In recent months, Turkey has increased its presence in northern Iraq. It has been accused of deforestation and depopulation of villages, including minority Christian villages. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed concern on Saturday over Turkey’s airstrikes on a refugee camp in Iraq. It is the latest Turkish …
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The US in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
The US is beginning to clarify its position on key flashpoints in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The US Department of State recently appointed Richard Norland as the country’s special envoy to Libya. Norland, a career diplomat who became US ambassador to Libya in August 2019, will coordinate with the Government …
Read More »Optimising Cyber Security Public–Private Partnerships
Industry and government are both vital cyber security providers, yet the ways they can work together remain misunderstood. Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have long been a mainstay of national cyber security strategies, but what exactly are they? Despite their longstanding popularity, references to PPPs are often shrouded in vague generalities. Policy …
Read More »The Other Side of the Digital Coin: Central Bank Digital Currencies and Sanctions
As the economic benefits of central bank digital currencies emerge, so does one of their major downsides: an opportunity to avoid sanctions imposed by governments. Almost every day it seems a new form of digital money emerges, often touted as the next hot idea. But with so many governments indicating …
Read More »Once Bitten, Twice Shy: The UK Must Provide a Credible Plan for Economic Engagement with Iran
Previous disappointment will lead Iran to expect greater economic certainty in any renewed nuclear negotiations. London must play its part. The Iranian nuclear deal (formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the JCPOA) has been in tatters since the administration of Donald Trump withdrew in May 2018, …
Read More »One Down, Many More Challenges: The UK and Threats of African Terrorism
The UK is shifting its counterterrorism capability to Africa. Yet while the threat picture in Africa appears to be worsening, it remains unclear how outwardly menacing it actually is. The key question Whitehall needs to ask is whether the new deployments to Mali and Somalia appropriately reflect the global terrorist …
Read More »The policy consequences of Arab state normalization with the Assad regime
The recent push by a number of Arab states to normalize relations with the Assad regime is based on the false premise that the war is over and it is necessary to restore ties to lobby Damascus to change its relationship with Iran. Other regional dynamics are also a factor: …
Read More »The nascent Israeli government: The thread that binds?
There is only one thread holding together the unprecedentedly disparate parties that will establish and support the nascent Israeli government announced on the night of June 2, an hour before the midnight deadline. That thread is, of course, a shared loathing for Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu, who has served an unprecedented …
Read More »Brexit’s Finish Line Is Only the ‘End of the Beginning’ for Britain and the EU
Britain’s impending departure from the European Union on Jan. 31 is merely, as Winston Churchill might have said, the end of the beginning. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will herald Brexit as the moment the nation recovers its sovereignty. The truth, however, is far messier. The ultimate terms and costs …
Read More »Brexit’s Ghosts Still Haunt Northern Ireland
For more than a week earlier this month, Northern Ireland was rocked by riots in pro-British unionist communities, with frequent outbursts of violence in areas bordering on pro-Irish nationalist neighborhoods. Thankfully, no one was killed, but almost 90 police officers were injured in efforts to quell the unrest and keep …
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