Eurasia

Hezbollah says it opposes IMF management of Lebanon crisis

Hezbollah is against allowing the International Monetary Fund to manage Lebanon’s financial crisis, the powerful group said on Tuesday, indicating opposition to any IMF bailout that would impose tough conditions on the heavily indebted state.

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What’s at Stake in Idlib, Last Battle in Syria’s War

After nine years of civil war, the fighting over who controls Syria has come down to one province: opposition-held Idlib, in the northwest. Backed by Russian air power, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad began to advance on the area early this year. Because the drive left rebels and civilians …

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The Coronavirus Crisis Is Political

In 2008, they told us not to ‘politicise’ the crash. We ended up with a decade of austerity. The coronavirus crisis will reshape the economy in profound ways – now is the time to make socialist arguments about how to respond, argues Grace Blakeley.

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China Locked in Hybrid War with US

Among the myriad, earth-shattering geopolitical effects of coronavirus, one is already graphically evident. China has re-positioned itself. For the first time since the start of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in 1978, Beijing openly regards the US as a threat, as stated a month ago by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the …

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The Oil Price Crash: Bad News for Putin's Ambitions in the Middle East

Last week’s dramatic fall in the value of global stock markets was prompted, in part, by Moscow’s decision at the end of last week to end its cooperation with the Saudis to agree to new oil production targets, a measure designed to maintain global oil prices at a sustainable level.

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War in Syria: 'Carnage', flouting of rights and international law, must stop: Guterres

UN agencies have underscored their commitment to continue supporting civilians affected by the war in Syria, which this month enters its tenth year. The Secretary-General issued a statement on Thursday, declaring that “we cannot allow the tenth year to result in the same carnage, the same flouting of human rights …

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Antagonizing the Neighborhood: Putin’s Frozen Conflicts and the Conflict in Ukraine

Good afternoon, Chairman Keating, Ranking Member Kinzinger, and distinguished members of the Committee. In recent years, international attention has focused on Russia’s efforts to keep its neighboring country, Ukraine, within its sphere of influence. Today, at this important hearing, I will speak about the situation in another country affected by …

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