May, 2022

• 21 May

  Will France’s MENA policy change in Macron’s second term?

  

  When Emmanuel Macron was elected president five years ago, many analysts wondered how it might affect France’s policy toward the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). At the time, France found itself at a crossroads, having to contend with the shift in U.S. policy toward the region during the presidency …

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• 21 May

  Something’s Brewing: China’s “Teapot” Refineries and Middle East Oil Producers

  

  This year, China is expected to overtake the United States as the world’s largest oil refining country.[1] Although China’s bloated and fragmented crude oil refining sector has undergone major changes over the past decade, it remains saddled with overcapacity.[2] Privately owned unaffiliated refineries, known as “teapots,”[3] mainly clustered in Shandong …

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• 21 May

  The Dorra Field: Global gas market impact or bellwether for regional relations?

  

  The Dorra Gas Field, located in shallow waters offshore in the northern Arabian Gulf, lies at the junction of competing territorial claims by Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. With the growing gas demand in these countries, any production will be absorbed into the domestic network and the impact of production …

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• 21 May

  Not “business as usual”: The Chinese military’s visit to Iran

  

  Amid stalled nuclear talks with the P5+1, a senior Chinese military delegation, headed by Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Gen. Wei Fenghe, landed in Iran for a visit in late April. The readouts from Tehran were rather dull, with the usual platitudes about the close relations between …

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• 21 May

  Reality Check #12 — Russia, the West, and the rest: The hard choices the US must make to reinforce its global leadership

  

  Key points The Biden administration is confronting Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine without direct military engagement, but a triple threat of inflation, starvation, and a coalition that is not sufficiently global promises trouble ahead for the United States and its position in a global order that is suddenly on an …

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• 21 May

  NATO Forward Forces Tracker

  

  In the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and particularly since the outbreak of hostilities, the United States and NATO allies have taken numerous steps to bolster allied force posture in Eastern Europe, enhancing deterrence against further Russian aggression and demonstrating the Alliance’s ability to defend its …

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• 21 May

  NATO allies read Turkey’s wish list as Ankara holds up membership bids

  

  Ankara has listed the presence of what it calls terrorists in Sweden and Finland as its main objection to their accession but other factors could feature. The deadlock created by Turkey’s foot-dragging over extending NATO membership to Sweden and Finland has left the alliance’s diplomats again striving to decode Ankara’s …

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• 21 May

  Iran vows harsh crackdown on economic protests

  

  Despite a massive security presence, many Iranian cities continue to witness rallies triggered by soaring prices, with protesters chanting slogans against the country’s top leadership. Deputy commander of Iran’s police Brig. Gen. Qasem Rezaee issued a severe warning against Iranian protesters infuriated by a sharp steep in prices of basic …

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• 21 May

  In Washington, Israeli defense minister reiterates warnings on Iran

  

  The Iranian nuclear program and its support of regional and global terror were the focus of the meeting in Washington May 19 between Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. On a work visit to the United States, Defense Minister Benny Gantz met May 19 in …

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• 21 May

  Jordan Accuses Syrian Regime of Supporting Drug Traffickers

  

  Undisciplined forces in the Syrian regime’s army and security services are supporting drug traffickers, Jordan said, according to Syria TV. The Jordanian army accused undisciplined forces in the Syrian regime’s army and security services of supporting drug traffickers and carrying out smuggling operations, noting that “Jordan’s border with Syria is …

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