Eurasia

The Taliban appear to have “strategic momentum” in the fight for control of Afghanistan as they put increasing pressure on key cities, setting the stage for a decisive period in coming weeks as American forces complete their withdrawal, the top U.S. military officer said Wednesday. “This is going to be …

Democratic and Republican senators voiced heavy criticism of the Turkish government to a State Department official during a Wednesday hearing. The lawmakers accused Ankara of abusing the international police system, being an “aggressor” toward Greece, and much more. US senators criticized Turkish government policies during a Wednesday hearing, and demanded …

The White House has maintained the previous administration’s demands that Ankara dispose of the Russian missile defense system. The Biden administration won’t budge on the previous administration’s demands that NATO ally Turkey get rid of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. The United States will also continue to support the Syrian …

Reports in Israel say the government has set up an interministerial team to ‘look into’ the export of Israeli-made Pegasus software and allegation over its abuse against politicians and journalists worldwide. Israel has not yet established a formal inquiry committee into the NSO Group affair, but the government has set …

Unless he is playing a game of brinkmanship to force the Greek Cypriots into a settlement, Erdogan’s tough moves in the Cyprus conflict are raising the specter of Turkey’s eventual annexation of Northern Cyprus. Having exhausted the yields of his Syrian, Libyan and Eastern Mediterranean ventures, Turkish President Recep Tayyip …

The following is the second of a series of analyses by Chinese dissident and expert Chris King, who is a Senior Research Fellow for the MEMRI Chinese Media Studies Project, on the personality cult of Chinese President Xi Jinping. King was an active participant in the student protests in China …

Though some ‘minor problems’ have still to be resolved, gas should start flowing from Romania to Moldova in October, giving the country a much-anticipated alternative to Russia. When construction ended in August 2020 on a 120-kilometre gas pipeline from Romania to Moldova, it was hailed as a milestone in cutting …

Five years after a group in the military tried to overthrow President Erdogan’s government, democracy and rule of law are in decline – as is the economy – while the young flee the country. Five years ago, a coup attempt was stopped by loyalist soldiers and ordinary people in Turkey. …

Borje lies in northern Albania, but has closer connections to Kosovo – as well as an interesting, if somewhat vague, connection to Bulgaria. At the centre of Borje, a village deep in the mountains dividing Albania and Kosovo, café owner Fatos Ollomani, 49, develops his multiple passions as a local …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday the most recent disagreement between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus had made the relationship more difficult and patience was required to settle differences. “This has been a setback but we should not be discouraged,” she said. Turkey and EU member state Greece are …