Mali’s latest military coup appears to be a power play by high-ranking officers seeking to topple the Malian transitional government, itself brought on by a coup. The second coup in Bamako in under a year highlights the fragility of Mali’s democracy and threatens the ongoing fight against a range of …

The nightmare scenario in Afghanistan is the collapse of the government and a Taliban takeover, which some believe to be imminent once the U.S. withdraws. Recent attacks show terrorists and insurgents are able to launch strikes with impunity throughout the country targeting civilians, including women and children. The Taliban’s strategy …

The strategic weaknesses of several Arab states were exposed by the recent fighting between Israel and the Palestinians. Arab states were unable to prevent the conflict or contain further escalation, despite supposed leverage from recent agreements with Israel. Qatari diplomacy reportedly played a significant role in bringing about the cease-fire, …

The diplomatic row between China and Bangladesh that ensued last week highlights China’s fears about the potential of a “Quad Plus.” The Quad worries China and may explain why Beijing has forcefully attempted to dissuade other Asian states from joining the budding alliance. Bangladesh’s geostrategic position in Asia makes the …

India is hardly in a position to assert on the Afghan chessboard… The bottom line is that New Delhi is highly unlikely to do anything that may undermine the US strategy in Afghanistan, which, incidentally, also has an “Indo-Pacific” dimension to it… New Delhi selectively intensifies its engagement with those …

The U.N. Human Right Council has passed a resolution aimed to intensify scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, after the U.N. rights chief said Israeli forces may have committed war crimes in their war with Hamas. The 11-day conflict killed at least 248 in Gaza, including 66 children and 39 …

Cairo is ramping up pressure on Addis Ababa again in tandem with Khartoum’s forces. Egypt and Sudan held joint military drills in Sudan this week amid reports that Ethiopia had begun a second filling of its controversial Nile dam. Egyptian ground, naval and air forces, including special forces and paratroopers, …

Egypt, which brokered last week’s cease-fire that ended hostilities and between Israel and Hamas and also hosted Palestinian reconciliation talks earlier this year, hopes it can help put in place a long-term truce. Egypt is working to broker an additional agreement between Israel and Hamas following the recent fighting. Israeli …

Amid protests demanding justice after a series of assassinations, Iraqi security forces have arrested the commander of one prominent militant faction. A day after a major protest demanding greater accountability in Iraq, especially as concerns the unsolved murders of several activists, the commander of a faction affiliated with the Popular …

The EU has long played an active role in seeking an end to Israeli-Palestinian hostilities. Why has it lost this role? The European Union was once viewed as an important and credible actor in the Middle East, even a potential counterweight to the United States. No longer. During the recent …