April, 2021

• 14 April

  A Chance to Stop Syria and Russia From Using Chemical Weapons

  Moscow and Damascus have evaded all accountability, but Biden can build a coalition to change that. The battle for the future of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction is underway within an obscure but important international organization based in The Hague. The looming showdown at the Organisation for the Prohibition …

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• 14 April

  Are Russia and Ukraine Sliding Into War?

  After six years of an uneasy and at times violent truce, the specter of a new war is looming large in Russia-Ukraine relations. In retaliation for Kyiv’s recent crackdown on pro-Russian media and politicians, Moscow is staging a large-scale and ostentatious military buildup along the Ukrainian border. The situation is …

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• 14 April

  Iran hard-liners call for end to Vienna talks after attack on nuclear facility

  The second attack on a nuclear facility in five months has prompted calls for Iran to quit talks on reviving the nuclear deal. After another attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, hard-liners in Iran have called for ending the negotiations in Vienna on the United States’ reentry to the 2015 …

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• 14 April

  Is al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria’s Idlib on its way to demise?

  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, is close to ending the presence of al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din, after arresting one of its top active commanders and closing its military facilities in the area. Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din (Guardians of Religion Organization) in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib …

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• 14 April

  White House faces tough task of tearing down Iran sanctions wall to save nuclear deal

  In Trump’s final days, the White House introduced a slew of new sanctions aimed at hindering a return to the nuclear deal. Yet since the designations were so blatantly politicized, the risk of undoing them is politically manageable. In the fall of 2020, as Trump administration foreign policy officials anticipated …

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• 14 April

  Crackdown on dissent highlights Turkey’s drift from democracy

  A recent decision to nullify a parliamentary vote and ongoing targeting of opposition lawmakers are further evidence of Turkey’s slide away from a democratic system. A recent move by Turkey’s ruling party to override opposition in parliament, alongside an ongoing crackdown on dissent more broadly, has cast doubt on the …

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• 14 April

  China looms large in Turkey’s controversial waterway project

  Turkey is reportedly gearing up to partner with China in the construction of an artificial waterway parallel to the Bosporus, a project with likely implications for Russia and the United States in the Black Sea. While Turkey remains stuck between the West and Russia on a number of strategic issues, …

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• 14 April

  Turkey, US in rare position of unity over Ukraine

  Russia’s Turkey policy to “drive a wedge between Turkey and its NATO allies” will not likely bear fruit when it comes to Ukraine. Turkey’s relationship with the United States is on the rocks, and the most immediate cause is Ankara’s refusal to get rid of its newly acquired, Russian-manufactured S-400 …

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• 14 April

  Islamic State maintains foothold in Syrian desert

  The Islamic State continues to cause trouble for the regime forces in large desert areas of central and eastern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on March 31 that six Russian fighter jets launched 15 airstrikes against Islamic State positions in the Syrian desert near the Aleppo-Hama-Raqqa triangle. …

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• 12 April

  New Natanz Nuclear Novelties Neutralized by Network’s No-Go

  

  Iran on Sunday reported that an electrical failure had led to a sweeping power outage in its Natanz nuclear facility, less than one day after new uranium enrichment equipment was plugged in at the site. According to Iranian officials, the incident, which has shut down the complex’s new advanced centrifuges, …

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