On July 2, 2021, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin approved the new National Security Strategy that replaced the 2015 strategy. The new document was notable for the emphasis that it placed on the protection of Russia’s “traditional spiritual and moral values” that were presumably under threat from the West.[1] Anti-Western conservatives …

Russia is battling a severe Covid wave, while experiencing stagflation. The price of bread (a major staple in the Russian diet) is set to rise. According to the President of the Russian Union of Bakers Alexei Lyalin, all types of raw materials for bread production have risen several times. The …

Chris Pratt of Parks and Recreation and Guardians of the Galaxy fame has a new film out. In The Tomorrow War, Pratt uses time travel to save Earth from hordes of ravenous aliens. The film ultimately is an allegory for climate change, so kudos to Pratt and all in Hollywood …

The attack occurred in a crowded marketplace as residents were shopping for the holiday of Eid al-Adha. A bomb killed at least 28 people in Baghdad on Monday, hospital and police sources told Reuters, in what marked the latest explosion to target the Iraqi neighborhood of Sadr City this year. …

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia agreed to increase production limits for some member states Sunday following a demand by the United Arab Emirates. Oil prices fell Monday, the day after OPEC+ raised production limits. The price of Brent crude oil — considered the global benchmark for …

Belgrade breaks with EU consensus by being one of the first European countries to upgrade its relations with Damascus to ambassadorial level. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sworn in July 17 for his fourth seven-year presidential term after winning more than 95.1% of the votes in democratically dubious elections held …

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid are working to rehabilitate the bilateral ties with Jordan after the setbacks to the relationship under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu left no shortage of hot potatoes on his desk. Some are political time …

Outgoing Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s final report on the Iran nuclear talks is self-serving in parts, but nonetheless charts a path to closing the JCPOA talks. Outgoing Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s July 12 report to parliament offers a clear path for completing negotiations over restoring the …

Joran’s King Abdullah on Monday became the first Arab head of state to meet at the White House with US President Joe Biden on Monday, where the two leaders discussed economic challenges made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as “opportunities to enhance peace and stability in the Middle …

When a reporter in early July asked Joe Biden a question about the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. president sniped back, saying, “I want to talk about happy things, man.” Biden revealed, perhaps unintentionally, that the situation in Afghanistan is anything but a happy topic. It might have been one …