Category: Blogs

Iran’s Influence is Tied to Assad’s Future

By Nicholas Blanford

A string of defeats for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad since late March in north and south Syria has broken the stalemate that existed for more than a year and potentially opens up space for the West and its regional partners in the Arab world to pursue a negotiated solution to a war now […]

Russia Has Complete Information Dominance in Ukraine

By James J. Coyle

Hackers have consistently used low-level cyber warfare tactics to advance Russian goals in Ukraine. A dedicated group of hackers successfully infected the e-mail systems of the Ukrainian military, counterintelligence, border patrol, and local police. The hackers use a spear-phishing attack in which malware is hidden in an attachment that appears to be an official Ukrainian […]

Foreign Ministers to Address Growing Turmoil Along NATO’s Borders

By Jens Stoltenberg, NATO

We will keep NATO strong and we will help keep our neighborhood stable. Because if our neighborhood is stable we will be more secure.

The Choice at Camp David: A Bold Middle East Strategy or Just Another Summit?

By Nabeel Khoury

The recent victories of Islamist and jihadist forces in Syria portend the possible demise of the Assad regime, but also the advent of a potentially vicious internecine struggle within the jihadist front and between it and the more secular nationalist rebel movement.

Egyptian Journalist Sues Al Jazeera for $83 Million in Punitive Damages

By EgyptSource

In a Monday press conference, Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy announced he has filed a lawsuit against his employer, Al Jazeera. The journalist is suing the Qatar news network for 100 million Canadian dollars ($83 million) for negligence.  

NATO Kicks Out Russian Spies but Revives Kremlin Hotline Amid Ukraine Tensions

By Ian Traynor, Guardian

The western military alliance is reviving cold war-style hotlines to the Kremlin and the Russian general staff in Moscow to reduce the chances of escalating military confrontation and miscalculation as the Ukraine conflict fuels east-west tension.

Top News: Egypt Court Upholds Three Year Sentence Against Mubarak on Graft Charges

By EgyptSource

A Cairo criminal court has upheld a three-year sentence against Mubarak on graft charges, but the former strongman will return home since he has served the full sentence, his defense team said.

Is this the Solution to Europe’s Migrant Problem?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

EU plan to bomb traffickers’ ships in Libyan waters ‘counterproductive,’ says Atlantic Council’s Mezran The European Union wants the United Nations to support its plan to destroy human traffickers’ ships in Libyan territorial waters before smugglers use them to ferry migrants across the Mediterranean Sea. Can it work? No, said Karim Mezran, Resident Senior Fellow […]

Top News: King Salman Will Not Attend Camp David Summit

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that its new monarch, King Salman, would not be attending meetings at the White House with President Obama or a summit gathering at Camp David this week, in an apparent signal of its continued displeasure with the administration over United States relations with Iran, its rising regional adversary.