Tudjman’s ‘Freedom Train’: Celebrating Croats’ Victory and Serbs’ Exodus

After Croatia’s victory over rebel Serbs in Operation Storm in August 1995, President Franjo Tudjman set off on a triumphalist cross-country railway journey, staging celebratory rallies along the way – with harsh words for the refugees who fled.

Two weeks after the Croatian Army’s victory in Operation Storm in early August 1995, which effectively ended the war in Croatia, President Franjo Tudjman gathered state officials at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb to discuss his next political moves and a new strategy to promote his Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ party.

Ten Years On From Revolution, Tunisia In Uncharted Waters – Analysis

Tunisia’s president Kais Saied has propelled the country into the unknown. On July 25, he announced he would dismiss the prime minister, suspend parliament and assume new powers, effectively concentrating all three branches of governance in his hands.

His actions were met with mass celebrations across the country, even as the military moved to lock down parliament and a number of state institutions. Simultaneously, the dominant political party Ennahda and its allies accused the president of orchestrating a coup.

How Syrian jihadi group is laundering money in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders in Idlib are investing their money in various economic sectors, as part of money laundering operations to control resources and economic activity in their areas of control.

Prominent leaders in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls Idlib and its surroundings in northwestern Syria, are seeking to invest their money in various economic sectors in the area. It seems that these efforts, which could amount to money laundering operations, are encouraged by the HTS leadership, which wants to have various sources of support to help it survive and increase its power and influence.

A Comprehensive Review of the Effectiveness of US and EU Sanctions on Syria

Executive Summary

The subject of Western sanctions on Syria is a divisive one among analysts and policymakers interested in ending the misery of the country’s citizens. The division comes at a time when, more than ever, the country needs a comprehensive policy that ends the agony of most Syrians. This study assesses the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed on the regime of Bashar al-Assad by conducting a comprehensive review of their history, evaluating shortcomings in the current setup, and recommending ways to move forward.

Hezbollah chief Nasrallah says group could escalate its response to Israel

The leader of Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday that his group had chosen to respond to Israeli airstrikes on open land, but could escalate its actions in the future.

No strikes were reported on Saturday, and no casualties have been reported thus far.

On Friday, Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israeli forces, drawing retaliatory fire from Israel into south Lebanon. Both sides targeted open land, indicating that they did not wish to escalate the salvos further.

The final leaves of the Arab Spring have fallen

There is no doubt that the coup led by President Kais Saied in Tunisia has caused a major tremor in Arab societies yearning for freedom and democracy. They could smell the aroma of freedom from the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, the cradle of the Arab Spring. Tunisia gave them hope after the counter-revolutions in Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Libya ended regional optimism.

“Nach Afghanistan abzuschieben ist unmenschlich”

Die Lage in Afghanistan wird immer gefährlicher. Dorthin abzuschieben, ist unmenschlich – und zu glauben, die bisherige Flüchtlingspolitik einfach fortführen zu können, ohnehin ein Trugschluss.

Ist es moralisch und rechtlich vertretbar, Menschen in ein Kriegsgebiet abzuschieben? Nein. Ist Afghanistan ein Kriegsgebiet? Gestern haben die radikal-islamischen Taliban eine Residenz des Verteidigungsministers in Kabul angegriffen. 13 Menschen starben dabei.

Juris Lorencs: Viņi ir klāt! Kā rīkosies Latgales iedzīvotāji, ja migranti atradīs ceļu uz Eiropu caur Baltkrievijas robežu ar Latviju? 40

Juris Lorencs, “Latvijas Avīze”, AS “Latvijas Mediji”

Lai saprastu pašreiz Lietuvā notiekošās humānās katastrofas apmērus, pietiek ieskatīties jaunāko ziņu virsrakstos: “Nelegālie migranti no Baltkrievijas ierodas milzīgā skaitā”, “Viņi plūst nepārtraukti”, “Robežsargi strādā bez atpūtas”, “Drīz nebūs vietas, kur izmitināt migrantus”, “Rūdninku poligonā plānots izvietot 800 migrantus”, “Nav jaunu vietu, izņemot Rūdninkus”, “Uz Rūdninkiem nogādātas bruņumašīnas un ūdensmetēji”, “Rūdninkos nemieri, migrantus izdzenā ar ūdeni un asaru gāzi”.

How ‘blood mineral’ traders in Rwanda are helping fund Congo rebels – and undermining global supply chains

New evidence from a United Nations report and a high-profile investor arbitration case is casting a spotlight on Rwanda’s role in sophisticated smuggling networks that extract gold and coltan from Congolese conflict zones and funnel the strategically important minerals illicitly into the global supply chain for consumer products such as cellphones, computers and jewellery.