China’s relationships with Central Asian borrowers are hardly one-size-fits-all. Chinese financial players have adapted and used different models, demonstrating the country’s flexibility as a lender. Preface China Local/Global China has become a global power, but there is too little debate about how this has happened and what it means. Many …

The Iranian president’s ability to implement his electoral program remains limited, given what his previous reformist presidents have achieved, as none of them were able to bring about fundamental changes in Iran’s domestic and foreign policies. Pezeshkian’s presidential program is likely to strongly confront the conservatives who have controlled parliament …

The new Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, spoke with a senior Hamas figure andstressed that Iran would support any agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip that would beacceptable to the Palestinians and the “resistance.” E_187_24Download

Experts fear a ‘presidential’ commission for truth and reconciliation in Kosovo will not enjoy the required independence from political influence or legitimacy among all ethnic communities. Kosovo is to make a fresh attempt to create a truth and reconciliation commission that will look at the events of the 1998-99 war, …

War memorials are dotted all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but rarely are they unveiled without controversy. They have cost more than 5 million euros in the past decade, and experts say few have really contributed to reconciliation. Irmela Sabanovic was five years old in the middle of the 1992-5 war …

As the bold Ukrainian assault into Kursk Oblast enters its third week, the general mood in the West is one of triumph. The offensive, we’re told, vindicates the wisdom of the transatlantic liberal establishment in supporting Kyiv. Suddenly, a Russian victory no longer seems inevitable. The truth, however, is that …

The city of Xi’an was once famed as the birthplace of the Silk Road, the tortuous trade route along which caravans bore textiles, jade and other luxury products to Persia, Egypt and Europe for more than 1,500 years. Just outside the city lies another ancient marker of its erstwhile wealth …

Over the past few years, Iran has been increasingly exerting its influence in the Middle East, particularly on Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. How real is Iran’s influence? After the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in Tehran, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the commander of the …

In a Labour Party Election Broadcast on April 16th, 2024, Sir Keir Starmer highlighted how his working-class background influences his approach to politics. In a BBC interview on May 27th, 2024, Sir Starmer reinforced his working-class roots and promised to serve the interests of the working people in Britain. He …

The Republic of Kosovo and Southeast Europe, as an exposed region partially absorbed by current loyalists of Russian Intelligence Services, that are severely affecting regional security, have acquired a rapidly ascending geopolitical importance within the structures of the U. S. Intelligence Community and NATO Alliance. On August 22 – 23, …