February, 2025

• 18 February

  Tito’s Velenje And Trump’s Balkans – OpEd

  

  In honor of the lifelong president of the SFR Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, there was a practice of naming at least one of the cities in the republics after him. So we had Tito’s Veles, Tito’s Užice, Tito’s Korenica, Tito’s Velenje and of course the capital of Montenegro, Titograd. In …

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• 18 February

  Taliban Divisions Laid Bare As Power Struggle Intensifies – Analysis

  

  The Taliban has for years presented a united front to the outside world and kept a tight lid on dissent within its ranks. But unprecedented displays of discord have laid bare the rifts in the secretive militant group and exposed an intensifying power struggle. The internal divisions could spill over …

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• 18 February

  Napoleon: Then And Now – OpEd

  

  As someone who sees Napoleon as one of history’s more prodigious and transformative figures (notice I didn’t say angelic or deeply moral), I was pleased to hear that Ridley Scott had recently directed a biopic on the man. As you would expect from a Ridley Scott movie, the war scenes …

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• 18 February

  Why Trump’s Gaza plan could collapse the ceasefire deal

  

  Analysis: Trump’s vision for Gaza bolsters Netanyahu politically, normalises ethnic cleansing, and emboldens Israel to derail the ceasefire and return to war. US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Gaza, in which he has repeatedly voiced plans to “take over” the Palestinian territory, displace its residents to other countries, and turn …

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• 18 February

  How Turkey is poised to be a key player in Syria’s next chapter

  

  Analysis: From revamping the economy to political, military, and bureaucratic capacity building, Turkey will have a key influence in shaping the new Syria. On 4 February, the interim Syrian government’s president Ahmed al-Sharaa paid an important visit to Ankara and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sharaa flew directly …

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• 18 February

  Ukraine From ‘Win-Win’ To ‘Lose-Lose’ Scenario – OpEd

  

  US Seeks Compensation for US Aid for Ukraine. Will NATO members providing aid to Ukraine also seek their Pound or Euro share? “Ukraine ‘may be Russian someday”; Trump made the comment in an interview on 10th Feb with US broadcaster Fox News, as he discussed the three-year old conflict that …

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• 18 February

  No Deals Without Us, Zelenskyy Says In Response To Trump-Putin Call On Ukraine

  

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reacted sharply to U.S. President Donald Trump’s agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin negotiations to end the war with Ukraine, saying he won’t accept any deals made without Ukraine’s involvement. Trump’s call on February 12 is seen as part of the White House’s …

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• 18 February

  Resettling Gaza: Trump’s Empire-Building Agenda? – Analysis

  

  In his signature style, President Donald Trump has doubled down on his vision for the future of Gaza, suggesting that the United States could assume control of the embattled territory once hostilities subside. Speaking on December 6, Trump outlined a plan in which Israel would transfer the Gaza Strip to …

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• 18 February

  CAF In The Baltics: A Test Of Strength And Strategy – Analysis

  

  The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)-led Latvia Multinational Brigade (MNB-LVA) recently completed its first major field training exercises in a resolute show of NATO deterrence and collective defence in the face of rising tensions and uncertainty about Russia’s long term intentions. However, with the CAF grappling with significant structural challenges, many …

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• 18 February

  Trump’s First Big Disastrous Mistake

  

  The problem, of course, is that after seeing what happened when Libya’s General Muammar Ghaddafi gave up nuclear weapons in 2003 and Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons in 1994, no one with an IQ above single digits would ever agree to give up nuclear weapons again – especially after so …

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