Month: November 2022

Wagner Group: The Case For A Terrorist Designation – Analysis

The Wagner Group has been mired in controversy ever since the day of its founding. A Russian paramilitary organization, the mercenary group has conducted operations that the Russian Ministry of Defense has silently approved of while maintaining plausible deniability. After years of denials and silence, the Kremlin has now formally admitted the organization’s existence, despite mercenaries being formally illegal under the Russian constitution.

Ethiopia Peace Agreement Pledges Transitional Justice – Analysis

On 2 November, the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front signed an agreement in Pretoria to end the two-year civil war in the country’s north. Besides committing to a permanent cessation of hostilities and restoration of constitutional order, the parties announced that the African Union’s (AU) 2019 Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) would accompany the deal.

57,000 illegal Afghans deported from Turkey

The Ministry of Interior of Turkey has said since the beginning of this year, it has deported more than 57,000 Afghan citizens who entered the country “illegally”.

Anadolu Agency reported that on Saturday Turkish government officials reported 57,174 Afghan citizens have been returned to their country this year.

Albania courts Azeri strongman president in Tirana

After Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Albania on Tuesday in the first-ever visit of its kind, Albanian President Bajram Begaj declared the welcoming of Azeri investments and the possible establishment of diplomatic missions.

Vučić touts Russian-Serbian brotherhood as regional tensions rise

In a sign of resistance to Western calls to choose between Moscow and the West, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic said his country’s brotherly relations with Russia cannot be destroyed, and Belgrade would never succumb to pressure during a meeting with Turko Daudov, an advisor to controversial Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Libya: TotalEnergies Increases Its Interest In Waha Concessions

TotalEnergies said Tuesday it has completed the joint acquisition with ConocoPhillips of the 8.16% interest held by Hess in the Waha concessions, in Libya. As a result of this transaction, TotalEnergies’ interest in these concessions is increased from 16.33% to 20.41%.

US Needs To Play Larger Role As Swing Producer Of Oil And Gas in Current Crisis – Analysis

In response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, European nations have drastically reduced imports of crude oil, refined petroleum products, and natural gas from Russia. The 2021 levels of these energy imports were around 2.2 million barrels per day (mbd) of crude oil, 1.2 mbd of refined products, and 155 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas on an annual basis.

Jacques Ellul And The Idols Of Transhumanism – Analysis

Transhumanism is a vision of the future of humanity in which applied technologies are supposed to enhance and upgrade human existence. According to the transhumanist story, evolution has brought us very far indeed—to the moon and back, so far. Yet as an intelligent species, humanity is still very primitive and thus stands in need of upgrading. Given the rise of new technologies, transhumanists argue that we can—nay, should!—overcome our current evolutionary limitations in terms of physiology, emotion, cognition, and (at least sometimes) morality.

Egyptians: We Do Not Want the Islamists to Return to Power

The Islamists, in other words, failed in their latest attempt to instigate unrest and violence in Egypt with the hope of returning to power.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and many other Egyptians seem to prefer less democracy and freedom of speech to the return of the Islamists to power.