The two Palestinian officers opened fire on the undercover Israeli forces, reportedly unaware they were conducting a terrorism raid. Three Palestinians, including two members of the Palestinian Authority’s security service, were shot dead in an exchange with Israeli special forces in the early hours of Thursday in the northern West …
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Iran’s hard-liners take page from China’s election playbook
Iran’s hard-liners have long been disillusioned with a system in which all citizens are encouraged to vote. Another presidential election is unfolding in Iran. Many observers expect a low turnout as many ordinary Iranians are either discouraged or disillusioned. However, those in power seem not to mind. The political elite …
Read More »China’s Quest for Global Primacy
An Analysis of Chinese International and Defense Strategies to Outcompete the United States ocusing on the international and defense dimensions of U.S.-China competition, the authors of this report make three contributions. First, they intend this report to serve as a planning tool by positing international and defense strategies that could …
Read More »Is There a Place for a U.S. Military Base in Central Asia?
It was not so long ago that the United States had military bases in the region. But now much depends on whether the advantages would outweigh the inevitable losses that Central Asian countries would sustain as a result of Moscow and Beijing’s displeasure. U.S. President Joe Biden has promised there …
Read More »Biden Is Embracing Europe, but Then What? NATO and the E.U. Have Concerns.
After the Trump trauma, Europe will welcome Biden’s warm words, but tough topics remain, from China and Russia to trade disputes, Covid-19 vaccine diplomacy and transitions to carbon-neutral economies. Four years ago, European leaders were traumatized by President Donald J. Trump, who cheered Brexit and eviscerated NATO, declaring the alliance …
Read More »Patrols on Albanian-Greek Border force Drug Smugglers to Vary Tactics
Smugglers are hiring young men from Albanian border villages to take cannabis in backpacks into Greece, trying to avoid beefed-up patrols since the arrival of officers from the EU’s border agency. On April 20, the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, posted a photo on its Facebook page of three black …
Read More »Dodging Prosecution, Ratko Mladic’s Wartime Associates Live Freely in Serbia
The UN court will deliver Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic’s final verdict next week, but dozens of his associates who have been accused or convicted of Bosnian war crimes now live in Serbia with little fear of prosecution. The death of Milorad Pelemis, wartime commander of the Bosnian Serb …
Read More »DEMOCRACY DIGEST: HUNGARY AND POLAND REFUSE TO JOIN EU JUSTICE LEAGUE
The two countries have decided not to join the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office, whose first cases will include the Czech prime minister’s conflict of interest over EU subsidies.Hungary and Poland, perhaps not surprisingly, announced this week they would not participate in the newly established EU prosecutor’s office, which will …
Read More »Serbia’s Vucic Wants to Control the Montenegrin Govt. It May Backfire
Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic would do well to learn from the mistake made by Montenegro’s Milo Djukanovic. His quest for absolute power may come back to haunt him.Once again, the Serbian Orthodox Church, SOC, has been the stage of a ruthless political game by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to bring the …
Read More »‘People Who Really Matter’ Still Drive West’s Bosnia Policy
Decades on from the end of the Bosnian war, an amoral managerial approach aimed at pacification remains the baseline in international dealings with the country. On 14 February 1992, Ambassador José Cutileiro chaired a meeting between delegations of six, predominantly non-nationalist, Bosnian opposition parties, all represented in the republic’s parliament …
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