Month: August 2023

The End of the Russian Idea

What It Will Take to Break Putinism’s Grip

On June 17, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a special ceremony on the St. Petersburg waterfront to mark the anniversary of three flags: the flag of the Russian Federation, otherwise known as Peter the Great’s tricolor, formally unfurled in 1693; the imperial Russian flag, introduced by Tsar Alexander II in 1858; and the Red Banner, the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle, adopted by the Soviet state 100 years ago and later used by Joseph Stalin. Putin watched the event from a boat as the National Philharmonic and the St. Petersburg State Choir performed the national anthem, which, thanks to a law Putin enacted in 2000, has the same melody as its Stalin-era counterpart. The portentous rite unfolded in front of the Lakhta Center tower, the country’s tallest building, as well as the $1.7 billion headquarters of Gazprom, the state-run gas company that has become another crucial symbol of Putin’s Russia.

The Washington Post’s ‘Good’ Terrorists

The attacks by the Fatah-affiliated terrorists came days after The Washington Post published a story from Balata refugee camp, near Nablus, in which its correspondents romanticized members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, even documenting them as they visit their barber for a haircut.

Can BRICS dethrone the US dollar? It’ll be an uphill climb, experts say

The world’s reserve currency is facing a challenge from Global South countries who want options beyond the greenback.

Johannesburg, South Africa – For 80 years, the United States dollar has dominated all other currencies. But a grouping of developing countries tired of the West’s looming presence over global governance and finance is determined to take it down a peg.

BRICS De-Dollarization: Prospects And Critical Challenges – OpEd

For the five BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) members, de-dollarization has become the latest common buzz-word among the English vocabulary. Long before the highly-praised Johannesburg’s 15th BRICS summit, considered as very important step forward on the way to deepening interaction in the sphere of trade and investment with the nations of Global South, all the five BRICS leaders have made it their priority task to find their own common currency so as not to depend on the United States dollar in the emerging new world.

BRICS Expansion: A New World Order Or The Same Old Game? – OpEd

In a historic South Africa BRICS summit move, BRICS – the association of five major emerging economies, has extended invitations to six more nations: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Argentina. While some laud this expansion as a step towards creating a multipolar world, others are concerned that it might merely perpetuate the old structures of power and dominance, albeit with new actors.

Populism Vs Democracy – OpEd

The rise of populism in recent years has been a notable global phenomenon, characterized by charismatic leaders who often capitalize on public discontent and present themselves as champions of the common people against entrenched elites.

How Will The Refugee Problem Be Solved? – OpEd

Around 1,400 years ago, when 150 migrants migrated (Hijra), there were about 15,000 Ansar in Medina who hosted them. That was a proportion of about 1%. In today’s context, in Turkey with a population of 80 million, the estimated influx of over 17 million refugees has reached an enormous scale.

Arrests Of Central Asian Jihadists In Germany And Netherlands Reveals Persistent Islamic State Threat To Europe – Analysis

On July 6, law enforcement in Germany and the Netherlands arrested nine Central Asians on terrorism-related charges. In Germany, five Tajik nationals, one Kyrgyz citizen, and one Turkmenistani citizen were arrested in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia for allegedly creating and participating in a local terrorist organization and supporting Islamic State (IS). In the Netherlands, a married couple—a Tajik husband and Kyrgyz wife—were also arrested in Eindhoven and Breda. Both are suspected of plotting terrorist attacks, with the husband also suspected of IS membership (Kaktus Media, July 6).

La lutte pour la fin de l’oppression coloniale en Afrique noire «francophone» : Une composante essentielle de la Révolution multipolaire impulsée par la Chine, la Russie et les BRICS

L’impérialisme et le (néo)colonialisme constituent des formes particulières de globalisation incompatibles avec la souveraineté des peuples et la diversité des civilisations.

Telle est la leçon que nous pouvons tirer des pressions (diplomatiques, politiques, militaires, économiques, culturelles) que les anciennes puissances colonisatrices européennes continuent d’exercer sur le continent africain, malgré la contestation de plus en plus vive de cette domination dans divers pays. Or, en prenant comme exemples des pays comme le Mali, le Burkina Faso, la République centrafricaine, le Niger, mais aussi le Cameroun, la contestation de la domination occidentale s’amplifie chaque jour davantage, notamment en Afrique noire dite «francophone».