Category: Blogs

Hadley: Ukraine Faces ‘Enormous Existential Challenge’

The United States and its European allies must dramatically step up efforts to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves from Russian President Vladimir Putin and his proxies in eastern Ukraine, said Stephen J. Hadley, who served as National Security Adviser under US President George W. Bush. Hadley, speaking June 13 at the Atlantic Council’s Wroclaw […]

The Final Mubarak Trial [+INFOGRAPHIC]

By Khaled Dawoud

The drama of the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak, which first began in August 2011 appears to finally have an end in sight. On June 4, Egypt’s highest Court of Cassation rejected a decision by the Appeals Court to drop the charges against Mubarak on technicality. Instead, it said Mubarak should be retried alone […]

An Opportunity Emerges in Syria

By Faysal Itani

June 9 brought some rare good news from Syria, for both the Syrian insurgency and the country’s future writ large. On June 9, an insurgent offensive led by the rebel Southern Front’s 1st Army, a coalition of nationalist units, overran a major regime position in the southern province of Deraa.

Non-Military Options for Stopping Further Russian Aggression in Ukraine

By David Horn and Marik String, Foreign Affairs

To date, the United States has “blocked” approximately 130 Russian and Ukrainian officials, businessmen, separatists, and companies.

TTIP Action – June 2

By Global Business & Economics Program

European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström Speeches & Official Announcements National Parliaments: Vital for Trade and TTIP “We have no intention of lowering regulatory protections or of giving companies a veto over our future EU or Member States’ policy space and actions. I am 100 percent sure that these things would not pass the European […]

ISIL, Iraq, and Syria: The Strategy Challenge

By Frederic C. Hof

Once again, President Barack Obama is taking grief for having committed truth on the subject of strategy: this time acknowledging the incompleteness thereof in the context of training the Iraqi national army.

Top US General in Europe says NATO Alliance is Strong

By Larry Luxner

Nine months after NATO’s summit in Wales, and with less than a year to go before NATO’s next gathering in Warsaw, the Pentagon’s highest-ranking officer in Europe says the 28-member alliance stands ready to confront any threats it may face. Lt. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges, Commanding General of the US Army Europe, labeled Russia’s recent […]

Don’t Fall for Putin’s Game, Warn European Officials

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Kremlin strategy seen rooted in distracting West with propaganda and splintering alliance Russian President Vladimir Putin has a strategy clearly aimed at dividing the Western alliance arrayed against him and this must not be allowed to succeed, two European officials said June 12. “If we understand that one of the goals of Mr. Putin is […]

NATO Seeks Higher Montenegro Public Support for Membership

By Predrag Milic, AP

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Podgorica that Montenegro’s membership bid is in “the crucial phase” and that it will be discussed at NATO’s ministerial meeting scheduled for December.

Poland Says Next NATO Summit Should Invite Macedonia, Montenegro to Join

By Wiktor Szary, Reuters

The former Yugoslav republics of Macedonia and Montenegro should be invited to join NATO when it holds its next summit in Warsaw in 2016, Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Friday.