Bailey Berg, Slate
Anna Borshchevskaya, FPRI
It is no secret that Moscow is increasingly utilizing so-called “private military contractors” (PMCs) to pursue foreign policy objectives across the globe, especially in the Middle East and Africa. What has received less attention is that Moscow’s deployment of PMCs follows a pattern: The Kremlin is exploiting a loophole in international law by securing agreements that allow contractors to provide...
Tom Tugendhat, Conservative Home
Israel is losing its reputation in the Middle East. For decades, it played the role of chief villain with nations around the region blaming Mossad for every mishap. Today, Jerusalem is a partner with the United Arab Emirates – just the latest of many to build ties to Jerusalem and seek cooperation.
Nicolás Saldías, World Politics Review
The coronavirus pandemic will likely push Latin America into its worst-ever recession, with the region’s economy expected to shrink by more than 9 percent in 2020, according to the...
Ido Vock, New Statesman
The perception of warm relations between China and EU countries is increasingly at odds with reality.
Richard Milne, Financial Times
Stockholm looks to send strong signal to Russia over Moscow’s increased military activity.
Sam Gollob & Michael O'Hanlon, Brookings
The Brookings Iraq Index presents numerical information on a range of security, economic, and political indicators of pertinence to the future of that country as well as the U.S. role within it. The Index was originally created in the early years of the 2000s, after a U.S.-led coalition overthrew Saddam Hussein, and sought to help Iraqis build a state that could avoid dictatorship and extremism going forward. Our goal, then and now, is to present... Читать дальше...
Leo Blanken, Strategy Bridge
This article intends to argue that techniques from the writing of horror fiction can improve military planning. By focusing on such literature’s capacity to unsettle the reader, this article argues horror fiction may provide a useful medium for the unconstrained exploration of future conflicts in ways current planning processes cannot. More specifically, the article focuses on leveraging two aspects of horror literature––the “weird” and the “eerie”––to expand ideation around future wars. Читать дальше...
Tom Ellis, Ekathimerini
For decades we knew that Washington would step in to defuse the situation in the event that tensions between Greece and Turkey rose dangerously.
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Lourie & Sengenberger, Exam.
Aug. 13, 2020, marked the diplomatic climax of decades of back-channel dealings between Israel and the United Arab Emirates — and the making of history. President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed jointly announced the agreement to open bilateral relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Jerusalem Post
Germany justified the decision to ban the terrorist movement because of its call for armed struggle and rejection of Israel’s right to exist.
Will Saetren, SCMP
Naomi Scherbel-Ball, BBC
Africa has been declared free from wild polio by the independent body, the Africa Regional Certification Commission.
James Kirkup, Spectator
Christopher Miller, Buzzfeed
Crackdowns and demonstrations continue to roil Belarus after a contested election, but the US seems reluctant to play a role in the push for an autocratic leader to share power and scale back police abuse.
John Herbst, National Interest
It is not clear that Lukashenko’s security forces are able or willing to do what is necessary to restore order to the country. Would Putin decide to step in?
Douglas Paal, East Asia Forum
Since April, the administration of US President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up its rhetoric and actions regarding China. This strategy is intended to deflect blame for its mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic at home. It is having the side effect of appearing to dismantle the policy of ‘engagement’ with China of the previous seven US administrations and the way they treated Taiwan.
S. Shrikhande, Lowy
Rowdy debates about going for China’s “jugular” in the
Malacca Strait should not obscure the practical difficulties.
