Author: M Barbu

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

Jihadis from Syria blamed for multiple attacks on Iraqi Kurds

An onslaught of attacks on Kurdish peshmerga forces and villages in northern Iraq has sparked concerns over the presence of Islamic State cells and whether they have been bulked up by jihadis arriving from Syria.

A recent string of attacks targeting Kurdish forces in northern Iraq in areas disputed between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has raised questions about where the attackers came from and how long they have been in the area.

Intel: US, Israel float military option as Iran nuclear talks sputter

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met at the Pentagon to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, and the possibility of a military response if negotiations continue to stall.

Israel’s defense chief Benny Gantz sat down with US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon to discuss a range of issues on Thursday, including shared concerns over Iran’s advancing nuclear program.

Iraq announces end to US-led combat role with no fanfare

The defeat-IS coalition will continue its advisory mission into next year, despite a declared end to a combat role.

Iraq’s national security adviser said today that the US-led military coalition had completed its combat mission in Iraq, but American troops aren’t leaving the country just yet.

Qasim al-Araji announced the completion of the long-planned transition on Twitter on Thursday.

He Said, He Said: Russian, US Statements On Biden-Putin Call Differ Starkly – Analysis

Amid a big Russian military buildup near Ukraine and on the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula, the Kremlin has kept a lot of people guessing about its plans and intentions.

It did the same after President Vladimir Putin’s video call with U.S. President Joe Biden on December 7, issuing a statement about the talks nearly two hours after the White House released its readout.