Bashar al-Assad’s hollow victory in Syria

Many Syrians were incensed last week at the appearance of Bashar al-Assad at the Arab League, twelve years after he was suspended due to his brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

On the day of the Arab League meeting, thousands of Syrians took to the streets in over 15 towns across northern Syria in mass protests against the decision. One protest in Idlib was held under a large banner that read: “Syria is not represented by Assad the criminal”.

Syria Insight: What next for Russia’s Wagner Group?

After weeks of haranguing Russian military commanders, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on 24 June ordered his fighters to take over the garrison city of Rostov-on-Don and head for Moscow, sparking fears of civil war in Russia.

Almost as quickly as it began the mutiny was quelled, with Prigozhin and his fighters given the option of an uncertain Belarusian exile or signing up to the Russian military, although the outcome of this ultimatum remains unclear.

To BRICS Or Not To BRICS – OpEd

When the BRICS was initiated, it was an organisation meant to express a new geopolitical will as against the Western geopolitical order. Meanwhile, it has become expression of hopes and desires for economic development, progress, representation in international fora and the need to contribute and play a role in defining the global agenda and finding solutions to global issues.

The ‘Useful Idiots’ In Western Academia Are Really ‘Conscious Conspirators’ Serving China – OpEd

Viruses worm their way into living cells, change the structure of the host cells from within, take over the cells’ reproductive process, use the cells’ own machinery to make copies of themselves, and conquer and kill the host. Routine antibiotics do not work while fighting viruses. You need a molecule that prevents the process by which the virus duplicates itself, or you need a vaccine to make your cells vigilant to such viruses and treat it as a foreign object.

Wagner Forces Arrive CAR Despite Uncertainty Over Their Future

This deployment of the Wagner Forces was reportedly announced by the Officers Union for International Security (COSI), a group linked to the Russian paramilitary group after other fighters left CAR in June.

In a surprising development, hundreds of fighters affiliated with the Wagner paramilitary group have arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) to purportedly enhance security measures ahead of the country’s upcoming constitutional referendum scheduled for July 30.

The Institutionalization of the New Cold War

The 31 countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are taking their victory laps over the latest expansion of the political-military alliance. The boastful communique for last week’s NATO summit in Lithuania had more than 60 references to nuclear weapons, and promised modernization for NATO’s nuclear powers: the United States, Britain, and France. There is increased likelihood for the pre-positioning of advanced military weaponry, particularly artillery and air defense systems. The Baltic Sea will become Lake NATO.

Eritrea’s Growing Ties With China And Russia Highlight America’s Inadequate Approach In East Africa – Analysis

China and Russia have recently increased their engagement with Eritrea, a small but strategically located country in East Africa. Meanwhile, American influence in the region is amid a yearslong slide. Despite the obvious risks, the United States has failed to muster a committed response and has even taken some counterproductive measures that demonstrate a lack of strategic thinking. If these trends continue, a vital region may fall under the conclusive influence of Washington’s primary geopolitical competitors.

Syria Today – Report Exposes Regime Targeting of Camps, Iraq Deports Refugees

According to a recent report, the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad has deliberately attacked makeshift camps housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) in north-west Syria. Additionally, on Saturday, Iraqi authorities reportedly deported three Syrian Kurdish refugees back to Syria after arresting them due to residency issues. This action was taken despite concerns about the safety and security of these individuals in their home country.

Guns For Hire? A Season For Mercenaries – OpEd

Just after a band of mercenaries tried to oust the government in the Maldives back in 1988, I asked a Maldivian diplomat, using a familiar military catchphrase, about the strength of his country’s “standing army.”

World Powers Continue To Squabble As Syrians Suffer – OpEd

Millions of lives at stake. Families in dire need of international aid. Russia plays games with them all at the UN Security Council. Repeat every six months until further notice. Welcome to the Syria debate at the UN.

This has been the case ever since 2014. The UNSC authorizes the UN to use one Turkish-Syria border crossing to deliver aid — just one, at Bab Al-Hawa — while rejecting attempts to open others, as was the case previously. The Ya’roubia border crossing from Iraq into northeast Syria has been closed since January 2020. As a result of the earthquakes that hit southern Turkiye and northwest Syria in February, the Syrian government did make the rare move to allow an extra two border crossings with Turkiye to be used. This approval runs out on Aug. 13.