Author: M Barbu

“Syria’s Paradox: Unpacking the Complexities of Revolution and Civil War”

A revolution is supposed to transform society, often driven by a clear vision for the future and a commitment to radical change, Wael Sawah writes.

I find myself at a loss when it comes to understanding the origins and conclusions of certain trends. One morning, I awaken to find the world abuzz with a new trend, dominating both the media and social platforms, subjecting individuals to relentless scrutiny. Yet, within days, this trend vanishes as abruptly as it emerged, leaving behind a society that quickly forgets the fervor with which they once hurled accusations at one another. The latest Syrian trend revolves around a question of profound significance: Is what is unfolding in Syria a revolution or a civil war?

Al Qaeda-affiliated media shop promotes worldwide operations

Thabat, an al-Qaeda-affiliated media outfit, has released a series of infographics in recent weeks that are intended to highlight the jihadists’ worldwide operations. The images include purported summary statistics for the entire month of March, figures for the week from Mar. 26 to Apr. 2, a brief timeline of the jihad in Afghanistan, as well as a history of the jihad in Somalia.

Xi wants to enlist the Global South in his anti-American movement

At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation starting September 4, Beijing will once again seek to deepen its engagement with countries in the Global South. Chinese leader Xi Jinping was, to his credit, prescient in recognizing the frustrations and aspirations within the developing world and has capitalized on those sentiments to build China’s global political and economic influence. The three-day event, which the Chinese foreign ministry called “the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years,” is only one of a series of programs, initiatives, and gatherings that Beijing has launched to tighten its bonds of diplomacy, business, and trade with countries throughout the Global South.

American Officials Told Politico Their Plan For Waging Hybrid War Against Wagner In Africa

While America is ramping up its operations to counter Wagner’s growing popularity across Africa, it lacks the credibility to advance its goal through information warfare alone as proven by its failures in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Sudan, which are the six countries of focus mentioned in Politico’s latest report.

The Sahelian Alliance’s Plans To Create A Confederation Will Transform Continental Dynamics

It’ll of course take some time to reap the fruits of this vision, but throughout the interim, these countries can rely on varying degrees of Russian assistance.

Burkina Faso revealed in February that it planned to create a confederation with neighboring Mali, which President Traore elaborated on in an exclusive interview with Sputnik in late July. Those two and their mutual Nigerien neighbor then formed the Sahelian Alliance in mid-September nearly three months after that last-mentioned country’s coup. This platform created the basis upon which to include Niger in the planned Burkinabe-Malian Confederation according to their Foreign Ministers’ latest joint statement.

How drone attacks are changing the rules and the costs of the Ukraine war

Ukraine has unveiled a new long-range weapon, a mix of drone and missile technology that Kyiv believes will significantly boost its ability to combat Russian military attacks.

Ukrainian promotional material suggested that the “rocket drone”, called Palianytsia, will have a range of 700km, and could bring around 250 Russian military targets within range, opening a new phase of the air war.

Exposing and opposing Zionism: A conversation with Ilan Pappé

Ilan Pappé is an internationally renowned Israeli historian.

Formerly a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Haifa, he is now professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Exeter.

Pappé has written more than 20 books on the history of Palestine and the State of Israel, including the seminal work, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006), which makes clear that the driving out of 700,000 Palestinians and the seizure of their land during the founding of Israel in 1947-48 was a deliberate Zionist policy.

The Nazification of anti-Zionism

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Aug. 28, Yonathan Arfi, the head of the French Jewish umbrella body Crif, complained that most of his fellow citizens have an understanding of antisemitism that is rooted in the memory of the Second World War. The indelible association of Nazism with Jew-hatred, Arfi argued, prevents today’s generations from perceiving antisemitism as a live and current threat to the Jewish communities in their midst.

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (August 19-26 , 2024)

On August 25, 2024, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing 340 rockets at air defense facilities in northern Israel and launching a large number of UAVs at IDF bases in retaliation to the killing of Fuad Shukr, the organization’s military commander. Earlier, the Israeli Air Force carried out a pre-emptive strike on thousands of Hezbollah missile launchers. An IDF soldier was killed during the interception of a Hezbollah rocket, a woman was injured by shrapnel in Acre, and Hezbollah’s attacks caused substantial property damage.