Yearly Archives: 2023

Qatar – solution or problem!?

Qatar seems to be the “go-to guy” for almost anything important going on in the last few months, especially over the last weeks. The influence of the Emir Tamim Bin Hadad Al-Thani has grown completely out of proportion, and for a good reason: Qatar invests heavily in the Western world, …

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Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., December 28, 2023)

The combat arena: The IDF forces continued to attack terrorist targets in a number of central locations in the Gaza Strip, among them Daraj and Tufah in the northern Gaza Strip, the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, where the …

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Lavrov Warned Armenia Against Ceding Its National Security To NATO

The parallels between pre-2022 Ukraine and modern-day Armenia are a lot closer than casual observers might have realized, which is why Lavrov ominously compared the two in his latest interview when discussing NATO’s plans in that South Caucasus country. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov gave an interview to TASS that touched …

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Don’t Give Up on a Better Russia

An Opposition Activist in Moscow on How His Country Can Change February 24, 2022, was the worst day of my life. When I woke up to news that Russia was invading Ukraine, it felt impossible to believe. I knew that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been massing troops along Ukraine’s …

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What War Games Really Reveal

Outcomes Matter Less Than Who Pays and Who Plays Last January, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives created a special committee to examine the economic and military challenges China poses to the United States. Mike Gallagher, a Republican representative from Wisconsin who is one of Washington’s most vocal China hawks, …

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The Rebirth of Russian Spycraft

How the Ukraine War Has Changed the Game for the Kremlin’s Operatives—and Their Western Rivals In April 2023, a prominent Russian national with suspected ties to Russian intelligence pulled off an impressive escape from Italian authorities. Artem Uss, a Russian businessman and the son of a former Russian governor, had …

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In Dealing With the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, America Has No Easy Way Out

Biden Must Take Risks, Talk Straight, and Act Boldly Wars in the Middle East rarely end cleanly. Some observers, however, have expressed the hope that the Israel-Hamas war could upend a dangerous status quo and eventually lead to more stability in the region. The war is often compared to the …

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Iran Update, December 26, 2023

Key Takeaways: Hamas and other Palestinian militias are exploiting the Israeli hostages they are holding to ensure that Hamas and its partners are involved in any negotiations about the future of the Gaza Strip. Hamas having a role in the future of the strip is incompatible with Israel’s stated war …

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Salafi-Jihadi Movement Update Special Edition: Niger Coup Threatens Western Counterterrorism Efforts and Could Offer Opportunities to Russia

The outcome of the attempted coup in Niger on July 26 is unclear. The Nigerien presidential guards besieged the presidential palace and surrounding ministries in Niamey on July 26, sealing President Mohamed Bazoum inside the palace and forcing negotiations.[1] Jeune Afrique reported that President Bazoum had been considering sacking the …

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World’s Most Dangerous Combination: China and Russia

China and Russia are more than just working together. They are forming the core of a new axis. Around this core are proxies and proxies of proxies, such as Iran, North Korea, Algeria, and a host of terrorist groups. The Chinese and Russian leaders are forming this grouping because they …

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