After a three-month-long suspension of the nuclear talks in Vienna, the U.S. and Iran appear set to resume diplomatic negotiations on June 28 in Doha, Qatar. The Europeans will continue to act as messengers in Doha as they did during the talks in Vienna. In fact, this relaunch comes thanks …
Read More »Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Gunman in West Bank Clash
Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said, in the latest in a series of clashes. The Palestinian “Islamic Jihad” militant group said that one of its men was killed “confronting the occupation forces” in Jenin, where …
Read More »Turkey retracts veto on Sweden, Finland joining NATO amid war summit in Madrid
On the eve of the NATO summit focusing on war against Russia in Ukraine as well as confronting China, top officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland agreed on Tuesday in Madrid to a trilateral memorandum of understanding allowing Stockholm’s and Helsinki’s entry into the military alliance. After a meeting attended …
Read More »“A Capitalist to the Heart”: An Iraqi Tobacco Tycoon Thrived in the Chaos of Sanctions and War
Iraqi tycoon Waheb Tabra worked with Saddam Hussein’s son in the 1990s before making a fortune smuggling cigarettes. Since the U.S. invasion, he has become a symbol of Iraq’s political corruption while dealing with everyone from top politicians to the Islamic State. Key FindingsTabra’s career started in the 1990s with …
Read More »A ‘Bloody’ Trade: Inside the Murky Supply Chain Bringing Syrian Phosphates Into Europe
European countries have recently resumed imports of phosphate — a key ingredient in fertilizer — from Syria. The trade enriches sanctioned oligarchs, war profiteers, and the Syrian government, but has continued thanks to legal loopholes. Key Findings Imports of Syrian phosphates into Europe have boomed over the past several years.The …
Read More »Pentagon ‘fully supports’ F-16 sale to Turkey
The Biden administration publicly endorsed a plan to sell Turkey fresh fighter jets just a day after Ankara dropped its objection to Sweden and Finland joining NATO over ties to Kurdish groups. Just a day after Turkey said it would accept Sweden’s and Finland’s bids to join the NATO alliance, …
Read More »Israel draws closer to NATO
Israel aspires to upgrade its relations with NATO beyond geography, offering technological innovation and intelligence-gathering capabilities as a basis for stronger ties. Jerusalem is closely following the annual NATO summit convening this week in Madrid. The dramatic news of an agreement with Turkey for Sweden and Finland to join the …
Read More »Biden says he won’t ask Saudi Arabia to pump more oil during trip
President Joe Biden also downplayed his expected meetings with Saudi leaders, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. President Joe Biden said Thursday the purpose of his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia is not persuading the kingdom to boost oil output, but he has encouraged the Gulf region more broadly to …
Read More »No respite for Kurds as Turkey’s security forces ramp up repression
Musicians, newlyweds, journalists, and even restaurateurs are not immune to the Turkish government’s repression of its Kurdish population. Dilan Karcik married her teenage sweetheart, Mesut, on June 12. The couple, both ethnic Kurds, celebrated their union with an exuberant bash at a wedding hall in Esenyurt, a working-class suburb of …
Read More »What Turkey won with its NATO leverage
JUST INThe door is back open. After weeks of tension, Turkey finally dropped its objection to Finland and Sweden’s bids to join NATO as the Alliance kicked off its summit in Madrid on Tuesday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan scored a face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden and spurred …
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