Daily Review: France Withdraws From West Africa

Today at WPR, we’re covering Mexico’s foreign policy under AMLO and the recently announced India-Middle East-Europe Corridor.

But first, here’s our take on today’s top story:

Niger: France will withdraw its remaining troops from Niger by the end of the year, President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday, while the country’s ambassador left the country yesterday. The move follows weeks of increasing tensions between France and the military leaders who seized power in a coup in Niger in late July. (New York Times)

Human rights to counter terrorism: Now is the time for a Global Humanitarian Coalition to Defeat ISIS

The militarily-centered Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, also known as the Islamic State or Daesh, successfully liberated the expansive territories once occupied by the terrorist group. However, ISIS remains a key threat in both Syria and Iraq as well as globally. To bring about durable counter terrorism, there is an urgent need for a Global Humanitarian Coalition to Defeat ISIS to conduct human rights-centered action and build upon the hard-fought military gains. Repatriation of all third-country nationals in the squalid detention camps and prisons in northeast Syria must be the first joint task in order to ease the burden of the local administration and to accomplish long-sought security, justice, and stabilization goals.

Ethiopia’s Surprising Admission Into the Brics Elite Circle – Exploring the Role of Geopolitics, Economics

The recent BRICS summit, held in South Africa, sent shockwaves through global geopolitics as it unexpectedly welcomed six new nations into its ranks. On January, 2024, Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Ethiopia will officially join the bloc. This surprising move not only ignited fierce debate among experts but also captured the attention of world leaders. Among the newly admitted members, one nation stood out, sparking intense discussions and leaving many questioning the criteria behind its selection: Ethiopia.

Does Ankara attack mark strategy shift for Turkey’s PKK?

The attack inside Turkey, the first since 2016 for the PKK, has prompted worries over Washington’s partnership with Syrian Kurds.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) carried out a suicide attack on the headquarters of Turkey’s national security directorate in Ankara on Sunday. Does the violence mark a shift in the group’s strategy that can imperil the military partnership between its Syrian Kurdish franchise and the United States?

The Houthi Movement and the War in Yemen: Development and Significance

Overview

The Houthi movement was established in Yemen in the early 1990s, based on Shiite Zaydi Muslim residents, who make up about 30% of the country’s population. In 2004, the movement mounted a rebellion against the central government in Yemen because it had become too closely affiliated with the US and Israel. Until 2009, six rounds of fighting between the parties took place, at the end of which the Houthis established autonomy in northern Yemen. Over time, the Houthis managed to increase their power and areas of control, and in 2015, they deposed the incumbent president. This move has led, among other things, to the establishment of a coalition of Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which set itself the goal of defeating the Houthis and restoring the previous regime. In response, the Houthis also began to carry out attacks on the territory of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, using advanced weapons provided by Iran.

The Pro-Iranian Militias in Syria

Introduction

Syria is the geographical center of the Iranian-controlled radical axis and the arena where pro-Iranian militias operate, some of them brought in by Iran and others formed locally by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. They have one main purpose: to ensure the continuation of Bashar Assad’s regime, accomplished on the pretext of “defending the Shi’ite shrines.” The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 and was won by the forces supporting Assad, who continues his efforts to stabilize the government institutions and rebuild his army. The pro-Iranian militias serve as another tool for establishing Iranian strategy in Syria and Lebanon.

Federalization Of Serbia Is Key To Stabilizing The Region – OpEd

The 17-hour war that took place in Banjska village of Zveçan, in the north of Kosovo, proves that Serbia is completely immersed in the obsession for the annexation of the north of the Republic of Kosovo.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić never seems to understand the fact that the independence of Kosovo does not depend on the political will of Serbia and the mythomania of the Serbian Orthodox Church on Kosovo, but above all on the political will of the citizens of Kosovo materialized with the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008, of course this is also in line with the strategic interests of the West, first of all the USA, Great Britain and Germany.

Saudi-Israel Normalization: Complex Dynamics – OpEd

The issue of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel has been a hot topic in the Middle East and the world, especially after the speeches of their respective leaders at the UN General Assembly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his address to UN General Assembly expressed his optimism about reaching a historic peace deal with the Saudis saying that it would create a new Middle East and enhance the prospects of peace with the Palestinians.