Alliances

Macedonia’s New Name
Macedonia’s New Name

The dispute over Macedonia’s name began in 1991 after the country broke away from Yugoslavia, but now it has decided with Greece on a new name. This is good news for the United States.

America’s Imperfect Ally: Turkey Election is an Opportune Time to Engage
America’s Imperfect Ally: Turkey’s Election is an Opportune Time to Engage

Despite tensions between Ankara and Washington, saving Turkey as an ally is worth it.

Moving Beyond the G7: America’s Self-Inflicted Rejection of Allies
Moving Beyond the G7: America’s Self-Inflicted Rejection of Allies

Trump has a better chance of averting a trade war with China than with the G7.

Four Steps to Smother the Chaos in Syria
Four Steps to Smother the Chaos in Syria

Syria—with five million refugees, 500,000 dead, the Pandora’s box of chemical warfare reopened, a cesspool of terror groups, and Russians and Americans, Israelis and Iranians shooting at each other—is the very definition of chaos.

US State Department Report Exposes Turkey’s Human Rights Abuses
US State Department Report Exposes Turkey’s Human Rights Abuses

Although Turkish human rights abuses may seem like a secondary concern for the US in light of Turkish threats against US partners in Syria and Turkey’s deepening relationship with Russia and Iran, these issues cannot be separated.

Macron, De Gaulle, America, and France
Macron, De Gaulle, America, and France

Headlines stressed French President Macron’s purportedly implied critique of Trump in his address to the United States Congress last week. But more significant is its continuity with the historical American-French friendship, however sometimes bumpy. Macron noted his speech was on the fifty-eighth anniversary of his predecessor President Charles de Gaulle’s 1960 address to the US Congress.

Saudi Arabia Needs Crown Prince Salman’s Reforms, but Risks Abound
Saudi Arabia Needs Reforms, but Risks Abound

Many have praised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reforms and say they represent the beginning of comprehensive reform within Saudi Arabia. But the monarchy’s stability is at risk.

NATO Compass, Izmir, Turkey
NATO Takes the Fifth

What does NATO need to do going forward? The short answer: more and less.

The Baltics: NATO’s Soft Underbelly?
The Baltics: NATO’s Soft Underbelly?

With the consequential economic depression, the heavy influence of Russian propaganda, the presence of former Soviet officials receiving a monthly check from Moscow, and being far from Riga in so many ways, Daugavpils appears to be NATO’s “soft” underbelly.