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IranSource

Sep 18, 2018

New Hardline Voices Rise in Iran’s Theocratic Center

By Rohollah Faghihi

On August 16, a number of young hardline clerics held an anti-government protest in Qom that highlighted differences among conservatives. The rally was supposed to be against “financial corruption” and “government mismanagement,” but the banners held by the attendees, which contained messages threatening moderate President Hassan Rouhani, turned the event into an even more controversial […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2018

Trump’s trade war unlikely to end soon

By David A. Wemer

“A deal with China before the midterms [in November] is extremely unlikely,” said Marie Kasperek, associate director at the Atlantic Council's Global Business and Economics Program.

China Trade and tariffs

IranSource

Sep 17, 2018

Iran’s Human Rights Situation and Trump Administration Policies

By Masoud Mostajabi

Iran’s human rights record continues to deteriorate but there are effective ways to advocate for improvement that include making demands as specific as possible and enlisting broad multilateral support. These were the main conclusions of a September 13 panel on the topic organized by the Atlantic Council’s Future of Iran Initiative. The system imposed in […]

Iran

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2018

Six Steps to Move Ukraine Forward Before the 2019 Elections

By Olena Prokopenko

Ukraine has less than four months before the presidential campaign season begins in earnest on December 31. The media is already full of populist promises and ads defaming political competitors. Outdoor advertising is dominated by catchy slogans and the old faces of party leaders. TV channels are being redistributed between their oligarch owners. What can […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Sep 17, 2018

One year later, the UN Action Plan for Libya is dead

By Elissa Miller

In September 2017, on the sidelines of a gathering of global leaders at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Libya Ghassan Salame presented an “action plan” for Libya that aimed to surmount Libya’s political stalemate and address persistent instability.

Libya

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2018

At Three Seas Initiative’s Bucharest summit, Central European leaders seek to transform region

By David Wemer

The initiative brings together twelve European Union (EU) member states from the area that borders the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas, to discuss common infrastructure and development programs to jumpstart the region’s economy.

Central Europe Poland

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2018

Macedonia’s high-stakes referendum

By Evelyn Farkas

A failed referendum will be a loss for stability, exacerbating and creating new tension in light of the ethnic Albanian position on NATO.  A no vote would be a defeat for democracy—it is after all democracy NATO collective security aims to defend.

Elections The Balkans

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2018

Deep Dive: How Ukraine’s Presidential Candidates Plan to Win

By Olexiy Minakov

Ukraine’s presidential campaign season has unofficially begun. Almost half a year before the presidential race in March 2019, candidates have already settled on basic strategies. Let’s analyze their messages—how they separate themselves from their competitors and try to create an attractive image, what ideas “sell,” how they struggle with criticism, negativity, compromise, and ultimately, how […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2018

‘It is now or never’

By George Robertson

In today’s world there may be more tinder-box regions than the Balkans capturing the headlines but complacency in the face of danger is the gravest crime politicians can commit.

Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Security & Defense

IranSource

Sep 17, 2018

Trump’s Iran Endgame Undermines Major US Security Interests

By Sina Toossi

The logical conclusion of the Trump administration’s Iran policy seems not to be regime change but regime collapse. Though Secretary of Defense James Mattis has denied that either are on the agenda, the White House’s rhetoric and actions betray a different motive. The US president himself has trumpeted the harsh impact of reinstated sanctions and […]

Iran