Eurasia

Russia Eyes Return to Southern Syria

Russia stepped foot in southern Syria for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad almost a year ago. On November 17, a Russian military delegation traveled to the southern region, where they conducted “reconnaissance operations” in Quneitra Province, which borders the Golan Heights. The Russians were accompanied by …

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The Financial Dimension of EU Internal Security Threats

European states should take a finance-led approach to addressing hybrid threats, organised crime and terrorism. Introduction and Background In April 2025, the EU published its updated internal security strategy, ProtectEU, underlining the reality that the lives of European citizens ‘have become less secure’. Hybrid threats, organised crime networks and terrorist …

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Iraq Elections Return Incumbents, Testing US and Iranian Influence

Iraq’s elections make ponderous a status quo Washington and Tehran seek to preserve; manoeuvring politicians make work for external powers contesting the fate of Iraq’s Iran-backed militia groups. Iraq’s November national elections positioned incumbent Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC) as the leading party in federal …

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Iskander: An Improved Russian Missile Tests Ukraine’s Air Defence

Russia has reportedly modified its Iskander 9M723 ballistic missiles making them harder to intercept. The causes are unclear, but the impact on Ukraine is not. Recently, there have been a series of reports that Ukraine’s ability to intercept the Russian 9M723 Iskander-M ballistic missile with Patriot interceptors is deteriorating. Given …

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Gaza in limbo: Is phase two of Trump’s ceasefire plan possible?

The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for the devastated Gaza Strip. Authorising an International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a transitional administration, or ‘Board of Peace’, which would oversee reconstruction, while also referencing a “pathway” to Palestinian statehood, the resolution provides …

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Democracy Digest: Sabotage and Espionage in Poland

The Polish National Prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that it has drafted charges against two Ukrainian men accused of carrying out last weekend’s sabotage attacks on the rail network, though the suspects have not been charged in person given they fled to Belarus on Sunday, TVP World reported. The charges …

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