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Priyanka Debnath

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The UN must step up on Sudan
Photo by AFP via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • The UN must step up on Sudan

    Nearly five months on, Sudan’s war between its army and largest paramilitary force has destroyed much of Khartoum, the adjacent cities of Bahri and Omdurman, as well as key towns in Darfur. The warring forces have killed thousands of civilians, destroyed critical infrastructure, and forced a staggering 4.9 million people to flee their homes. The U.N. is providing important humanitarian assistance, but it should be doing far more, especially to advance accountability and improve coordination in the messy diplomatic arena. Both the high-level week in New York and the Human Rights Council session in Geneva present opportunities that it should not squander.

    Understanding Moldova’s ethnic dynamics: Minority rights, external influence, and pathways to unity
    Andrei Pungovschi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Understanding Moldova’s ethnic dynamics: Minority rights, external influence, and pathways to unity

    Moldova is a country with a rich tapestry of multiple ethnic identities and linguistic traditions, but one where policymakers have long grappled with the complexities of preserving minority rights, fostering national unity, and addressing regional autonomy through engagement with the Gagauz minority.

    September 12, 2023

    What do China’s economic woes mean for the Middle East?
    Photo by Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • What do China’s economic woes mean for the Middle East?

    At the start of 2023, optimism was high that China would see a rapid recovery in consumer spending and an acceleration in GDP growth. Since then, however, the world’s second-largest economy has been in the doldrums. China’s ailing economy is a problem not just for China but for the entire world. A prolonged slowdown or a sudden financial crash, were it to occur, would ripple across global markets — including the countries of the Middle East, whose economies have become increasingly intertwined with that of China.

    Georgia Can End Russia’s Stranglehold Over its Wheat Supply with NATO Assistance
  • Commentary
  • Georgia Can End Russia’s Stranglehold Over its Wheat Supply with NATO Assistance

    Georgia’s near total reliance on imported Russian wheat forms an extremely dangerous vulnerability that compromises both its food security and sovereignty. Fifteen years after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, Tbilisi finds itself depending on Russia for over 90 percent of its wheat supply amidst a growing global shortage. In 2022, NATO reiterated its commitment to Georgia, pledging to help build Georgia’s resilience and uphold its political independence.

    Deepening defense-industrial cooperation on NATO’s eastern flank
    Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
  • Analysis
  • Deepening defense-industrial cooperation on NATO’s eastern flank

    The war in Ukraine has turned policymakers’ eyes back toward the Euro-Atlantic arena and highlighted the need to reinvigorate NATO’s defense-industrial base. This analysis describes the macro policy environment that shapes the current relationship between Romania and the United States, and considers what steps the U.S. could take to improve Romania’s integration with the Euro-Atlantic defense-industrial base.

    September 11, 2023

    Polish and Romanian responses to Russian aggression: Lessons for a US CEE Strategy
    Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Polish and Romanian responses to Russian aggression: Lessons for a US CEE Strategy

    The following analysis provides an overview of Poland’s and Romania’s engagement with NATO priorities on its eastern front line since 2022 and outlines their advocacy for increased regional security in multilateral formats. Drawing on the expertise of over two dozen Polish and Romanian security experts, it offers recommendations for an enhanced CEE security strategy for the United States, the leading member of the NATO alliance.

    September 11, 2023

    Deir ez-Zor torn between Arab tribes’ struggle for independence and the SDF’s efforts to subdue them
    Photo by Bekir Kasim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Deir ez-Zor torn between Arab tribes’ struggle for independence and the SDF’s efforts to subdue them

    On Sept. 8, the Syrian Democratic Forces were able to enter the villages and towns of Deir ez-Zor’s eastern countryside, stretching from al-Tayyanah to al-Baghouz, regaining control of all of the areas that had witnessed an uprising against their forces beginning on Aug. 27. But what sparked the fighting in the first place, how did things play out, and what might it mean for the region going forward?

    صراع ديرالزور بين دفاع العشائر عن الاستقلالية ومخطط "قسد" للإخضاع
    Photo by Bekir Kasim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • صراع ديرالزور بين دفاع العشائر عن الاستقلالية ومخطط "قسد" للإخضاع

    تمكنت قوات سوريا الديمقراطية في الثامن من أيلول/سبتمبر، من الدخول إلى قرى وبلدات ريف ديرالزور الشرقي الممتد من بلدة الطيانة حتى الباغوز، بذلك أعادة السيطرة على جميع المناطق التي شهدت حالة تمرد ضد قواتها، التي بدأت في السابع والعشرين من شهر آب/ أغسطس الماضي.