On July 4, Iran officially became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during a virtual summit hosted by India for the SCO Heads of State Council (Shargh Daily, July 4). Iran initially joined as an “observer member without voting rights” at the July 2005 summit in Astana …

Germany released its first China strategy this week, which calls Beijing a “systemic rival” and stresses the need for Europe’s largest economy to reduce economic dependence on its largest trading partner. Analysts tell VOA the policy shift outlined in the 64-page report that notes “China has changed” highlights Germany’s attempt …

The nations in the U.S. Central Command area of operations remain important to the National Defense Strategy and figure in the world of strategic competition, said a senior defense official speaking on background. China, Russia, Iran and threats from extremist groups remain squarely in the focus of the command. The …

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s leaders gathered this week for a major summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Of course, the main focus was on Ukraine, and a new NATO-Ukraine Council was established to help boost cooperation. The alliance also agreed that Ukraine will someday join the club. To the disappointment of …

The provision of F-16 fighters to Ukraine is a controversial and complex issue that involves the interests and concerns of various actors, such as the United States, Ukraine, Russia, NATO and other European countries. Here, I will analyze the reasons, implications and challenges of this decision from different perspectives. ReasonsUkraine …

Russian paramilitary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny, which started at night on 23 June from Rostov-on-Don as a ‘March of Justice’ towards Moscow, lasted only one day. But some observers claim that it may signal the beginning of the end of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship, which has now lasted 23 …

The 2023 NATO Summit at Vilnius, Lithuania, is now but a memory. If I could characterize the summit in just two words, I would say, “reality bites.” And it bites both ways. On the one hand the US and its NATO allies came face to face with the reality that …

Beijing has nothing to offer Moscow in terms of ideology, but will gladly share its ideas for the economy and political control.The world’s first center for studying the ideas of Chinese leader Xi Jinping has opened in Moscow within Russia’s Institute of China and Modern Asia, part of the Academy …

In Russia, last year’s exodus of Western companies and Russian entrepreneurs is creating opportunities to entrench the regime, as a wartime redistribution of assets belonging to those who left the country promises to enrich what remains of the middle class and bind it to the state.In any discussion over the …

Analysis: While Saudi demands for US weapons and nuclear energy are real, Riyadh is also likely testing the water to see what’s possible in Washington as the costs of normalising ties with Israel still far outweigh the benefits. Last month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US Princess …