Coming Soon To A War Near You
In a stunning reversal of policy, the Biden administration has decided to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with 31 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks. The announcement comes on the heels of Germany capitulating and agreeing to send 14 of their Leopard 2 tanks to the besieged nation. Berlin also gave the green light for other countries to send German-made Leopard 2s to Ukraine.
Composed of distinct operational entities, the militant Islamist group coalition Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen serves the role of obscuring the operations of its component parts in the Sahel, thereby inhibiting a more robust response.
If Putin succeeds in winning even a little territory, his victory will embolden other predators.
Retired British Army Colonel Richard Kemp describes Putin’s plan as a “desperate gamble…. Moscow at present does not have the numbers to decisively overcome resistance from the depleted Ukrainian army”. Putin nevertheless has the ability to turn Ukraine into a grease-spot, then take on Moldova, the Baltic States and whatever else he wants.
Globalism requires that societies accept their place in a global division of labour, and the principal political agent facilitating this is the anti-worker, pro-woke Left, with a complicit centre-Right as rearguard.
Mali’s foreign minister defended the military government’s cooperation with Russia on Friday and rejected three options proposed by the U.N. chief to reconfigure the U.N. peacekeeping force in the west African country where Al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups are driving insecurity.
Last week US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the Treasury Department will designate the private military company (PMC) Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organisation (TCO). Western states and institutions have explored a variety of legal mechanisms against Wagner in recent years, including terrorism designations and sanctions for supporting separatist forces in Ukraine. The TCO designation is thus the latest measure in a layered sanctioning strategy designed to counter the PMC’s vital and frequently brutal role in advancing Russian state interests internationally. In this piece, we demonstrate that the legal case for the TCO designation is strong. Wagner unambiguously meets the criteria for what constitutes a TCO.
The small Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has seemingly limited strategic significance. But coupled with its growing psychological value, Russia will continue attempting to take the city, despite high casualties, by whatever means necessary.
The trip could lead to greater cooperation between India and Egypt on trade, the Suez Canal, green hydrogen and more.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi concluded a three-day visit to India on Friday. Egypt and India upgraded their political, economic and military relations during the trip.
On Dec. 31, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had a phone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, in which he emphasized that improving relations with neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, is a priority for Iran’s foreign policy. This statement indicates a desire on the part of Tehran to de-escalate the bilateral situation, following a bout of saber-rattling with Azerbaijan this autumn. Nevertheless, tensions between the two countries remain high.
Escalating threats from Islamist militants are casting doubt on the future of big-money Chinese mining projects in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas (CAPEIC) signed a 25-year oil extraction deal with the Afghan Taliban authorities for the Amu River oil field in northwestern Afghanistan. The company is expected to invest $150 million in the first year of the contract and $540 million over three years.