Highlighting Iraq’s efforts to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi foreign minister said Baghdad is ready to host a fresh round of negotiations between Tehran and Riyadh. In a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in New York on Saturday, Fuad Hussein pointed to the positive trend …
Read More »Italy: Elections Catapult National Conservatives Into Big League At EU Leaders’ Table
The Sunday general elections that saw a right-wing alliance led by far-right candidate Giorgia Meloni win a resounding majority in both upper and lower houses of the Italian legislative will likely see her national conservative European political family becoming the third-largest bloc in European Council by population. The win in …
Read More »Ron Paul: Will Italy’s Election Foreshadow US Midterms? – OpEd
Sunday was an historic election day for Italy. A conservative alliance with a populist flair absolutely trounced the technocrats who had been running the country into the ground for the past several years. The previous prime minister, former Goldman Sachs banker Mario Draghi, implemented one of the most restrictive – …
Read More »Women’s Rights In Focus As Protests Sweep Across Iran – Analysis
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iranians have been forced to live under a brutal theocracy, enforced by the strictest interpretation of Sharia laws. A once secular nation filled with various ethnic groups thus turned into a dogmatic society, one where the mullahs and Supreme Leader have ultimate authority in …
Read More »US Hypocrisy Knows No Limits – OpEd
President Biden’s condemnation of Russia at the UN on Wednesday, where he claimed Russia had violated the UN Charter by invading Ukraine, a country he ludicrously posed “no threat” to its larger neighbor, is epic hypocrisy coming from the leader of a country that not long ago invaded and destroyed …
Read More »The Russian-Ukrainian War Triggers An Energy Revolution – Analysis
As the first sounds of Russian missiles woke up people in various Ukrainian cities and towns in the early morning of February 24, 2022, they also marked a significant watershed in the history of energy. The fact that Russia started an unfair and unjustified war of aggression in the middle …
Read More »Qatari oil, gas exports up 100% in 2022
Qatar is working to export more gas to Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Qatar’s energy exports are significantly higher than they were last year. Qatari exports of petroleum gases and other hydrocarbons such as liquified natural gas amounted to $9.2 billion in August of this year, …
Read More »Turkey protests US, Greece over ‘violating non-military status’ of Aegean Greek islands
Eastern Mediterranean conflict is steadily turning into a fresh strain in already-troubled US-Turkey ties, as Erdogan lashes out at Washington and Athens over the military buildup in the Dodecanese islands. The US and Greek ambassadors to Turkey have been summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara in a protest …
Read More »Are Turkish drones complicating disputes in Central Asia?
Kyrgyzstan’s use of Turkish drones in a border dispute with Tajikistan leaves Turkey in a tight spot on how to balance its ties in Central Asia, a region where it has long sought to expand its influence. Turkey’s efforts to add strategic depth to its ties with Central Asia appear …
Read More »Nord Stream pipeline leaks: What happened, what’s the impact?
A series of unusual leaks in two gas pipelines running from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany triggers concerns about sabotage. Sudden and unexplained gas leaks detected in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany have prompted investigations by European countries into the cause amid …
Read More »