Since late June, Russia has expanded its diplomatic involvement in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. On June 23, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed their joint support for a resolution of the GERD dispute led by the …
Read More »A view from the Hill: Congressional actions targeting MENA, April-June 2021
Introduction Six months into the 117th Congress, legislators continued to grapple with the complexities of a region in the midst of change. The reasons for this phenomenon were myriad. The Biden administration espoused a divergent worldview from that of its predecessor, the balance of power in Congress shifted, the international …
Read More »Kinda Al Khatib: The ‘spy’ and Hezbollah critic Lebanon would rather forget
The raid began at dawn. Dozens of armed men in black hoods stormed Kinda Al Khatib’s family home, arresting her and her brother, and starting a year-long ordeal for the 25-year-old Hezbollah critic. “I couldn’t see their faces. They had guns, as if they were coming to take a terrorist,” …
Read More »Afghanistan’s Silk Road jewel: experts fear for heritage in Herat
With Herat now in the hands of the Taliban as the militant group consolidates power over the last outposts of government-held territory, protecting Afghanistan’s heritage has become a grave concern for many. Last month Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, accepted a request by the Afghan government …
Read More »Islamic State threat moves online, expands across Africa: Senior counter-terrorism expert
Two decades after the 11 September terrorist attacks in New York, terror networks Al-Qaida and Islamic State – also known as Da’esh – continue to pose a grave threat to peace and security, adapting to new technologies and moving into some of the world’s most fragile regions, the top UN …
Read More »Former US Centcom chief: military alone ‘insufficient’ to achieve goals in Afghanistan
Joe Votel was only a few weeks into his new job as commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the US Army’s elite special operations force, when Al Qaeda hijackers attacked New York. At his base in Fort Benning, in the southern state of Georgia, his secretary came into his office …
Read More »Panjshir Commander Ahmad Massoud readies for war while negotiating with Taliban
The leader of Afghanistan’s only region not to have fallen to the Taliban has said he would be willing to join a Taliban government, but only if the group proved itself to be inclusive and respect the rights of all Afghans. Ahmad Massoud, 32, leads forces in the Panjshir valley …
Read More »Afghanistan, d’une défaite l’autre
Kaboul est tombée et il n’aura fallu que quelques semaines aux talibans pour balayer l’armée afghane financée et formée par les États-Unis durant vingt ans. Pour rappel, le régime communiste avait survécu trois années au retrait de l’Armée rouge. Mais le désastre afghan, au-delà d’une défaite ponctuelle, signe le fiasco …
Read More »Afganistan: Talibowie ukazują łagodne oblicze. Na jak długo?
Nie będziemy się mścić, darujemy przeciwnikom, zaprosimy kobiety do współrządzenia. To deklarowali talibowie trzy dni po zdobyciu Kabulu. Trwa okres przejściowy. Wspierany wcześniej przez Amerykę prezydent Aszraf Ghani uciekł za granicę. A zwycięzcy nie ogłosili jeszcze powstania nowego państwa. Niewiele wiadomo, jaka będzie forma zarządzania. Trochę o planach powiedział Enamullah …
Read More »PM says Israel will respond to Gaza rocket fire ‘at a time of our choosing’
Visiting troops at the Gaza border, Bennett says Israel holds Hamas responsible for attack which ended three months of relative calm; Gantz says Hamas is the real enemy of Gazans, not Israel A day after rocket fire from the Gaza Strip resumed, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on Tuesday that …
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