Eurasia

Airstrikes on Syria-Iraq border leave at least 15 dead

There are conflicting reports on whether the US or Israel carried out the airstrikes At midnight on 9 November, large explosions ripped through the outskirts of the Al Bukamal area following airstrikes launched near the Syrian-Iraqi border crossing in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. At least 15 people who …

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Turkey in Yemen: An evolving foreign policy

Throughout the eight years of war in Yemen, Ankara has seen its policies towards the country shift several times due to Turkey’s own changing political and economic situation. Turkey’s foreign policy under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is based on the ideology of “Neo-Ottomanism.” Ankara employs soft …

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Rewiring Eurasia: Mr. Patrushev goes to Tehran

The meeting this week between two Eurasian security bosses is a further step toward dusting away the west’s oversized Asian footprint. Two guys are hanging out in a cozy room in Tehran with a tantalizing new map of the world in the background. Nothing to see here? On the contrary. …

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How British intelligence weaponizes the Sunni clergy class

For decades, London has financed, trained, and sought to influence Islamic scholars, Imams, and their pious followers. The UK’s agenda is to mold Islamic influencers into promoting British narratives of the world. Leaked documents reviewed by The Cradle reveal the British Foreign Office is managing a number of covert projects …

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Defend. Resist. Repeat: Ukraine’s Lessons For European Defense – Analysis

Introduction Ukraine’s response to the Russian invasion holds vital lessons for the rest of Europe. Kyiv has placed cross-society resistance at the heart of its national defence, bringing all military and security agencies under a single command, assisted by support from the civilian population. Since 2014, the country has transformed …

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Iran-Made Drones Key To Russian Strategy – OpEd

Since Russia’s military strategy shifted to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, Iran-manufactured unmanned aerial vehicles (UVAs) have been key to war effort. Gaining pace in October, Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 models have been used to target civilian buildings and have damaged about a third of the country’s power plants. For months, Tehran …

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US Needs To Play Larger Role As Swing Producer Of Oil And Gas in Current Crisis – Analysis

In response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, European nations have drastically reduced imports of crude oil, refined petroleum products, and natural gas from Russia. The 2021 levels of these energy imports were around 2.2 million barrels per day (mbd) of crude oil, 1.2 mbd of refined products, and 155 billion cubic meters (bcm) …

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Few-Friends Russia Embraces Iran – Analysis

Russia once viewed the G-20 group of leading economies as the world’s key cooperative forum. No longer. The November 15-16 meeting in Bali will not be attended by Vladimir Putin and there is therefore little chance that his isolation will be illustrated through face-to-face condemnations from Western leaders.  That’s not to say that Russia …

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Can Cyber Sovereignty Rein In Cyber Anarchy? – Analysis

In 1983 at Camp David, President Ronald Reagan watched the then new Hollywood thriller WarGames in which a teenager hacks into the North American Aerospace Defence Command causing World War III, prompting the shaken Reagan to ask, “Could something like this really happen?” Fast forward to 15 July 2022, the Albanian Government faced a cyberattack …

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As Russian Influence Plummets, China Capitalizes In Central Asia – Analysis

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has finally initiated its highly anticipated railway project to Uzbekistan. On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in September 2022, the official decision was made to begin actively working on the railway (The Diplomat, September 26). This fits into trends …

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