Esper pushes reluctant Maghreb to curb Chinese, Russian influence

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper highlighted Washington’s focus on containing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa as he arrived in Tunisia Wednesday.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper highlighted Washington’s focus on containing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa as he arrived in Tunisia Wednesday.
n recent days, both American politicians and the military have repeatedly announced new US successes in the development of hypersonic weapons. Washington clearly wants to regain leadership in such developments. What are such statements based on, what kind of hypersonic weapons programs are being conducted in the United States today, and what conclusions could Russia draw from what is happening?
Recent military contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan have gradually shifted the focus from a topic that should not be left in the background. We are talking about Turkey, Libya, Greece, Syria and … Egypt.
In August, jihadists in Niger killed six French aid workers and two Nigeriens just outside of the capital, Niamey. Terrorist attacks have increased by 250 percent over the last two years in Africa’s Sahel region, according to the State Department. To help counter the threat of terrorism and build the capacity of African militaries, the U.S. government spends over $1.5 billion a year on security assistance to the African continent. Does this support work?
For the second time this year, another round of fighting has broken out in Nagorno-Karabakh, home to the longest-running war on former Soviet soil. Since the late 1980s, the conflict has killed roughly 20,000 people and made refugees of hundreds of thousands more. The self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (officially named the Republic of Artsakh) enjoys close ties to Armenia (though Yerevan has not formally recognized the breakaway republic’s independence), while Azerbaijan insists that this area is its own territory. The stalemate regularly flares up as it has in the past week, but the latest escalation became more serious when Armenia mobilized its military (and Azerbaijan partially mobilized). What started this conflict and what are the risks of renewed fighting? Which is correct: Karabakh or Artsakh? Meduza reviews the background basics and answers other burning questions about a war that refuses to go away.
Any move to all-out war could drag in Russia and Turkey, which is a close ally of Azerbaijan.
Fighting between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces entered a fourth day on Wednesday in the biggest eruption of their decades-old conflict since a 1994 ceasefire.
Netanyahu warned in his address to the UN General Assembly of secret Hezbollah arms depots in civilian areas of Beirut that could trigger yet another massive explosion.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper is expected to start this week a tour of the Maghreb to discuss military and security cooperation with leaders of countries of this region, according to press reports.
The spokesman for the Libyan Army Mohammed Gununu said they had depicted Wagner Group mercenaries’ work on fortifying Jufra airbase in over 31 locations.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement warned about an operation underway to revive Daesh’s (ISIL or ISIS) presence in the Middle East in order to whip up an excuse for the United States’ continued presence in the region under the guise of fighting the terrorist group.