Category: Blogs

The Sinai Question: Economy or Ideology?

By Ahmad Hosni

Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has witnessed a wave of militant attacks against army and government posts since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. The rate and intensity of attacks, together with the fatalities, however, have increased since the military coup that ousted the country’s first elected president Mohamed Morsi on July 3. The military-led government […]

BBC Interviews Barry Pavel on Security Agreement with Afghanistan

National Security Advisor Susan Rice has met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss long-term security agreements between the US and Afghanistan. Leading up to the meeting, Council Vice President and Scowcroft Center Director Barry Pavel spoke with the BBC from their Istanbul studio on the situation.

Poland Acquires Over a Hundred Tanks from Germany

By Defense News, UPI, and Aviation Week

From Jaroslaw Adamowski, Defense News:  The Polish Defense Ministry has acquired 119 tanks from the German Army.

Pack and Eljarh on Localizing Power in Libya

By MENASource

On Friday November 15, Tripoli witnessed its bloodiest day since its liberation from  Muammar Qaddafi. In their article, Localizing Power in Libya, Cambridge academic Jason Pack and analyst Mohamed Eljarh argue that this current crisis allows the government an unprecedented opportunity to change course and to abandon its previously failed policies.

Taliban And NATO War on Twitter

By Sam Schneider, Daily Beast

[T]he Twitter accounts of the Taliban and ISAF reveal another war that is not so undecided— the struggle for the support and confidence of the Afghan people.

Top News: Police Disperse Anti-Protest Law Demonstration in Cairo

By EgyptSource

Egyptian police fired teargas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters in Cairo on Tuesday after they defied a new law that restricts demonstrations.

How the Gulf States Will and Won’t Respond to the Iran Agreement

By Richard LeBaron

Gulf states have cautiously greeted the interim nuclear agreement between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the EU and Iran. The Saudi statement on Monday treads lightly—”The government of the kingdom sees that if there was goodwill, this agreement could represent a preliminary step towards a comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear program.” In […]

Russia’s Ukraine Power Play Pays Off

By Rajan Menon

The will-he-won’t-he suspense sowed by the speculation over whether Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych would formally sign the Association Agreement with the European Union is over.

Will the US Cut NATO’s Credit Card?

By Jorge Benitez, Atlantic Council

Hagel warned earlier that “as NATO adjusts, it must address the gaps in military expenditures and capabilities of its partners. The tough decisions cannot continue to be deferred.”

China Looks West

By Catherine Putz

With the United States bogged down by economic troubles at home, wriggling to organize its departure from Afghanistan and grappling with a variety of crises in the Middle East, it comes as no surprise that China is using the opportunity to invest considerable time and money into reviving the so-called Silk Road.