In 2022, the EU announced plans to fund a new detention unit within the grounds of a Temporary Reception Centre near Bosnia’s north-western border with Croatia. In recent months, however, significant confusion and controversy has emerged surrounding the centre. In November 2022, the EU’s Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi …
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Gas and the blockade: Egypt’s economic plan for Gaza
In-depth: Egypt is investing in infrastructure to boost Gaza’s economy as part of a long-term ceasefire plan, with the besieged enclave’s gas resources central to Cairo’s strategy. The Egyptian government is busy building a seaport off the coast of Port Said, renovating the Arish International Airport, and paving the long …
Read More »Israel’s blockade of Gaza: Indefinitely caging Palestinians in a state of non-life
Analysis: Sixteen years of Israel’s blockade of Gaza have shown that the policy has little to do with security and more to do with economic warfare, collective punishment, separation, and bargaining. In 1995, the New York Times eagerly interviewed Palestinians in Gaza to highlight the freedoms the Oslo peace accords …
Read More »Why is it so difficult to predict an endgame in Ukraine?
Since the Cold War, Western intelligence has built a track record of failing to foresee many of Russia’s moves. It failed to anticipate the invasion of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, then the invasions of Georgia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014, followed a year later by Moscow’s …
Read More »Who is Hakan Fidan? From spymaster to Turkey’s foreign minister
Following his re-election, Erdogan reshuffled his cabinet, resulting in foreign and economic policy leadership changes. The new cabinet members are expected to strengthen Turkey’s international standing and address the country’s economic difficulties. Hakan Fidan, the newly appointed foreign minister of Turkey, is a highly influential former spymaster who has played …
Read More »Algerian President’s Visit Strengthens Russia-Algeria Strategic Partnership – OpEd
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his delegation visited Russia, from June 14 through 16, to forge strategic partnership between the two countries. He went to Moscow at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This special invitation had been conveyed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Algiers …
Read More »Turkey appoints Tanju Bilgic as new ambassador to Russia
The appointment of Ankara’s new envoy to Moscow coincided with the Kremlin’s announcement that the Russian president will soon visit Turkey. Newly appointed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan named the ministry’s spokesperson Tanju Bilgic as his country’s new ambassador to Moscow on Friday, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported. Bilgic’s …
Read More »US, Syria exchange messages on journalist Austin Tice, Oman’s FM says
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi also discussed Syria’s re-integration, prospects for normalization with Israel and talks to end Yemen’s war in an interview with Al-Monitor. Syria and the United States are exchanging messages with the help of Oman over the fate of missing American journalist Austin Tice, the Gulf …
Read More »The potential and limitations of Russia-China cooperation in the Middle East
On May 28, the Middle East affairs working group of the Russian and Chinese Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA) convened in Chengdu, China. The meeting was chaired by the Russian MFA’s Middle East bureau chief, Alexander Kinshchak, and the Chinese MFA’s Asian and African Affairs department head, Wang Di. In …
Read More »Azerbaijan’s Hoseyniyun: The prospects and challenges of a Caucasus Hezbollah
The “Axis of Resistance,” a network of non-state actors aligned with Iran, has emerged as a significant force in the Middle East in the last two decades. This coalition includes high-profile groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and various Shi’a groups in Iraq and Syria. Iran has …
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