Eurasia

IRGC Says it Neutralized Terrorist Cell, 4 of its Members Killed

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said its forces had neutralized a “terrorist cell” in Salmas near the Turkish border. The IRGC issued a statement announcing that its ground forces tasked with protecting the border triangle with Turkey and the Kurdistan region of Iraq “neutralized a terrorist cell after intelligence …

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Israeli PM Speaks With Leaders of Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Palestinian Authority Ahead of US President’s Arrival

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid continues his round of phone calls with regional leaders ahead of US President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia on July 13-16. On Sunday, the Israeli PM spoke with both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Lapid and …

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José Eduardo Dos Santos, la dictature et les pétrodollars

L’ancien président angolais est décédé ce vendredi à Barcelone. Retour sur un règne sans partage. José Eduardo dos Santos passait pour un autocrate discret. Il a marqué l’histoire de son pays pendant des décennies. Déjà à 16 ans, il intégrait le Mouvement populaire de libération de l’Angola (MPLA) alors que …

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The End of Magic Money

Inflation and the Future of Economic Stimulus Two years ago, I predicted in Foreign Affairs that the COVID-19 recession, coming on top of the financial crisis of 2008, would lead rich democracies to redefine the outer limits of their monetary and fiscal power, ushering in an “age of magic money.” …

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Russia vetoes UN measure renewing aid to northwest Syria

“People will die because of this vote,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said of the Security Council’s failure to reauthorize the cross-border mechanism. Millions of Syrian lives hang in the balance after Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that would have kept humanitarian aid flowing …

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Palestinian rivals Abbas, Haniyeh shake hands in Algeria

Algeria’s president managed to bring together Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh for the first time in 6 years, but divisions between the two rival factions they represent may be too deep at this point. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune brought together in the Algerian capital Palestinian President …

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Why IRGC issue won’t go away

Even if the US terrorist designation is not lifted, and there is agreement on the JCPOA, the IRGC will still be the power broker of Iranian domestic politics. As Qatar’s foreign minister visited Tehran Wednesday in an effort to follow up on talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal, there’s …

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Unprecedented inflation hammers Iran

Iranians have grown accustomed to high inflation and rising prices, yet recent macroeconomic trends are unprecedented. Iran’s official inflation rate is reaching new highs. The Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) — the country’s main statistics agency — reported a monthly inflation rate of 12.2% and a point-to-point rate of 52.5% …

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Energy company touts oil-for-food scheme as Syrian aid route tightens

With Syria’s sole remaining route for cross-border aid in peril, a London-based oil company is lobbying for an initiative that would see the proceeds of Syrian oil being used for aid, with the money going to the UN rather than Damascus. Russia vetoed a UN security resolution on Friday that …

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