Recent Posts

États-Unis: une armée d’un autre genre?

C’est l’une des premières mesures prises par Joe Biden : annuler l’interdiction édictée par Donald Trump de s’engager dans l’armée sous une “identité de genre”, celle que les transgenres peuvent faire reconnaître à l’état-civil. Les soldats qui n’auraient pas passé le cap peuvent aussi, désormais, se faire opérer aux frais …

Read More »

How China Sees It

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has much to lose, both domestically and internationally, if the truth comes out. A muddled debate about the origins of the virus serves China just fine. Evading accountability — and suffering no little negative fallout — for unleashing a pandemic on the world that killed …

Read More »

Uus algus Venemaaga? Sellest ei saa asja

Samal ajal kui Eestis peeti võidupüha ja jaanipäeva, tegutsesid Saksamaa ja Prantsusmaa juhid diplomaatilistes ringkondades, et eile-täna Brüsselis toimuval EL-i riigipeade ja valitsusjuhtide kohtumisel võetaks teemaks EL-i ja Venemaa suhete uus strateegia. Angela Merkel ja Emmanuel Macron soovivad muu hulgas, et hakataks jälle pidama EL-i ja Vladimir Putini tippkohtumisi, millele …

Read More »

The Economics of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Introduction Over the past four years, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has tried to transform itself from a faction of the Global Jihad movement into the de facto local military and governing power in north-west (NW) Syria. This shift requires the group to seek sources of funding other than al-Qaeda and …

Read More »

The Hard-Liners Won in Iran. That’s Not All Bad News.

The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Iran’s elections are insignificant. Regardless of who wins, the argument goes, in the end, it’s the supreme leader who calls the shots. That is shortsighted. Yes, the coronation of Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi as president in one of the least competitive elections in …

Read More »

Selling Normalization in the Gulf

On August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made headlines as the first Arab Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel. Its leadership framed the decision as a continuation of the UAE’s long-standing policy of support for the Palestinians, one that would bring them closer to statehood by halting …

Read More »

Engaging Iran Remains Vital after Presidential Election

What distinguished these elections in Iran? o Iranian election since 1979, when the Islamic Republic was founded, has been free and fair by international standards. There were nonetheless two key differences between the 2021 presidential election and the others held since 1997, when Iran started orchestrating more competitive races and …

Read More »