Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready to launch a counteroffensive against Russia. In a Wall Street Journal report published Saturday, the Ukrainian leader said, “We strongly believe that we will succeed.” “I don’t know how long it will take,” he said, “but … we are ready.” He said …

Lebanon has had no president since the departure from office of Michel Aoun in October last year, and the jockeying for position continues. Hezbollah and the Amal movement were banking on Christian division to push their candidate, Sulaiman Franjieh, but the Christian blocs surprised them by supporting the candidacy of …

Politicians in Kyrgyzstan have for years attempted to push through controversial legislation that would impose restrictions on nongovernmental organizations that receive funding from abroad. But lawmakers have rejected multiple draft bills, fearing it would harm the Central Asian country’s democratic credentials and lead to donors pulling foreign aid. Now, there …

Putin’s cult of personality, Vladimir Pastukhov says, “is not only the main but apparently the only political institution in Russia that is fully operational and that has been gradually pushing all the other mechanisms for maintaining public order there to the sidelines.” “It is not Putin that performs this role, …

Iranian Loitering Munitions Threaten Ukraine The Russian military has intensified its drone and missile salvos, hitting Ukrainian population centers continuously. Recent weeks have seen a dramatic increase in strikes from Iran-manufactured Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 loitering munitions. On May 30, 29 Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones targeted Ukraine. During the night of …

The nature and ideology of the chief, as well as the situation he is in, command hardening. Moreover, it will now be based on the most right-wing parliament in the history of the republic. It’s hard not to open the “Gates of Hell” all the way. One thing is certain: …

To mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, SIPRI is releasing new data on multilateral peace operations in 2022. This topical backgrounder summarizes the key findings from the new data along with important developments related to multilateral peace operations during the year. In 2022, 64 multilateral peace operations were …

The war in Syria has dropped out of the news, like almost everything else, in a time when the Ukraine war seems to dominate all discourse and reporting. But the regime of Bashar al-Assad continues to strangle its own country. Even last year the Russians continued to bomb on his …

Kosovo’s relations with its key US ally deteriorated sharply as Washington said it will impose penalties until Pristina takes measures to de-escalate the tense situation that led to violent unrest in the Serb-majority north of the country. The US ambassador to Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, said on Tuesday that Washington will …

Instead of being “Being Fustest with the Mostest” in Central Asia, an area of intense interest to China and Russia, the U.S. and Europe may be “too little, too late.” The dwindling relevance of Washington and Brussels to Central Asia was on display when Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted the …