Eurasia

The coronavirus pandemic’s economic collapse in the UK is severe, worst in three centuries. The economy contracted by 9.9 percent in 2020, initial estimates from the Office for National Statistics showed on February 12, 2021.

By returning to Russia despite imminent arrest, Alexey Navalny hoped to inspire Russians to reclaim the country from decades of authoritarian rule. By design, there is no political opposition to Putin’s rule, with any challenge to Russia’s current leadership stamped out through coercive force.

Similar to the trajectory followed by al-Qaeda a decade ago, the Islamic State is shifting focus from its core organization to regional affiliates. Even where Islamic State affiliates have been weakened, changing conflict dynamics could reenergize franchise groups at various points this year.

The recent killing of Islamic State’s top leader in Iraq should not be seen as a crippling sign for the terror group, which has in recent months received fresh recruits and increased its attacks in the country, says a senior Iraqi Kurdish military official.

Diminished by law enforcement and military operations and the COVID-19 pandemic, ISIS and Al-Qaeda now act through affiliates in local conflicts. The rise of white supremacy and anti-government violent extremism will require greater attention from counterterrorism actors.

The storming of the U.S. Capitol in early January will serve as inspiration for far-right violent extremists abroad, including in Europe and Asia. 2021 could be a banner year for growing ties between far-right violent extremists globally, especially if COVID restrictions lift and travel resumes. Important differences exist between far-right …

A five-year extension of the arms reduction treaty came into force earlier this month, as Moscow and Washington managed to find common ground before the deal expired to preserve global peace and security. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has stated that any possible replacement of the New START treaty …

India and China are pulling back troops from a disputed border in the Himalayas marking a key breakthrough in easing their worst military standoff in decades. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament Thursday that troops would begin disengaging from the strategic Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh that became a …

U.S. President Joe Biden has criticized China’s human rights violations and military aggression against the democratic island of Taiwan, in his first phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations on Thursday.

Pakistan Army on Thursday successfully test-fired a short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of hitting land and sea targets with ‘high precision’ up to 450 kilometers away, a press release by the Inter-Services Public Relations said. The Babur cruise missile IA was launched from a “state of the art Multi …