Author: M Barbu

Africa is the next global influencer. That’s an opportunity.

In a COVID-altered landscape of global security threats, economic opportunities and strategic change, Africa is seizing center stage. Africans form the world’s fastest-growing population and national economies. Violent crises, democracy movements, extremist threats, international investments, human displacement and strategic opportunities all are rising. The coronavirus pandemic underscores both Africa’s risks to global stability from fragile states—and the overlooked potential of a continent now outperforming wealthier regions in containing the public health crisis. COVID is the latest reminder that “Africa’s deepening vulnerabilities and its rising capacities will shape global realities whether we prepare for that or not,” according to scholar Joseph Sany.

Can Syrians Who Left ISIS Be Reintegrated into Their Communities?

Thousands of Syrian women and children set to be freed from al-Hol camp require support to ensure sustainable reconciliation.

More than a year since the territorial defeat of ISIS, the region is still reeling in the wake of the self-styled caliphate’s destruction. Kurdish authorities operate two dozen detention facilities in northeast Syria holding thousands of former ISIS fighters.

Mali: Coopération Mali-France : la visite de Jean-Yves Le Drian au Mali reporté de trois jours

Le chef de la diplomatie française, Jean-Yves Le Drian qui devait se rendre jeudi à Bamako, a reporté son voyage à dimanche en raison d’un incident technique, a-t-on annoncé dans son entourage. Le Falcon dans lequel il devrait arriver à Bamako via Tunis n’a pas pu décoller pour des raisons techniques, nécessitant un changement de programme, a-t-on précisé.

Russia, Turkey Hold Syria Meeting in Moscow

The Russian and Turkish sides are holding talks in the Russian capital, Moscow, to discuss the latest developments on the Syrian front.

Russian News agency TASS reported that the Turkish Deputy-Foreign Minister, Sedat Önal, arrived in Moscow on Thursday, at the head of a political delegation, to hold meetings with Russian officials on Syria and Libya.

Qatar, the Gulf Crisis and the realignment of the Middle East

The 2017 blockade of Qatar came out of nowhere on a summer day in June, when Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates decided to cut ties with the tiny oil-rich Gulf state. It isn’t until three years later that a definitive account of the incident, which realigned the Middle East, is provided in the form of Qatar and the Gulf Crisis, by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Hamas using cyberwar base in Turkey to target enemies: The Times

Hamas is using a secret base in Turkey to carry out cyber warfare and counter-intelligence operations to target its enemies, according to a report by The Times who spoke to several western intelligence sources.

The Times reported that the base is based in Istanbul and was set up two years ago separate from Hamas’ official offices in the Turkish city.