February, 2022

• 4 February

  Battle opens for presidency in Iraq

  

  As the Kurdistan Democratic Party nominates Hoshyar Zebari for the presidency, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is looking to renew the mandate of President Barham Salih. Iraqi President Barham Salih confirmed Feb. 1 that he will seek re-election. He has served as president since 2018, and his Patriotic Union of …

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• 4 February

  Emirates advances 2021 plan to invest $10 billion in Israel

  

  With a new Israeli government that is stable and committed to the Abraham Accords, the Emiratis are moving forward on their 2021 pledge to invest $10 billion in the country. When former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was supposed to visit the Emirates after the signing of the Abraham Accords, the …

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• 4 February

  FM reprimands Ukraine ambassador for saying Lapid ‘adopted Russian rhetoric’

  

  FM Yair Lapid said that he doesn’t think there will be a violent conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s ambassador for a reprimand on Thursday, after the diplomat accused Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of repeating Russian rhetoric. Lapid said a day earlier that his evaluation is …

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• 4 February

  Biden says ISIS leader Quraishi killed in Syria raid

  

  The world is now a “safer place” after the killing of Islamic State leader al-Qurayshi, according to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The leader of Islamic State died in a US Special Forces raid in northern Syria on Thursday when he detonated a bomb that killed him and family members, US …

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• 4 February

  A few hundred kms from Iran, Israel sends message with Gantz’s visit to Bahrain

  

  The defense minister is visiting Bahrain where the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding. A mere 200 kilometers away from Iran, Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz made a clear statement: We are building bridges with your neighbors and we are here to stay. Gantz was in Bahrain for a …

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• 4 February

  The Future and Past of War and Disease

  

  Mobilizing for great power conflict is hard enough, but with a new variant of COVID-19 running rampant, the U.S. military would have its hands full if it had to fight tonight. Fortunately, today the U.S. military is fairly well-postured to tackle a deployment during a pandemic, given its experience fighting …

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• 4 February

  Should NATO Close Its Doors?

  

  In their current confrontation with Russia, the United States and its allies are defending a dangerously anachronistic principle: that all of Russia’s European neighbors should be free to seek NATO membership and that NATO should be free to incorporate them. Already, since the end of the Cold War the United …

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• 4 February

  In Ukraine, Erdogan emphasizes agreements with Moscow

  

  Striking a different tone from many of his Western counterparts, the Turkish president’s remarks in Kyiv reflect a position that factors in Moscow’s demands on the Ukraine standoff. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underscored the role of existing agreements for a “peaceful and diplomatic solution” in the Ukraine standoff during …

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• 4 February

  Turkish inflation hits two-decade high, inches toward 50%

  

  With annual producer inflation reaching 93.5%, further price increases appear in store for Turkish consumers in February and March after consumer inflation sets a two-decade record in January. Turkey’s consumer prices rose 11.1% in January, bringing annual inflation to 48.7%, the highest rate in two decades, data released Thursday by …

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• 4 February

  North Korea mocks US overtures for diplomacy in wake of January missile tests

  

  The North Korean Foreign Ministry scorned diplomatic overtures from Washington, D.C., this week and advised it “to halt its military threat to our country.” The ministry’s Wednesday statement mocked the “so-called ‘diplomatic solution’ and ‘dialogue,’” called for by the United States after a burst of missile tests by North Korea …

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