How Rich Countries’ Selfish Pandemic Responses Stoked Distrust This past June, at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced a topic that, on its face, had little to do with international finance. In remarks to dozens of …

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana told Al-Monitor that he is optimistic the alliance will soon conclude a new four-year partnership framework with Israel. On a three-day visit to Israel, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Friday the defense alliance shares many of the same security concerns as …

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears trapped between security establishment advice to proceed with a Saudi deal plus concessions to the Palestinians and allied hardliners’ rejection of any compromise with Ramallah. While a path of escalating Palestinian attacks and tensions threatens to deteriorate into further violence with Israel, a path of …

Pakistan’s 76th Independence Day, on Aug. 14, was marked by an undercurrent of challenges. The 16-month rule of the 13-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government concluded, making way for a new technocratic caretaker administration tasked with overseeing upcoming general elections. However, this power transition is not as straightforward as …

On Aug. 23, an Embraer Legacy-600 business jet exploded over Russia’s Tver Oblast. The crash resulted in the deaths of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, co-founder Dmitry Utkin, and logistics head Valery Chekalov. While predictions of Prigozhin’s impending demise were widespread after he launched an abortive mutiny against Russia’s military …

The Caspian Sea, the world’s largest inland body of water, is steadily shrinking. Water levels reached a critical low in 2022 and continue to fall by 6-7 centimeters per year, with some projections suggesting it could drop by as much as 9-18 meters by the end of the century. Although …

Years of simmering tensions between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local populations in northeast Syria have exploded this week into still-expanding battles across much of Deir ez-Zor. The current violence was triggered by the SDF’s Aug. 27 arrest of Ahmed al-Khubayl (“Abu Khawla”), the emir of the Bakir tribe …

Les relations entre Ankara et Moscou défient les attentes occidentales : Il s’agit d’un modèle unique de coopération entre puissances régionales, fondé sur des intérêts mutuels, le respect et la reconnaissance des politiques étrangères indépendantes et de l’autonomie stratégique de chaque pays. Ce qui rend une relation de pouvoir intrigante …

Cette semaine, à Vladivostok, l’Extrême-Orient russe a été inauguré. La Russie, la Chine, l’Inde et les pays du Sud étaient là pour contribuer à cette renaissance du commerce, des investissements, des infrastructures, des transports et des institutions. Le président russe Vladimir Poutine a ouvert et clôturé son discours très détaillé …

Le secrétaire général de l’ONU, Antonio Guterres avait souligné sa «préoccupation extrême» face à l’utilisation d’enfants «soldats» par l’organisation terroriste. L’organisation terroriste PKK/YPG poursuit sa pratique de recrutement d’«enfants soldats» en Syrie, malgré le plan d’action signé par Ferhat Abdi Sahin, surnommé «Mazloum Abdi», l’un des soi-disant dirigeants du PKK/YPG, …