Russian-Iranian Axis: Biden Administration Missing in Action?

Iran is now selling surface-to-surface missiles to Russia for use in its war on Ukraine — on the cusp of a reported “major Ukrainian offensive” — in addition to the drones it has already been delivering, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters.

“In exchange, Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship into a full-fledged defense partnership…. This is a full-scale defense partnership that is harmful… to the international community.” — John Kirby, White House National Security Spokesperson, December 9, 2022.

Novi non-pejper: Koje su posledice po Kosovo i Srbiju ako ne prihvate evropski predlog?

Kosovo može da ne formira Zajednicu opština sa srpskom većinom i u potpunosti da se povuče iz sporazuma iz 2013. godine, ali tada mora da snosi posledice poništavanja svih dosadašnjih dostignuća – slobodno kretanje, pozivni broj +383, integracija severnog dela i kontrola dva prelaza sa Srbijom, stoji u poslednjem non-pejper dokumentu koji je objavio Albanijan post.

The US Agrees to Send M1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine, but There Is a Catch

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.

Is Putin Destroying Russia?

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.

Mali defends Russian ties and opposes options for UN force

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.

Understanding the US Designation of the Wagner Group as a Transnational Criminal Organisation

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.