July, 2022

• 27 July

  China’s Search for a Permanent Military Presence in the Pacific Islands

  

  After the Solomon Islands signed a security pact with Beijing in April, Kiribati may be considering a similar deal. In April, China signed an unprecedented security pact with the Solomon Islands, sparking regional concerns of a future Chinese military presence there. China’s pursuit of greater military reach in the Pacific …

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• 27 July

  Russia’s Ukraine War Has Narrowed — But Not its Goals

  

  Putin remains fixed on erasing Ukraine. Ideas for peace talks can’t ignore that. Russia’s Ukraine war, launched in February along the 350 miles from Belarus to the Black Sea, has largely narrowed these weeks to a 45-mile-wide assault on cities in the Donbas region. This and other signals may suggest …

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• 27 July

  How Putin’s Flawed Assumptions Doomed Russian Victory in Ukraine

  

  The war in Ukraine seems to be entering a transitional phase. Early on, Russia failed in its effort to take Kyiv—so Russian President Vladimir Putin scaled back his ambitions and shifted his military’s efforts to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. As both sides battle it out there, exhaustion and …

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• 27 July

  UK spy chief says he doesn’t think Iran supreme leader wants to reach nuclear deal

  

  ‘The deal is absolutely on the table but I don’t think the Iranians want it,’ MI6 director tells security forum; CIA chief says Tehran’s advance toward atomic bomb is ‘troubling’ Britain’s spy chief voiced doubt Thursday on reviving a landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, saying Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali …

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• 27 July

  Iran says it seeks nuclear deal guarantees so as ‘not to be stung twice’

  

  ‘The Americans must accept some commitments. We do not want an agreement at any price,’ Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran is seeking economic guarantees from the US to revive a long-stalled 2015 nuclear deal so as “not to be stung twice” the same way, its foreign minister said. The agreement, formally …

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• 27 July

  UN nuclear chief: Iran’s program advancing at a gallop, we have little visibility

  

  Rafael Grossi says project ‘has grown enormously, far beyond what it was in 2015,’ as Tehran creates new difficulties and negotiations remains stalled The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Friday that Iran’s nuclear program “is advancing at a gallop and we have very little visibility.” Speaking to …

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• 27 July

  Le chef de Barkhane accuse le groupe russe Wagner de “prédation” au Mali

  

  Le commandant de la force française Barkhane, le général Laurent Michon, a accusé jeudi à Ouagadougou le groupe paramilitaire russe Wagner de “prédation”, le comparant à un “dealer” de drogue dans sa façon d’agir au Mali. “Le code minier au Mali a changé et désormais (…) un certain nombre de …

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• 27 July

  Kremlinology and the Great Power Competition

  

  While speculation around the potential demise of Putin’s regime is understandable, it is more helpful to consider the ‘so what’ of who comes next. Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February, speculation has swirled about the Russian leadership. One common theme is the supposedly shrinking circle of people around Vladimir …

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• 27 July

  Towards a Regional Code of Conduct for Missiles in the Middle East

  

  With missile stockpiles edging up across the Middle East, there is a clear need to develop a regional code for their acceptable use. The Middle East is entering a new missile age. More regional states are either developing indigenous production capabilities or importing missiles than ever before. Currently, 11 states …

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• 27 July

  Friends with Benefits: Iran and Russia after the Ukraine Invasion

  

  Despite speculation around Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to Tehran, Russia–Iran relations remain firmly transactional. President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Tehran, coupled with intelligence released by the US about Iran’s provision of armed drones to Russia, has renewed speculation that the relationship between the two might finally be …

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