Eurasia

Conflict Trends Update

SOMALIA Al-Shabaab claimed a suicide attack on a military training centre in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday that killed at least fifteen people. The bomber pretended to be a military trainee and detonated as new recruits, seeking training from Turkish forces, gathered. Crisis Group expert Omar Mahmood says the attack, …

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A New UN Envoy is an Opportunity for a New Approach in Yemen

The UN is recruiting a new envoy to broker peace in Yemen. More important than who gets the job is how UN member states and the mediator perceive its purpose, interpretations of which have limited the UN to the flawed two-party framework adopted since 2015. Martin Griffiths, the outgoing UN …

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Lavrov Dismisses Talk Of Possible Turkish Military Base In Azerbaijan As ‘Rumors’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed speculation that Turkey could build a military base in Azerbaijan as “rumors.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to Baku this week that he hasn’t ruled out the possibility Ankara could build a military base in Azerbaijan under an agreement …

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Germany’s Failed Hezbollah Ban

In retrospect, Germany’s much-vaunted Hezbollah ban appears to have been little more than a publicity stunt aimed at silencing critics of the German government’s pro-Iran foreign policy. Hezbollah has effectively evaded the ban by transferring many of its activities to charities and cultural centers controlled by Iran. Iran’s main base …

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Iran’s Engineered Election Leaves Reformists With No Good Options

Iranians will go to the polls this Friday to choose the successor to centrist President Hassan Rouhani, who is winding down his second four-year term and cannot run for reelection. The polls will take place in an atmosphere of widespread public apathy, as voters choose from a list of presidential …

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France’s Incomplete Reckoning With Its Colonial Past

I first met Salim, a 35-year-old French citizen of Algerian origin, about 10 years ago at a cafe near Levallois, the Parisian banlieue—or peri-urban ghetto—where he lived at the time. In the course of our wide-ranging discussion about French history and identity, part of the fieldwork for my doctoral dissertation, …

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Leave Infrastructure to China and Compete Where the West Has More to Offer

What does President Joe Biden’s first foray into international summitry reveal to us about the quality of his vision for America’s place in the world? As might be expected, some of the priorities he pursued in meetings this week with the leaders of the G-7, NATO and the European Union …

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With Israel-Hamas probe on agenda, Karim Khan sworn in as ICC chief prosecutor

The British lawyer urges countries to utilize Hague-based court only as ‘last resort’; predecessor warns of efforts to ‘politicize’ investigations British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn in Wednesday as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, pledging to reach out to nations that are not members of the …

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Jordan king’s ex-aide accused of sedition ‘tried to regain Jerusalem residency’

Experts say Jordanian intelligence leaked former minister’s confession before trial; ex-crown prince Hamzah reportedly said control over Jerusalem holy sites not a priority for him A former Jordanian minister facing charges of sedition against King Abdullah II sought to re-establish his residency in Jerusalem in order to conduct real estate …

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IDF hits Gaza terror targets after arson attacks, in first raids since ceasefire

After two dozen fires in southern Israel, army says it struck Hamas ‘terror sites’ in Khan Younis and Gaza City; initial Palestinian reports say none injured The Israel Defense Forces carried out a series of airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning in response to over two dozen fires …

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