December, 2020

• 18 December

  How Russia is preparing in Syria for Biden’s presidency

  Moscow is hoping the final months of outgoing President Donald Trump’s presidency will allow it an opportunity to reinforce its positions in Syria. While Russian foreign policy circles have noted reasons why President-elect Joe Biden’s administration may see the Middle Eastern theater relegated further down the list of American policy …

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• 18 December

  Idleb: Assailants Attack Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Checkpoint, One Fighter Killed

  A Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham fighter was killed by two men who opened fire from a motorcycle at a checkpoint in Idleb’s western countryside reports Zaman Al-Wasl. Two masked men opened fire on a Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham checkpoint in northern Idleb province, killing one fighter and wounding another, Zaman Al-Wasl’s reporter …

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• 18 December

  Is Egypt ready to turn page on Gulf crisis with Qatar?

  Egypt has welcomed the recent Kuwaiti efforts to end the Gulf crisis pitting a Saudi-led bloc of nations, including Egypt, against Qatar. After Saudi Arabia and Kuwait recently announced that they had made progress toward ending the dispute Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have with Qatar, Egypt’s Foreign …

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• 18 December

  Western Sahara media, activists criticize US decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty

  US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the United States had accepted Morocco’s claim to disputed Western Sahara and that Morocco and Israel were establishing full relations.

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• 18 December

  European Union has vindicated Erdogan, yet again

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan didn’t give a damn about possible European Union sanctions against Turkey, and the EU has proved him right. No need to indulge in semantics and take pains to conceal the fact: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defied the European Union — and he won.

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• 18 December

  Will Turkish drones help Ukraine reclaim territory?

  As the Ukrainian news media buzzes with speculation that Ukraine may be planning to reclaim control of Donbass by Turkish drones, direct involvement by Turkey in the Ukraine-Russia conflict would cost Ankara dearly in its relations with Moscow.

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• 18 December

  To counter China and Russia, Biden has said he will strengthen alliances

  President-elect Joe Biden has said he will stand up to China and Russia, but unlike President Trump, he has stressed the need to work closely with allies and international organizations to present a united front against two countries that Washington considers its foremost competitors.

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• 18 December

  Lessons for the U.S. from the Armenia-Azerbaijan war

  The short war between Armenia and Azerbaijan seems to have ended – at least for a time. Undoubtedly, the vast majority of Americans would have trouble finding Nagorno-Karabakh on a map. But the incoming American president and his national security team may want to dwell on this conflict for more …

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• 18 December

  The Battle of the Syrian Presidency Rages On

  The Syrian presidential election is due to take place next year, but the issue of who will run and how refugees will be able to vote has become a contentious issue writes Al-Modon. There are indications that suggest that the battle of the Syrian presidential elections, scheduled to happen in …

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• 18 December

  Japan Abandons Plans to Upgrade F-15 Fighter Jets as Cost Rises Dramatically, Media Says

  In October, Boeing and Mitsubishi signed an agreement to modernise Japan’s F-15 aircraft so they could carry long-range cruise missiles. The reason why Tokyo decided to upgrade the aircraft was China’s intensifying air patrols over the disputed Senkaku Islands, which have been a big issue for the two nations.

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