The Enemy Within: The Impact of Corruption on Security Force Assistance
With corruption playing a significant role in the outcome of recent security force assistance missions, a different approach to tackling the problem is needed.
Month: February 2022
The Beijing–Moscow Partnership: Natural or by Necessity?
Despite the optics of a Sino-Russian presidential summit at a time of heightened tensions with the West, the trust upon which their bilateral relationship is built remains shaky.
Syrian Jihadi Cleric Reports HTS Gave Foreign Jihadis Days To Leave Idlib, Lists 24 Names, Including French Citizens
On February 17, 2022, Syrian jihadi cleric Abu Yahya Al-Shami, a fierce critic of Syrian jihadi group Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) which largely controls Syria’s Idlib, published[1] a post on Telegram accusing it of expelling several foreign jihadis from the city. Al-Shami provided a list of 24 foreign jihadis of different nationalities, including Tunisians, Moroccans, an Egyptian, an Algerian, an Indian, and even some French citizens.
US tank sale to bolster Polish forces as allies focus on Russia’s movements
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday that the U.S. will sell 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks to Poland, giving a key NATO ally that borders Russia a substantial boost in firepower.
Adding the tanks to the Polish arsenal will ensure more equitable security burden-sharing in NATO, he said, although he noted that no delivery date has been set.
Eurafrique
Policy differences between Europe and Africa have been widening, and while there may be warm words about a new partnership when the leaders of the EU and African Union meet in Brussels, there are unlikely to be breakthroughs on key African demands.
Turkey’s PKK Conflict: A Regional Battleground in Flux
Turkey is increasingly relying on airpower in its fight against the PKK. New parties have been drawn into the conflict as it spreads to new theatres in Iraq and Syria, which, for now at least, complicates potential efforts to settle things down.
To The Biden Admin: To Eradicate Iran’s Terrorism, Confront the Ruling Mullahs
The administration, however, then made an astonishing announcement: that it is unfreezing $29 billion to the Iranian regime, despite that Iran is still, according to the State Department, an officially designated state sponsor of terrorism.
Ukraine And Rebels Trade Accusations Of Shelling, Says Russia Is Provoking Ukraine To Attack
The Ukrainian Government and Russian-backed separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk are currently trading accusations of each shelling the other, further escalating tensions within the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian and United States officials say that these Russian-backed separatists are only pursuing these allegations of shelling as a pretext to invade Ukraine.
If President Biden Believes Putin Has Decided To Invade Ukraine, Why Wait To Impose Sanctions?
President Biden claimed at a brief press conference yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has already decided to invade Ukraine in the coming days. He reportedly received information that Russia has Ukraine completely surrounded and that the Kremlin would be targetting Kyiv. This is a sudden turn-around for Biden, who had just stated 72 hours ago that no final decision from Putin had been made to invade Ukraine. This follows an earlier prediction made by the White House that Russia would invade Ukraine on February 16th.
Evguéni Prigojine évoque les récents développements sur le continent africain
Evguéni Prigojine, homme d’affaires russe, a donné une interview exclusive sur la société militaire privée Wagner qui a récemment attiré l’attention de l’opinion publique mondiale.
« Je voudrais encore une fois souligner que la société militaire privée Wagner comme phénomène n’existe pas. Il s’agit de la légende de Robin des Bois. On lie tout ce qu’il se passe de bien dans le monde avec les Russes, et tous les Russes avec le groupe Wagner », a fait savoir Evguéni Prigojine.