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MENASource

Feb 23, 2022

China and Russia are proposing a new authoritarian playbook. MENA leaders are watching closely.

By Ahmed Aboudouh

It’s on major Western democracies to make democracy appealing again by aggressively filling the gaps China and Russia exploit to make the world more accommodating to their political models and the new trend of rising authoritarianism.

China East Asia

Fast Thinking

Feb 22, 2022

FAST THINKING: The West strikes back against Russia’s Ukraine incursion

By Atlantic Council

Germany canceled Nord Stream 2, while the US and Europe hit Russian banks and elites.

Crisis Management Economic Sanctions

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 22, 2022

Alienating the West is not in Pakistan’s interests

By Syed Abdul Ahad Waseem

Islamabad's foreign policy should focus on maximizing its power–both hard and soft–and that means maintaining good ties with Western countries. It is possible to achieve this without risking relations with the East.

China Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2022

Russian Hybrid Threats Report: Despite debunking of false flags, Putin recognizes breakaway republics

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

The Council's open-source researchers break down how the Kremlin is seeking to justify incursions in Ukraine, and where the troops are moving.

Belarus Disinformation

Experts react

Feb 21, 2022

Russia just ordered troops into Ukraine again. What happens next?

By Atlantic Council experts

As the fast-moving situation on the ground develops, our experts weigh in on what this moment means for a world that could soon be forever altered.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Feb 21, 2022

Putin escalates his Ukraine war with recognition of separatist republics

By Peter Dickinson

Eight years since the invasion of Crimea, Putin struck another blow in his war against Ukrainian statehood on February 21 by recognizing the two separatist republics of east Ukraine as independent states.

Conflict Disinformation

BelarusAlert

Feb 21, 2022

Strengthening Belarus identity could complicate Putin’s soft annexation

By Alesia Rudnik

A strengthening sense of national identity in Belarus poses potential challenges for Russian President Vladimir Putin as he seeks to complete what many see as the unofficial annexation of the neighboring country.

Belarus Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2022

Putin’s self-defeating war has succeeded in uniting Ukrainians

By Lucy Minicozzi-Wheeland

Vladimir Putin’s eight-year war against Ukraine has had a profound impact on Ukrainian identity and done more for national unity than any other single factor since Ukraine regained independence three decades ago.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 19, 2022

NATO must seize the current strategic opportunity in the Black Sea

By Harlan Ullman

The Ukraine crisis has underlined the need for NATO to develop a coherent Black Sea Strategy that will allow the alliance to counter the growing regional threat posed by Vladimir Putin's resurgent Russia.

Conflict Maritime Security

UkraineAlert

Feb 19, 2022

Will there be a “Munich Moment” in the Russia-Ukraine crisis?

By Thomas S. Warrick

A full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine could yet be prevented via a "Munich moment" bringing together Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden to strike a last-minute geopolitical deal, writes Thomas Warrick.

Conflict Economic Sanctions