Author: M Barbu

Future Scenarios for the Two Libyas

Cultural facts and latest developments

If we study the culture of individual peoples and set out to see how they differ from each other, even ethnically and within the same country, we can easily understand what centrifugal forces are at work and, if necessary, prepare remedies to prevent the collapse of the state. This phenomenon can be observed today in Europe with the populist forces that are slowly reshaping it: forces that are, however, foolishly defined by the elitist media as “far right”, as well as “influenced” or even “directed” by Russia (having a bogeyman always serves to divert attention from the real responsibilities of the European political and administrative class). This trend can also clearly be observed in North Africa.

A Changed Region Two Years After the October 7 Attack

Bottom Line Up Front

Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, numerous seemingly sacrosanct red lines in the region have been crossed, including extensive warfare between Iran and Israel on each other’s territory, and the Houthi threat to commercial freedom of navigation through the Red Sea.

Kosovo in the ‘90s: an economy for the darkest hour – Edison Jakurti

Economic structures from decades past continue to shape Kosovo’s economy.

From today’s perspective, living in Kosovo in the 1990s can be best captured by reversing Charles Dickens’ monumental opening in “A Tale of Two Cities”: “it was the worst of times, it was the best of times.” Within just a decade, we went from losing the best we were given in Yugoslavia — autonomy; to gaining the least any nation deserves — freedom; and eventually, independence.

Foundations of Kosovo’s parallel state – Besnik Pula

Personal and economic context for Yugoslavia’s collapse

I vividly remember the summer day in 1991 when my father and I boarded a 3 a.m. bus from Prishtina to Belgrade, where we would catch our morning flight to JFK airport in New York City. A mix of excitement and anxiousness kept me from sleeping that night. The beige-colored bus, operated by the once renowned Tourist Kosova company, departed from the front of the Grand Hotel Prishtina, likely for the convenience of the rare foreign journalist or visitor who might have been staying there during those tumultuous years. Just weeks earlier, I had severely injured my ankle in a fall, so I limped from our apartment to the bus with my luggage. I bid my mother and my great aunt, who had graciously come out that morning to see us away, farewell, climbed onto the bus with my father, and we set off.

La rivalité entre Moscou et Washington dans le monde turcophone

Le grand partenariat eurasiatique représente en effet la seule carte dont disposent Moscou et Pékin pour concilier leurs projets d’infrastructures dans la région.

Tandis que l’administration Trump joue la carte de la séduction face aux «swing states» en les attirant avec de nouveaux accords énergétiques – comme celui proposé à la Turquie pour l’achat de son GNL, devenu manifestement moins attrayant après le doublement de la connexion énergétique russo-chinoise – et dans les secteurs de la technologie nucléaire civile et de l’aviation, ou proposé au Kazakhstan et à l’Ouzbékistan, avec 12 milliards de dollars dans les secteurs aérien, ferroviaire et dans celui des matières premières, la Russie mise sur une stratégie globale et promeut le concept «Altaï, patrie des Turcs» ainsi que le projet «Grand Altaï» comme contrepoids à l’Organisation des États turciques (OTS). Par le biais de conférences, d’expéditions et d’initiatives soutenues par l’État, Moscou cherche à se positionner non comme un acteur marginal dans le monde turc, mais comme son centre historique et culturel, notamment après la médiation nécessaire atteinte avec Istanbul en Syrie après la chute d’Assad.

Jaish-e-Mohammed forms first-ever women’s wing ‘Jamaat-ul-Mominaat’ after heavy losses in Op Sindoor

The women’s brigade is reportedly to be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which suffered a crippling blow during India’s Operation Sindoor, has reportedly stepped up efforts to revive its footprint, including in India, and has announced the formation of its first-ever women’s wing, named Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, according to media reports.

A Real Estate Empire Built on Dark Money

Since 2012, hundreds of millions of dollars from Kyrgyzstan — one of the poorest countries on earth — have poured into bank accounts in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East on behalf of a single family.

Much of that money ended up in an expansive real estate portfolio that stretches from the Persian Gulf to the shores of California.

Le soutien ukrainien au terrorisme sahélien : une réalité inquiétante qui se confirme

La situation sécuritaire au Sahel connaît depuis plusieurs années une détérioration préoccupante, marquée par la multiplication des attaques terroristes et l’instabilité chronique qui frappe cette région stratégique de l’Afrique.

Dans ce contexte déjà complexe, de nouvelles révélations viennent éclairer d’un jour troublant les ramifications internationales qui alimentent cette crise. Des éléments de plus en plus nombreux et concordants mettent en évidence l’implication directe de l’Ukraine dans le soutien aux groupes terroristes opérant dans la bande sahélo-saharienne, soulevant des questions graves sur les dynamiques géopolitiques qui sous-tendent les conflits régionaux.