May, 2024

• 12 May

  The nuclear fatwa that wasn’t—how Iran sold the world a false narrative

  “The idea struck me to introduce the concept of a fatwa [during the 2004 nuclear] negotiations. There was no coordination [in advance],” Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator at the time recounted eight years after the incident. This was nothing short of a stroke of genius in shaping a false narrative about …

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• 12 May

  The Message Europe Should Take From Xi’s Visit – OpEd

  

  Was Xi Jinping’s first trip to Europe in five years a success? It certainly appeared that Xi’s visits to France, Serbia and Hungary, which had both a trade and a political agenda, were successful for the Chinese leader. Can we say the same for France, the EU or Europe? Well, …

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• 12 May

  Democracy Digest: A Dictator and a Holocaust Denier Walk into a Budapest Bar…

  

  Elsewhere, Czechia looks to toughen up EU migration pact as Hungary and Poland vote against it; EU Commission president visits Poland to talk defence; and hundreds of Slovak schools receive emails with bomb threats. In the same week that Chinese President Xi Jinping came to town, another less-heralded visitor to …

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• 10 May

  Iran Update, May 9, 2024

  

  Israeli forces are re-clearing parts of the northern Gaza Strip, demonstrating that Hamas remains active beyond just Rafah.[i] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a clearing operation into Zaytoun neighborhood, southern Gaza City, on May 8, marking the third time that the IDF has conducted a clearing operation there.[ii] The …

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• 10 May

  Iran Update, May 8, 2024

  

  Hamas’ leaders have very likely calculated that Hamas will survive a Rafah operation and that Hamas should therefore pursue its maximalist ceasefire demands without major concessions. Hamas’ maximalist ceasefire demands appear to have solidified as the IDF drew down its forces in the Gaza Strip beginning in late December 2023.[i] …

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• 10 May

  Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (April 16 – May 7, 2024)

  

  The southern arena: On the night of May 6, 2024, guided by intelligence, IDF forces began a targeted activity in limited areas of eastern Rafah, achieving operational control on the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing. Meanwhile, IDF forces continued attacking terrorist targets and rocket launchers in the central Gaza …

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• 10 May

  What goes around comes around – how a German invention becomes a doomsday tool in Europe, curtsey of Hamas and Hezbollah

  

  Amphetamines have been around for more than a century, used to overcome ADHS, sleep deficiency and obesity. Well-known as Pervitin, used by the German Wehrmacht in WWII, it has become a means to overcome fear, fatigue and moral issues. To this day, one of the main derivates, Fenetyllin, originally produced …

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• 10 May

  Hamas Fires Rockets at Kerem Shalom Crossing Hours After Reopening

  

  Latest Developments Hamas launched rockets at a key Gaza humanitarian aid entry point on May 8, just hours after Israel reopened it following a fatal strike by the terrorist group the previous week. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), terrorists launched eight rockets toward the Kerem Shalom crossing from …

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• 10 May

  EU’s ‘Foreign Agent Law’ Is Misguided

  

  The proposed EU directive is a threat to civil society and the media, both inside and outside the EU’s borders. For the second time in two years, tens of thousands of protesters in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi are braving police tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and beatings to block a …

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• 10 May

  Win-Win Game: Western Balkans Should Up Arms Flows to Ukraine

  

  Ukraine is short of artillery and other hardware – and the Balkan countries can help fill important gaps. The Western Balkans face a multi-faceted threat from Russia, either through its allies in the region or through hybrid threats coming from Russia itself. The region is also faced with several divisive …

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