Yearly Archives: 2019

Hezbollah's pernicious influence spans the globe

The message from the US administration over the past week has been loud and clear: the menace from Iran-backed proxy Hezbollah is a spider’s web that spans the globe. At a press conference yesterday in Argentina, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the opportunity to talk of its pernicious …

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China vows to impose sanctions on US firms

Mainland enjoys huge military edge despite jet sales, says expert China has vowed to impose sanctions on US firms participating in arms sales to Taiwan after the US State Department announced that the Trump administration had given formal approval for the sale of fighter jets and other military aircraft to …

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From “compassionate Islamism” to “Turkey first”

Debates about populism often lump Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan together with Donald Trump in the US, Vladimir Putin in Russia, and Viktor Orban in Hungary. All four are kindred spirits who have used the same tactics to gain and hold onto power. They stir up fear, divide societies, fuel …

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Israel’s new front in the fight against Iran

On Aug. 12, an explosion took place inside an ammunition warehouse in the al-Saqr military base in southern Baghdad, triggering hundreds of mortars and rockets to fire off in all directions throughout urban, populated areas. One person was killed and 29 wounded, as munitions and debris scattered as far as …

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There Is No "Status Quo": Drivers of Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a destabilizing element in an already volatile Middle East. The Palestinians are too weak to wrest their independence from Israel. But as long as their right to self-determination is denied, they are likely to engage in regular violence targeting Israel. Absent outside intervention, Israel is powerful …

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