Eurasia

On the menu today: Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, ominously declares in an interview that the U.S. intelligence community is no closer to determining how the COVID-19 pandemic began, and may never know with certainty; the need to end the crisis mentality on evictions; and Vice President …

The Syrian opposition is divided over activating the role of tribes in the coalition, as some believe this would be in favor of figures close to Turkey and would help it dominate the opposition institutions. The Turkish-backed Syrian Council of Tribes and Clans has replaced four of its representatives at …

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu falsely accuses Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of giving up on Israel’s freedom of action against Iran. In his bid to undermine the legitimacy of Israel’s new government, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about torpedoing its efforts to forge a solid working relationship …

Russian forces said they fired warning shots Wednesday at a British Royal Navy destroyer taking part in a U.S.-led naval exercise in the Black Sea near Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the action was taken because the HMS Defender entered 3 kilometers …

Libya’s transitional government underlined its commitment to holding elections on Dec. 24 at a conference Wednesday with powers that have interests in the North African country, while the German hosts vowed to keep up pressure until all foreign forces have been withdrawn from Libya. Germany and the United Nations brought …

An outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority who was a candidate in parliamentary elections called off earlier this year died after Palestinian security forces arrested him and beat him with batons on Thursday, his family said. Nizar Banat was a harsh critic of the PA, which governs parts of the …

Call this another Biden debacle in the making. China, it is evident, is now in no mood for substantive discussions, other than, of course, for the purpose of accepting America’s surrender. American leaders, administration in and administration out, think it is important to meet face-to-face with adversaries, that they can …

Emmanuel Macron a annoncé la « transformation profonde » de la présence militaire française au Sahel. Il n’a pas encore dévoilé les détails du futur dispositif mais plusieurs pistes se dessinent. Enlisement ou ensablement, c’est selon… Huit ans après son lancement, en août 2014, dans la continuité de l’opération Serval …

La France met fin à l’opération Barkhane en Afrique de l’Ouest. Sur ce continent, ne perdons-nous pas notre temps et notre énergie ? Le plan Marshall pour l’Afrique, personne n’y croit vraiment. Il faut en revanche se préparer à contrer les hordes migratoires qu’on nous promet, prévient Jean Messiha. L’actualité …

Fini, bien fini? Il y a quand même des aspects réjouissants à cet effondrement de la démocratie représentative qui ne représente plus grand monde, même pas les représentants. Le désintérêt pour les élections régionales doit beaucoup à la réforme régionale décidée de manière totalement technocratique par le président Hollande sur …