Europe & Eurasia

Here’s One Practical Way to Save Ukraine

By Andreas Umland

Stimulating Ukraine’s economy is a key goal of the reforms that are underway in Kyiv. Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) should enable better economic management and freer trade. But there’s an important precondition for growth: investor confidence. Domestic businessmen and foreign investors must feel sufficiently motivated to spend their money, time, and […]

The Muddled Thinking at the G-7 Only Encourages Putin

By Stephen Blank

Leaders at the recent G-7 summit reaffirmed their commitment to keeping sanctions on Russia in place. They also agreed that sanctions will likely be extended until 2016 because Russia has failed to implement the Minsk II ceasefire agreement. But the summit ended on a disappointing note: The summit communiqué and all the G-7 leaders indicated […]

UK Ministers Trying to Inflate Defense Budget to Meet NATO Pledge

By Elizabeth Rigby and Kiran Stacey, Financial Times

Ministers are stretching to the limit what can be counted as defence spending to shoehorn elements of intelligence and overseas aid into the military budget ahead of a Nato report.

Is Russia’s Brinkmanship the New Norm?

By Phil Ewing, Politico

The chill between Russia and the West has brought Cold War-style military brinkmanship roaring back — with a 21st century twist.

Turkish Coalition Politics: Prospects for the Kurdish Peace Process

By Aaron Stein

Turkey still needs a “solution” to its “Kurdish” (aka democracy) problem—and the AKP and HDP may need each other more than ever. Turkey’s fourth largest political party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), surprised many observers of Turkish politics with its strong showing in the recent general election.

Russian Military Aircraft Buzzes NATO Warships

By Barbara Star, CNN

In a still publicly unacknowledged incident, a Russian military surveillance aircraft flew close to four NATO warships in the Baltic Sea on Thursday,

Corruption, not Russian Tanks, Greatest Threat to Success of Ukraine

By Melinda Haring

Corruption threatens to derail Ukraine’s progress, American and Ukrainians officials agreed at the Atlantic Council’s Wrocław Global Forum in Wrocław, Poland on June 13. “There is no issue that is a greater threat to Ukraine’s long-term success today than institutionalized corruption,” said Geoffrey R. Pyatt, US Ambassador to Ukraine. “It’s a bigger threat than Russian […]

Poland’s Sikorski Urges Tougher NATO Stance Against Russia

Two days after resigning as the Speaker of Poland’s Parliament following an eavesdropping scandal, veteran Polish politician Radosław Sikorski said his country and the United States must jointly stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s provocations in Ukraine. Speaking June 12 at the Atlantic Council’s Wrocław Global Forum 2015, Sikorski thanked the US government for […]

Hadley: Ukraine Faces ‘Enormous Existential Challenge’

The United States and its European allies must dramatically step up efforts to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves from Russian President Vladimir Putin and his proxies in eastern Ukraine, said Stephen J. Hadley, who served as National Security Adviser under US President George W. Bush. Hadley, speaking June 13 at the Atlantic Council’s Wroclaw […]