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Iran vows to strike back if US destroys more of its drones over Iraq

Iran has vowed to respond to any “hostile actions” after an Iranian drone was reportedly shot down en route to Erbil. The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Mohammed Bagheri, vowed Friday to respond to any “hostile actions” targeting Iranian drones, Iranian news outlets reported. The threats followed Wednesday’s …

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Khamenei breaks silence on Iran protests, lays blame on US

In his first speech since the outbreak of protests Sept. 16, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Israel of promoting unrest in the country. For the first time since protests swept the country nearly two weeks ago, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has addressed …

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Shock and Awe: Who Attacked the Nord Stream Pipelines?

If the perpetrator was Russia, the signaling value toward the West—which would certainly know Russia is behind the explosions—may be a threat to the rest of the marine energy infrastructure. Western governments have not made a formal finding of responsibility for this week’s sabotage attacks on two Russian underwater pipelines …

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The Oil Market Has a Big Russia Sanctions Problem

The US administration is running out of time to prevent European sanctions on Russian crude from causing a spike in oil prices. For months now, the Treasury has been fighting hard — in the face of much skepticism and ridicule — to soften European sanctions that bar providing insurance and …

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What Xi must tell Putin now

The terrible concoction of conscription, annexation and nuclear weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered last week presents a crucial test to every major world leader. Global outrage is needed, but the spotlight now shines brightest on Chinese President Xi Jinping. He needs to step forward in pressing Putin to …

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Russia Will Use Its Ally, a Nuclear-Armed Iran, to Better Threaten the West

As one of the signatories of the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the flawed nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration, Russia, as well as China, will ultimately have a say in any new agreement that emerges from the Vienna talks. Rather than seeking to curb Iran’s nuclear …

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Xi Jinping’s Quest for Order

Security at Home, Influence Abroad In April 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech on foreign policy at the Boao Forum for Asia, an annual conference of business executives and world leaders in Hainan Province. In it, he proposed what he called Quanqiu Anquan Changyi, or the Global Security …

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The Myth of an Emerging “Mideast NATO”

To contain what it perceives as an Iranian threat, Israel is seeking greater military cooperation with Gulf Arab states, even speaking of a “Mideast NATO”. But such talk appears premature at best. There is no mistaking Israel’s eagerness. It has been developing below-the-radar bilateral security relationships with Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, …

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Du Mali au Burkina : le sorcier Macron et les petits démons, par François Soudan

De Bamako à Ouaga, les partisans des juntes au pouvoir affichent des positions pro-russes et anti-françaises pour se donner une posture révolutionnaire. Bien commode quand on tente, comme Abdoulaye Maïga devant l’ONU, de masquer un échec politico-sécuritaire.

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EER Webinar: Is There A Way To Resolve Europe’s Problem in Repatriating Jihadist Fighters and Their Families?

European Eye on Radicalization (EER) recently hosted its fifteenth webinar on the thorny issue of whether jihadist foreign fighters from Europe and their families should be brought home, with specific reference to the members of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the camps in Syria. Despite the destruction of ISIS’s “caliphate” …

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