The Baltic (R)evolution In Military Affairs – Analysis

During the past 20 years of their NATO membership, the Baltic states achieved a multi-faceted transformation in their strategic posture establishment, military capability development, and level of interdependence with their NATO allies. Once inexperienced newcomers, the so-called “one-issue” countries (referring to their focus on Russia as a strategic challenger to …

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The EU Elections: The March Of The Right – OpEd

The EU elections over June 6 to June 9 have presented a chaotically merry picture, certainly for those on the right of politics. Not that the right in question is reliably homogeneous in any sense, nor hoping for a single theme of triumph. A closer look at the gains made …

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War and Peace: Ukraine’s Impossible Choices

Two years into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, a Carnegie-sponsored opinion poll found that Ukrainians still believe strongly in their national cause, even as doubts creep in about the path to victory. In recent months, Ukraine’s battlefield prospects have seemed some of the bleakest since the early days of the …

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Islamic State operatives arrested after illegally crossing the US border

On June 11, eight Tajik nationals with ties to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), the terrorist group’s branch in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, were arrested in New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Utilizing wiretaps to track their movements, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force apprehended the suspects …

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Battles rage in Rafah as Biden blames Hamas for truce delay

Israeli helicopters struck Rafah on Thursday, residents said, with militants reporting street battles in the southern Gazan city as US President Joe Biden called Hamas the “biggest hang-up” to another truce. Tensions were also soaring on Israel’s northern border, with more attacks by Hamas ally Hezbollah targeting military positions and …

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Hamas submits Gaza cease-fire response to Qatar, Egypt

Hamas’ formal reply comes a day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution backing the three-phase proposal. The United States is evaluating the formal response Hamas submitted on the proposed cease-fire plan for the Gaza Strip, the White House said Tuesday. The Palestinian militant group does not appear to …

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Pentagon hosts Lebanon’s army chief in bid to avert Israel-Hezbollah war

The Biden administration wants the Lebanese Armed Forces to deploy near the Israel-Lebanon border to help defuse a potentially explosive conflict with Hezbollah. But first, Lebanon’s top general needs to be able to pay his soldiers their salaries. Lebanon’s top military general met with senior Biden administration officials and congressional …

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DEMOCRACY DIGEST: SLOVAK PM SPEAKS OF ‘EVIL’ AND ‘FORGIVENESS’ IN POST-SHOOTING ADDRESS

Robert Fico published a defiant video blaming the opposition for his shooting. In other developments: a former Polish energy chief in hiding, an unremarkable Czech pre-election debate, and EU calls for increased pressure on Hungary’s rule of law failings. Three weeks after he was shot multiple times in Handlova, a …

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Belgrade to Beersheba: Serbian Arms Flown to Israel During Assault on Gaza

A joint investigation by BIRN and Haaretz has identified six Israeli military flights from Belgrade to Beersheba this year that coincided with Serbian arms exports to Israel worth 15.7 million euros, arms that risk being used in violating international humanitarian law in Gaza. Shortly after 2 p.m. on February 5, …

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Bomber, Arsonist, Soldier, Spy: Poland Detects Signs of Russian Outsourcing

With Russia’s intelligence network decimated since its invasion of Ukraine, signs from Poland point to an army of ‘useful idiots’ hired locally to carry out espionage, sabotage and arson.Poland’s government has been vocal in its warning about the risk of covert operations by Russia and said it is planning to …

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