Eurasia

Russia and the Taliban: Prospective Partners?

Russia’s cautious accommodation of the Taliban shows it will likely combine diplomacy with deterrence in the coming months. Since Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul on 15 August, Russia has cautiously accommodated the Taliban’s seizure of power. Diplomats, such as Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov and President Vladimir Putin’s …

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Black Sea Energy Supply Risks Must be Countered by a Coordinated Regional Response

With Russia increasing its efforts to divert the transit of natural gas via the new TurkStream corridor, the Black Sea’s littoral states must take coordinated action to reduce energy supply risks. Ukraine’s Crimea Platform, an international platform launched last month to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence, …

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Australian PM rejects Chinese criticism of nuclear sub deal

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday rejected Chinese criticism of Australia’s new nuclear submarine alliance with the United States and said he doesn’t mind that President Joe Biden might have forgotten his name. China reacted angrily when Biden, Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used a virtual news conference …

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Die Antwort weiß ganz allein der Wind

Die Probleme mit der „grünen“ Stromproduktion zeigen, dass Wunsch und Wirklichkeit weit auseinanderklaffen. Zeit, die Klimastrategie zu überdenken. In Großbritannien sperren die ersten Betriebe zu, weil die Stromkosten gerade durch die Decke gehen. In Deutschland, dem Land mit den derzeit höchsten Strompreisen Europas, ist im ersten Halbjahr die Kohle wieder …

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Επικίνδυνες ατραποί

Επικίνδυνες ατραπούς ανοίγει το τριμερές σύμφωνο ασφαλείας που ανακοίνωσαν οι ΗΠΑ, η Βρετανία και η Αυστραλία. Η συμφωνία για στρατιωτική αναβάθμιση της Αυστραλίας, η οποία με αμερικανική και βρετανική τεχνογνωσία θα μπορεί να κατασκευάσει υποβρύχια που θα κινούνται με πυρηνική ενέργεια, στρέφεται ευθέως κατά της Κίνας και απειλεί να παρασύρει …

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Der neue Kalte Krieg

Ein neues Bündnis im Pazifik stellt sich gegen den chinesischen Vormarsch in der Region. Australien geht auf Konfrontation, die USA liefern U-Boote – und Frankreich zahlt einen bitteren Preis. Selten hat ein Akronym die Welt verändert – dieses hier ist eine Ausnahme: Aukus setzt sich zusammen aus den Buchstabenkürzeln der …

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Yemen: At least 50 Houthi rebels and pro-government troops killed in clashes

Fighting comes as the UN’s new envoy for Yemen made his first trip to Saudi Arabia since taking office earlier this month Fighting comes as the UN’s new envoy for Yemen made his first trip to Saudi Arabia since taking office earlier this month At least 50 Houthi rebels and …

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Overkill: Reforming the Legal Basis for the U.S. War on Terror

What’s new? The U.S. government is conducting a formal review of its counter-terrorism direct action operations – ie, those that involve kill or capture. But it is not clear that the review will shed light on key questions about the effectiveness of militarised counter-terrorism efforts or recommend major changes. Why does …

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China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran agree to strengthen coordination on Afghan issue

Senior officials from China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran reached a consensus on Thursday to step up communication and coordination on the Afghan issue, Reuters reported. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister …

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