Eurasia

Egypt is seeking to expand its participation in the reconstruction of Iraq amid a growing alliance between Baghdad, Amman and Cairo. An Egyptian state company announced May 28 the restoration of four bridges in the Iraqi city of Mosul. The rehabilitation of the bridges was put up for international bidding, …

Even if the two sides eventually normalize ties, Damascus faces an uphill struggle to return to the Arab League. On May 26, Syrian Tourism Minister Mohammed Rami Martini became the first Syrian government official to visit Saudi Arabia since the civil war began in 2011. Martini’s trip fueled speculation about …

French President Emmanuel Macron has clearly decided to up the ante in a standoff with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, where France is backing Greece and Cyprus in their dispute with Ankara over natural gas reserves and maritime boundaries. First, Macron ordered a temporary reinforcement of French aerial and naval …

Russia’s Arctic region is experiencing one of the hottest summers on record, and it is only early July. The mercury hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of northern Russia last week, more than 30 degrees above the average for this time of year, and meteorologists are forecasting more blistering heat …

Ankara sees a recently ratified security cooperation deal between Turkey and the Palestinian Authority as groundwork for a possible maritime boundary agreement between Turkey and Palestine. Experts see such prospects as far-fetched. As the Holy Land emerges from a fresh round of clashes, Turkey has ratified a comprehensive cooperation agreement …

The two leaders’ first meeting as heads of state led to detailed discussions, but there were no breakthroughs. The long-awaited meeting today between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden went pretty much as expected, with none of the big issues poisoning ties between the NATO allies …

Fresh from supportive summits with allies, Joe Biden declared himself ready Tuesday to take on Russia’s Vladimir Putin in far more confrontational talks — a climactic finish to the most important week of meetings in his young presidency. Biden meets for his first talks as president with the Russian leader …

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previewed the 14 June NATO Summit in an online press conference on Friday (11 June 2021), calling the gathering of 30 world leaders a “pivotal moment for our Alliance and for our collective security”. Describing a world of growing global competition, he said that the NATO …

The Chinese military tested a set of intermediate-range missiles that could strike U.S. aircraft carriers in the South China Sea. The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force—considered by experts to be one of the most dangerous branches of the Chinese military—tested the DF-26 missiles on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media. …

Biden has tapped at least 11 Albright Stonebridge alums for his administration China’s biggest law firm is partnering with a top Democratic lobbying practice, which has sent at least 11 alumni to senior positions in the Biden administration. Albright Stonebridge Group, an advisory agency with deep ties to the Biden …