Author: M Barbu

An uncertain future for Idlib as Assad is welcomed back to the international stage

Despite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad being welcomed back onto the international stage, all is not well at home.

His country is broken into three parts, which, at best, are in a state of uneasy coexistence and at worst are stuck in a low-intensity active conflict.

In the country’s northwestern Idlib province, Assad’s forces are engaged in near-daily shelling along the frontlines and Russia has recently resumed airstrikes after a long lull.

Syrians who fled Assad fear he will soon choke off aid

Syrians who fled President Bashar al-Assad’s rule fear he may soon be able to choke off badly needed aid as his regime acts to establish sway over UN assistance into the rebel-held northwest, the last major bastion of the Syrian opposition.

A tussle at the UN Security Council over the aid operation has played to Assad’s advantage, with his ally Russia vetoing an extension of its mandate this week and paving the way for the regime to approve one itself – but on its terms.

‘It’s an everyday trauma’: Renewed hope in the quest to uncover the fate of Syria’s disappeared

The resolution to establish an Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria, adopted by the UN General Assembly at the end of June, marks a first, promising step to uncover the fate of over 130,000 people who have disappeared since the Syrian conflict began in 2011.

Most of them are believed to be detained or disappeared by the regime of Bashar al-Assad; according to human rights organisations, this is estimated to be about 85% of those unaccounted for. Others were kidnapped by opposition groups and extremist groups like the Islamic State (IS).

Bashar al-Assad’s hollow victory in Syria

Many Syrians were incensed last week at the appearance of Bashar al-Assad at the Arab League, twelve years after he was suspended due to his brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

On the day of the Arab League meeting, thousands of Syrians took to the streets in over 15 towns across northern Syria in mass protests against the decision. One protest in Idlib was held under a large banner that read: “Syria is not represented by Assad the criminal”.

Syria Insight: What next for Russia’s Wagner Group?

After weeks of haranguing Russian military commanders, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on 24 June ordered his fighters to take over the garrison city of Rostov-on-Don and head for Moscow, sparking fears of civil war in Russia.

Almost as quickly as it began the mutiny was quelled, with Prigozhin and his fighters given the option of an uncertain Belarusian exile or signing up to the Russian military, although the outcome of this ultimatum remains unclear.

To BRICS Or Not To BRICS – OpEd

When the BRICS was initiated, it was an organisation meant to express a new geopolitical will as against the Western geopolitical order. Meanwhile, it has become expression of hopes and desires for economic development, progress, representation in international fora and the need to contribute and play a role in defining the global agenda and finding solutions to global issues.

The ‘Useful Idiots’ In Western Academia Are Really ‘Conscious Conspirators’ Serving China – OpEd

Viruses worm their way into living cells, change the structure of the host cells from within, take over the cells’ reproductive process, use the cells’ own machinery to make copies of themselves, and conquer and kill the host. Routine antibiotics do not work while fighting viruses. You need a molecule that prevents the process by which the virus duplicates itself, or you need a vaccine to make your cells vigilant to such viruses and treat it as a foreign object.

Wagner Forces Arrive CAR Despite Uncertainty Over Their Future

This deployment of the Wagner Forces was reportedly announced by the Officers Union for International Security (COSI), a group linked to the Russian paramilitary group after other fighters left CAR in June.

In a surprising development, hundreds of fighters affiliated with the Wagner paramilitary group have arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) to purportedly enhance security measures ahead of the country’s upcoming constitutional referendum scheduled for July 30.

The Institutionalization of the New Cold War

The 31 countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are taking their victory laps over the latest expansion of the political-military alliance. The boastful communique for last week’s NATO summit in Lithuania had more than 60 references to nuclear weapons, and promised modernization for NATO’s nuclear powers: the United States, Britain, and France. There is increased likelihood for the pre-positioning of advanced military weaponry, particularly artillery and air defense systems. The Baltic Sea will become Lake NATO.

Eritrea’s Growing Ties With China And Russia Highlight America’s Inadequate Approach In East Africa – Analysis

China and Russia have recently increased their engagement with Eritrea, a small but strategically located country in East Africa. Meanwhile, American influence in the region is amid a yearslong slide. Despite the obvious risks, the United States has failed to muster a committed response and has even taken some counterproductive measures that demonstrate a lack of strategic thinking. If these trends continue, a vital region may fall under the conclusive influence of Washington’s primary geopolitical competitors.