The Turkish-Syrian rapprochement is back on the surface after the meeting between Turkey’s Foreign Minister Cavusoglu and Secretary of State Blinken in Washington. On the other hand, the military threats have come back, and the Kurds in northeast Syria are still concerned about that. Syria, in the meanwhile, is angry because of the U.S. meddling in the Syrian media.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s visit to the United States this week has witnessed an ironic twist, with Turkey and the United States reversing their positions over the NATO enlargement and Turkey’s bid for new F-16 fighter jets.
Germany faces the profound challenge of trying to diversify its energy supply while a destabilizing war rages on in Ukraine. Hence, the German government has entered into new energy partnerships with several Gulf monarchies — namely, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The Gulf monarchies should not only be looked at as providers of energy, however; in an increasingly multipolar world, they are emerging as relevant global political powers in their own right. Therefore, they are of rising political and security relevance for Germany. Notwithstanding heated domestic debates over controversial topics such as these Gulf states’ human rights record, Berlin should thus consider a more comprehensive strategic approach toward the Gulf monarchies that encompasses strategic issues beyond energy supply, such as joint efforts in regional integration and development.
The current energy war between Russia and Europe predated, but was markedly intensified by, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The protagonists are deploying a range of energy weapons aimed at increasing the costs of escalation or remaining in Ukraine (for Russia) as well as of defying Russia’s actions in Ukraine (for Europe). These have upended global energy trade flows and increased energy prices in 2022 relative to the past several years; they have also impacted a wider range of non-energy goods and services as well as diplomatic ties.
The challenge of developing export strategies for the offshore natural gas resources concentrated in the Eastern Mediterranean predates the Russo-Ukrainian war, which exploded in full fury in late February of last year. Yet over the course of 2022, Europe’s intensifying energy crisis created a new and more immediate incentive to solve those export challenges, despite a great deal of work still to be done.
December 18 marked the end of the 2022 World Cup. The date, which coincided with Qatar’s national holiday was fitting to celebrate an event seen as the pinnacle of Qatar’s impressive economic development and growth strategy. Much of this economic development is credited to the visionary leadership of two men: current emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his father and predecessor, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. By having the end of the World Cup fall on the country’s National Day, Qatar intended to showcase the Al Thani family’s accomplishments on the global stage.
The recent execution of a British-Iranian dual national on espionage charges on Jan. 14 was strongly condemned by the U.K., the U.S., and the European Union. It came just a week after the hanging of two Iranian protesters, which was similarly condemned by the U.S., the EU, and several European countries.
A little over two weeks ago, the defense and intelligence chiefs of Turkey and Syria met face-to-face in the Russian capital Moscow — the first such meeting in over a decade. In the wake of the Russian-sponsored summit, which was described by participants as “constructive,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a follow-up call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed visited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. As global media attention intensified around what some called “a clear sign of normalization,” speculation then emerged claiming plans were afoot for the Syrian and Turkish foreign ministers to meet in mid-January to pave the way for an Erdoğan-Assad meeting, either in Russia or the UAE.
The emergence of new centres of power in Eurasia has entailed a re-reading of Zbigniew Brzezinski’s book which drew an analogy between the Eurasian supercontinent and a grand chessboard. Following the global financial crisis of the last few years, countries like China, Russia and India have started to project greater global political and economic influence.
Les « élites » autoproclamées de Davos ont peur. Tellement peur. Lors des réunions du Forum économique mondial de cette semaine, le maître à penser Klaus Schwab – qui a joué son rôle de méchant de James Bond – n’a cessé de répéter un impératif catégorique : nous avons besoin de « coopération dans un monde fragmenté ».