May, 2023

• 8 May

  Iran, Syria Ink Strategic Cooperation Deal

  

  The presidents of Iran and Syria signed a comprehensive agreement on long-term and strategic cooperation between the two countries in Damascus. The “comprehensive plan for strategic and long-term cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic” was signed by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Syrian …

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• 8 May

  Pentagon Announces Latest $300 Mln Security Assistance Package For Ukraine

  

  The Defense Department announced an additional security assistance package for Ukraine today containing more ammunition for U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems among other weapons to arm Ukrainian forces against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression. The latest package, valued at up to $300 million, marks the 37th drawdown of DOD …

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• 8 May

  Why Saudi–Iran Agreement Doesn’t Herald Active Role For China In Gulf – Analysis

  

  In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations, with China playing a role as the host of the talks. This generated considerable discussion among policymakers and the scholarly community. Some believed this indicated a new change in China’s approach to the Middle East, which has primarily …

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• 8 May

  Russia’s Wagner mercenaries in Bakhmut to be replaced by Kadyrov’s troops

  

  Evgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the private Russian military company Wagner Group, announced that he would hand over the positions of his mercenaries in Bakhmut to the troops of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov most likely can obtain all the necessary resources to take up Wagner’s positions in Bakhmut, Prigozhin …

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• 8 May

  De-dollarization, A National Security Concern To A World-Power

  

  De-dollarization now looks inevitable and threatens to become a national security concern, according to International Crisis Group co-chair Frank Giustra. A Business Insider report — “De-dollarization is no longer a matter of if, but when — and is a national security concern, says International Crisis Group cochair”, May 3, 2023, …

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• 8 May

  Moral resignation – so what: Branko Ružić, minister of education who blames Western values for the tragedy in Vracar

  

  Numerous citizens who protested in front of the Ministry of Education after the tragedy in vladislav ribnikar elementary school demanded the resignation of Minister Branko Ruzic. The same demand was made by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, some trade unions, the opposition. President Aleksandar Vucic and Minister Ivica Dacic …

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• 8 May

  The War-Weary West

  

  In early February, U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, introduced a resolution to halt all U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine. Later that month, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee decided to mark the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by launching an investigation into Washington’s aid …

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• 8 May

  Bosnia’s Demographic Crisis: The Disappearance of Glamoc

  Mirroring the demographic decline of the entire country, a massive and still-deepening population drop in the last 30 years will likely see Glamoc, a picturesque town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, empty completely. Squeezed between pastures and hills, and circled by green belts of forest, Glamoc sits in a lonesome mountainous …

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• 8 May

  The Valdai meeting: Where West Asia meets multipolarity

  

  At Russia’s Valdai Club meeting – the east’s answer to Davos – intellectuals and influencers gathered to frame West Asia’s current and future developments. The 12th “Middle East Conference” at the Valdai Club in Moscow offered a more than welcome cornucopia of views on interconnected troubles and tribulations affecting the …

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• 8 May

  Spy Games: Why Private Companies Now Dominate Domestic Espionage

  

  Almost all private companies have now entered the “spy business.” In the old days, television and movie studios wanted to know what you watch; today, everybody wants to know what you watch, what you like, what you do, where you go, and with whom you go there. In turn, all …

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