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The Future of Lebanon: Did France Talk to Iran?

Ashraf Rifi, Lebanon’s former justice minister and one-time head of the country’s security forces, has told IranWire that the French government had worked to bring about a new government in Lebanon, measures that had included discussion with Iranian officials and Hezbollah. The talks, Rifi said, may well result in an …

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The end of Russia’s special friendship with Germany

In an article published by the Carnegie Moscow Center, analyst Dmitry Trenin warns that Russia’s relationship with Germany is nosediving thanks to Alexey Navalny’s poisoning. In fact, Moscow’s ties to Europe generally are now teetering on total alienation, Trenin says, arguing that a series of scandals has ousted the last …

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James Carafano: In Afghan-Taliban peace talks, here’s message Pompeo needs to give

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Qatar Saturday for the opening of peace talks there between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Hopefully, the Taliban have figured out by now that these talks are not simply a face-saving exercise for the U.S. to exit South Asia. If they haven’t, …

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The Road to Peace In Afghanistan no Longer Runs Through Pakistan

Toward the end of August, a delegation from the Afghan Taliban led by the group’s deputy, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, travelled to Islamabad. There, they met with Pakistan’s foreign minister and head of its Inter-Services Intelligence, the military’s intelligence wing. The first gathering, held at Pakistan’s Foreign Office, was meant …

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Attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq have increased, U.S. commander says

“For whatever reason, they’re not that successful at hitting anyone,” Gen. Frank McKenzie says. “I don’t know how long we can count on that continuing.” More than eight months after a barrage of rockets killed an American contractor and wounded four American service members in Kirkuk, Iraq, militia groups continue …

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US Air Force flies B-1 Lancer bombers over East Siberian Sea

The U.S. Air Force flew three B-1 heavy bombers over the East Siberian Sea, north of Russia’s far east, as part of a series of recent maneuvers that the military said Friday are meant to demonstrate American capabilities and ability to support allies, but which a top Russian commander blasted …

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