South East Asia

The Treacherous Triangle Of Syria, Iran, And Russia – Analysis

Both Russia and Iran have deep, multifaceted, and long-standing connections to Syria. During the Cold War, Damascus emerged as the Soviet Union’s most loyal Middle Eastern ally, and the relationship regained vibrancy in the 2000s as Vladimir Putin strove to reestablish Moscow’s regional preeminence. Meanwhile, the 1979 Iranian revolution reversed Tehran’s pro-U.S. orientation. Hafez al-Assad’s Syria was the first Arab state to recognize the Islamic Republic of Iran and the only Arab state (apart from Libya) to support Iran during its 8-year war against Iraq (1980-88). In subsequent decades, Tehran intensified its political, economic, and military ties with Damascus.[1]

US-trained Afghan special forces recruited by Wagner Group in Ukraine: Report

New reports of US-trained Afghan special forces joining the fight in Ukraine, but on the Russian side, are emerging. The Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor firm that has played a vital role in the battle for the town of Bakhmut in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, is recruiting Afghan fighters that US special forces spent decades training.

In a US-China confrontation, West Asia will bow out

The prospect of a US-China war has entered the realm of reality. Increased provocations from US military and political officials regarding the status of Taiwan – which China considers to be part of its historic territory – have heightened the possibility of confrontation in recent years.

The World Teetering on the New Polycentric Geopolitics

The world is yet to see how dangerous the decade before us will be, what the new global geopolitical architecture will look like and who is to build it.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned in his address to his colleagues on 10 February 2023 in Moscow: “All of us are professionals and we are well aware this is certainly not an exaggeration.” Lavrov elaborated on the remark made by Vladimir Putin that this is a historic crossroads for the world and that the most important, the most uncertain decade as well as the most dangerous decade since the Second World War is ahead of us. His opponents tend to express rather similar sentiments. Strangely enough, when one shakes off the mirage of propaganda slogans galore, the deep-seated and growing pessimism is almost palpable as for which side of the crossroads ahead will hugely benefit from it all. Namely, Martin Wolf, the chief columnist in Financial Times in the economy section and one of the most influential world economists according to Bloomberg, says that this is a moment of overwhelming fear but also that of a vague hope. Once an avid advocate of globalization and deregulation based on the U.S. neoliberal model, he seems to have revised and conveniently adapted his views in the meantime.

IEA kill top Daesh commander in Kabul

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday that a top Daesh commander had been killed in an operation in Kabul on Sunday night.

According to a statement issued by Mujahid, IEA forces killed Qari Fateh, the regional Daesh “intelligence and operations chief”, during the operation in Khair Khana area.

Exploiter le chaos : l’Etat islamique et al-Qaeda

Synthèse

L’Etat islamique (EI), les groupes liés à al-Qaeda, Boko Haram et d’autres mouvements extrémistes sont les protagonistes des crises les plus meurtrières d’aujourd’hui, ce qui complique les efforts pour y mettre fin. Ils exploitent les guerres, la faillite des Etats et les bouleversements géopolitiques au Moyen-Orient, s’implantent en Afrique et constituent ailleurs une menace en constante évolution. Enrayer leur avancée nécessite d’éviter les erreurs qui ont permis leur ascension. Cela implique de distinguer les groupes selon leurs objectifs ; de faire un usage plus différencié de la force ; de ne pas repousser les militants sans avoir au préalable une alternative crédible ; et de considérer établir des voies de communication, même avec les plus radicaux. Il est également vital de désamorcer les crises dont ils se nourrissent et de prévenir l’apparition de nouveaux conflits, en poussant les dirigeants au dialogue, à l’intégration et aux réformes, et en réagissant avec mesure aux attaques terroristes. L’essentiel est que la lutte contre « l’extrémisme violent » ne distraie pas, ni n’aggrave, des menaces plus graves encore, notamment les rivalités croissantes entre puissances, régionales et internationales.

The Global South Refuses Pressure to Side With the West on Russia

At the G20 meeting in Bengaluru, India, the United States arrived with a simple brief. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at the February 2023 summit that the G20 countries must condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and they must adhere to U.S. sanctions against Russia. However, it became clear that India, the chair of the G20, was not willing to conform to the U.S. agenda. Indian officials said that the G20 is not a political meeting, but a meeting to discuss economic issues. They contested the use of the word “war” to describe the invasion, preferring to describe it as a “crisis” and a “challenge.” France and Germany have rejected this draft if it does not condemn Russia.