February 11, 2021 Africa, Eurasia, Magreb
2020 was a deadly year for people fleeing Libya for Europe, according to data from the UN’s International Organization for Migration. Nearly 1,000 people fleeing to Europe by boat from Libya were stopped and sent back to shore this week. People seeking to cross the Mediterranean continue to risk death …
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient
The United States says it will present a “unified front” with Europe on Iran strategy once consultations with allies conclude. French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday again suggested Saudi Arabia and Israel should be involved in renewed international engagement with Iran over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
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February 11, 2021 Balkans, Eurasia
Egypt and Greece carried out military exercises in the Northern Fleet in the Mediterranean to counter potential threats on their maritime borders amid tensions with Turkey.
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia
Khalid Batarfi was reportedly handed over to Saudi authorities in the latest hammer blow to the leadership of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The head of al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, Khalid Batarfi, was captured in the country’s eastern Mahra governorate in October, according to a new United Nations report.
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia
Not so long ago, as the U.S. prepared to withdraw from the INF Treaty after 30-plus years over Russia’s alleged violations of that accord, the future of nuclear arms control in general and U.S.-Russian arms control in particular looked so dim that we at Russia Matters asked leading experts whether …
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient
The Russian military identifies its deployment to Syria as the prototypical example of future war—an expeditionary deployment to support a coalition-based hybrid war. The Russian General Staff cites Syria as highlighting the need for Russia to develop a new military capability—deploying flexible expeditionary forces to carry out “limited actions” abroad. …
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient
Following the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement signed in Moscow on November 9, 2020, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that units of the Military Police (MP) will be part of Russian peacekeeping in the South Caucasus for an initial period of five years. The deployment of the MP …
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia
The Defense Department’s 2018 National Defense Strategy was blunt in its assessment of America’s eroding strategic advantages: The U.S. military no longer enjoyed global primacy, and to remain competitive, needed to make fundamental changes. Namely, it must build a more lethal and modern force; strengthen international alliances and partnerships; and …
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient
The two powers have conflicting interests in the Syrian war, but regional powers are not keen on a broader military clash Naftali Bennett, Israel’s outgoing defence minister, said last month that Iran had begun withdrawing its forces from Syria and urged his successor, Benny Gantz, to maintain pressure on Tehran. …
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February 11, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient
The Syrian Democratic Forces have abducted a second member of the Arab Socialist Baath Party this month, reports The Syria Times.
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