April, 2023

• 29 April

  Dollar’s Dominance Faces Threat, Says Former White House Economist

  

  De-dollarization could become a reality as a BRICS alternative to the dollar could enjoy high prospects for success, said a former White House adviser. A report by Business Insider — The dollar’s dominance would face a threat unlike any other from a BRICS currency, former White House economist says, April …

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• 29 April

  This Time It’s Personal: Russia’s Foreign Policymaking in the Middle East

  

  With Russia’s resources focused on the war in Ukraine, Moscow’s foreign policy may play second fiddle. While changes to Russia’s approach to the MENA region are ones of nuance rather than substance, Russia’s move towards the personalisation and regionalisation of its foreign policy there means that individuals and institutions will …

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• 29 April

  The Digital Terror Financing of Central Asian Jihadis

  

  Abstract: Like all terror groups, Central Asian terrorist groups are continuously attempting to diversify how they finance their activities to avoid detection. Drawing on various reports, court documents, an array of research literature, and online extremist materials, this article explores some innovative methods that Central Asian terrorists have recently experimented …

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• 29 April

  Commentary: “Who Thinks Wins”: How Smarter U.S. Counterterrorism in the Sahel Can Pay Dividends for Great Power Competition

  

  Abstract: The United States is at a critical juncture as it looks to adapt its counterterrorism mission. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Sahel region of Africa, where for the past decade, the United States has relied on France to serve as the counterterrorism lead. Those days are …

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• 29 April

  A Reassessment of American Policy Toward Taliban Afghanistan

  

  Key Points More than a year and a half on from its seizure of power, it is clear the Taliban regime rejects the idea of a pluralist political order and seems determined to impose the same restrictive social policies as were implemented in 1996-2001.As actions intended to isolate and punish …

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• 29 April

  Russia Ramps Up Use of Glide Bombs Ahead of Ukraine Counteroffensive

  

  During Russian forces’ spring assault on Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, air strikes played a key role in their attempts to encircle the city. One night in late March, Russian aircraft dropped 11 bombs on Ukraine’s Sumy region in a major attack. And last week, a Russian jet accidently released a …

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• 29 April

  The Islamic State in Dera’a: History and Present Situation

  

  On November 30, 2022, the Islamic State’s spokesman Abu ‘Umar al-Muhajir made the somewhat surprising announcement that the group’s “caliph” and leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi had been killed, while adding that the group’s Shura council had agreed on a successor going by the name of Abu al-Hussayn al-Hussayni al-Qurashi.1 …

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• 29 April

  Sudan war threatens regional and global alliances

  

  Conflict in Abraham Accords nation demonstrates limits of US power, while Egypt and Saudi Arabia watch anxiously. The Sudanese civil war bears witness to the global disorder spreading in the Middle East, in the wake of the Ukraine conflict and the steady weakening of American leadership. Sudan had raised the …

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• 29 April

  Why China’s yuan is unlikely to see boost from Saudi entry to BRICS

  

  Oil transactions between China and the Gulf may be settled in Chinese currency, but experts do not foresee an end to the dollar’s dominance soon. As Saudi Arabia eyes entry into the BRICS group of nations, there are fears that the kingdom’s vast oil reserves alongside China’s economic power could …

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• 29 April

  Turkey detains Kurdish figures ahead of vital polls

  

  At least 126 politicians, journalists, lawyers and artists have been detained in an operation that observers call an intimidation tactic before the May 14 elections. More than 120 people were detained across Turkey on Tuesday in an alleged counter-terrorism operation that targeted mainly Kurdish politicians, journalists, lawyers and artists less …

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