February, 2024

• 16 February

  Russian nuclear anti-satellite weapons would require a firm US response, not hysteria

  

  The prospect of space combat is gripping Washington this week. The White House on Thursday confirmed that Russia is developing a “troubling” anti-satellite capability, following statements from leading members of Congress and ensuing reports that Russia is working on a nuclear-armed, on-orbit, anti-satellite weapon. The news has sparked concern about …

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• 16 February

  The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Was A Pragmatic Means Of Managing The Soviet-Nazi Security Dilemma

  

  Whatever one may think about its lack of morality, it was coldly pragmatic and wasn’t responsible for sparking World War II, just for temporarily putting off what proved to be its most deadly phase in Europe. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (MRP) is back in the news after President Putin explained to …

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• 16 February

  Iran Update, February 14, 2024

  Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei discussed the removal of US forces from Iraq, counterterrorism, and border security with senior Iraqi politicians in Baghdad on February 13 and 14. Iranian judicial officials rarely travel abroad. Acting Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohsen al Mandalawi claimed that the Iraqi Parliament will pass …

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• 16 February

  Deaths Linked to Militant Islamist Violence in Africa Continue to Spiral

  

  Fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence jumped by 20 percent in the past year, claiming more than 23,000 lives—a new record. Over 80 percent of these deaths were in the Sahel and Somalia. Highlights Fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence rose by 20 percent in the past year (from 19,412 …

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• 15 February

  The World’s Gyre – OpEd

  

  The US is edging closer to war with Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, a state security agency composed of armed groups, some of which are close to Iran, but which for the main are Iraqi nationalists. The US carried out a drone strike in Baghdad, Wednesday that killed three members of …

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• 15 February

  The Global Deep State: A Fascist World Order Funded By The American Taxpayer – OpEd

  

  The debate over U.S. foreign aid is a distraction. That’s not to say that the amount of taxpayer money flowing to foreign countries in the form of military and economic assistance is insignificant. Even at less than 1% of the federal budget, the United States still spends more on foreign …

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• 15 February

  Biden’s Dilemma: Navigating Political Support Amid Global Conflict – Analysis

  

  The United States (US) Congress is currently facing an unprecedented strain, primarily due to the ongoing tug-of-war between Republicans and Democrats on a range of issues, spanning from domestic politics to international and geopolitical matters. Importantly, domestic issues now seem inseparably hyphenated with US national security and international politics. In …

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• 15 February

  Albanians Aren’t Indebted To Italy For Its 1990s ‘Welcome’ – OpEd

  

  Edi Rama’s justification for the migrant deal with Rome – that Albanians owe Italy a historic ‘debt’ to Italy – is based on a misreading of history. The protocols signed by Albanian PM Edi Rama and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni last November by which the government in Tirana will allow Italy …

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• 15 February

  Egypt is Gaza’s most fickle friend The President hates Hamas, but his people despise Israel

  

  A few years ago, while reporting in Gaza, I paid a visit to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Mohammed, my fixer, wasn’t keen. The guards there, he explained, were unfriendly. Sometimes they’d fire in the air if people approached; other times they’d shoot to kill. Beatings or at least …

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• 15 February

  There Is No Place for the Palestinians of Gaza to Go

  

  On February 9, 2024, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his army would advance into Rafah, the last remaining city in Gaza not occupied by the Israelis. Most of the 2.3 million Palestinians who live in Gaza had fled to its southern border with Egypt after being told by …

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