TimeLine Layout

November, 2021

  • 20 November

    Aiding Afghan Local Governance: What Went Wrong?

    One major pillar of the international community’s engagement over the past two decades centered on strengthening subnational governance. After 20 years of an ambitious, costly international state-building effort, the government of Afghanistan collapsed in the summer of 2021 in a matter of weeks. The Afghan security forces’ remarkably rapid defeat …

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  • 20 November

    Key to Afghan Relief Efforts: Financial Engineering for Private Sector, Economy

    Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis urgently demands solutions to a ‘liquidity trap,’ stifled trade and blocked bank transfers. The U.S. government needs to urgently prioritize saving Afghan lives, meeting basic human needs and stemming the free-fall of the Afghan economy. The unprecedented evacuation of some 100,000 people from Kabul airport in August …

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  • 20 November

    Ukraine in the Crosshairs

    This past spring, Russia amassed 100,000 troops and a host of military equipment near the Ukrainian border in a transparent bid to threaten Kyiv; it seemed that an invasion might be imminent. Then, Russia withdrew most of its forces, claiming they had completed a training exercise, and the crisis was …

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  • 20 November

    Why China Wants More and Better Nukes

    Recent weeks have seen an explosion of worry in the United States about China’s nuclear program. A Pentagon report released in early November warned that China is “accelerating the large-scale expansion of its nuclear forces” and building a larger, diversified, and more sophisticated nuclear arsenal. The report follows news that …

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  • 20 November

    Plotting like a revolutionary: The need for growing like-minded humanistic networks of Iranians and Arabs

    It is a mistake to view Iran’s regional aggression and hegemony as purely a result of violence and terrorism. Certainly, a major impetus of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and of its local militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere is the projection of violence of every sort. …

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  • 20 November

    The Kampala Attacks and Their Regional Implications

    What happened and who is allegedly involved? On 16 November, a trio of suicide bombers targeted Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, one detonating his vest outside police headquarters and two more blowing themselves up near parliament. The attacks killed at least four other people, according to official reports, and wounded 37 …

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  • 20 November

    Reforming the AU Mission in Somalia

    The African Union Mission in Somalia’s UN mandate is nearing its end. Despite the mission’s mixed record, its withdrawal could allow Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents to take over the country. A mandate extension would allow Somalia, donors and partners to agree on a reconfiguration and funding. What’s new? The UN mandate …

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  • 20 November

    US Sanctions Make The Iranian Currency Lose Value

    Warsaw and other EU countries have accused Minsk of transporting migrants to Belarus on purpose to create an immigration crisis, slapping Belarus with new sanctions for this reason. Belarusian authorities strongly deny the EU’s claims. Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that western countries use the ongoing immigration crisis at …

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  • 20 November

    US Sanctions Make The Iranian Currency Lose Value

    Ordinary Iranians have become the main victims of the U.S. blockade as the devaluation the rial has led to limited purchasing power and higher prices. The Iranian currency’s value has continued to fall as the U.S. dollar is trading at over 280,000 rials on the free market. Before the reinstatement …

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  • 20 November

    Iraq diversifies arms imports after US withdrawal from Afghanistan

    The US withdrawal may have spurred Iraq to consider purchases from Turkey and Pakistan, according to report by the Pentagon’s Inspector General. The United States and NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer may have encouraged Iraq’s government to consider weapons purchases from Turkey and Pakistan, according to an unclassified US …

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