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China Bids to Replace US Influence in the Middle East

In what could prove to be a serious challenge to the long-standing hegemony Washington has enjoyed in the region, Beijing is seeking to deepen its commercial ties in the Arab world, thereby encouraging Arab states to look to China to safeguard their future security needs rather than maintaining their traditional …

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NATO Secretary General announces increased defence spending by Allies

Ahead of the meeting of NATO Leaders in London to mark the Alliance’s 70th anniversary, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday (29 November 2019) gave details of large increases in Allied defence spending. Mr. Stoltenberg announced that in 2019 defence spending across European Allies and Canada increased in real terms …

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Pompeo’s audience: The Trumpian base

It is not always recognized that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Nov. 18 declaration that Israeli “settlements are not inconsistent with international law” was primarily political, not diplomatic, designed for domestic American consumption as part of the president’s reelection campaign. Secondarily, it was intended to strengthen Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin …

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Return to the northeast: Syrian Army deployments against Turkish forces

Five years ago, ISIS swept across northeast Syria, racking up a string of victories against the People’s Protection Units (YPG), Syrian Arab Army (SAA), and Free Syrian Army (FSA) alike. For Syrian loyalists, this defeat has been epitomized by the massacre at the Brigade 93 base and the defiance of …

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