March, 2021

• 7 March

  US, EU Remain Wary Of Erdogan’s Diplomatic Charm Offensive

  Since U.S. President Joe Biden’s election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been making diplomatic overtures to the West, pledging democratic reforms at home and promising a serious effort to improve ties with Turkey’s NATO partners. The Turkish leader told France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, in a video call Tuesday that …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  Virus Balkanicus – Fascist Chauvinism: The Ignorance Of Reuters – Essay

  Media ethics is the weakest part of the professional journalism today anywhere in the world. Instead of writing in civilized way, very often agencies, and especially Reuters, writes about Balkan people if they were tribes from the 11th century or so. Case in Point? Read no further than the headline: …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  Is Biden Content For Iran To Conquer Yemen? – OpEd

  For the past decade Yemen has been torn apart by civil conflict, an extension of internecine strife that goes back much further. The main protagonists in the current struggle are the Houthis, a fundamentalist Shia militia group heavily dependent on Iran, and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Sunni states determined …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  US Boosting Guam’s Vital Role In Its Indo-Pacific Strategy – Analysis

  The Biden administration is turning Guam into a key forward operating base for deployments and other operations in the Western Pacific, with China the primary target. Guam’s centrality in America’s Indo-Pacific security strategy makes the island a key node. On Monday, Indo-Pacific Command submitted a request to Congress for an …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  Hungary: Fidesz Flounces Out Of EPP – Analysis

  After years of conflict and suspension, Hungary’s ruling party finally departs the EPP parliamentary group with accusations that the political family of Europe’s centre-right parties is trying to “mute and disable our democratically elected MEPs”. Hungary’s nationalist-populist ruling party confirmed on Wednesday earlier leaked reports it has decided to leave …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  Germany’s Transatlantic Ambiguities – Analysis

  Hopes for a spectacular relaunch of the European Union’s Franco-German “motor” after Brexit have thus far failed to materialize. Quite the contrary, now that Paris and Berlin find themselves without the British “third wheel,” almost every issue seems to trigger a bilateral squabble. Whether it is armaments cooperation, energy supply …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  The Talented Mr. Bin Salman – OpEd

  Mohammed bin Salman is a charming fellow. The tall, dark, and handsome Saudi prince known as MbS has seduced world leaders and eager pundits left and right. To his supporters, MbS became first in line to the Saudi throne by championing reform in a deeply conservative Gulf kingdom, taking on …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  Oil Markets, Fracking And The Global Economy – Analysis

  Oil markets have long been central to discussions of the global economy, and fluctuations in oil prices frequently gain widespread attention. This column explores the impact of the rising use of fracking on how oil markets are best conceived within modern macroeconomic theory. The author’s model predicts that as fracking …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  U.S officials have met Yemen’s Houthis as Washington seeks end to war – sources

  Senior U.S. officials have held a first direct meeting with officials from the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls Yemen’s capital, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the new U.S. administration pushes to end a six-year war. The discussions, which have not been officially made public by either side, …

  Read More »
• 7 March

  U.N. rights experts urge Saudi Arabia to release three young Shi’ites

  U.N. human rights experts called on Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to free three young Shi’ite Muslims whose death sentences for taking part in protests as minors have been commuted, citing allegations of torture and unfair trials. The kingdom’s human rights record has come under growing U.N. and Western scrutiny. The …

  Read More »