We live in a state of perpetual war, and we never feel it. While you get your gelato at the hip place where they put those cute little mint leaves on the side, someone is being bombed in your name. While you argue with the 17-year-old at the movie theater who gave you a small…
The Russian-Pakistani Gas Feasibility Study Is Energy Diplomacy At Its Finest Russia is adroitly using the prospect of large-scale transnational energy investments in South Asia in order to acquire leverage for “balancing” the region and counteracting American influence there. It was recently announced that Russia and Pakistan agreed to conduct a feasibility study for building…
Historically, Germany maintained excellent relations with the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was fascinated by Islam, pursued archeological excavations, notably in Baalbeck, and participated in the construction of the first railways, including the Damascus -Medina line. The Reich and the Sublime Porte stood together against the British…
Recently, Iranians have shown signs of nervousness due to the measures taken by the US, their Arabic allies (e.g. peninsula monarchies) and Israel to begin joint efforts to force the Iranian military, pro-Iranian proxy forces and Shiite mercenaries from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan out of Syria. In addition, an already paranoid Tehran has got wind…
Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister unexpectedly extended olive branches to regional rivals Eritrea and Egypt. The first of Premier Ahmed’s two interconnected moves over the weekend was his announcement that Ethiopia will unilaterally comply with a 2002 international court ruling that the contested town of Badme at the center of his country’s 1998-2000 war with neighboring…
This week, the US took the unprecedented step of announcing its withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council – a day after America’s worsening migrant crisis fell on the radar of the global body. Partisan politics may be to blame. The Trump administration has a tough message for the global community. To quote John Bolton,…
