Month: November 2022

Ukrainian drone attack could be precursor to new maritime fight in war with Russia

Ukraine’s recent attack in Crimea on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in port reveals glimpses of how the war with Moscow could develop if Kyiv makes a concerted push to retake the peninsula, naval analysts said.

The early morning drone offensive Oct. 29 also provides lessons for the U.S. Navy and its allies as they build future strategies for bases and shipyards, where billion-dollar assets will need protection from such attacks.

Comrades-in-Sanctions: Can Iran Help Russia Weather the Economic Storm?

The potential for cooperation in certain areas, like military technology, may look promising. But Iran cannot be counted upon to really help the Russian economy withstand the impact of sanctions.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, relations between Russia and Iran have flourished. Having been hit by a new raft of tough Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow set about looking for alternative partners among other traditionally anti-Western countries—including to bypass trade restrictions—and Iran looks set to be one of the most promising.

Libya derails Egypt-Turkey rapprochement

Egypt-Turkey talks to normalize their relations were halted in the wake of Ankara’s recent oil deal with Libya’s Tripoli-based government.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Oct. 29 that talks with Turkey to heal their yearslong political rift have come to a halt over Turkish policies in neighboring Libya.

By, With and Through Partner Special Forces in the Middle East

No U.S. military campaign in the Middle East has demonstrated the importance and benefits of working with partner Special Forces more than the fight against ISIS. Operating alongside local forces in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere, the U.S.-led coalition was able to destroy the caliphate and severely degrade the capabilities of ISIS. Should the future of U.S. security cooperation in the Middle East be focused on building the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency capabilities of indigenous Special Forces? What are the challenges and opportunities of this approach to U.S. security cooperation in the region? What lessons can be learned from the anti-ISIS fight? Our three speakers, who have in-depth expertise on and direct experience in this subject, will help us address these issues and many more.

Iran Must Be Punished for Its ‘Complicity in Russian Terror,’ Zelenskyy Says

Iran must be punished for its “complicity in Russian terror,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech on Sunday evening.

He added that “absolutely everyone who helps Russia prolong this war must bear responsibility for the consequences of this war along with it.” Zelenskyy said, “The whole world will know that the Iranian regime helps Russia prolong this war, and therefore prolong the effect of those threats to the world provoked precisely by the Russian war.

Don’t Panic About Putin

Even Desperate Leaders Tend to Avoid Catastrophe

National leaders who are losing wars sometimes resort to desperate gambles. Defeat or even lack of victory might threaten their hold on power, and they are sometimes willing to take daring or outside-the-box moves to try to turn things around. This is the great fear about the war in Ukraine: if Russian President Vladimir Putin judges that his back is up against the wall, he may decide to take catastrophic action.

NAPI-MEI Roundtable on Migration in Tunisia

Irregular migration from and through Tunisia is on the rise, as a growing number of migrants from the Maghreb head to Europe and an increasing flow of people from sub-Saharan Africa transit or stop there. This year has witnessed an alarming escalation of irregular maritime migration via this dangerous central Mediterranean route. Not only have the numbers of people attempting the journey grown, but they have also become more diverse, in terms of age, socio-economic status, and gender.

To help understand the current migration dynamics and their broader implications, the Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to invite you to join a virtual panel discussion featuring several experts on migration policy and Tunisia.

UK Reports Dismissals of Russian Commanders Since Ukraine Invasion

Britain’s Defense Ministry said Sunday in its daily intelligence report about Ukraine that there has been a “series of dismissals of senior Russian military commanders since the onset of the invasion in February 2022.”

The report said, “These dismissals represent a pattern of blame against senior Russian military commanders for failures to achieve Russian objectives on the battlefield. This is in part likely an attempt to insulate and deflect blame from Russian senior leadership at home.”