A U.S.-Iran understanding may have calmed tensions, but this was followed by Kurdish-Arab fighting that did precisely the opposite. The summer was hot in northeastern Syria, as has been the transition to autumn. The season began with increased tensions between U.S. forces, which maintain a presence in the northeast, on …
Read More »Challenges And Opportunities Of Connecting Central Asia And South Asia Through Afghanistan – OpEd
Due to its strategic location, Afghanistan is an essential player in South Asia and Central Asia’s trade, energy, and commerce sectors. Numerous initiatives, such as the TAPI Pipeline, TUTAP Power Project, CASA-1000, and TAP, have attracted the country due to its ability to link these two regions. These initiatives aim …
Read More »Economic Growth In G7 Versus BRICS: A Reality Check – OpEd
In the United Kingdom, the BBC prepared and published data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in January about different nations’ growth forecasts for 2023 and 2024. The BBC foregrounded some really bad news for the UK. Of nine major industrial economies—the G7 (the U.S., Canada, Japan, Germany, the UK, …
Read More »Montenegro: Is There An Effort To Establish ‘Interim Government’ To Enable Return Of DPS To Power? – Analysis
On 30 August, Montenegro marked the three-year anniversary of the democratic elections that ousted Milo Djukanović’s regime and the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). This event signified great democratic leap, as it brought an end to the longest-standing authoritarian regime in Europe after 30 years. After the parliamentary elections on …
Read More »Beyond The Battlefield: The Impact Of Ukraine’s New Defence Minister – Analysis
The dismissal of Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov over corruption allegations represents a significant shift in Ukraine’s wartime leadership well into the second year of Russia’s full-scale invasion. While Reznikov was not personally accused of corruption, allegations, and scandals over procurement practices within his ministry provided an avenue for him …
Read More »Ukraine Military Situation: Finally Ramming Russian Forces Near Zaporizhzhia – Analysis
Battlefield Update Ukraine has finally started ramming Russia’s first line of defenses near Zaporizhzhia, piercing through the outer ring of the Surovikin Defensive Line, a complex set of fortified positions named after the dismissed commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VDV), General Sergei Surovikin. This progress has been months in …
Read More »The Imperial Russian Regime Was Neither ‘Great’ Nor ‘Enlightened’ – OpEd
Pope Francis made headlines last week when he described the Russian Empire as “enlightened” and invoked the names of two expansionist Russian czars as examples of Russia’s “great culture.” In impromptu remarks, Francis said to a group of Russian Catholics, “You are the heirs of the great Russia: the great …
Read More »Ukraine Needs Diplomacy, Not Depleted Uranium
DU stays in the environment, and has been linked to huge rises in cancer and birth defects in the conflict zones. Freedom’s just another word for… blowing up your children? Giving them cancer? Militarism is obsolete, for God’s sake. Its technology is out of control. The latest shred of news …
Read More »China: Preparing for War
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping is rapidly militarizing his country and has instructed its army to “prepare for war” and “fight and win” it. “Chinese ruler Xi Jinping replaced the senior leadership of China’s Rocket Force, which is responsible for almost all of China’s 400 or so nuclear …
Read More »Salami Tactics: Faits Accomplis and International Expansion in the Shadow of Major War
Salami tactics offer an attractive option for expansionist powers in the shadow of major war — using repetitive, limited faits accomplis to expand influence while avoiding potential escalation. Despite its long history of colloquial use, however, the term has never received a thorough conceptualization. Modeling a state’s decision to initiate …
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