July, 2023

• 23 July

  Russia says military plane exposed to coalition F-16s guidance systems over Syria, TASS reports

  

  A Russian military aircraft was exposed to “the guidance systems” of F-16 fighter jets of the U.S.-led coalition during a routine patrol over Syria’s southern border, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov was quoted as telling TASS news agency on Thursday. According to Gurinov, who serves as the deputy head of the …

  Read More »
• 23 July

  Playing With Fire: Georgia’s Cautious Rapprochement With Russia

  

  As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the notoriously troubled relationship between Georgia and Russia has, to the surprise of many, entered a new period of increased stability. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Georgia has abstained from joining anti-Russian sanctions, nor has it openly criticized Moscow for its actions …

  Read More »
• 23 July

  Erdoğan’s Most Eminent Men: Turkey’s New Spymasters

  

  Turkey’s two key appointments are new foreign minister and former intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan; and the newly-appointed intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalın, also an Erdoğan confidant. Both men have interesting and impressive careers. How both of them have become the only two people who make policy and share power with Erdoğan …

  Read More »
• 23 July

  The Upside of Western Hypocrisy

  

  How the Global South Can Push America to Do Better Leaders of the global South have long accused Western countries of hypocrisy, and their complaints seem to grow louder by the day. These leaders feel emboldened to challenge Western dominance because they see the world becoming increasingly multipolar. The trend …

  Read More »
• 23 July

  The Conflict in Yemen Is More Than a Proxy War

  

  Why Local Grievances Cannot Be Overlooked in Any Peace Process The eight-year civil war in Yemen has created what has been called the world’s worst manmade humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have been killed and some four million people displaced. According to the United Nations, 21.6 million people …

  Read More »
• 20 July

  Trouble in Paradise? New Disputes Cloud Russia-Turkey Relations

  

  As the Turkish president shifts his focus toward Kyiv, he is essentially testing Moscow’s new red lines. How firmly is Russia prepared to react in a situation where it is simultaneously fending off a Ukrainian counteroffensive and recovering from the Wagner mutiny? Following his hard-fought victory in the May presidential …

  Read More »
• 20 July

  Five ISIS Members Killed in Iraqi Airstrike in Kirkuk

  

  Five ISIS terrorists were killed during a swift air raid in Kirkuk (250 kilometers north of Baghdad), revealed an Iraqi military statement on Tuesday. Additionally, two other individuals were apprehended in the same city through a well-executed ambush, the statement added. “The intelligence personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau have, after …

  Read More »
• 20 July

  Global Sanctions Dashboard: Sanctions alone won’t stop the Wagner Group

  

  Despite sanctions and efforts to curtail the Wagner Group’s illicit activity, the group has successfully evaded financial sanctions through a series of facilitators and front companies around the world. $5 billion: That’s how much the Wagner Group has made since 2017 mainly from mining, illicit gold trade, and forestry business …

  Read More »
• 20 July

  Ukraine’s Other Allies

  

  The West Should Assist the Private Actors Helping Arm Kyiv At this month’s NATO summit in Vilnius, the extensive security assistance that the West is providing Kyiv was brought into sharp focus. At the meeting, the United States and its allies announced a plan to train Ukrainian pilots to fly …

  Read More »
• 20 July

  The New Spy Wars

  

  How China and Russia Use Intelligence Agencies to Undermine America The Cold War never ended. That, at least, is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s view. The clearest indication that the Kremlin continued its titanic struggle against the West even after the Soviet Union collapsed can be seen in the activities of …

  Read More »