Author: M Barbu

Looking West: The Houthis’ Expanding Footprint in the Horn of Africa

Abstract: The Yemen-based Houthis’ top priority is the continued development of their unmanned vehicle and missile programs. Both programs are vital to the Houthis’ ability to exert leverage over both their domestic and external enemies. Securing supply chains and funding for the programs, especially funding and supplies that are independent of Iran, is a key objective for the Houthi leadership. To this end, the Houthis have deepened their relationship with Yemen-based al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). AQAP, in turn, has opened new doors for the Houthis to interact with Horn of Africa-based militant groups such as al-Shabaab. Both AQAP and al-Shabaab now act as facilitators and, to a degree, as partners that help the Houthis smuggle needed materiel into and out of Yemen. These relationships are also vital to the Houthis’ expanding efforts to fund their weapons programs and the broader organization. The Houthis’ relationship with al-Shabaab and Horn of Africa-based smugglers points to the organization’s growing footprint in the Horn of Africa.

How the Wagner Group Is Aggravating the Jihadi Threat in the Sahel

Abstract: Over the past year, mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a private military company with very close ties to the Kremlin, deployed to Mali—first to Bamako, the capital, then to the central part of the country, then in the east all the way to Gao and Ménaka and in the north to Timbuktu. The arrival of Russian mercenaries hastened the departure of French and European forces. However, the Russian private military company did not deploy capable, disciplined, and well-equipped troops to fill the gap, and its brutal and indiscriminate counterinsurgency efforts are serving as a recruiting tool for the jihadis. A year after the arrival of the Russian mercenaries to Mali, the security situation has worsened. Despite ongoing fighting between al-Qa`ida and the Islamic State’s branches in the Sahel, the two terrorist groups are consolidating their sanctuaries and gaining an unprecedented range of action. With concern that Wagner may seek out Burkina Faso as its next client, the Russian mercenaries’ aggravation of the jihadi threat has very concerning implications for the stability and security of the region.

En Occident, la mascarade électorale s’est éteinte, refroidie par l’ordre fondé sur les règles

Les derniers mois ont été éprouvants pour la démocratie. Les résultats d’élections hostiles à l’Union européenne ont été annulés en Roumanie. Une tentative de coup d’État a eu lieu en Géorgie à la suite d’élections qui ne se sont pas déroulées comme le souhaitait l’Occident. Le gouvernement français, largement conspué, s’est retrouvé au bord de l’abîme quand le président Emmanuel Macron a tenté d’ignorer les dernières élections. Le 16 décembre, le gouvernement allemand, chouchou de Washington, a été défait. Le référendum et les élections en Moldavie ont donné lieu à de nombreuses manipulations, les électeurs moldaves vivant en Russie ayant été privés de leur droit de vote. Les élections sont annulées depuis longtemps dans l’Ukraine dictatoriale, et la Corée du Sud a été le théâtre d’une tentative de coup d’État. En bref, la passion des démocraties occidentales pour les élections est révolue. Alors que les populations occidentales en ont assez de leur classe politique et se prononcent négativement, que peuvent faire les élites ? Annuler, renverser les gouvernements et ignorer les élections, voilà la solution. Le problème, pour l’Occident, ce sont les électeurs.

Islamic State Narrative on Recent Events in Syria: Analysis of al-Naba Issue 473

The Islamic State has utilised the recent collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to intensify its ideological campaign. Through its latest issue of al-Naba (issue 473), released in recent days, the group has disseminated a narrative portraying these events as betrayals of Islamic principles and evidence of external manipulation.

Anarchy in the Levant: Your future dream is a chaos scheme

Tehran and Moscow harbor no illusions – and are preparing accordingly. The war on BRICS is just getting started.

Syria as we knew it is being eviscerated in real time – in geographic, cultural, economic and military terms – by an appalling confluence of mercenary Rent-a-Jihadi mobs and psychopathological genocidals praying at the altar of Eretz Israel.

Hopes and Uncertainties in Syria

Many Western leaders have expressed their relief at the collapse of the dictatorship of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Cities such as Homs and Damascus were taken by the coalition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, or the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant) almost without combat. The reality is that the seemingly unshakeable fifty-four-year-old rule of the Assad dynasty had been rotting from within.

L’anarchie au Levant : Votre rêve d’avenir est un plan de chaos

Téhéran et Moscou ne se font pas d’illusions et se préparent en conséquence. La guerre contre les BRICS ne fait que commencer.

La Syrie telle que nous la connaissions est éviscérée en temps réel – en termes géographiques, culturels, économiques et militaires – par une effroyable confluence de troupes mercenaires Djihadiste-à-louer et de génocidaires psychopathologiques priant à l’autel d’Eretz Israël.

The Western Balkans At A Crossroads: An Old War From In New Geopolitical Compositions – OpEd

Hybrid warfare has made the transition from being a purely theoretical concern to a multifaceted and pervasive strategy that fundamentally affects the structure of modern societies. It has transcended the boundaries of propaganda and disinformation, by transforming these tools into powerful weapons to influence democratic processes and government decision-making. In this context, the Western Balkans represents a dynamic laboratory where hybrid strategies are clearly manifested, which not only challenge the stability of the region, but also reconfigures its political and social landscape.

The Slow Motion Death Of Syria – OpEd

On December 8, 2024, the 24-year reign of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad came to an end after a rebel coalition of Al-Qaeda offshoots, Turkish proxies, and other Islamist militants overwhelmed the capital of Damascus. In effect, a Sunni Islamist saturnalia brought an end to the Middle East’s last secular Arab government.

The Assad family, starting with Hafez al-Assad in 1971, has held an iron grip on Syrian politics for over five decades. As committed members of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, the Assads aligned with rivals to the West and Israel such as the Soviet Union, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and later on the Russian Federation.

The day after in Syria

Following revolutions, we Americans have a touching inclination to ask: “Are the new leaders like us? Are they moderates who believe in tolerance and peaceful coexistence?”

Generally, the answer is no.