Category: Blogs

Sweden Sending Troops to Strategic Baltic Island Amid Russia Tensions

By Richard Milne, Financial Times

Sweden will put troops back on the strategic Baltic Sea island of Gotland after a decade-long absence as increased sabre-rattling from Russia unnerves the region.

Defending Italy from the Islamic State

By James Stavridis, Washington Post

Following the decapitation of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by radical Islamists professing an allegiance to the Islamic State, the Italian government has begun ramping up efforts to defend its territory from attack. How realistic is this threat? And what should Italy do?

US Foreign Policy Falls Victim to Partisan Gridlock Ahead of 2016 Elections

By Larry Luxner

Atlantic Council launches strategy initiative to boost Washington’s global influence With the 2016 presidential elections a little over a year and a half away, analysts agree that the partisan bitterness consuming Washington is hurting US leadership on the world stage. That bitterness reached a new low in March when a group of 47 Republican senators […]

Q&A: Egypt Launches the First Day of its Economic Conference

Egypt launched its three day economic conference in Sharm al-Sheikh on Friday, with thirty heads of state in attendance. In the first day, over $13 billion in aid was pledged to Egypt, the bulk of which has come from the Gulf countries of UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Find out more about the first day […]

US Policy in Yemen: Creating Leverage

By Nabeel Khoury

In case there were still any doubts about Iran’s growing influence in Yemen, Tehran put that issue to rest with a hostage rescue operation last week, a pledge to provide the Houthis with a year’s worth of oil and electricity, and newly established daily commercial flights between Tehran and Sana’a.

Top News: Iran Promises Houthis Two Years’ Worth of Oil

By MENASource

Iran will provide Yemen with oil and electricity, a Houthi delegation returning from a two-week visit to Tehran announced on Thursday, although it remains unclear if the supply would reach areas outside the control of Houthi militia.

EconSource: Egypt’s president passes series of laws on eve of economic conference

By EconSource

Egypt’s president approved a package of amendments to investment laws on Thursday, aimed at enticing foreign investors on the eve of the Economic Development Conference. The amendments package trims corporate taxes to 22.5 percent, from as high as 30 percent previously, and facilitates settling disputes with investors. Sales taxes were dropped to 5 percent from […]

TTIP Action | March 12

By Global Business & Economics Program

Speeches & Official Announcements Trade Deals Tear Down Barriers for American Small Businesses “Once we pass TPA, other countries will put their best offers on the table. In other words, they’ll tear down even more barriers to American businesses and level the playing field even more.” The Committee on Ways and Means writes that small […]

TTIP Action | March 10

By Global Business & Economics Program

Speeches & Official Announcements Remarks by President Obama and European Council President Donald Tusk before Bilateral Meeting “When it comes to TTIP […] we have strong arguments. Of course we need to advance the negotiations, for sure, and we have to convince our public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic. but we have strong […]