Author: M Barbu

Saudi-Israel Normalization: Complex Dynamics – OpEd

The issue of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel has been a hot topic in the Middle East and the world, especially after the speeches of their respective leaders at the UN General Assembly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his address to UN General Assembly expressed his optimism about reaching a historic peace deal with the Saudis saying that it would create a new Middle East and enhance the prospects of peace with the Palestinians.

Five Israelis, Palestinians charged in Iran spy plot, Shin Bet says

Israel’s security service said it had foiled a plot by five Israelis and Palestinians recruited for Iran to spy on Israeli politicians, including the far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Two Israelis and three Palestinians were charged Thursday for their involvement in a “terror cell” operated by a person living in Jordan and working under Iranian instructions, Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, said.

The EU and Azerbaijan: Time to Talk Tough

By launching a military offensive in Nagorny Karabakh, President Aliyev forfeited the trust of Europeans. Azerbaijan’s status as a transport hub cannot be a reason for the EU to go soft on Baku.

The events of the last week are triggering a debate on the need for a deep reset of Europe’s policy toward Azerbaijan.

The Kautilyan Legacy Of Spycraft And The India-Canada Diplomatic Row – Analysis

From a magically successful G20 Summit exemplifying trust management, consensus building, and diplomatic sophistication to being alleged of its agents’ involvement in the killing of a Khalistani separatist in Canada, New Delhi continues to draw the world’s attention. Though the allegations are still unsubstantiated and appear “absurd and motivated,” it is pertinent to throw light on the ancient practice of intelligence and espionage in India. If G20 was shepherded around the age-old concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, where might the legacy of India’s spycraft lie?

New Lines/HumAngle Host Virtual Discussion On Role Of Journalism In Human Rights Advocacy

In an X Space hosted by New Lines Magazine, journalists and development specialists discussed the latest investigation by HumAngle and New Lines, highlighting the role of investigative journalism in strengthening human rights.

New Lines Magazine has recently hosted a virtual discussion in collaboration with HumAngle to discuss the role of investigative journalism in strengthening human rights. The discussion, which was held on X (formerly Twitter), was an offshoot of both organisations’ recent joint investigation on the missing people’s problem in Nigeria’s northeast.

A YEAR OF LYING ABOUT NORD STREAM

The Biden administration has acknowledged neither its responsibility for the pipeline bombing nor the purpose of the sabotage

I do not know much about covert CIA operations—no outsider can—but I do understand that the essential component of all successful missions is total deniability. The American men and women who moved, under cover, in and out of Norway in the months it took to plan and carry out the destruction of three of the four Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea a year ago left no traces—not a hint of the team’s existence—other than the success of their mission.

It’s All About Them.

Discussing the faint mumblings in western capitals about “negotiations” over Ukraine last week, I pointed out how insecure and fragile the collective western strategic ego is, and how little opposition or criticism it can actually tolerate. It struck me that it might be worth expanding on that a bit, since it helps us to understand why the West has gets itself into such shambolic situations, Ukraine of course being the current one. I’ll also try to explain how both fervent admirers of western policy and its bitterest critics are actually part of the same incoherent strategic discourse. It all starts with ethnocentrism