February, 2021

• 27 February

  Reimagined US-Middle East Strategy Would Lean Less On Arms Sales

  U.S. policies in the Middle East are built on outdated “legacy” aid packages, massive arms sales and a disproportionate focus on the Iranian threat that fail to advance American interests – or help the region’s people – and need to be rethought, according to a new RAND Corporation report. The …

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• 27 February

  While The Indo-Pacific Waits For Biden To Recognize Reality, It Must Help Itself – Analysis

  Successful foreign policymaking, like love and dancing, is almost entirely dependent on timing. Unfortunately, at the present time, the new, sunny, administration of Joe Biden—with its utopian Wilsonian outlook—is in for a period of jarring realist education. The major players of the Indo-Pacific must not wait around for the superpower …

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• 27 February

  Tokyo seals deal on costs to host U.S. forces in FY2021

  Japan and the United States on Wednesday signed an agreement to maintain Tokyo’s costs to keep U.S. forces stationed in the country at around the current level for fiscal 2021, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said. Under the agreement, Japan will spend 201.7 billion yen ($1.9 billion) in the year …

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• 27 February

  Heating the Planet Through a New Cold War

  Slowing the pace of climate change and getting “tough” on China, especially over its human-rights abuses and unfair trade practices, are among the top priorities President Biden has announced for his new administration. Evidently, he believes that he can tame a rising China with harsh pressure tactics, while still gaining …

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• 27 February

  Imagining Palestine: On Barghouti, Darwish, Kanafani and the Language of Exile

  For Palestinians, exile is not simply the physical act of being removed from their homes and their inability to return. It is not a casual topic pertaining to politics and international law, either. Nor is it an ethereal notion, a sentiment, a poetic verse. It is all of this, combined. …

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• 27 February

  Alarm Bells Ring over North Macedonia Plan for ‘Ethnic IDs’

  Cold political calculation has given wings to a motion to include ethnicity in ID cards in North Macedonia, setting the country apart from the rest of the world. Critics are alarmed.

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• 27 February

  SPUTNIK VACCINE ORBITS SLOVAK POLITICS

  Slovakia’s febrile politics and incompetent handling of the pandemic has made it vulnerable to Russian mischief using its Sputnik vaccine. In January, Prime Minister Igor Matovič was still expressing confidence that Slovakia would have enough Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for most of its adult population, and would only use the …

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• 27 February

  Iran Says It’s Developed New Long-Range Combat Drone

  Iran says it has developed a new long-range wide-body combat drone that has a range of 3,000 kilometers, reports local media. The IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency, cited Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh as saying the Kaman-22 (Bow-22) is the first wide-body combat drone manufactured by local experts.

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• 27 February

  Armenian Defense Minister Says Yerevan Would Like Russia Expand Gyumri Base – OpEd

  Armenian Defense Minister Vagarshak Arutyunyan has told Russia’s Novosti news agency that Yerevan would welcome an expansion of the Russian military base at Gyumri in Armenia because that would increase Armenia’s security

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• 27 February

  Post-Brexit UK Trade Strategy Needs To Engage China – Analysis

  The United Kingdom’s trading aspirations in Asia will not negate its dependence on the European Union, nor will they unwind the dominant economic role of China in its neighbourhood. UK trade with Asia post-Brexit needs to be accompanied by efforts to engage Beijing in the strengthening of trade rules and …

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