Recent Posts

Ukraine in the Crosshairs

This past spring, Russia amassed 100,000 troops and a host of military equipment near the Ukrainian border in a transparent bid to threaten Kyiv; it seemed that an invasion might be imminent. Then, Russia withdrew most of its forces, claiming they had completed a training exercise, and the crisis was …

Read More »

Why China Wants More and Better Nukes

Recent weeks have seen an explosion of worry in the United States about China’s nuclear program. A Pentagon report released in early November warned that China is “accelerating the large-scale expansion of its nuclear forces” and building a larger, diversified, and more sophisticated nuclear arsenal. The report follows news that …

Read More »

The Kampala Attacks and Their Regional Implications

What happened and who is allegedly involved? On 16 November, a trio of suicide bombers targeted Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, one detonating his vest outside police headquarters and two more blowing themselves up near parliament. The attacks killed at least four other people, according to official reports, and wounded 37 …

Read More »

Reforming the AU Mission in Somalia

The African Union Mission in Somalia’s UN mandate is nearing its end. Despite the mission’s mixed record, its withdrawal could allow Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents to take over the country. A mandate extension would allow Somalia, donors and partners to agree on a reconfiguration and funding. What’s new? The UN mandate …

Read More »

US Sanctions Make The Iranian Currency Lose Value

Warsaw and other EU countries have accused Minsk of transporting migrants to Belarus on purpose to create an immigration crisis, slapping Belarus with new sanctions for this reason. Belarusian authorities strongly deny the EU’s claims. Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that western countries use the ongoing immigration crisis at …

Read More »

US Sanctions Make The Iranian Currency Lose Value

Ordinary Iranians have become the main victims of the U.S. blockade as the devaluation the rial has led to limited purchasing power and higher prices. The Iranian currency’s value has continued to fall as the U.S. dollar is trading at over 280,000 rials on the free market. Before the reinstatement …

Read More »

UN official speaks with Iraqi leaders to break post-election deadlock

Jeanine Antoinette Plasschaert, special representative of the secretary-general for Iraq, held talks with the head of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Qais al-Khazali, to settle the election results crisis. Jeanine Antoinette Plasschaert, special representative of the secretary-general for Iraq, has attended last night, Nov 18, the meeting of Coordination Framework that includes …

Read More »

UK moves to label Hamas as terror organization

Home Secretary Priti Patel described Hamas as “fundamentally and rabidly anti-Semitic” and said there’s no difference between its military and political wings. The British government is set to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, joining the United States, Canada and the European Union in fully banning the Palestinian militant group. …

Read More »