Author: M Barbu

Islamic State Khorasan’s Westward Network Expansion Into Iran, Turkey, and Europe

ISKP’s retooling from regional operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan to a focus on external attacks and operational plots has resulted in a surge of both foiled plots and successful attacks.

The Islamic State attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue on the outskirts of Moscow, which killed at least 140 people and injured over 500 more, has prompted significant alarm among Western intelligence and security services about similar operations occurring in Europe and North America in the coming months. This concern is well-founded, given the aggressive campaign by the organization, its Afghanistan-Pakistan-based Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), and pro-IS propaganda outlets threatening attacks and urging supporters to carry out acts of violence against the West – with a particular emphasis on sporting events.

The State of al-Qa`ida Central

Abstract: More than a year and a half after the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, al-Qaida Central has yet to acknowledge the demise of its emir and announce his replacement. After having lost its franchises in Iraq and Syria and after having seen its hegemony on the global jihadi scene hollowed out, the organization now operates without a declared leader, a first in its history. Coupled with the protracted absence of operational success of its own, this track record reinforces the widespread notion that al-Qaida Central has become and will remain irrelevant. However, while the challenges facing the group are real, it should not be written off, as it has proved time and again more resilient than expected and can still count on its longstanding network of affiliates and followers to survive and potentially reverse its fortunes.

Les États-Unis et le Royaume-Uni poussent à une guerre totale sur tous les fronts

Préambule : Cet article confirme ce que nous pensons également. La guerre en Ukraine est loin d’être terminée, ce n’est qu’une phase de réchauffement. Comme d’habitude, la stratégie occidentale a consisté, dans toutes les guerres précédentes, à se diriger vers une grande conflagration par à-coups. Guerre, pas de guerre ? Chaud et froid. Les espoirs de paix seront remplacés par une nouvelle escalade. C’est la phase où la machine de guerre occidentale teste l’ennemi, sonde ses points faibles, épuise sa population, met en place la psychologie de l’inévitabilité de la guerre et, bien sûr, met en place sa propre économie de guerre.

The CIA and Zionism: A Complex History

SUDDENLY, “ZIONISM” IS A FIGHTING WORD. The term for the nationalist movement to build a Jewish state in Palestine has not often figured in American political debate over the half century since the U.S.Ambassador to the United Nations, Patrick Moynihan, denounced a 1975 United Nations resolution asserting that “Zionism is a form of racism.” Now Zionism has returned as epithet and issue in the 2024 election.

What Is the Extent of Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis?

A year into the civil war in Sudan, more than eight million people have been displaced, exacerbating an already devastating humanitarian crisis.

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since fighting erupted on April 15, 2023, between the nation’s military, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence has worsened an already precarious humanitarian situation, driving the spread of mass-starvation conditions. Meanwhile, neighboring countries have taken in more than one million refugees, risking broader destabilization across the Horn of Africa and Sahel regions.

Polarization Threatens to Derail Bosnia’s EU Ambitions

The opening of EU accession talks marks an important milestone for Bosnia, where ethnic tensions run high. But progress on the EU track is no remedy for the chronic crisis besetting the country’s politics.

Bosnia finally has some good news. On March 21, the European Council gave the country the green light to start membership talks with the EU.

The geopolitics of labor: Israel’s quest to replace Palestinian workers with Indians

On 10 April, in the thick of the war on Gaza, the Israeli government, facing a labor crisis, announced that it would fly in 6,000 Indian laborers during April and May on state-subsidized shuttle flights.

This decision follows Israel’s suspension of work permits for Palestinian construction workers, a move that has significantly impacted its building sector. Israel’s Finance Ministry estimates that the absence of Palestinian laborers is costing the economy about three billion shekels ($828 million) monthly, which could lead to a loss of three percent of GDP as the building and housing markets struggle with debt amounting to 400 billion shekels ($106 billion).