Eurasia

What is Iran’s goal in the Jerusalem crisis?

At Iran’s Press TV, its propaganda network focused on Western audiences in English, has wall-to-wall coverage of the violence in Jerusalem. Iran has been fanning the flames of the confrontations in Jerusalem. Days before the latest clashes developed, Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei and its IRGC head, Hossein Salami, prepared speeches and …

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Biden Is Missing an Opportunity on Cuba

At the eighth congress of the Communist Party of Cuba last month, Raul Castro stepped down as head of the party, passing the reins to President Miguel Diaz-Canel in a choreographed transition of power. This changing of the guard took place amid rising dissent on the island, as well as …

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Bulgaria’s Fractured Politics Marks the End of the Borissov Era

As a European Union and NATO member that borders Turkey, hugs the Black Sea coast and maintains cordial relations with Russia, Bulgaria is a strategically significant country. Yet in recent years, it has rarely made international news—except for the occasional domestic clash over Russian influence and periodic mass protests over …

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Egypt seeks alternatives to possible Nile water loss from Ethiopian dam

Egypt’s Irrigation Ministry revealed four projects designed to reduce water waste, combat the growing need for water and help ease the negative effects of the GERD on its irrigation system. Egypt’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources revealed May 2 four projects and plans to reduce water waste in the …

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Russia to build floating dock off Syrian coast

Russia’s repair shop in Tartus is working to build a floating dock, greatly expanding the capabilities of the military base. The Russian Ministry of Defense is working to expand its naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus following the major expansion of the main Hmeimim base, located in the …

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Libya’s uncertain path to elections

Despite a political process that appears on track, the risk of conflict from foreign forces still in the country remains high. Libya is set to hold elections Dec. 24 in line with the provisions of the political road map approved by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in November. However, significant …

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Gunmen in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province Kill 3 Soldiers, Wound 5

Three Pakistani soldiers were killed and five wounded in two attacks on military vehicles by unknown assailants Sunday night. Both attacks took place in Balochistan, the Montana-sized province in the southwest of Pakistan where Baloch nationalist groups have waged a decadeslong campaign for independence. The insurgency, which has seen an …

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300 Injured in Jerusalem Day Riots

Violence broke out again on Monday at Al-Aqsa Mosque as Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli police squared off on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, sending at least 206 people – 205 Palestinian protesters and one Israeli police officer – to local hospitals for treatment. An additional 100 demonstrators and eight …

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IntelBrief: Water Wars: Tensions between Ethiopia and its Neighbors Persist Over Dam Project

Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have regional security and development implications. Sudan’s military incursion into al-Fashaga took advantage of Ethiopia’s preoccupation with combating an ongoing rebellion in the Tigray region. Negotiation efforts over the dam are underway, and broader military conflict between Egypt, Sudan, …

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Albania: Edi Rama Maintains An Iron Grip On Power – OpEd

Albania’s socialist party under the leadership of Edi Rama has installed a one – party state regime that is harming, violating the national constitution and taking the country into an abysmal state of denial; that is guided by western diplomatic channels that are boosting Rama’s internal power politics, while his …

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