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US troops in Iraq have come under attack every day this week

Wednesday’s rocket attack on Al-Asad Air Base marks the third time in as many days that U.S. installations in Iraq have come under fire — and it is still not clear who is responsible for the recent strikes. Two U.S. service members were injured after 14 rockets were fired at …

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El último apagó la luz

Si para Estados Unidos Afganistán es la última derrota de su última guerra imperial, para los europeos es una catástrofe en sordina Todo va mal en Afganistán. Regresan aquellos fantasmas históricos que expulsaron a todos los invasores y amargaron los últimos días de los regímenes títere por ellos instalados. El …

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A tisztelet koldusai

Nem először tölt el csodálattal a szempontváltás képessége, amely olyannyira jellemzi a Fideszt. Bámulatos például, ahogy a többségi, autokráciába hajló (díszlet)demokrácia itthoni hívei, a váratlan és rekordgyorsaságú jogalkotás mesterei uniós színtéren a konszenzuális döntéshozatal szerelmeseivé vedlenek át. Az Orbán-kormány hazai ellenfeleit, kiszemelt célpontjait a hatalom és roppant médiagépezete rendre az …

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What Is China Doing?

What does China want the narrative to be? The ideal outcome would be that the virus originated outside of China. Failing that, an acceptable outcome would be, as highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article, that the virus “that killed millions of people and shattered the global economy” …

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Xi Jinping Is Mobilizing China for War, Possibly With Nukes

Beijing looks as if it is preparing for a full-scale invasion of Indian territory…. Ladakh is not the only hotspot. There is a Chinese encroachment in India’s Sikkim as well as incursions in neighboring Bhutan and Nepal. Lately, Xi’s references in public pronouncements have become unmistakable, and his subordinates have …

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Taliban’s rapid advance across Afghanistan puts key cities at risk of being overtaken

The Taliban’s mounting pressure campaign on key cities across Afghanistan continued Wednesday as fighters battled government forces in the capital of Badghis province, the latest advance in a string of attacks on government-controlled districts since foreign forces began to withdraw in May. Clashes reached the city center Wednesday, but Afghan …

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Investing in the Balkans, China Sidesteps Kosovo

China’s controversial investment push into the Balkans has notably sidestepped Kosovo, a state it does not recognise. From Montenegro’s ‘road to ruin’ to Serbia’s Smederevo steel mill, China is all over the Balkans these days. Except in Kosovo. “In Kosovo you can find many goods from China, but no investment …

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Turkish Strongman’s Western Charm Offensive is Born of Desperation

After years of crises and fraught relations with old Western allies, President Erdogan is putting out feelers to the West – to save the economy and his regime, experts say. “Tensions have eased in our relations. We will … reengage in joint work,” French President Emanuel Macron announced on June …

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DEMOCRACY DIGEST: ZEMAN AND TUSK – KNIGHTS IN SHINING ARMOUR?

The Czech president talks about riding to the rescue of Prime Minister Babis’s ANO party, while speculation rises about whether Donald Tusk will do the same for Poland’s opposition. Speculation about former Polish prime minister and European Council president Donald Tusk returning to the domestic political fray and leading the …

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In Fight for Votes, Moldovan Parties Fail Marginalised Groups

The rights of women, Roma, people with disabilities and the LGBT community barely feature in Moldova’s July 11 election. Where Moldova’s pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, PAS, devotes an entire chapter of its 45-page election manifesto to the rights of women, its chief rival in this month’s election, the pro-Russian …

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