Recent Posts

Borissov: From Brussels favourite to ‘bad boy’?

An SPD-led government in Germany has significant potential to sharpen international attention to the problems of corruption in Bulgaria. This could create big issues for former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his GERB party (EPP), which is trying to find ways to return to power. For the past 15 years, …

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The French dilemma

In France, the executive has carefully avoided a reaction to the outcome of the German elections. However, in a Twitter post on 26 September, French President Emmanuel Macron used election day to talk about his EU vision and ambitions. He recalled his initiative for a “sovereign, unified and democratic Europe”, …

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The United States, the West and the ‘arc of chaos’

Former FBI agent Ali Soufan has investigated numerous terrorism cases, inside and outside the United States, including the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa and the 2000 attack on the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole. His role in shedding light on the 9/11 attacks also raised his profile. It is …

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Al Qaeda’s murky future in Afghanistan

Government shutdown? No. Votes in the House? Not until at least 9 p.m. tonight. And on the Senate side, as Marianne LeVine wrote, “Democrats are desperately trying to make lemonade out of the bag of lemons Joe Manchin handed them today. Senate Democrats spun away Manchin’s utter rejection of their …

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Hezbollah and Iran Exploit Lebanon’s Economic Crisis

Hezbollah’s importation of Iranian fuel supplies demonstrates its willingness and ability to act independently of Lebanon’s official leadership. Easing Lebanon’s fuel shortages, even if marginally, enhances the position and popularity of both Hezbollah and Iran within Lebanon. The Biden administration is not likely to impose penalties on the fuel deliveries …

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