July, 2022

• 4 July

  Goodwill gestures and de-Nazification: Decoding Putin’s Ukraine War lexicon

  

  Ever since Russian troops first crossed the Ukrainian border on February 24, the Kremlin has employed characteristically euphemistic language in order to downplay the criminal nature of the unfolding invasion. This has led to the creation of an entire alternative reality where Russian troops are noble liberators waging a chivalrous …

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• 4 July

  Why Russia’s economy is more resilient than you might think

  

  Since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the United States and Europe have deployed tools of economic warfare with the explicit goal of crippling the Russian economy and rendering the Kremlin unable to wage its war of aggression. The alacrity and scale of the Western response—which has included freezing Russia’s foreign-currency …

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• 4 July

  Algeria has been isolated for years. Now it’s making a shaky return to the world stage.

  Long viewed as North Africa’s most isolated and inscrutable country, Algeria is suddenly the belle of the ball. This year, Algeria has hosted official visits from Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, and the United States (the first …

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• 4 July

  Fuel Crisis Ongoing; Where Does Iranian Oil Go?

  

  Regime cronies are seizing the oil and selling it in the black market for profit, according to al-Iqtissad. A media source revealed that the agreement achieved by Bashar al-Assad during his recent visit to Iran is to supply Syria with all its actual needs of oil, amounting to three million …

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• 4 July

  U.S. Strike Kills Senior Yemeni Al-Qaeda-Linked Commander in Northwest Syria

  

  The strike came shortly before midnight on Monday, according to al-Araby al-Jadeed. A drone strike by the U.S.-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an Al-Qaeda-linked group, Syrian opposition activists and the U.S. military said on Tuesday. The attack on the suspected militant, who was riding a …

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• 4 July

  Daraa: Assassination of Baath Party Branch Secretary and his Family

  

  The attack is the deadliest since the start of a series of assassinations in the area, according to al-Modon. An unidentified armed group attacked the house of the former secretary-general of the Baath Socialist Party branch in the Daraa governorate, Kamal al-Atma, in the northern city of al-Sanamayn. They killed …

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• 4 July

  Iran-Backed Militia Arrests 30 Syrian Fighters

  

  Iran-backed militias continue to arrest Syrian fighters who refuse to fight with them, according to Asharq al-Awsat. Iran-backed militias continue to arrest local fighters who refuse to participate in combing operations in the Deir-ez-Zor countryside desert. The militias arrested at least 28 Syrian members amid reports of apprehending others who …

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• 4 July

  Europe Imports Syrian Phosphate through Russian Company

  

  The investigation identified European countries importing phosphates, like Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, and Poland, according to al-Souria Net. An investigative report revealed on Thursday that large quantities of Syrian phosphate were exported to several European countries, through a Russian company. A group of investigative journalists from Lighthouse Reports and the Organized …

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• 4 July

  Recap: Kurds Move to Confront Turkish Threats

  

  Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum “that addresses Turkey’s concerns.” Did Turkey receive a green light to launch an operation in Northern Syria? Ankara’s unexpected decision to welcome Sweden and Finland into NATO led many observers to believe that it got tacit approval from western countries for an …

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• 4 July

  Only Iraqis Can Curtail Iran’s Influence Over Their Country

  

  In an ideal scenario, Iraq would completely break free from Iranian control. Unfortunately, today’s world — and the Middle East in particular — rarely sees an ideal scenario come to light. The Goldilocks scenario is a mirage in our region. Instead, we usually witness a complicated and endless situation. This …

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