The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence, Sergei Naryshkin, said: “We have to be concerned about the South Caucasus becoming a new launch pad for international terrorist organisations.”
Washington’s active role is tied by analysts to the influx of foreign mercenaries in Libya and wariness about Russia’s growing role.
Egypt’s involvement in efforts led by the US State Department, represented by its embassy in Tripoli and the acting UN envoy to Libya, US diplomat Stephanie Williams, has surprised observers of Libyan political affairs, given that the US State Department is known for its support of Islamists in western Libya who are opposed to Egyptian authorities and Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Cairo’s ally in the east of the country.
Documenting the demise of the liberal international order has become a growth industry in the foreign policy sector. In a terrific new book, “A World Safe for Democracy,” G. John Ikenberry, the premier analyst of liberal internationalism, contends that reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. The rules-based, international system may be in crisis, but its strategic and normative logic is as compelling as ever.
Turkey’s armed forces gained worldwide attention when its air force launched a remarkable and innovative airpower show-of-force against Bashir al-Assad’s Syrian Army. As part of a combined air and ground operation, the Turkish air force used its Anka-S and Bayraktar TB2 drones to conduct hundreds of strikes against Syrian Arab Army units to halt a Syrian advance that threatened the assorted security forces, irregular militias and terrorist groups that form the Turkish-backed coalition which has been trying to hang onto Syria’s Idlib governorate. The Turkish air campaign was brief, beginning on 1 March and ending just 5 days later, when Ankara and Moscow hammered out a regional cease-fire.
Morocco on Monday arrested four suspects allegedly linked to the Islamic State (IS) group who were plotting “dangerous and imminent terrorist” attacks, the judicial police said.
Plans for a durable Libyan ceasefire are to be endorsed by diplomats from 15 countries on Monday, but the value of the commitments made in the virtual meeting are belied by signs that deepening involvement in the country by rival external powers including Russia and Turkey could complicate efforts to form an interim government of national unity.
A transition government tasked with leading Mali back to civilian rule was appointed on Monday, with numerous members of the military junta that seized power in a coup occupying key posts.
Following the bloodless August 18 coup that toppled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the junta vowed to relinquish control and hold fresh elections.
The Dragon is a destroyer of the Type 45 designated to operate as part of carrier multi-purpose groups
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is tracking the UK Navy’s destroyer Dragon that has entered the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry’s National Defense Control Center reported on Monday.
According to the minister, the Kurdish issue involves a wide array of Middle Eastern countries
The Kurdish problem may explode, unless the issue of Syrian territorial integrity is solved, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.
“Russia is, of course, a strategic partner. How many hours would it take for you to travel to Washington? How long would it take to go to Moscow?” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked me almost two years ago in a gathering. “We have joint strategic investments, from pipelines to nuclear reactors. We have joint interests in the defence industry, increasing bilateral trade and tourism, so on and so forth.”