Category: Blogs

Latest news on TTIP ahead of next week’s sixth Round

TTIP and the Renaissance of Transatlanticism Read about the latest developments in TTIP a week ahead of the next round of negotiations. 

Ukraine’s War Zone: Government Claims New Advances

By James Rupert

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has issued a map showing what it says are its troops’ latest advances on the battlefield in the two southeastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk as of July 9, 2014 (at noon Ukrainian time).

Former NATO Military Leader Calls for Permanent Basing of NATO Troops in the Baltics

By Steven Swinford, Telegraph

[O]ne of Britain’s most senior generals said that British troops should be permanently stationed in the Baltic States as part of a Nato task force to deter an invasion by Russia.

EconSource: Yemen Government Curbs Travel, Recruitment in Austerity Drive

By EconSource

Follow the latest in economic news and developments about the Arab transition countries. 

Top News: UN Withdraws Staff From Libya Over Security Concerns

By MENASource

The UN Special Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is in the process of withdrawing several staff members from their posts due to security concerns. According to a spokesman, adequate numbers of personnel would remain in place to run UNSMIL’s operations, which had already been reduced to the capital Tripoli over security issues.

Top News: UN Chief Discusses Gaza Crisis with Sisi; Egypt Opens Rafah Border Crossing

By EgyptSource

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi discussed the situation in Gaza with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday. Sisi and Ban Ki-moon agreed to work to prevent the situation from escalating and causing more loss of life, a statement from the Egyptian presidency said. On Thursday, Egyptian authorities announced they would open the crossing to allow Egyptian hospitals to treat casualties […]

Egypt Government Unprepared for Repercussions of Subsidy Reform

By EgyptSource

Egypt-based development economist & nonresident fellow Mohamed El Dahshan offers his views of the impact of energy subsidy reform in Egypt. In a brief video interview, Dahshan highlights the repercussions of the removal of subsidies. According to the nonresident fellow, the Egyptian government is unprepared for inflation of prices, already witnessed in the transportation sector. […]

Syria: Should the West Work With Assad?

By Frederic C. Hof

The combination of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) running amok in Iraq and the appearance of an Assad regime military victory in western Syria have added octane to arguments that Washington should forego its step-aside guidance to Bashar al-Assad.

The Kurdish Move Toward Independence

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

The semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) is increasingly moving toward independence from Iraq after northern and western territories fell into the hands of Sunni militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS), or the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).