Category: Blogs

Is Russia’s Brinkmanship the New Norm?

By Phil Ewing, Politico

The chill between Russia and the West has brought Cold War-style military brinkmanship roaring back — with a 21st century twist.

Turkish Coalition Politics: Prospects for the Kurdish Peace Process

By Aaron Stein

Turkey still needs a “solution” to its “Kurdish” (aka democracy) problem—and the AKP and HDP may need each other more than ever. Turkey’s fourth largest political party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), surprised many observers of Turkish politics with its strong showing in the recent general election.

Top News: Syrian Rebels Accuse Kurds of Deliberately Displacing Arabs

By MENASource

More than a dozen Syrian rebel and militant groups on Monday accused the country’s Kurdish militia of committing “ethnic cleansing” against Arabs and Turkmen in northern Syria, a charge strongly denied by the Kurds and lacking in conclusive evidence.

Despite Stinging Setback, Controversial Trade Bill Not Dead Yet

Atlantic Council’s Jason Marczak sees chance TPA may still squeak through Congress With the House of Representatives set to hold a do-over vote by June 16 on a worker retraining program – the Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) – whose defeat has stalled US President Barack Obama’s entire free-trade agenda, there’s a glimmer of hope that […]

Top News: Egypt’s Press Syndicate to Hold Emergency Meeting to Discuss ‘media crackdown’

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s Press Syndicate is to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the ongoing crackdown on journalists and press freedom, said Khaled al-Balshy, head of the syndicate’s freedoms committee.

Russian Military Aircraft Buzzes NATO Warships

By Barbara Star, CNN

In a still publicly unacknowledged incident, a Russian military surveillance aircraft flew close to four NATO warships in the Baltic Sea on Thursday,

EconSource: Saudi Arabia Opens $585 Billion Stock Market to Foreign Investors

By EconSource

Saudi Arabia’s stock market, valued at $585 billion, opened up to direct foreign investment for the first time today, as the kingdom seeks an economic boost amid low global oil prices.

Corruption, not Russian Tanks, Greatest Threat to Success of Ukraine

By Melinda Haring

Corruption threatens to derail Ukraine’s progress, American and Ukrainians officials agreed at the Atlantic Council’s Wrocław Global Forum in Wrocław, Poland on June 13. “There is no issue that is a greater threat to Ukraine’s long-term success today than institutionalized corruption,” said Geoffrey R. Pyatt, US Ambassador to Ukraine. “It’s a bigger threat than Russian […]

Poland’s Sikorski Urges Tougher NATO Stance Against Russia

Two days after resigning as the Speaker of Poland’s Parliament following an eavesdropping scandal, veteran Polish politician Radosław Sikorski said his country and the United States must jointly stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s provocations in Ukraine. Speaking June 12 at the Atlantic Council’s Wrocław Global Forum 2015, Sikorski thanked the US government for […]