June, 2025

• 23 June

  ‘We really are in a perfect storm’

  

  At an event on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov made a telling remark. In his words, the country’s federal budget, which has posted a deficit in the first part of the year, is weathering “serious turbulence.” The comment came in response …

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• 23 June

  An economic reality check

  

  The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is known for the noise it generates in the news media, but SPIEF also hosts some substantive discussions. This year, one of the forum’s most consequential exchanges was between high-ranking officials and state bankers about Russia’s risk of recession. The first to raise the …

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• 23 June

  As Israel and Iran trade blows, Hezbollah stays on the sidelines

  

  Hezbollah’s strategic restraint amid escalating Iran-Israel hostilities marks a significant shift in the region’s balance of deterrence. Once seen as Tehran’s most loyal and responsive proxy, its decision to hold back, even after the assassination of its leader and heavy blows to its infrastructure over the past 18 months, signals …

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• 23 June

  How will Yemen’s Houthis respond to Israel’s war against Iran?

  

  On 15 June, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that the Yemeni group had struck Israel with “hypersonic ballistic missiles” in coordination with the Iranian military. Saree boasted that the Houthi operations against “sensitive Israeli targets” in Jaffa had “successfully achieved their objectives”. While Saree’s bombastic claims about the efficacy of …

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• 23 June

  Here’s what could happen next in the Iran-Israel war

  

  On 12 June, Israel launched ‘Operation Rising Lion’, attacking Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz and parts of the Iranian ballistic missile program, and killing several Iranian nuclear scientists. In the aftermath of the attack, which killed over 200 Iranian civilians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an English-language address …

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• 23 June

  Why Western sanctions on Israel are a face-saving manoeuvre

  

  The recent sanctions imposed by the UK and its allies on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were heralded in some quarters as a long-overdue moral stance against rising extremism within Israel’s leadership. Yet beneath the surface of this headline-grabbing gesture lies a far more calculated and cynical strategy …

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• 23 June

  Big Brother Fears Over Chinese Security Software In Bosnia’s Republika Srpska – Analysis

  

  Concern is growing over a cyber-security software deal between the Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina and China’s ELINC, owned by a conglomerate sanctioned by the United States over alleged ties to China’s ‘military-industrial complex’. Bypassing regular public procurement procedures, the pro-Russian government of predominantly Serb-populated Republika Srpska signed …

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• 23 June

  How Can Serbia Overcome The Current Situation? – Analysis

  

  The Republic of Serbia is undergoing a turbulent phase in its socio-political development. The collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on 1 November 2024 marked the beginning of a wave of student protests and the blockade of higher education institutions across the country. Classes have been …

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• 23 June

  The Invisible Leash – Analysis

  

  OpenAI’s $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s io Products isn’t just the largest deal in the company’s history—it’s the ritual completion of what I warned about in “Node Without Consent.” Ive, the legendary designer behind the iPhone, iPad, and Apple’s most iconic products, is now building something far more insidious. …

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• 23 June

  Activities of Saeed Izadi, Head of the Qods Forces’ “Palestine Branch,” Reflected in Captured Documents – The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

  

  Izadi (circled) in a meeting with a Hamas delegation during a visit to Tehran. At the right is the late Isma’il Haniyeh, at the time head of Hamas’ political bureau, and second from the left is Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces (DefaPress, March 30, 2024) …

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