Vladimir Putin is trapped in a war he cannot win but dare not end

MENASource Nov 1, 2024

Egypt’s new ceasefire proposal is too little, too late

By Shahira Amin

Egypt has been a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, but all mediation efforts have so far failed to break the impasse in talks.
Conflict Middle East
Vladimir Putin is trapped in a war he cannot win but dare not end

UkraineAlert Oct 22, 2024

Western leaders offer underwhelming response to Zelenskyy’s victory plan

By Aleksander Cwalina

Western leaders have failed to rally behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s victory plan, highlighting the limitations of Western support for the Ukrainian war effort, writes Aleksander Cwalina.
Conflict France
Vladimir Putin is trapped in a war he cannot win but dare not end

New Atlanticist Oct 16, 2024

Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk wants to ‘restart’ the international peace system

By Katherine Golden

At an Atlantic Council Front Page event, Matviichuk—winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize and head of the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine—detailed what Ukraine has endured because of Russia.
Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

Content

UkraineAlert

Feb 12, 2026

Vladimir Putin is trapped in a war he cannot win but dare not end

By Peter Dickinson

As the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale Ukraine invasion approaches, Vladimir Putin finds himself trapped in a war he cannot win but dare not end for fear of entering Russian history as the man who lost Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 5, 2026

Vladimir Putin must not have a veto over security guarantees for Ukraine

By Iulian Romanyshyn

If European leaders want to secure a place at the negotiating table, they must demonstrate to the Kremlin that Russia does not have a veto over security guarantees for Ukraine, writes Iulian Romanyshyn.

Conflict
European Union

In the News

Jan 21, 2026

Rich Outzen joins ILTV to discuss Iran, Gaza, and Mideast policy
Conflict
Iran

UkraineAlert

Jan 13, 2026

Putin cannot accept any peace deal that secures Ukrainian statehood

By William Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk

Putin has no obvious route to victory in 2026 but cannot accept a compromise peace as any settlement that safeguarded Ukrainian independence would be seen in Moscow as an historic Russian defeat, write William Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk.

Conflict
Nationalism

UkraineAlert

Jan 11, 2026

Belarus hosts nuclear-capable Russian missiles despite talk of US thaw

By Mercedes Sapuppo

Russia's recent delivery of nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles to Belarus is a very deliberate act of nuclear saber-rattling that underlines Belarus's continued role in Putin’s war machine as Minsk seeks to improve ties with the US, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Belarus
Conflict

MENASource

Jan 8, 2026

Iraq’s pathway to stability relies on transfers of power

By Yerevan Saeed

The key question is not whether Sudani is like al-Maliki but whether a second term would reduce competition and weaken institutions.

Elections
Iraq

UkraineAlert

Jan 7, 2026

Ukraine security guarantees are futile without increased pressure on Putin

By Peter Dickinson

Western leaders have hailed progress toward "robust" security guarantees for Ukraine this week, but until Putin faces increased pressure to make peace, Russia will remain committed to continuing the war, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
France

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Dec 19, 2025

Colombia needs a strong private sector—and renewed government institutions at the helm

By José Manuel Restrepo

Colombia’s institutions brought stability, yet corruption, insecurity, and widespread informality still undermine trust and limit prosperity. Renewed fiscal discipline, stronger territorial governance, and revived institutional dialogue are essential for translating Colombia’s hard-won freedoms into inclusive and enduring growth.

Colombia
Energy Transitions

UkraineAlert

Dec 16, 2025

‘Putin is lying’: Zelenskyy visits front to expose false claims of Russian gains

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a personal visit last week to a front line city that Putin has repeatedly bragged of seizing in order to expose the Russian leader's habit of lying about battlefield gains, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

Issue Brief

Dec 12, 2025

From the DRC to Sudan, Trump’s disruptive moves could revive stalled negotiations

By Maureen Farrell

Across Africa, US President Donald Trump’s unorthodox diplomacy is unsettling old patterns—reviving talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and injecting new momentum into Sudan mediation. The gains may be fragile, but the openings are real.

Africa
East Africa
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Experts

Fellow

Alan Pino

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Intelligence Iran

Staff

Melanie Robbins 

Deputy Director, Realign for Palestine

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Extremism

Fellow

Stanislava Mladenova

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Afghanistan Conflict

Fellow

William B. Taylor

Distinguished Fellow

Eurasia Center

English Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

David H. Young

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Afghanistan Conflict

Fellow

Tatiana Gfoeller

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

Arabic Central Asia
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