October, 2021

• 14 October

  Car bomb kills four in Syria’s Afrin, medical source says

  At least four people were killed when a car bomb exploded in the Syrian city of Afrin on Monday, a medical source said, the latest such attack in the northwestern region that is controlled by Turkey and Syrian rebels it supports. The blast wounded another six people, the source said. …

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• 14 October

  Ransomed and beaten: Migrants face abuse in Libyan detention

  Osman Touré was crying from the pain of repeated beatings and torture as he dialed his brother’s cellphone number. “I’m in prison in Libya,” Touré said in that August 2017 call. “They will kill me if you don’t pay 2,500 dinars in 24 hours.” Within days, Touré’s family transferred the …

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• 13 October

  The Taliban shock to the European Union and the Idea of Strategic Autonomy

  

  The September 11 of 2001 was the beginning of wide developments which were aimed at countering terrorism and religious extremism by the US and its allies. The EU, as an important international player and in line with its normative policies and procedures, played a role in this country, while the …

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• 11 October

  Hezbollah’s Role In Global Drugs Trade: The West Africa Connection – OpEd

  

  When Saudi Arabia banned the import of Lebanese produce in April because these shipments were being abused to smuggle narcotics into the Kingdom, Hezbollah found itself with a problem. Following the collapse of the Lebanese and Syrian economies, Assad family mafiosi and Hezbollah set about remodeling their nations as narco …

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• 11 October

  Iraq’s Young Voters Ponder How To Effect Meaningful Change – Analysis

  

  Eighteen years since the US-led invasion of Iraq toppled the Baathist dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, a whole generation has come of age knowing only the system of parliamentary democracy built in its place. But as election day unfolds today, many young Iraqis still feel alienated from the political process and …

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• 11 October

  Iran Stirs The Pot In The South Caucasus – Analysis

  

  There has been a lot of saber-rattling in recent days on the Iranian side of their border with Azerbaijan. One analysis suggests three reasons: a joint drill by Azerbaijani, Pakistani, and Turkish troops, which occurred 500 kilometers from the Iranian border; Azerbaijani restrictions on Iranian truck drivers’ access to roads, …

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• 11 October

  Putting A Proper Price On Spending – OpEd

  

  President Biden has hit the road in an attempt to peddle the Democrats’ mega spending package—a package that originally carried an eye-popping price tag of $3.5 trillion. It now appears that haggling amongst the Democrats has dialed the advertised price tag down to $2.3 trillion or less. Or, at least, …

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• 11 October

  Jammu And Kashmir: Targeted Killings And Crocodile Tears – OpEd

  In March 2019, when senior Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farook was summoned by National Investigation Agency [NIA] and a ban was imposed on Jamaat-e-Islami [JeI], Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam was so disturbed that he gave a call for complete shutdown in Srinagar to register public anger against these decisions. Two …

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• 10 October

  Kurds see chance to advance their cause in ruins of Islamic State

  

  As what remains of Islamic State crumbles, the would-be victors have started circling. In Mosul, Iraqi forces have begun preparing for peace in the city where the now-encircled marauders took root three years ago. Across the border in Raqqa, with five of its neighbourhoods under their control, Kurdish forces are …

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• 10 October

  War still rages in Syrian border town at heart of Iran’s regional ambition

  

  From a ridge known locally as Baghouz Mountain, the most contested corner of the Middle East resembles an oasis: it’s a splash of green on a desert horizon stretching from the banks of the Euphrates to a sprawling area of new homes housing new – and unruly – neighbours. Little …

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