Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a marathon news conference Thursday, blamed the West for tensions on the Ukraine border and fears of war, but stopped short of issuing any pronouncements likely to drive further escalation. One of his most prominent television appearances of the year, the annual conference, which lasted …

When the news broke on December 7 that the Syrian port of Latakia had been bombed, and that an Israeli military spokesperson had declined to comment, a natural first reaction was that this air strike was the latest of hundreds over the past few years, targeting Syrian government facilities in …

Although reluctantly, current central bank governors and respected economists have ramped up their warnings that inflation is here to stay. However, while it took officials a considerable period of time to admit the inflationary threat, despite the signs and warnings, they are failing to name its root causes. Inevitably, and …

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has lambasted the United Kingdom for a “meddlesome statement” issued by the Foreign Office on Iran’s defensive capabilities, stressing that Tehran acts within international laws and regulations and in accordance with the Islamic Republic’s defense needs. “The nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran is …

Taliban officials in Afghanistan confirmed Friday that they had discussed plans with a joint delegation from Turkey and Qatar for firms from the two countries to run airports in Kabul and other Afghan cities. The talks came as the international community looks for ways to scale up delivery of urgently …

Nord Stream 2, the $10.5 billion, 1,230km gas pipeline running from Russia to north-eastern Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, is technically complete and ready for operation. However, the project has yet to receive German and European Union regulatory approval, with that process threatening to drag out until …

The United States and Ukraine deny that Kyiv is preparing a military offensive in its eastern region, an assertion made by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his news conference on December 23. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that “facts make clear that the only aggression at the border …

Norway’s fleet of F-16 will be replaced by F-35s, in whose development and production the Nordic country has played an important role. The procurement of the 52 warplanes has been described as the largest defence deal in the country’s history. Romania wants to purchase 32 F-16 fighter jets from Norway. …

America Must Decide Which Nuclear Steps Merit a Military Response Iran’s expanding nuclear program and foot-dragging at the negotiating table have imperiled U.S. plans to revive the Iran nuclear deal, forcing Washington to consider alternatives to diplomacy. In June, President Joe Biden promised that Iran will “never get a nuclear …

Illiberalism on the Rise The election of Donald Trump in 2016 sparked a major debate over the nature and fate of the liberal international order, suddenly caught, it seemed, between the Charybdis of illiberal great-power challengers and the Scylla of a hostile U.S. president. Trump may have lost the presidency …