Author: M Barbu

Russians Split On Responsibility For Worsening Tensions Over Ukraine – Analysis

Older Russians blame NATO for rising tensions between the Kremlin and Western powers over Ukraine, according to a public survey conducted this week by an independent Moscow-based pollster.

Across all age groups, half of those polled by the Levada Center believe the United States and other NATO nations are “the initiators of the exacerbation of the situation in eastern Ukraine,” while only 4% blamed Russia. Sixteen percent saw Kyiv as being responsible for worsening relations.

When Putin Will Invade Ukraine

While much of the world wonders when Russia will invade Ukraine, the US Senate’s number 2 ranking member on the Armed Forces committee has added something new:

When will the US invade Russia?

Senator Roger Wicker disclosed that a US invasion of Russia is on the table. He spoke on national TV immediately after the Biden-Putin virtual summit about Ukraine.

China’s BRI Crown Jewel Joins The Era Of Defiance And Dissent – Analysis

The crown jewel of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) increasingly looks like a powder keg that has exploded.

Mass protests have for the past month swept Gwadar, a Chinese-dominated Pakistani port city 90 kilometres from the border with Iran that has long been plagued by intermittent protests and Baloch nationalist attacks on Chinese nationals and targets.

Le « Maghreb », une invention coloniale ?

Le débat sur le concept de « Maghreb » a récemment ressurgi à l’occasion de la parution d’un ouvrage développant l’hypothèse d’une éventuelle origine coloniale. Une question complexe.

Un article paru le 9 décembre sur le site Orient XXI reprend le dernier ouvrage de l’anthropologue Abdelmajid Hannoum, qui interroge la notion de « Maghreb » pour savoir si elle est le fruit d’une invention coloniale française. La thèse est la suivante : par la conjonction de trois aspects, – représentation cartographique, archéologie, et mélange « langue, race, territoire »- le discours colonial ne se serait pas pas contenté de « bouleverser les identités et les traditions », il en aurait « créé de toutes pièces, sous les apparences du local mais sans l’avoir jamais été ».

Israeli Arab, Gazan Arrested for Spying on Iron Dome, Soldiers in Israel for Hamas

Israel’s Shin Bet security service has reiterated that Hamas in Gaza “exploits” permits for residents to enter Israel for commercial reasons. Its proof is its arrest, announced on Thursday, of an Israeli Arab citizen with family in the Gaza Strip and a resident of the Gaza Strip with a commercial permit to enter Israel suspected of spying on Israel, including its Iron Dome missile defense system, for Hamas.

Iranian Newspaper Puts Literal Targets on Israeli Sites in Public Threat

An English-language Iranian newspaper has put a literal bull’s-eye on dozens of sites inside Israel that it says the Islamic Republic will target if Israel makes “just one wrong move.” The Tehran Times published the article that topped its website on Tuesday, featuring a large map of Israel with pins representing potential targets, including in the West Bank and on the borders with Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

1 Killed, 78 Rescued After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Tunisian Coast

Tunisia’s navy retrieved the body of an Egyptian man who was killed, and rescued 78 survivors, mostly from Bangladesh and Egypt, who were trying to reach Europe, after the boat that was carrying them capsized off the coast of Tunisia on Wednesday. The migrants had left from Libya the previous night, Tunisia’s Defense Ministry said. The rescued migrants were turned over to municipal authorities, according to a report by the AFP.

In late November, 487 migrants, including 93 children, were rescued off the Tunisian coast as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in an overloaded boat.

Poverty, Economic Turmoil Shaking Erdoğan’s Throne

Erdoğan’s biggest political rival ahead of the 2023 presidential elections seems to be — poverty.

The first decade of Erdoğan’s rule actually brought relative prosperity to Turks. Per capita GDP rose sharply from $3,688 in 2002 to $11,796 in 2012… Since 2013, however, reckless nepotism, increasing authoritarianism, corruption and economic mismanagement have boosted interest-rates, inflation and unemployment, bringing per capita GDP down to an estimated $7,500.

Mali : entre Barkhane et Wagner, la guerre de communication fait rage

Le groupe russe Wagner mènerait une bataille de com’ sur les réseaux sociaux, flirtant avec la désinformation. Sur des médias maliens plus traditionnels, l’opération Barkhane y va aussi de ses spots publicitaires…

Au Mali, comme dans d’autres pays africains en mal de sécurité, grincent les dents des antennes militaires des chancelleries dès qu’est prononcé « Wagner », le nom du groupe paramilitaire russe. Question de principe d’abord : comment combiner, sur un théâtre d’opération, une coopération militaire publique jaugée par des contribuables européens, via leurs élus, et le concept commercial de mercenariat exonéré de considérations politiques ?
Désinformation