Has the Putin-Prigozhin Confrontation Opened a Door for Negotiation?

The war between Russia and Ukraine has become more complex in the wake of the past weekend, which found Yevgeny Prigozhin marching his troops toward Moscow, and President Vladimir Putin finding a safe haven for Prigozhin in Belarus. The conventional wisdom among politicians and pundits is that this is an opportunity for Ukraine and its Western allies to increase the pressure on Russia. Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, for example, favors “better and more weapons and better and more sanctions as fast as possible,” believing that Putin is more likely to “negotiate an end to this war if he is losing on the battlefield.” The problem, however, is that the war remains unwinnable; neither side has the ability to achieve a decisive victory.

Daesh terrorist preparing attacks caught in Istanbul

A Daesh member was caught in an operation in Istanbul while preparing a terrorist attack Friday.

As the Istanbul Police Department continues efforts to uncover the terrorist organization’s activities, police teams determined that a suspect, who was described as a “lone terrorist” and seeking to carry out an attack, possibly as an armed suicide bombing, was found at an address in the Bahçelievler district.

A new era for the Turkish economy?

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s victory over the alliance of opposition parties in Turkey’s May elections, in which he secured another term as president and maintained his alliance’s majority in parliament, came as a surprise to many, as credible pollsters had forecast just the opposite. Investors had to quickly adjust their market positioning as a result. At the same time, Erdoğan was making rapid adjustments of his own, backtracking on his campaign promise that he would maintain the existing economic model, which has been a major source of financial instability over the past five years. His change was likely driven by the high likelihood of a balance of payments crisis — that is, an inability to redeem external debt or pay for imported goods. His only other options were to impose strict capital controls, a move that would be perceived negatively by both business owners and households alike or to sign a stand-by agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a dramatic policy shift with unmeasurable domestic and external political outcomes. Not wanting to go down these paths, Erdoğan retreated from the so-called “Turkish economic model,” at least temporarily or partially, and brought in a new economic team.

Le monde vous appartient

Le mystère de la guerre d’Ukraine échappe encore à son Jules César. Pourtant, de plus en plus de détails cruciaux passent les barrages. Poutine montre ses cartes, Loukachenko divulgue des documents, Zelensky baratine et raconte… Quand la guerre a éclaté, les États-Unis venaient de finaliser leur grand exploit : la consolidation de leur pouvoir sur l’ensemble du monde civilisé. Personne dans l’histoire ne pourrait prétendre à une telle prouesse ; ni l’Empire romain d’autrefois, ni l’Empire britannique, ni Hitler ni Staline ; mais les Yanks ont réussi. Leurs agents choisis et leurs mandataires dirigeaient tous les États importants : l’Angleterre et la France, l’Allemagne et le Japon étaient tous gouvernés par des agents américains. L’Allemagne et le Japon peuvent encore être occupés par l’armée américaine, mais même si la France n’a pas de troupes américaines, elle est toujours dirigée par un agent américain. Le mandataire américain de la Suède a récemment accepté d’abandonner sa précieuse et profitable neutralité. La Finlande a renoncé à l’approvisionnement inépuisable en gaz et en bois bon marché de la Russie pour devenir un pion, au cœur de la nature sauvage du grand Nord. Ces agents américains allaient pouvoir infliger d’horribles souffrances à leurs sujets ; ils allaient détruire des industries, amener la famine et des épidémies sur leurs nations, juste pour suivre la baguette magique entre les mains de Washington. Aucun pays n’est loin d’une base militaire américaine : oui, ils contrôlent le monde.

Russian War Report Special Edition: Prigozhin and Wagner forces mutiny against Moscow

On the evening of Friday, June 23, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin effectively broke ties with Moscow and initiated a mutiny against the Russian military, successfully occupying Rostov. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned Prigozhin’s actions in an address to the nation as Russian authorities secured Moscow and reportedly engaged Wagner forces around Rostov. At the time of writing on the afternoon of Saturday, June 24, Prigozhin appears to have accepted a pause in further escalation, stating that Wagner forces will return to base. Today’s special edition of the Russian War Report provides an overview of the last thirty-six hours, including details on how Prigozhin’s rhetoric escalated into open conflict, open-source analysis of the latest footage, and a review of some of the competing narratives on Telegram and across the Russian information ecosystem.

Wagner Group: The Evolution Of A Private Army

In an astonishing turn of events starting 23 June 2023, the Wagner Group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin declared all-out war on the Russian state, leading a convoy of mercenaries to march straight toward Moscow. The mutiny, which embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin and caught the Russian military and security services completely off guard, developed at lightning speed and ended just as quickly, leading to widespread confusion and chaos. After storming through towns and cities in southern Russia, largely unopposed and in many cases welcomed by locals, Wagner troops announced a sudden return to their field camps, following a deal cut by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Under the terms of the deal, Prigozhin accepted exile in Belarus, leaving the future of Wagner very much in question. This special report puts the Wagner Group into perspective and foreshadows the factors that will shape what happens next.

TSC-Special-Report-The-Wagner-Group-The-Evolution-Of-Putins-Private-ArmyDownload

Why Arabs Do Not Trust the Biden Administration

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states apparently still do not trust the Biden Administration, largely because of its perceived abandonment of its traditional Arab allies in the Middle East and President Joe Biden’s hostility to Saudi Arabia. This view began with then-presidential candidate Biden declaring the kingdom a “pariah” state — and is continuing with US attempts, still ongoing, to revive a “nuclear deal” that will enable an expansionist Iran to have nuclear weapons potentially to topple other countries in the region.

The Greens’ Program: The Suicide of Europe

Beyond Growth is the annual ideological gathering of European environmentalists, and their countless relays in the world of government-funded, supposedly “non-governmental” organizations (NGOs).

What do most people remember when they look at the Beyond Growth report? The European Parliament. The link between Beyond Growth’s radical proposals and the European Parliament is presented as perfectly natural: If the European Parliament wants radical environmentalism, how could you, a small local voter, oppose it?