Xi Would Prefer Détente—Not War—With America At a time of growing tension between Beijing and Washington, China’s 20th Party Congress in October unsettled many outside observers. During the proceedings, not only did Chinese President Xi Jinping stack China’s all-important Politburo Standing Committee with loyalists and secure a third term in …

A group of Iranian clerics visited the headquarters of the Baqir Brigade, Iran’s ally, in the city of Aleppo. The brigade has played a major role in curbing Russian influence in Aleppo in favor of Iran. Over the past few days, Iranian clerics have visited the headquarters of the Baqir …

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Idlib, is taking advantage of the difficult living conditions of the people to attract more people into its ranks by offering high salaries. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is still the largest and most dominant faction in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, amid its continuous attempts …

Iran again bombed Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, targeting alleged headquarters of the Iranian-Kurdish opposition located in northern Iraq. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) bombed the Koysinjaq area in both Erbil and Sulaimaniyah provinces on the morning of Nov. 14. At least five rockets hit both sides of the border between …

CIA chief warns his Russian counterpart “on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons” during face-to-face talks in Ankara. US and Russian spy chiefs traveled to Turkey’s capital for a delicate meeting amid increasing fears that Russia may be readying to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. CIA Director William …

Turkish security forces have arrested a Syrian woman they say confessed to carrying out the attack under instructions from Kobani, but both the Kurdistan Workers Party and Syrian Kurdish forces deny any involvement. Ankara pointed the finger at the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoot as the …

More than 750 people were charged in three provinces in Iran for participating in recent protests against the government that started in mid-September over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the modesty police for not wearing her hijab correctly, according to reports over the weekend.

U.S. President Joe Biden offered rare praise for Cambodia’s authoritarian premier as he encouraged diplomatic support for ending the war in Ukraine and bringing peace to Myanmar at a summit with Southeast Asian leaders on Saturday. Although the control of U.S. Congress lies in the balance back in Washington, Biden …

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly criticized the Iranian government Saturday for its bloody crackdown on protests in the country said Germany stands “shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people.” Scholz said the ongoing protests sparked by the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her detention by Iran’s morality …

Fighter jets from Italy, Poland, and the United States took to the skies over NATO’s eastern flank as part of NATO’s Air Shielding mission. The line-up of aircraft included Italian Eurofighters, Polish F-16s, Polish MiG-29s, and United States F-22s. The planned one-day series of aerial maneuvers were conducted from Łask …