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What’s driving France and Saudi Arabia’s deepening ties?

Analysis: Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to France further aids his reputational rehabilitation on the international stage, with economic, defence, and geopolitical interests bringing Paris and Riyadh closer together. On 16 June, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. This …

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Why Iraq’s largest ever budget has invited controversy

In-depth: In the absence of coherent policies, long-term planning, and the Iraqi elite’s poor track record in the realm of public spending, the new record-breaking $153 billion budget has raised concerns. On 16 June 2023, after a months-long impasse and four consecutive days of voting, Iraq’s Parliamentary Financial Committee submitted …

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A new era for the Turkish economy?

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s victory over the alliance of opposition parties in Turkey’s May elections, in which he secured another term as president and maintained his alliance’s majority in parliament, came as a surprise to many, as credible pollsters had forecast just the opposite. Investors had to quickly adjust their …

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Le monde vous appartient

Le mystère de la guerre d’Ukraine échappe encore à son Jules César. Pourtant, de plus en plus de détails cruciaux passent les barrages. Poutine montre ses cartes, Loukachenko divulgue des documents, Zelensky baratine et raconte… Quand la guerre a éclaté, les États-Unis venaient de finaliser leur grand exploit : la …

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Experts react: What Russia’s Wagner Group rebellion means for Putin, Ukraine, China, and more

What a difference a day makes. In the past twenty-four hours, Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin announced a rebellion against Russia, claimed his forces seized the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, and marched his forces toward Moscow. However, after a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, it appears the Kremlin …

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Wagner Group: The Evolution Of A Private Army

In an astonishing turn of events starting 23 June 2023, the Wagner Group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin declared all-out war on the Russian state, leading a convoy of mercenaries to march straight toward Moscow. The mutiny, which embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin and caught the Russian military and security services completely …

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Putin seriously weakened by Wagner Group mutiny – but it was a missed opportunity for Ukraine too

Blink and you could have missed it. Within 36 hours, the challenge mounted against the Kremlin by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary private military company the Wagner Group, was over. On Friday June 23 2023, Prigozhin ordered 25,000 of his troops on to a “march for justice”, which …

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Renowned Russian Academic Karaganov: ‘We Are Shaking Off The Western Yoke’

On May 28, 2023, the Russian media outlet Business-gazeta.ru published an interview, titled “We Are Shaking Off The Western Yoke,” with renowned Russian academic Sergei Karaganov, who is honorary chairman of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy. Concerning the war in Ukraine, Karaganov said that peace will be achieved …

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A View from the CT Foxhole: Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence

Brian Nelson is the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Prior to joining Treasury, he was the Chief Legal Officer at LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. His previous government service includes roles as a senior …

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The Quds Force in Syria: Combatants, Units, and Actions

Abstract: The key mission of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) is to defend the Iranian Islamic Revolution and create armed militias in the countries of its “Axis of Resistance.” Its organization is opaque and complex, coordinating combat operations with soft-power actions aimed at, among other initiatives, establishing …

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