Category: Blogs

US Senators Call for Safe Zones in Syria

By Andrea Taylor

After four years of conflict in Syria – with a humanitarian atrocity that emerged from peaceful protests on the streets of Damascus and Aleppo – the horror of the statistics may have surpassed fully comprehendible proportions; many Americans seem to have turned a blind eye to this atrocity, unable to see a way past the […]

Syria: Q&A on the Syrian National Stabilization Force

By Frederic C. Hof

In the wake of releasing the report Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force, several pertinent (and tough) questions have been posed to one of the authors by Congressional staffers and others. This may well be the first of several postings aimed at sharing these questions and […]

Authoritarianism Stages a Comeback

From Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev to Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, dictators seem to be gaining the upper hand these days—outsmarting the most determined pro-democracy activists with a clever mix of 21st-century technology and old-fashioned repression.

Five Ways to Reboot NATO

By James Stavridis, Politico

1. Prepare for cyber conflict…. More emphasis should be placed on operational preps for cyber conflict–not just the policy work that occurs at the NATO Cyber Center in Tallinn.

Top News: Saudi-Led Coalition Resumes Airstrikes After Announcing Their End

By MENASource

Hours after Saudi announced the end to the first phase of fighting in Yemen, Houthi fighters captured the compound of an army brigade loyal to the government in Yemen’s central city of Taiz following heavy fighting.

Top News: Morsi Faces New Charges Related to Raba’a al-Adaweya Sit-in

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s former ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was given fifteen days of detention on Tuesday over new charges related to a massive sit-in held by his supporters after his ouster in 2013. Along with other defendants, Morsi is charged with inciting his supporters to commit murder, demonstrate and disturb the public peace.

The Kurdish Impact on Turkey’s Democratic Development

By Aaron Stein

In the past few weeks, Turkey’s major political parties have ramped up their campaign for the June 2015 national election. After years of electoral dominance, numerous polls suggest that Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) may lose seats.

Poland Decides to Acquire Patriot Missile Defense System

By Defense News and Boston Globe

From Aaron Mehta and Pierre Tran, Defense News:  Poland has selected the US Patriot system and the Airbus Caracal helicopter as the European nation faces an increasingly aggressive Russia.

EconSource: Egypt Requests New $300 Million World Bank Loan for Health Sector

By EconSource

The Egyptian government is negotiating with the World Bank to receive a new loan of $300 million to support health care in government hospitals, through the provision of medical equipment and removal of ineffective drugs.

TTIP Action | April 21

By Global Business & Economics Program

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström Speeches & Official Announcements Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 “TPP and T-TIP are critical to American economic security, supporting higher paying jobs here at home while leveling the playing field for US businesses abroad. TPP and T-TIP are vital to our national interests by cementing our […]