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UkraineAlert

Dec 4, 2014

Ukraine’s New Foreign-Born Ministers Vow to Accelerate Economic Reforms

By James Rupert

US- and Lithuanian-Born Officials Will Be Independent, Competent—and New to Governing in Kyiv The race is on. With Ukraine’s finances running thin and the country needing a bigger bailout from its western allies, the country’s new cabinet took office this week pledging to floor the accelerator on the spending cuts and reforms needed to begin […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Dec 4, 2014

EconSource: Tunisia Asks Libya for Cheaper Oil

By EconSource

Tunisia has asked Libyan authorities to supply oil at cheaper prices to help it cope with the influx of Libyans into the country. Tunisian Foreign Minister Mongi Hamdi said that Libyans are “guests” in Tunisia, not “refugees,” and expressed optimism about Libyans reaching a political settlement to their crisis. Until then, however, given the negative […]

REUTERS/Stringer

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2014

Boko Haram Steps Up Offensive as Nigeria Halts US Military Training Program

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Boko Haram, the African militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) over the summer, appears to have borrowed a page from the jihadists’ playbook as it unleashes a deadly wave of attacks across northern Nigeria in its quest to carve out an Islamic state rooted in Shariah law.

Nigeria
REUTERS/Stringer

AfricaSource

Dec 4, 2014

Boko Haram Q & A

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Boko Haram, the militant Islamist group that has a foothold in northern Nigeria, has begun to consolidate control over large swathes of territory threatening the stability of Nigeria and its neighbors. The militants have resorted to using female suicide bombers as they ramp up their fight against the Nigerian government ahead of elections in February. […]

Conflict Nigeria
AWACS: NATO's 'Eye In The Sky,' March 18, 2011

NATOSource

Dec 4, 2014

NATO Faces AWACS Fleet Shrinkage

By Tony Osborne, Aviation Week

NATO might be calling on its members to raise their defense spending, but if the alliance’s airborne early warning program is anything to go by, that message may be falling on deaf ears.

NATO Security & Defense

MENASource

Dec 4, 2014

Top News: Tamarod, Sami Anan Political Parties Rejected

By EgyptSource

The Supreme Electoral Commission rejected on Wednesday the establishment of Tamarod’s Arab Popular Movement political party and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan’s Masr al-Orouba political party, based on provisions within the political parties law.

MENASource

Dec 4, 2014

Top News: ISIS Militants Establish Training Camps in Eastern Libya

By MENASource

A top US military commander confirmed Thursday that militants allied with the Islamic State have established training camps in eastern Libya. General David Rodriguez, Commander of US AFRICOM, told reporters that there were several militants identified at the camps but ruled out immediate military action targeting the identified locations.

UkraineAlert

Dec 4, 2014

Amid East Europe’s Tussle, Moldova Election Shows Need to Speed Reform

By James Rupert

US, EU Should Re-Focus Now on What May Be a Last, Best Chance for Critical Changes, Analysts Say Moldova’s pro-Europe parties have won a troubled election victory, taking barely enough parliament seats to renew their coalition and pursue the integration of Moldova with the European Union. That may hold open a window of opportunity—for perhaps […]

Eastern Europe Elections

NATOSource

Dec 3, 2014

Infographic: Details of the Coalition Fighting ISIL

By Jorge Benitez and Gabriel Maletta

Which nations are conducting air strikes in Syria, but not Iraq? Are allies conducting an equal number of the air strikes against ISIL? Which Pacific power is participating in military operations in Iraq? The following chart answers these and many more questions about the international coalition fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq NATO
Meeting of NATO foreign ministers, December 2, 2104

NATOSource

Dec 3, 2014

New NATO Force Not Ready Until 2016, Alliance to Rely on Interim Brigade

By Michael R. Gordon, New York Times

NATO will establish a prototype of a new rapid response force next year as it strives to improve its ability to deter a Russian attack, the alliance said on Tuesday.

Germany NATO