June, 2021

• 3 June

  Why Isn’t Russia Talking About Great Power Competition?

  The lack of serious analysis of great power competition within Russia is due in large part to the baggage that Russian officials bring to any discussion of the country’s place in the post–Cold War world. All too often, debate in both policy and analytical circles is guided by long-standing grievances, …

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• 3 June

  Russia in the Mediterranean: Here to Stay

  Russia’s strategy in the Mediterranean is an integral part of its strategy for the wider European theater, which has long been the principal arena of its foreign policy triumphs and setbacks. Europe’s dominant position on Russia’s foreign policy agenda is a product of its strategic culture, which is in turn …

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• 2 June

  Turkey’s Erdogan, Greece’s Mitsotakis ‘to meet at NATO summit’

  

  Both sides are NATO members and came close to armed conflict last year but have been trying to lower tensions since. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet at this month’s NATO summit as both sides pledge to smooth their differences. The two rivals …

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• 2 June

  Brussels Faces Off With ‘Europe’s Last Dictator’

  

  For decades, the president of Belarus, known as “Europe’s last dictator,” has been a thorn in the side of the continent’s democracies. But the threat Alexander Lukashenko poses to European security suddenly grew more serious Sunday, when his security forces—with the help of a transparently false cover story and an …

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• 2 June

  Eritrea Goes From Pariah State to Regional Powerbroker

  

  In early May, when Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited Sudan, the official objective of the trip was to strengthen bilateral ties within a regional framework. The visit nevertheless raised eyebrows. It came on the heels of Eritrea’s military participation in Ethiopia’s civil war in Tigray region, and also at a …

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• 2 June

  Israel’s FM in Cairo discusses Gaza truce, possible prisoner exchange

  

  While Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi met in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Tel Aviv with Egyptian intelligence service head Abbas Kamel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi arrived in Cairo May 30 for talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry. It is the …

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• 2 June

  Syria’s Assad, Hamas weigh rapprochement

  

  The Hamas movement seems divided as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hosted a delegation of Palestinian factions leaders and praised all resistance factions, after years of estrangement with Hamas. In the midst of the Israeli bombing campaign against the Gaza Strip, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hosted in Damascus on May 20 …

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• 2 June

  Syrian Arab tribes put Kurdish administration on notice

  

  Syrian tribal leaders based in Turkey are calling out Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces over the killing of young tribesmen at the hands of the SDF in demonstrations against the increase of fuel prices. Major Arab tribes in northeastern Syria recently issued an ultimatum for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following …

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• 2 June

  With ties with West strained, Turkey gets lifeline from Poland

  

  Drawing on his rapport with the Polish president and a landmark drone deal with Warsaw, Erdogan seems to be aiming at two goals — strengthening his hand in NATO and having a close ally within the European Union. For those familiar with why Istanbul happens to have a “Polish village,” …

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• 2 June

  Egypt, Sudan hold war games as Ethiopian dam dispute continues

  

  Egypt and Sudan started a new military exercise amid a dispute with Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s plan to add 13.5 billion cubic meters of water to the reservoir of its dam on the Blue Nile. Ground, naval and air forces from Egypt and Sudan began a joint military exercise May …

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