Month: September 2024

Where is Afghanistan Three Years into Taliban Rule?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Afghanistan has a façade of domestic stability, with armed conflict decreasing since the U.S. withdrawal.
  • But dire economic, humanitarian and human rights conditions and Taliban violence build pressure on the population.
  • The international community remains vexed over how to engage the Taliban.

Lacking formal recognition from all member states, the Taliban will not be present at the U.N. General Assembly next week. Their absence speaks volumes about how the international community struggles to constrain a regime that has repeatedly defied U.N. treaties, sanctions and Security Council resolutions. Three years into Taliban rule, the Afghan people are beset by a host of human rights, economic and humanitarian challenges, with women and girls particularly impacted. Meanwhile, the international community still has no clear approach to dealing with the Taliban, with the regime rejecting a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a special envoy to develop a roadmap for normalizing Afghanistan’s relations with the international community.

Why Israel is seeking to forge closer ties with Balkan states

Analysis: Isaac Herzog’s visits to Albania and Serbia underscore Israel’s expanding ties with the Balkans amid global isolation due to its war on Gaza.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog concluded a historic first visit to Albania last week, following a similarly significant trip to Serbia, where both countries agreed to pursue a free trade agreement.

Why the Kremlin Is Drifting Closer to Houthi Rebels in Yemen

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to maintain equidistance in the Yemen conflict: Moscow’s growing interaction with the Houthis, including at the military level, is making itself felt. We have seen this before in Syria, Libya, and Sudan.

The partnership between Russia and Iran, which is growing stronger as a result of military cooperation in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, is reverberating in various parts of the world. In war-torn Yemen, it is bringing about Moscow’s rapprochement with pro-Iranian Houthi rebels.

Top Hezbollah Commander and Radwan Force Leaders Eliminated in Israeli Air Strike on Beirut

Latest Developments

An Israeli air strike on Beirut on September 20 eliminated Hezbollah’s top military commander, Ibrahim Aqil, and 10 other senior commanders belonging to the Iran-backed terrorist organization. Aqil’s death was confirmed by both the Israel Defense Forces and two “security sources in Lebanon” who spoke to the Reuters news agency. The strike came at the close of a week that plunged Hezbollah into disarray after thousands of pagers and hand-held devices carried by the group’s operatives detonated without warning on September 17 and 18.

Le problème d’Israël

La situation en Israël devient extrêmement tendue. Non seulement aux frontières, qui sont désormais quasiment sur pied de guerre, compte tenu des choix du gouvernement Netanyahou. À l’intérieur même d’Israël, et peut-être surtout à l’intérieur d’Israël, la tension atteint des sommets. Avec, d’un côté, les oppositions, dont les travaillistes, qui sont désormais à la tête d’une contestation populaire grandissante. D’autre part, le gouvernement de Bibi, de moins en moins populaire, fort de son Likoud et de quelques petits partis influents s’inscrivant dans l’orbite ultra-orthodoxe. Une coalition qui vise directement le conflit non seulement avec le Hamas, mais aussi avec tout le monde arabe qui n’a pas accepté les accords avec Israël. Et qui considère Téhéran comme une référence clé.

Ce n’est pas une troisième guerre mondiale : c’est une Guerre DE Terreur

Et la Russie mène une guerre existentielle pour la survie de la Mère Patrie – ce qu’elle a fait à maintes reprises au cours des siècles.

Ce n’est pas une fête
Ce n’est pas une discothèque
Ce n’est pas une partie de plaisir
Pas de temps pour danser
Ni pour l’amour
Je n’ai pas le temps pour ça maintenant

Talking Heads, «Life During Wartime»

A Two-State Solution That Can Work

The Case for an Israeli-Palestinian Confederation

In July, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the war in Gaza and the future of the Middle East. Afterward, Harris stressed her commitment to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians—in her words, “the only path that ensures Israel remains a secure Jewish and democratic state, and one that ensures Palestinians can finally realize the freedom, security, and prosperity that they rightly deserve.” She is hardly alone in this sentiment. Across the world, leaders continue to pledge support for a two-state solution, arguing that it provides direction and momentum to efforts to end the war and eventually rebuild Gaza. In a long-awaited cease-fire resolution, passed in June, the UN Security Council again committed itself to “the vision of the two-State solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders.”

Hezbollah has Suffered ‘Major and Unprecedented Blow,’ Nasrallah Admits

Latest Developments

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah admitted in a televised speech on September 19 that the Iran-backed terrorist organization has suffered a “major and unprecedented blow” during a week in which thousands of communications devices carried by its operatives detonated without warning. Speaking from an undisclosed location, Nasrallah said that an investigation committee had been established to probe the blasts, insisting that the “Israeli effort has largely been thwarted” and that Hezbollah was ready “to face even worse attacks.” Israel has not commented on whether it was responsible for the attacks on September 17 and September 18.