Dmitry Plotnikov, an expert on “soft power” and the post-Soviet space authored an analysis titled “Turkey Is Building a New Ottoman Empire”, where he analyzed the growing ties between Ankara and Baku and concluded that Russia has lost its formerly dominant position in Azerbaijan. This is most evident in military …

When the American Lockheed Martin Corporation was unable to complete the job it had promised Ankara – building a vertical missile launching system for the Turkish Navy – because of American sanctions imposed in response to Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 anti-missile defensive system, Ankara responded with the determination to …

Isaac Herzog, the incumbent Jewish Agency chairman, former Labor party leader, and son of Israel’s sixth president, Chaim Herzog, becomes Israel’s 11th president in a Wednesday afternoon ceremony in Jerusalem. He replaces Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin. Although the presidency is a largely ceremonial position within Israel’s parliamentary democracy, the post is …

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, the son of King Salman and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is on a visit to Washington that, while not a secret, was not publicly disclosed in advance. Today’s meetings are at the State Department, while on Tuesday he …

The International Atomic Energy Agency disclosed on Tuesday that Iran had begun to produce uranium metal enriched to 20% purity, a move that the United States and European powers immediately condemned. Uranium metal can be used to make the core of a nuclear bomb. Britain, France and Germany in a …

The US justice department’s counterterrorism division has revived its plan to acquire balloons to keep the border between Libya and Tunisia under surveillance, saying that following the failure of Lockheed Martin and TCOM, two other US firms are still in the running, according to the French website, Africa Intelligence. The …

Russia skipped U.N. Security Council negotiations on Tuesday on whether to extend approval for cross-border aid access into Syria, diplomats said, as China pushed for “solutions” to its concerns about unilateral sanctions and aid transparency. The council mandate for the long-running U.N. operation delivering aid into northern Syria from Turkey …

An Egyptian court on Tuesday lifted a three-month long judicial seizure of a hulking shipping vessel that had blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week earlier this year, paving the way for it to leave Egypt. Following the decision by the court in the city of Ismailia, the Ever …

Qatar will provide the Lebanese armed forces with 70 tonnes of food a month, the Qatari state news agency QNA reported, as Lebanon seeks assistance amid its worst economic and political crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war. Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun had appealed to world powers at meeting in …

A Treasury official told Reuters the move was unrelated to the talks on Iran’s nuclear program. The Biden administration also removed some Iranian citizens from the list in June. A few Iranians were removed from a US government blacklist Friday. The Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List …