Category: Blogs

The battlefield over West Bank annexation

By Jonathan H. Ferziger

Amid the international furor generated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan, few Palestinians believe they can prevent it, even if most countries consider the West Bank occupied territory.

Zelenskyy keeps Ukraine on Euro-Atlantic course set by predecessor Poroshenko

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has been highly critical of his predecessor Petro Poroshenko, but the ongoing war with Russia mean Zelenskyy has little option but to maintain Poroshenko's policies of Euro-Atlantic integration.

How Maria Ressa described her fight for press freedom before her conviction

By David A. Wemer

During the Digital Forensic Research Lab’s 360/OS event in June 2018, Ressa described The Philippines, which has some of the highest rates of social-media usage in the world, as “patient zero in the fight [over] fake news.”

Belarus presidential vote: Democratic breakthrough?

By Viktoriya Zakrevskaya

A combination of domestic and geopolitical factors makes the upcoming Belarusian presidential election the most important for a generation, but can Lukashenko be defeated democratically?

The storm still comes: Invest now, while we still can

While we don’t know the nature of the next crisis we’ll face, we know it’s inevitable—much like climate change, a crisis whose own potential devastation is virtually incalculable, and against whose ominous backdrop future public health crises will unquestionably unfold. Among its many lessons, COVID-19 has taught us that in preparation for an uncertain future, we must devise ways to create a healthier, more inclusive and resilient future for all.

Beijing, US states face fresh cases; Europe borders open, vacations in balance

By Atlantic Council

Beijing is contending with a fresh outbreak of coronavirus in the Chinese capital, while states from Texas to Florida saw a record number of cases and hospital admissions. Borders reopened in Europe although quarantine restrictions remain in place, leaving a question mark hanging over vacation plans.

The COVID-19 pandemic will expedite long-standing transformations in supply chains and entertainment digitalization

By Ridhika Batra

Traditional industry was under heavy pressure to improve productivity through digitalization long before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the longevity of corporates in retail, travel, financial services, and real estate is in severe question, as disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic have wreaked havoc on productivity. After COVID-19, remodeling business operations and digitalization will be necessary for survival.

US foreign policy and Euro-Caspian energy security: The time is now to build the Trans-Caspian Pipeline

By Matthew Bryza, Robert M. Cutler, and Giorgi Vashakmadze

The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) represents a historic success for Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU) in regard to their common quest for new energy supply sources and routes. Over the last decade, the EU has intensified its efforts to expand the SGC, seeking to attract gas from Turkmenistan. The time is now ripe to connect Turkmen gas with SGC infrastructure and the European market through a Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.

A time to keep allies as allies

By Namık Tan

Despite the many challenges both sides face separately and together, the world cannot afford to allow this relationship to be ruptured beyond repair. Valuing an important friendship has always been important and treating them as such has never been more crucial than right at this moment. Let's hope both sides have gotten that message loud and clear.

How COVID-19 is worsening America’s racial economic divide

By Nicole Goldin

While the White House cheered the surprising jobs numbers on June 5, many Americans—especially people of color, women, lower-skilled workers, young people, or rural residents—remain out of work and left behind by this nascent recovery.