Category: Blogs

Vakarchuk Says Ukraine Needs New Leaders, But Will He Be One?

By Melinda Haring

For months now, political junkies and ordinary Ukrainians have debated whether their beloved rock star Slava Vakarchuk will run for president in 2019. He’s got massive name recognition throughout the country. Even more, he’s one of the only reform-minded candidates who might be able to unify Ukraine’s fractious opposition. Last week I caught up with […]

Ukraine’s Anticorruption Fight Hits a Brick Wall, and the Wall Has a Name

By Olena Halushka

On September 11, Oleksandr Avakov turned thirty and received the best birthday present ever: the corruption charges hanging over his head were dropped permanently. Oleksandr, who is the son of Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov—was suspected by NABU of cooking up a scheme to rip off the state to the tune of more than $520,000 […]

Led by leftists Since 2003, Brazil could soon get a far-right president

By Ashish Kumar Sen

“Bolsonaro’s near victory in the first round shows Brazilians are fed up with insecurity and corruption, and desperately want their economic fortunes reversed,” said Jason Marczak, director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s parliamentary elections: Inflection point or plateau?

By Shivan Fazil

The people from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) headed to the polls this week to elect 111 members of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament. This is the fifth general election following the creation of the regional legislature in 1992, and it was the first since last year’s controversial independence referendum.

A new chapter in Iraq?

By Andrea Taylor

On October 3, Iraq’s newly named president, Barham Salih, picked Adel Abdul Mahdi, an independent Shia politician, to be the next prime minister and form a government.

Quiz: Is NAFTA Back From the Dead?

By Atlantic Council

NAFTA is back with a new alias: the USMCA. Can you spot the difference? Put your knowledge to the test with 7 questions designed for only the truest trade geeks. Pour a glass of Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir and prove that you liked NAFTA before it was cool.

Brexit status report: breaking up is never easy

By David A. Wemer

Many of these issues boil down to a central question: how much power is the United Kingdom ready to cede to Brussels in return for access to the EU’s market?

An inflection point in the Maldives?

By Bharath Gopalaswamy and Trevor Cloen

Despite all odds, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) achieved a stunning electoral victory on September 23 that provides the Indian Ocean nation with an opportunity to reverse the erosion of rights and freedoms that occurred during Yameen’s tenure.

TRADE IN ACTION October 5, 2018

By Global Business & Economics Program