2021 is meant to be Libya’s transitional year. The new interim government faces huge tasks. Libyans and the United Nations advanced their current effort to end almost a decade of instability and war this month when a U.N.-backed forum nominated an interim government to prepare nationwide elections by the end …

U.S. troop withdrawal looms over negotiations a year after the historic agreement. On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-Taliban agreement, Afghanistan remains unfortunately far away from peace. The historic agreement paved the way for a full U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the start of intra-Afghan …

A little acknowledged provision of the 2015 international agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear program explains jockeying by the United States and the Islamic republic over the modalities of a US return to the deal from which President Donald J. Trump withdrew. The provision’s magic date is 2023, when the Biden …

The U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups. The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a Feb. 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.

The European Union has decided to impose Magnitsky type sanctions prejudicing the assets and travel rights of Russian police and legal officials responsible for the imprisonment of anti-corruption fighter Alexei Navalny. [1]Russian officials outwardly responded with indignation at the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, but a conservative and liberal columnist …

On February 6, 2021, the Russian news agency Sputnik’s page dedicated to Armenia published an article, titled “Regaining Influence On Baku And Offering Projects To Yerevan: Iran Is Playing Catch-Up In The Region,” assessing that Iran is concerned about Turkey’s “excessive” penetration into the South Caucasus, and that Tehran would …

There are fears of a new military operation near al-Bab in Aleppo countryside, after the Syrian regime forces and their allied militias positioned there received fresh military reinforcements. The defense minister in the Syrian opposition’s self-styled interim government, Maj. Gen. Salim Idris, said Feb. 22 that the opposition forces are …

Turkey’s increasing focus on Iraq’s Sinjar region is linked to a broader rivalry with Iran for influence over Mosul. Turkey’s quest for a military campaign to drive Kurdish militants out of the northern Iraqi region of Sinjar has refueled the Turkish-Iranian rivalry for influence in oil-rich Mosul, which many Turks …

Officials suggested the late-night precision bombing was designed to minimize casualties while avoiding backlash from the Iraqi government. The United States carried out an airstrike against buildings used by Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria late on Thursday night in retaliation for recent rocket attacks on US and coalition military sites …

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince approved the operation that led to the brutal 2018 death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. intelligence community said in a report released Friday. President Biden has been critical of Saudi Arabia and the report is expected to further harm the increasingly fraught relations between the …