, but the reality is less impressive. […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Jul 1, 2015

EconSource: Egypt Revises Draft 2015/16 Budget to Cut Deficit to 8.9 Percent of GDP

By EconSource

Egypt has amended the draft budget for fiscal year 2015/2016 and cut the projected deficit to 8.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) from last month’s projection of 9.9 percent of GDP.

New Atlanticist

Jun 30, 2015

Luxembourg Takes Over EU Presidency from Latvia in Midst of Greek Eurozone Crisis

By Larry Luxner

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, second-smallest member of the European Union (EU) in population but by far its wealthiest, officially takes over the EU Council’s rotating presidency from Latvia at midnight July 1. The handover, to be marked by celebrations and a huge “European picnic” in the capital city’s Place d’Armes, comes just as debt-ridden […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 30, 2015

Nuclear Credibility: What the United States Lost in Ukraine and Pakistan and the Implications for the Iran Deal

By Ben Polsky

As the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 powers continue on past the June 30 deadline, the focus remains on the details of an agreement and whether the negotiators can come to a final resolution. But even as these details continue to be debated, it is important to consider the bigger picture – whether […]

Nuclear Nonproliferation Pakistan
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, May 10, 2015

NATOSource

Jun 30, 2015

The West Has to Act Now to Defend Ukraine

By Ivo Daalder and Malcolm Rifkind, Politico Europe

Unless Europe and the United States act swiftly, the situation in Ukraine is about to get worse — possibly a lot worse.

Russia Ukraine
Russian Su-27 firing flares, Aug. 11, 2007

NATOSource

Jun 30, 2015

Swedish Commander Says Russian Military Jets Fired Flares at Swedish Planes

By AP

Sweden’s top military commander says Russian fighter pilots are behaving in an increasingly aggressive manner in northern Europe, flying dangerously close to Swedish Air Force jets and in some cases even releasing flares at them.

Northern Europe Russia

MENASource

Jun 30, 2015

Top News: ISIS Kills Twenty-Eight in Sana’a

By MENASource

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday night in Sana’a that left at least twenty-eight dead. The car bomb attack targeted Houthi rebel chief brothers Faycal and Hamid Jayache during a gathering to mourn the death of a family member, a security source said.

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