Author: M Barbu

Den of thieves: Mapping organized crime in the South Caucasus

Criminal networks in the South Caucasus are expanding their reach across borders, exploiting both the region’s geographic position as a trade hub and its complex political environments. While in Azerbaijan, organized crime has largely been absorbed by the state apparatus, in Georgia and Armenia, criminal groups have been allowed to operate within limits set by political authorities. In all three countries, these networks thrive on blurred lines between licit and illicit economies, creating transnational challenges for security and governance.

La guerre des corridors

L’Arménie a provisoirement accepté de céder la gestion du corridor de Zanguezour à une entreprise américaine, selon la publication espagnole Periodista Digital.

Ce corridor, long de 42 km, reliera l’Azerbaïdjan au Nakhitchevan, à la Turquie et à l’Asie centrale. Il s’agit en substance d’une nouvelle «route de la soie», mais sous le contrôle de Washington. Il a déjà un nom : «Pont Trump».

Israel’s Druze Community and the Question of Suweida: Between Leverage and Limitation

In Israel, the Druze community occupies a complex position: celebrated as loyal citizens by the state, yet subject to systemic inequalities that have persisted since the 1950s. Their story has returned to the spotlight amid speculation about Israel’s intentions toward Syria’s Druze-majority Suweida province — a prospect that analysts say is unlikely, but revealing of deeper regional dynamics.

Lebanon Comes Under Pressure to Disarm Hezbollah

Bottom Line Up Front

Trump officials have given Lebanon’s government an ultimatum to take control of Lebanese Hezbollah’s arsenal of heavy weapons or forgo U.S. efforts to compel Israel to withdraw from its positions in southern Lebanon.

U.S. officials expect Lebanon’s cabinet, at a meeting this week, to issue an Executive Order on Hezbollah disarmament that satisfies core U.S. demands without triggering conflict with Hezbollah’s supporters and Lebanese Shia Muslims more broadly.

Iran’s Regime Is Plotting Its Comeback — Do Not Let It Happen

Iran’s regime is built on the belief that it must export its revolutionary Islamist vision, overthrow secular governments, and unify the Muslim world under a single Shiite Islamist state. This project is its purpose. It is what gives the Islamic Republic of Iran its identity. Its constitution enshrines that vision, and its institutions — from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to its intelligence services — are structured around advancing this goal.

In Israel’s Genocide of Gaza, We See the Face of Five Centuries of Western Colonialism

There are times when it is difficult to bring myself to my writer’s desk, when I know there is something that desperately needs to be acknowledged, but I barely have the words for it. And if I could find them, I ask myself what effect could one small voice possibly have. Is this even a meaningful process? Daily seeing pictures of children with bones sticking out of their emaciated flesh, let alone children missing limbs, while most of the western world continues support for Israel, pierces me with a sense of despair at our seeming helplessness to stop this horror.

Jihad Or Exile: Lake Chad’s Abandoned Youth Face Impossible Choice

Adam Issa struggled to explain why he quit his fisherman’s job to join one of the many jihadist groups holed up in the hundreds of islands of Lake Chad.

“Some of my friends who joined Boko Haram told me that I would make a lot of money with them,” the baby-faced 20-year-old said, eyes fixed firmly downwards.

Media Censorship in Kosovo at the Behest of Big Business

With media outlets in Kosovo and the region increasingly concentrated in the hands of major business moguls, journalists say censorship to protect the owners’ interests has become ‘the norm’.

A six-month investigation, involving over thirty sources, most of whom requested to remain anonymous due to consequences they fear they may face. This journalistic piece reveals that with the expansion of the media market in Kosovo, large businesses are increasingly taking control of journalistic work.