Trump’s New Strategy for Afghanistan Is Neither New, nor a Strategy, nor Trump’s
For some time it has been clear that the White House of President Donald Trump was convulsed with a struggle among various court factions vying for the Emperor’s ear. Crudely oversimplified, these are variously described as:1. The military “Junta” (Generals McMaster, National Security Council; Mattis, Pentagon; and Kelly, White...
Ukraine to Restart Privatisation to Realise Profits
Ukrainian Prime Minister, Volodymyr Groysman, vows to restart privatisation, which is a strict condition of the next bailout tranches granted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), for the autumn of 2017. That is why the government has pledged to sell the Odessa Portside Chemical Plant as well as the shares in eight regional electricity...
Ukraine: Helping people help themselves
Article | Jo Burton implemented the ICRC’s Economic Security programmes in Ukraine from February 2016 until early May 2017, managing 45 staff. In this interview, Jo explains how the ICRC helps people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. …read more Source: International Committee of the Red...
Ukraine’s Independence Day in Russian-occupied Crimea: “You feel the difference between freedom and non-freedom”
‘Only’ two Ukrainian activists were detained in Russian-occupied Crimea on Ukraine’s Independence Day. That, however, was probably because most Ukrainians celebrated the day with family and friends. As one Ukrainian put it, coming out to any kind of event could cost you your liberty. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights...
Watch List: Aug. 24, 2017
The items listed below represent potential emerging issues that our analysts are tracking. These can be long term or short term, but will be updated daily. If an item on our Watch List becomes critical, we will email you a full analysis explaining its significance. Each Saturday, we will follow up our daily Watch List for each week with our...
Russia again flouts European Court to hide Crimean Tatar political prisoner Ruslan Zeytullaev
Ruslan Zeytullaev has, fortunately, ended the hunger strike declared in protest at his increased sentence and the persecution of the Crimean Tatar people, but for a worrying reason. The 31-year-old Crimean Tatar, whose release has been demanded by European bodies as well as human rights NGO’s is being sent thousands of kilometres from his...
Erdoğan’s Turkey: A Step Closer to the Orient
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, photo via Office of the President of RussiaBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 564, August 20, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Despite Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s charisma as a politician, he has failed to promote stability in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East due to his maximalist ideas. Erdoğan’s negligent...
A Spark in the Dark – Scottish Limited Partnerships and the UK Government’s Faltering Transparency Initiative
The government recently announced new legislation to reveal the beneficial owners of Scottish Limited eartnerships. But this has done little to shed light on the people controlling them. In June 2017, Bellingcat and Transparency International published a joint-report into Scottish Limited Partnerships (“SLPs”) and their increasing rise in...
Kleptocracy Weekly: August 14-18
ICYMI: KI’s Peter Podkopaev and Natalie Duffy examine Russia’s road corruption for Foreign Affairs magazine. Hudson Institute is looking for interns to assist with research projects on Russia and Eastern Europe. U.S. Paul Manafort partnered on an $850 million New York real-estate deal with an ally of Vladimir Putin and a Ukrainian...
When Neutrality Isn’t an Option
The new US sanctions against Russia overwhelmingly passed Congress. But in parts of Europe, they are far less popular. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel last week called them “more than problematic.” In diplomatese, that means the Germans oppose them. The Association of European Businesses, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of European...
