Category: Blogs

As Greek Crisis Looms, Sovereign Debt Restructuring Takes Center Stage

As countries such as Argentina, Greece, and Ukraine struggle to pay down their debt, it is “clear that sovereign debt issues are important today, but they’ll be even more important tomorrow,” says the Atlantic Council’s Andrea Montanino. “The question on the minds of many is whether we will see another Greek default and what [will […]

A Coup in Burundi?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Pham sees risk of another civil war as fired General claims to be in control While details of a reported coup against Burundi’s President, Pierre Nkurunziza, by his former intelligence chief are fuzzy, it is clear that the Central African nation with a long history of civil war and political unrest risks descending […]

Coup Attempt in Burundi: Unanswered Questions

Embattled Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania today for talks with the East African Community (EAC) about the political crisis in his country. After more than three weeks of often-violent demonstrations in the capital against what protesters call an unconstitutional third term attempt by the sitting president, elements of the military […]

Crimean Tatars: ‘We did not reject Russia, Russia rejected us’

By Catherine Cosman

On May 18, 1944, Joseph Stalin deported more than 180,000 Crimean Tatars to Uzbekistan. Once again this community faces major challenges. Today, 230,000 Crimean Tatars, who are mainly Sunni Muslims, represent about 12 percent of Crimea’s population. Virtually all of Crimea’s Tatars opposed Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and refused to vote in […]

Turkey Condemns Russia’s Actions in Ukraine and Georgia

By AFP

Turkey on Tuesday said nothing can justify Russia’s actions in Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states, in a rare strong criticism of its increasingly close ally ahead of a NATO meeting.

Top News: Investigators Have War Crimes Case on Bashar al-Assad

By MENASource

A three-year operation to smuggle official documents out of Syria has produced enough evidence to indict President Bashar al-Assad and twenty-four senior members of his regime, according to the findings of an international investigative commission.

Top News: President Sisi Delivers Comprehensive Speech on Governance, Security, and Development

By EgyptSource

During what was announced as a monthly speech to the nation on Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi addressed a number of the country’s developmental issues, providing statistics for each. Sisi refrained from going into detail on many of the government’s current projects, “because evil forces are trying to put a stop to the march […]

EconSource: Gulf Petrochemical Producers to Push for EU Trade Deal

By EconSource

The main trade body representing petrochemicals producers in the Gulf, the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), plans to put pressure on European Union (EU) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) negotiators to reach a trade deal.

Assessing Iran’s Strategy Toward the Arab World

By Richard LeBaron

Richard LeBaron delivered the following remarks at a discussion hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington DC on March 27, 2015.

A New Saudi Foreign Policy for a New Era

By Bilal Y. Saab

Bilal Y. Saab spoke to a military audience at the National Defense University’s Near East and South Asia Center on May 5, 2015. Please read his remarks below.