In Search of Peace for Afghanistan: Historical Perspectives

Last month’s announcement that all U.S and international troops will leave Afghanistan before September 11, 2021 has sparked intense debate over the country’s future after over four decades of near-continuous conflict. Deteriorating security conditions, uncertainty over the level of international engagement moving forward and political instability pose great risks to the fragile peace process and the prospects for a sustainable political settlement. Many analysts have compared the current moment to the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, an alarming parallel given the years of civil war and Taliban rule that followed.

Iran reveals its strategy advising Hamas on war against Israel

What is important here is that the conversation with Ghaani comes as Iranian media published a unique look at Israel’s air defense systems, asserting that Israel is showing new vulnerabilities.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force head Esmail Ghaani spoke with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh over the weekend and they discussed the latest developments in the situation and the conflict in Gaza. Tasnim news reported the discussion in Iran. It comes amid an Iranian regional push to support Hamas, including pro-Iran leader Hadi al-Amiri in Iraq indicating his support for Hamas. Turkey and Iranian-backed Houthis and Hezbollah also support the Hamas war against Israel. The press release about Ghaani being in touch with Hamas senior leadership comes days after Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal also spoke to Turkish media and was quoted in Iranian media about Hamas strategy.

Israel is winning battles, Hamas is winning the war – analysis

The IDF is registering great achievements in Operation Guardians of the Walls, but meanwhile the house appears to be collapsing from within.

As Israel battles its way through one of the most intense conflicts the country has experienced in recent years, the IDF is pushing how strongly it is striking Gaza and how far it’s setting Hamas back in Operation “Guardians of the Walls.” But while the IDF is standing strong against Hamas, the country is being torn apart by a war from within.

Mozambique: Crisis in Mozambique Is Grabbing the World’s Attention

As the insurgency in northern Mozambique continues to escalate, not only is the humanitarian crisis deepening, but the instability’s ripple effects are being felt far beyond Mozambique’s borders.

Over 700,000 people in the region have been internally displaced, and nearly a million are facing severe hunger. Humanitarian appeals have struggled to attract sufficient funding, but developments in the region suggest that some elements of the crisis definitely have the world’s attention.

Nigeria: Suspected Herders Kill 6 in Taraba

Six persons were reported killed while scores were wounded with hundreds displaced following an attack on Utsua Daa and Baafada villages at Bali Takum in Bali local government area of Taraba State, LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered yesterday.

A relation of one of the victims, Mr. Tyokua Ayoo told LEADERSHIP Weeekend on the phone that gunmen suspected to be herdsmen attacked the communities on Thursday afternoon.

Nigeria: Again, Northern Groups Call for Buhari’s Resignation Over Insecurity

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has again called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over insecurity, accusing him of failing to secure the lives and property of the citizenry.

The coalition claimed that the nefarious activities of bandits and other criminals terrorising Katsina and other Northern states, forced President Buhari to stop celebrating Salah at his country home, Daura.

White People ‘Rescued First’ in Mozambique Attack – Amnesty

White contractors were prioritised for evacuation ahead of Black locals during a rescue operation following an attack in March 2021 by insurgents on the Mozambican town of Palma, according to Amnesty International. In a report compiled from interviews with 11 Black survivors, Amnesty says that even dogs were pulled to safety before Black people by a helicopter that airlifted civilians from a hotel where they had sought refuge. The attack on Palma left dozens of Mozambicans and foreigners dead, according to the government, and displaced tens of thousands. It marked a major intensification in a conflict that has wreaked havoc across Cabo Delgado province for more than three years.

Infiltration By New Right And Threats To Political Culture – OpEd

It is necessary to keep an eye on the other strategies of the New Right and populists, to protect the political culture from a change towards right-wing ideas.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a key topic of discussion in the media was the growing impact of populism on political culture and the political order. The February 2020 election of Thomas Kemmerich of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) as Minister-President of the federal state of Thuringia in Germany gained international attention, as it marked the first time since the Second World War that a candidate was elected head of state government by the Christian Democrats (CDU), the liberals (FDP) and the right-wing, and partly right-extremist, party Alternative for Germany (AfD) by a ‘parliamentary trick’ — AfD members did not vote for their own candidate but unexpectedly shifted their votes to the liberal candidate, Kemmerich. This was contrary to common political behaviour in Germany.