Kremlin Reveals What Putin Asked Of Biden

In a “frank and businesslike” conversation Russian President Vladimir Putin asked his US counterpart Joe Biden for guarantees that NATO won’t expand further east or deploy offensive weapons to countries like Ukraine. Moscow is “seriously interested” in obtaining “reliable and firm legal guarantees” excluding NATO’s further expansion eastward and deployment …

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Al-Sadr’s Gambit Must Succeed If Iraq Is To Have Bright Future – OpEd

Of all the Iraqi religious scholars turned politicians, Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr is the most controversial, bold and charismatic. He comes from a family that has stood up to oppressive regimes on nationalistic grounds. At 47, he is still young and relatively inexperienced. Once an ally of Iran, he is …

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Biden’s Democracy Summit – Analysis

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to host the first (virtual) edition of ‘The Summit for Democracy’ on 9-10 December 2021. This will be followed by year-long initiatives leading to an in-person summit in 2022. According to the State Department, the summit aims to bring together leaders from government, civil …

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Food Inflation In Sub-Saharan Africa – Analysis

Inflation is rising around the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, one item is driving the trend more than others: food prices. Food accounts for roughly 40 percent of the region’s consumption basket—a measure of goods and services used to measure consumer price index (CPI) inflation. Food inflation increased throughout 2019, on …

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Olympische Winterspiele in Peking Politischer Boykott ist die richtige Entscheidung

Die USA wollen die Olympischen Winterspiele in Peking mit Verweis auf die Menschenrechtslage in China boykottieren. Ein richtiges und wichtiges Zeichen, kommentiert Andrea Schültke. Ebenso wichtig findet sie aber, dass es bei einem politischen Boykott bleibe. Die Sportlerinnen und Sportler sollten nicht darunter leiden. Mit dem politischen Boykott der Olympischen …

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Тема дня | “Далі – повна ізоляція”. Підсумки переговорів Байдена та Путіна щодо України: коротко

Дві години у закритому режимі: президент США Джо Байден та російський президент Володимир Путін обговорили ескалацію в Україні. Переговори відбулися на тлі побоювань через ризик масштабного вторгнення РФ до України. Путін захотів гарантій, що Київ не візьмуть до НАТО. Американський президент нагадав, що США твердо стоять за Україною, і за …

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A Leadership Shakeup in Mozambique Signals a New Approach to Security

Mozambican President Felipe Nyusi created a stir in early November, when he dismissed Defense Minister Jaime Neto and then Interior Minister Amade Miquidade within 24 hours of each other. This shake-up in the country’s security leadership, coming less than two years after both had taken up their posts, likely signals …

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Diplomacy Is the Middle East’s Best Bet, but It’s Still a Long Shot

High-level diplomacy has intensified among competing Middle East regional powers, a flurry of bilateral talks that increasingly suggests what a “Plan B” would look like if, as seems likely, the U.S. and Iran fail to revive the deal that briefly constrained Tehran’s nuclear program. The pace of contacts and meetings …

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NATO’s Nuclear Deterrent Gets a Reprieve—for Now

Observers in Washington and European capitals who were worried about NATO’s nuclear deterrent breathed a sigh of relief in late November, when the new German governing coalition signaled it would continue Germany’s role in the alliance’s nuclear-sharing agreement. But their reaction was tempered by the uncertainty that still surrounds U.S. …

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At Both Ends of Eurasia, the Era of ‘Pax Americana’ Is Coming to an End

There are any number of ways to measure one of the great secular transformations of our time: the decline of the United States’ power relative not only to a rising rival like China, but to the rest of the world generally. From 1960 to the present, the American share of …

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