Can Russia Make a Difference in Syria’s War?

PBS Newshour – Over the past month Russia has been increasing its military involvement in the war in Syria by providing supplies and equipment, including attack aircraft, to the Assad regime. Judy Woodruff of PBS Newshour interviewed Past Fellow Andrew Tabler, now of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Nikolas Gvosdev of the U.S. Naval War […]

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Assad’s Draft Drives Refugees to Europe

The Daily Beast – Past ICWA Fellow Andrew Tabler is quoted in Kristina Jovanovski’s recent piece on the Syiran refugee crisis in Europe.  Javanovski describes how the mounting efforts to draft young Syrian men into Bashar al-Assad’s military are driving increasing numbers Syrians to leave the country. According to Tabler, “The pressure [al-Assad] has put on everyday Syrians is one of […]

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Why Brazil Is Mixing Mother Nature and the King Dollar

OZY – Some of Brazil’s national parks are coming under new management – that of private companies. In her latest piece, Shannon Sims investigates this trend, which has been brought on in part by the lack of resources of local governments. In the privately managed parks, infrastructure and maintenance have improved, but these changes have […]

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From Beirut: The Origin Story of Arab Comix

August 30, 2015 Under the banner “Picture stories from here and there,” the Beirut collective Samandal publishes local and international comix. For the uninitiated, comix imply countercultural, illustrated tales for adult audiences. Personal, quirky, and rebellious, comix have no boundaries. The underground art spans from word-heavy narratives in ink to wordless sequential illustrations, reminiscent of […]

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U.S. Warns Russia Over Military Support for Assad

The New York Times – Andrew Tabler was quoted in Michael R. Gordon’s recent piece on rising US-Russian tensions over Syria.  Tabler commented on the differing views in Russia concerning support for President Bashar al-Assad, saying; “The escalation is completely in keeping with hard-line Russian positions on Assad, which are juxtaposed with more conciliatory positions by the […]

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“Try It Once More:” Muscat’s Diplomatic Tightrope Act

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The Sultanate of Oman’s economy is driven by oil, but seafaring has always been the original industry: at its peak, the Omani trade empire spanned the Persian Gulf, southern Iran, Pakistan, and East Africa. Today, Oman is in the process of re-asserting its maritime prowess in the realm of diplomacy, trade, and security, with […]

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