Imagine a country exporting nearly 90 percent of the wheat and corn it did before losing control of a sixth of its territory. Consider facing daily air raids targeting vital infrastructure while still keeping the lights on and the internet running. These are some of the many impressive achievements of the Ukrainian economy in the
The civil war in Sudan, which started in April 2023 between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander in chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (better known as “Hemedti”), commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is approaching its one-year mark. With more than thirteen thousand Sudanese lives lost and 10.7 million people
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, a worry has weighed heavily on the Middle East: that the war’s geography would widen and Iran and Israel would enter into a direct conflict with each other beyond its shadow war confines. As the Gaza war enters its sixth month, this possibility is now more likely
Does the West actually want Ukraine to defeat Russia? That is the question many in Kyiv are now asking amid continued signs of Western indecision as the biggest European invasion since World War II approaches its third summer with no end in sight. The mounting sense of frustration among Ukrainians is easy to understand. Encouraged
The international community and many Israelis have come to the conclusion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to remain in power. No matter what. No matter that his attempts to undermine the independence of the judiciary brought demonstrators out night after night to try to protect Israel’s democracy, and undermined military order as
On March 18, 2024, the Atlantic Council’s Syria Project, the Middle East Institute’s Syria Program, the European Institute of Peace, and Madaniya Civil Society Network launched the Syria Strategy, an intensive process of engagement with subject matter experts and policymakers in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East to develop a holistic strategy to
The end of March will mark eight months since United States President Joe Biden first requested supplemental aid to resupply Ukraine’s armed forces and help the country prepare for coming Russian offensives. With Congress beginning yet another recess, there may finally be an end in sight to the partisan logjam, but the shape that Ukraine
In the five months since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, it has become clear that Iran is growing increasingly concerned with the possibility of further regional escalation. This escalation could potentially draw Iran into an unwanted confrontation, not only with Israel but also with the United States. The war has provided Tehran with
Everyone loves a short, sharp war. They end on time, are won decisively, and provide tight narrative completion for the stories we want to tell. Among military commanders, planners, and theorists, this often manifests itself in the quest for the decisive battle—one that will inflict such a stunning defeat on the enemy that its will
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Egypt on February 14 marked a milestone in diplomatic relations between two countries that fell grievously afoul of each other during a rare period of political and ideological divergence that lasted almost a decade. The carefully choreographed and worded meeting between Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, also
