July, 2024

• 4 July

  Iran-Backed Shi’ite Militias In Iraq Threaten To Attack U.S. Interests In Region If Israel Expands War Against Hizbullah

  

  Amid the tension between Hizbullah and Israel, which has been growing in recent weeks, and amid the mutual threats they are exchanging to expand the scope of the war, the Iran-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq are threatening that, if this happens, they will renew their attacks on U.S. interests in …

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• 4 July

  Espionage And Diplomacy – OpEd

  

  The recent revelations by Australia’s national broadcaster, ABC, detailing the covert expulsion of four Indian intelligence officers in 2020, have stirred significant concern within the international community. These officers, allegedly attempting to infiltrate sensitive defense technologies and monitor the Indian-Australian community, highlight a troubling dimension of India’s intelligence operations abroad …

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• 4 July

  Xi Heads To Central Asia Amid Waning Russian Influence

  

  Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday morning for the 24th annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group created by Beijing and Moscow to manage their shared – and competing – geopolitical interests in Central Asia. Xi touched down in the Kazakh capital of Astana ahead …

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• 4 July

  Why NATOizing Military Assistance To Ukraine Won’t Solve The Alliance’s Ukraine Dilemma – Analysis

  

  Despite promises to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, many NATO Allies are starting to reach a tipping point in their military assistance to Ukraine. That reality, and the specter of Donald Trump’s reelection this November, has led some within the Alliance to call for the NATOization of the …

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• 4 July

  Fresh Russia-Türkiye Spat Endangers Long-Term Ties

  

  Moscow’s anger over Turkish arms supplies to Kyiv and compliance with U.S. sanctions threatens a rift between the on-off allies. The ever-turbulent relationship between Russia and Türkiye is on the brink of a new crisis. In early June, Russian President Vladimir Putin openly reproached Ankara for providing military aid to …

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• 4 July

  Iran Update, July 2, 2024

  

  Iranian reformist presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian appears to be gaining momentum ahead of the runoff presidential elections on July 2. Several recent polls demonstrate that Pezeshkian is maintaining his lead over hardline candidate Saeed Jalili.[i] Pezeshkian received 10.4 million votes and Jalili received around 9.5 million during the first round …

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• 4 July

  Viktor Orbán visits Kyiv for surprise talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy

  

  Hungarian PM, an outspoken critic of aid to Ukraine, makes first trip to country since start of Russia’s full-scale invasion Hungary’s prime minister, an outspoken critic of western aid to Ukraine, has held talks with President Volodomyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, following a surprise visit by Europe’s most pro-Russian leader to …

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• 4 July

  Maybe nobody lost Turkey, NATO should stop pretending nothing is wrong

  

  Understanding Turkey’s relationship with its Western allies is challenging, at times, non-sensical. Scholars debate between whether the West actually ‘lost’ Turkey, or whether Ankara actually chose to drift away from being identified as a stalwart member of NATO, or a key strategic ally of the US Some say, it’s neither. …

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• 4 July

  Securing Lebanon to Prevent a Larger Hezbollah-Israel War and Wider Escalation

  

  As tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalate, the specter of a full-scale war, with the potential to draw in the United States and Iran, demands the US’ immediate attention. The Biden-Harris Administration has tasked, in response, White House Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein with the responsibility of mediating efforts to de-escalate …

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• 4 July

  Israel risking disastrous war against Hezbollah for political reasons, says former US official

  

  Israel risks going to war against Hezbollah to ensure Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival, but it would be a miscalculation that could lead to mass civilian deaths in both Lebanon and Israel, a former US military intelligence analyst has warned. Harrison Mann, who was a major in the Defense Intelligence Agency …

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