The Czech Republic is stepping up and is set to send T-72B battle tanks to Ukraine. These are Soviet-era main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. It also has a deep history with Ukraine. The original 5TDF engines were replaced by the more modern V-45, which was produced by the Malyshev Factory in Kharkiv.
No U.S. military campaign in the Middle East has demonstrated the importance and benefits of working with partner Special Forces more than the fight against ISIS. Operating alongside local forces in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere, the U.S.-led coalition was able to destroy the caliphate and severely degrade the capabilities of ISIS. Should the future of U.S. security cooperation in the Middle East be focused on building the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency capabilities of indigenous Special Forces? What are the challenges and opportunities of this approach to U.S. security cooperation in the region? What lessons can be learned from the anti-ISIS fight? Our three speakers, who have in-depth expertise on and direct experience in this subject, will help us address these issues and many more.
Iran must be punished for its “complicity in Russian terror,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech on Sunday evening.
He added that “absolutely everyone who helps Russia prolong this war must bear responsibility for the consequences of this war along with it.” Zelenskyy said, “The whole world will know that the Iranian regime helps Russia prolong this war, and therefore prolong the effect of those threats to the world provoked precisely by the Russian war.
Even Desperate Leaders Tend to Avoid Catastrophe
National leaders who are losing wars sometimes resort to desperate gambles. Defeat or even lack of victory might threaten their hold on power, and they are sometimes willing to take daring or outside-the-box moves to try to turn things around. This is the great fear about the war in Ukraine: if Russian President Vladimir Putin judges that his back is up against the wall, he may decide to take catastrophic action.
Irregular migration from and through Tunisia is on the rise, as a growing number of migrants from the Maghreb head to Europe and an increasing flow of people from sub-Saharan Africa transit or stop there. This year has witnessed an alarming escalation of irregular maritime migration via this dangerous central Mediterranean route. Not only have the numbers of people attempting the journey grown, but they have also become more diverse, in terms of age, socio-economic status, and gender.
To help understand the current migration dynamics and their broader implications, the Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to invite you to join a virtual panel discussion featuring several experts on migration policy and Tunisia.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Sunday in its daily intelligence report about Ukraine that there has been a “series of dismissals of senior Russian military commanders since the onset of the invasion in February 2022.”
The report said, “These dismissals represent a pattern of blame against senior Russian military commanders for failures to achieve Russian objectives on the battlefield. This is in part likely an attempt to insulate and deflect blame from Russian senior leadership at home.”
Bulgarian lawmakers have voted to approve the purchase of eight F-16C/D Block 70 fighter jets for the country’s Air Force. The forthcoming acquisition is to be worth close to $1.3 billion.
As an officer deployed aboard the battleship Wisconsin during Operation Desert Shield in 1990, James Holmes recalls how no one back then thought the U.S. military would ever need an aircraft carrier in the Middle East.
As Armenia and Azerbaijan near a peace treaty, Russia is increasingly distanced from the region.
Armenia and Azerbaijan seem to be inching toward a comprehensive peace deal by the year-end. The hints in the media have been circulating for months, with various representatives from the Armenian leadership signaling a high probability of progress on the peace deal.
Acknowledging African Agency
(FPRI) — When it comes to US policy toward Africa, the Biden administration’s new National Security Strategy goes a step or two further than the Africa-specific strategy. It directly mentions the importance of supporting women’s rights—albeit in connection with countering terrorism.