The following is the second of a series of analyses by Chinese dissident and expert Chris King, who is a Senior Research Fellow for the MEMRI Chinese Media Studies Project, on the personality cult of Chinese President Xi Jinping. King was an active participant in the student protests in China …

The United States and Turkey reached an agreement under which Turkey is to secure Kabul’s airport after the withdrawal of all American and NATO allied troops from Afghanistan by the end of August, 2021. This prompted a vigorous condemnation from the Taliban including the threat of Jihad: “We consider stay …

Though some ‘minor problems’ have still to be resolved, gas should start flowing from Romania to Moldova in October, giving the country a much-anticipated alternative to Russia. When construction ended in August 2020 on a 120-kilometre gas pipeline from Romania to Moldova, it was hailed as a milestone in cutting …

Five years after a group in the military tried to overthrow President Erdogan’s government, democracy and rule of law are in decline – as is the economy – while the young flee the country. Five years ago, a coup attempt was stopped by loyalist soldiers and ordinary people in Turkey. …

The Commission was at pains to show how its disparaged annual Rule of Law Report is already nudging member states to address democratic deficiencies. The level of criticism aimed at Hungary and Poland suggests it has more direct action in mind. he European Commission on Tuesday released its second annual …

Borje lies in northern Albania, but has closer connections to Kosovo – as well as an interesting, if somewhat vague, connection to Bulgaria. At the centre of Borje, a village deep in the mountains dividing Albania and Kosovo, café owner Fatos Ollomani, 49, develops his multiple passions as a local …

Syria accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike in a central province early on Thursday, the second such attack this week. The aerial attack caused material damage, it said. The country’s state news agency quoted an unidentified Syrian military official as saying the air defense systems shot down most of …

Iran Thursday began exporting crude oil for the first time in the Gulf of Oman, bypassing the strategic Strait of Hormuz. During a ceremony marking the inauguration of the project, President Hassan Rouhani called the plan “strategic.” Iranian state media described the move as an indication that sanctions imposed by …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday the most recent disagreement between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus had made the relationship more difficult and patience was required to settle differences. “This has been a setback but we should not be discouraged,” she said. Turkey and EU member state Greece are …

Israeli jets have again struck at Syrian military depots according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict. The Syrian state-run SANA news agency reported the strike but said the Syrian missile defense system deflected the bulk of the attack, intercepting “most” of the Israeli weapons …