Slovakia’s new populist prime minister will visit his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest on Tuesday. Experts disagree about the viability of a new Slovak-Hungarian ‘illiberal alliance’.Robert Fico, the recently elected Slovak prime minister, will be in Budapest on Tuesday to meet with his opposite number Viktor Orban. The visit is, after …

At the end of 2023, the Balkans was ensnared in a complex tapestry of digital misdirection, a surge of online attacks targeting women and escalating cyber threats.In the closing months of 2023, a wave of misinformation gripped North Macedonia, Hungary, Romania, and Turkey. Deceptive political narratives, manipulated charts, and orchestrated …

UK defense minister Grant Shapps has predicted a global conflict between the West and Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, within five years. Shapps has called on Britain’s allies to increase their military spending in response to this so-called “existential threat.” In his first speech as defense chief on Monday, …

Moscow has little to gain from a major flare-up in the Red Sea, which means Washington’s efforts to stop Houthi attacks on shipping are likely to be quietly welcomed. Predictably, Russia has been deeply critical of strikes by the United States and the United Kingdom against Yemen’s Houthi militia, which …

In-depth: Armenian lawyers and the diaspora community in Jerusalem are uniting their efforts to push back against secretive Israeli land deals. Yerevan, Armenia – There are mounting concerns in Armenia regarding a controversial land lease agreement in East Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, with many fearing the issue goes well beyond just …

In a sign of mounting concern about the inflow of captagon into Jordan – a highly addictive amphetamine – Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi recently spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to find ways to tackle the trade, according to unofficial reports. The fact that Syria and Iran’s borders lie …

The Kerman attack exposes gaping holes in Iran’s security policy, but leaders continue to fan regional flames with hollow threats, writes Ahmet Furkan Ozyakar. The suicidal terrorist attack that took place on 3rd January in Kerman, located in the southeast of Iran, was the most violent and deadly incident in …

In response to repeated attacks by the Houthis on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the U.S. and UK launched airstrikes overnight 11-12 January against Houthi positions in Yemen. In this Q&A, Crisis Group looks at the implications. What is happening in the Red Sea? Israel’s war in Gaza has …

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the dark fleet of old vessels that lack proper insurance, have opaque ownership, and “flag hop” between different permissive ship registries has grown explosively, to an estimated 1,400 ships. Their presence poses considerable risk to other ships, to the environment, and to countries experiencing maritime …

On Tuesday, Iran used missiles and drones to strike western Pakistan near Koh-e-Sabz. On Thursday, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in southeastern Iran near Saravan, then released a statement claiming that “Iran is a brotherly country.” More than a sibling squabble is going on here. Iran and Pakistan were apparently targeting hideouts …