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UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2020

Russo-Ukrainian War: Putin must be held accountable

By Olena Zerkal

Russia is seeking to legitimize the Kremlin-created separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as a way of distancing itself from the ongoing conflict, but if Putin is not held accountable, other countries may share Ukraine's fate.

Conflict Russia

Elections 2020

Mar 26, 2020

US strategy in Iraq and the coronavirus plot twist

By Kirsten Fontenrose

Tehran is betting that the world is too consumed with managing a pandemic to hold them accountable—and that the US administration is unwilling to stay the course in Iraq because it is too gun shy in an election year and too financially strapped by the coming burden of US unemployment. The implications of a global pandemic make that a risky bet.

Conflict Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Mar 26, 2020

Ending the “Endless War” trope

By Paul D. Miller

The trope about ending endless wars is really a way of arguing that the US foreign policy establishment has failed, that the supposed doctrine of interventionism is ineffective and counterproductive, and that the United States should retrench, withdraw, and do less in the world. It is the latest talking point in a long-running debate between advocates of restraint and advocates of engagement. The debate is not whether we want wars to end or not, but about what strategy is best suited to end them on the best terms.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Mar 26, 2020

Winning the peace in Afghanistan

By Shuja Nawaz

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s abortive mission to craft a stable coalition government in Kabul capable of holding peace talks with the Taliban raises fresh concerns about the absence of a clear US strategy for exiting its endless war in Afghanistan

Afghanistan Conflict

Article

Mar 24, 2020

Storming the sauna: a ceasefire violation in the Donbas

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Photos and video of an attack along the line of contact in the Donbas region of Ukraine provided a rare look at ceasefire violations.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Mar 23, 2020

Why Ukraine cannot risk recognizing Putin’s proxies

By Lisa Yasko

Many Ukrainians are alarmed by plans to create an Advisory Council together with representatives from Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Critics say the move will allow Russia to distance itself from the war.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2020

The Afghan Peace Process: Where do we go from here?

By Harris Samad

If the last twenty years teach us anything, it is that we do not have the answers for how best to support a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan. Perhaps it’s because we’ve not been asking the right questions.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Mar 20, 2020

Amid COVID-19, Iraq remains US-Iran battleground

By Atlantic Council

Americans have been killed once again during attacks on Iraqi bases, and a series of strikes have been made by US forces and Iranian proxies within Iraq, with no immediate sign that the hostilities will abate anytime soon. Iran is trying to force a US withdrawal, and the United States is trying to protect its interests and reinforce its red lines. Caught in the middle once again, Iraq is simultaneously confronting a security crisis, a health emergency, and an economic free fall—all without the benefit of a functioning government in Baghdad.

Conflict Coronavirus

UkraineAlert

Mar 16, 2020

Ukraine’s pro-Russian MPs plot new front with Putin

By Bohdan Nahaylo

Ukraine's pro-Russian political forces have been in retreat since 2014, but as the world focuses on the coronavirus crisis, Kremlin-friendly Ukrainian MPs are planning new initiatives with their Moscow colleagues.

Conflict Russia

New Atlanticist

Mar 16, 2020

What the coronavirus emergency means for the US-Iran conflict

By Kirsten Fontenrose

While the world is focused on the spread of a pandemic, the conflict between Iran and the United States is heating up. Without the laser-focused media attention of early January to temper the actions of both sides, we can expect to see riskier behavior and less concern for collateral damage.

Conflict Coronavirus

Experts