Eurasia

Are there signs of thaw in Turkish-Saudi relations?

A phone call between the Turkish and Saudi leaders generated hopes for thawing of relations between Ankara and Riyadh, but significant roadblocks must be removed to end bellicose affairs. As the unofficial Saudi-led boycott of Turkish goods in multiple Arab states is hurting the Turkish sphere of influence, King Salman …

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A new page in Israeli-Saudi relations? Not so fast

With US President Donald Trump soon out of the picture, the Saudis prefer to take things slow with Israel, and await the new Biden administration. What’s going on between Israel and Saudi Arabia? The recent ups and downs in relations between these two regional powers are even more dizzying and …

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America’s Dark Side

When I was in high school in the Bronx, there were round colored spots on the floor of the gym that showed us where to stand. The bigger, older kids would demand we pay a quarter for the spot, for which the school charged nothing. That’s what’s called a scam …

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Trump’s Pernicious Military Legacy

In the military realm, Donald Trump will most likely be remembered for his insistence on ending America’s involvement in its twenty-first-century “forever wars” — the fruitless, relentless, mind-crushing military campaigns undertaken by Presidents Bush and Obama in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Somalia. After all, as a candidate, Trump pledged to …

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Mixed signals over Israel-Turkey relations

An article published in the Tel Aviv University Turkeyscope review might suggest that Ankara wants to rehabilitate its relations with Jerusalem. The Tel Aviv Moshe Dayan Institute published Dec. 7 an exceptional article, titled “Israel is Turkey’s Neighbor Across the Sea: Delimitation of the Maritime Jurisdiction Areas between Turkey and …

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Eastern Libyan forces intercept Turkish ship en route to Misrata

Forces loyal to eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Hifter intercepted a Jamaican-flagged Turkish ship in the Mediterranean Sea late Monday in a move that could escalate regional tensions. A Turkish ship sailing under a Jamaican flag was intercepted by forces loyal to eastern Libyan leader Khalifa Hifter late Monday for reportedly …

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Will Austin’s appointment see Israel move from EUCOM to CENTCOM?

Future US Pentagon chief Austin: I had a great relationship with Benny Gantz. During testimony before Congress in 2015, Gen. Lloyd Austin, then head of the US Central Command, told members of the House Armed Services Committee that he had a “great relationship” with former IDF chief of staff Benny …

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