Month: January 2022

Russia’s Putin Says Western Leaders Broke Promises, But Did They? – Analysis

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his senior aides have repeatedly claimed that Western powers broke promises they made not to expand NATO as the Soviet Union collapsed.

In his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow in December, Putin accused NATO of deceiving Russia by giving assurances in the 1990s that it would not expand “an inch to the East” — promises made to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during negotiations between the West and the Soviet Union over German unification, the Russian leader said.

From the Jaws of Retreat

The history of the United States in the postwar era is replete with American efforts to change other nations. These projects often failed to achieve their goals, but few so completely as the recent one in Afghanistan. After 20 years, a great many lives lost, and untold billions spent, the Taliban—the very same group that the United States had intervened to remove at the outset—returned to power while U.S. personnel were still mid-evacuation.

A More Just Drone War Is Within Reach

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan this past August brought an end to a 20-year war. But as a series of recent investigations by The New York Times has underscored, it also marked the beginning of postmortems about what the United States did right and, in some cases, did wrong.

Riyadh and Doha Allied Against Normalization with Damascus?

Riyadh and Doha are united in their opposition to normalization with the Damascus regime, according to al-Hal Net.

Political researcher Darwish Khalifa, who is close to Saudi Arabia, says that there is a conciliatory diplomatic movement in the region. It seeks to resolve the problems and overcome the differences that have ravaged the Middle East during the ten years of the Arab Spring revolutions. The UAE is a leading part of this movement, through building bridges of communication, paving the way for others, and establishing a new political reality in a conflict-exhausted region, most recently through normalization with the regime in Damascus.

White Helmets: Russian War Against Livelihood in Northwestern Syria

Russian forces are targeting the livelihood of people in Northeastern Syria, as attacks focus mainly on infrastructures and farms, according to Shaam.

The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, said that northwestern Syria has been witnessing a Russian escalation for a week. Warplanes do not leave the skies of the Idleb countryside, in a war on the livelihood of Syrians. They aim to impose instability and destroy infrastructure and production factors.

SDF Leader Killed in Ambush, North of Raqqa

On Wednesday, a leader of the SDF militia was killed after being ambushed by unknown assailants in the northern countryside of Raqqa, the Zaitun Agency reports.

On Wednesday, a leader of the SDF militia was killed after being ambushed by unknown assailants in the countryside of Ain Issa town, in the northern countryside of Raqqa.

U.S. and France Condemn Russia after Escalation on Idleb

The U.S. and France have each condemned the escalation in the Idleb governorate by Russia and the Syrian regime, according to al-Souria Net.

The U.S. and France have condemned the escalation in the Idleb governorate, since the beginning of the new year, by Assad’s forces and Russia.

Will Russia and the Regime Launch a Ground Military Operation in Idleb?

A ground operation in Idleb remains unlikely, even though the region will probably witness breakthroughs in 2022, according to Baladi News.

Russian Air Force warplanes and regime forces have been intensively bombing towns and villages in Idleb and Hama for a week, mainly targeting vital installations in the region, raising speculation of an incoming ground operation.

Project to Connect Iran Ports to Mediterranean via Iraq and Syria

Iran is considering building a railway that connects the Port of Khomeini to that of Lattakia, on the Mediterranean, according to Arabi 21.

Iran plans to launch a railway connection project between Iran, Iraq, and Syria, allowing it to reach the Mediterranean. This project will give Tehran access to the Mediterranean Sea through the Syrian coastal port of Lattakia.

U.S. Base in al-Omar Field Targeted by Missiles

The U.S. military base in the al-Omar field was targeted by missiles again, a frequent occurrence this week, according to al-Watan.

On Wednesday, the U.S. occupation base in the al-Omar oil field in the northern countryside of Deir-ez-Zor was targeted by missiles. This development led to intense fires in the base and a state of alert for the occupation soldiers around it.