Recent Posts

The Geopolitics Of The Middle East – OpEd

The Israel-Hamas confrontation is spreading to the wider Middle Eurasian region. This marks a turning point in the on-going reconfiguration of geopolitics in Middle Eurasia. Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen, the latter disrupting maritime trade through the Red Sea which carries nearly 30% of …

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Baghdad Caught in U.S.-Iran Crossfire

Recent U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iran-aligned militia forces in Iraq have fueled pro-Iranian political and militia leaders to accelerate their efforts to force a U.S. withdrawal. The government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is working to reflect public opposition to U.S. strikes on Iraqi territory while remaining engaged with …

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Iran Update, February 15, 2024

Russian Republic of Tatarstan Head Rustam Minnikhanov paid an official visit to Iran, likely to discuss Russo-Iranian defense industrial and military cooperation. Minnikhanov visited unspecified “large industries and industrial towns” in Esfahan Province and met with the provincial governor on February 14.[i] Several prominent defense industrial and military sites, including …

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The ‘E’ is Missing from North Macedonia’s ‘E-Services’

North Macedonia’s public services have gone digital. Only they haven’t.Digitalisation has become a buzz word in North Macedonia, where for two decades politicians have rolled out digital reforms, opened so-called ‘One-Stop Shops’ and promoted ‘E-services’. Yet public registries remain unconnected, procedures are complicated – bordering on absurd – and the …

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