Europe’s Jihadi Firewall Begins to Crumble By Faisal Al Yafai - Jul 28, 2021

Bashar Al-Assad has had a good month. On July 17, he was sworn in for a fourth term, the second election he has won –… Continue readingEurope’s Jihadi Firewall Begins to Crumble

A Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan Will Be a Strategic Disaster for Tehran By Dnyanesh Kamat - Jul 27, 2021

The increasingly likely victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan is going to be a strategic nightmare for Iran. In recent years, Tehran initiated contact with… Continue readingA Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan Will Be a Strategic Disaster for Tehran

Turkey’s Young Are Piling into Cryptocurrencies. But There Is a Better Way By Alexandra de Cramer - Jul 25, 2021

Turkey’s economic and monetary policy management in recent years has been a disaster. And the Covid-19 pandemic has only made things worse. So far this… Continue readingTurkey’s Young Are Piling into Cryptocurrencies. But There Is a Better Way

Journalistic Hypocrisy in the Pegasus Spyware Revelation By Jonathan Gornall - Jul 22, 2021

It is difficult to know what is most shocking about this week’s revelations that the security services of many of the world’s governments might be… Continue readingJournalistic Hypocrisy in the Pegasus Spyware Revelation

‘It All Crystalized for Me When My Family Caught Covid-19’ By Joseph Dana - Jul 21, 2021

Many parts of the developing world continue to struggle to contain Covid-19, even as the West begins to open back up. I live in South… Continue reading‘It All Crystalized for Me When My Family Caught Covid-19’

Russia Can’t Save Syria’s Failing Economy – Nor Is it Interested By Neil Hauer - Jul 20, 2021

What remains of Syria’s civil war has largely been driven to the sidelines of international attention. The broad military offensives of years past have given… Continue readingRussia Can’t Save Syria’s Failing Economy – Nor Is it Interested

A Water War Simmers in the Horn of Africa By Jonathan Gornall - Jul 18, 2021

With the disturbing clarity of scientific analysis, in 2018 researchers at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre applied “innovative analysis of past episodes of conflict… Continue readingA Water War Simmers in the Horn of Africa

For Russia, the Taliban Are a Necessary Evil By Nikola Mikovic - Jul 16, 2021

The Taliban are looking increasingly like an important player in the politics not only of Afghanistan but of Central Asia. Much of Afghanistan’s border with… Continue readingFor Russia, the Taliban Are a Necessary Evil

Tunisia Is in Trouble By Sarah Yerkes - Jul 15, 2021

Late last month, a member of Tunisia’s parliament was twice physically assaulted in the chamber, a shocking and graphic reminder of how far politics in… Continue readingTunisia Is in Trouble

Talks with Iran Will Yield Little By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Jul 13, 2021

Saudi Arabia and Iran have been talking and it is making some Saudi allies nervous. Aside from alarm over what appears to be a thaw… Continue readingTalks with Iran Will Yield Little

Rebel Victories in Tigray Are a Watershed Moment for Ethiopia By Dnyanesh Kamat - Jul 12, 2021

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has made gains over Ethiopian and Eritrean forces and recaptured several urban centers in Ethiopia’s Tigray province, signaling a… Continue readingRebel Victories in Tigray Are a Watershed Moment for Ethiopia

France’s Exit from Sahel War Offers Russia an Opportunity to Move In By Faisal Al Yafai - Jul 8, 2021

Another Western army is leaving a fragile, landlocked region. But whereas the United States has pulled its troops out of one country, Afghanistan, France is… Continue readingFrance’s Exit from Sahel War Offers Russia an Opportunity to Move In

The Economic Era of Shortages Must Make the World Rethink How to Use its Abundance By Joseph Dana - Jul 7, 2021

Your next trip to Starbucks might be an unusual one. The global coffeehouse chain is running out of cups. Due to supply chain bottlenecks affecting… Continue readingThe Economic Era of Shortages Must Make the World Rethink How to Use its Abundance

North Africa Needs More American Attention, But Will It Get It? By Ellen Laipson - Jul 6, 2021

For decades, North Africa has been a second tier of US policy interests in the Middle East, neither vital for the Israel-Palestine peace process, nor… Continue readingNorth Africa Needs More American Attention, But Will It Get It?

Why Gulf Oil Producers Should Commit to Carbon Neutrality By Robin Mills - Jul 4, 2021

There are growing hints the UAE may announce a net-zero carbon emissions target ahead of the COP26 climate conference this November. Saudi Arabia also may… Continue readingWhy Gulf Oil Producers Should Commit to Carbon Neutrality