KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s letter to Biden is aimed at jolting the administration into action as tensions rise between Erbil and Baghdad. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has appealed to President Joe Biden to intervene in a deepening crisis with the central government in Baghdad, airing …
Read More »A Daft Policy: The US Economic Strangulation of China
The broad lament from commentators about global economic growth is that China is not pulling its weight. Not enough is being done to stir the sinews and warm the blood, at least when it comes to the GDP counters. And many such pundits hail from countries, most prominently the United …
Read More »Le général Sourovikine remplacera-t-il Prigojine ?
Des photos du général Sourovikine faisant partie de la délégation militaire russe en Algérie sont apparues sur le net. Apparemment, l’ancien chef de l’armée de l’air russe a été nommé par les hauts responsables du pays pour remplir les fonctions de Prigojine au sein du PMC Wagner. La structure devra …
Read More »The Roots of the Global South’s New Resentment
How Rich Countries’ Selfish Pandemic Responses Stoked Distrust This past June, at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced a topic that, on its face, had little to do with international finance. In remarks to dozens of …
Read More »NATO deputy visits Israel, emphasizes shared threats from Iran, Russia
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana told Al-Monitor that he is optimistic the alliance will soon conclude a new four-year partnership framework with Israel. On a three-day visit to Israel, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Friday the defense alliance shares many of the same security concerns as …
Read More »Israel’s security brass advocates Saudi deal as way to calm tensions with Palestinians
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears trapped between security establishment advice to proceed with a Saudi deal plus concessions to the Palestinians and allied hardliners’ rejection of any compromise with Ramallah. While a path of escalating Palestinian attacks and tensions threatens to deteriorate into further violence with Israel, a path of …
Read More »Pakistan’s interim government: A challenging road ahead
Pakistan’s 76th Independence Day, on Aug. 14, was marked by an undercurrent of challenges. The 16-month rule of the 13-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government concluded, making way for a new technocratic caretaker administration tasked with overseeing upcoming general elections. However, this power transition is not as straightforward as …
Read More »After Prigozhin: The future of Wagner and Russian gray zone activities in MENA
On Aug. 23, an Embraer Legacy-600 business jet exploded over Russia’s Tver Oblast. The crash resulted in the deaths of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, co-founder Dmitry Utkin, and logistics head Valery Chekalov. While predictions of Prigozhin’s impending demise were widespread after he launched an abortive mutiny against Russia’s military …
Read More »Iran, Russia, and the Caspian environmental crisis: A need for collaboration
The Caspian Sea, the world’s largest inland body of water, is steadily shrinking. Water levels reached a critical low in 2022 and continue to fall by 6-7 centimeters per year, with some projections suggesting it could drop by as much as 9-18 meters by the end of the century. Although …
Read More »Deir ez-Zor’s tribes reach a breaking point
Years of simmering tensions between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local populations in northeast Syria have exploded this week into still-expanding battles across much of Deir ez-Zor. The current violence was triggered by the SDF’s Aug. 27 arrest of Ahmed al-Khubayl (“Abu Khawla”), the emir of the Bakir tribe …
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