What Are Russia and Turkey Preparing for Syria? A Disagreement in Sochi

What Are Russia and Turkey Preparing for Syria? A Disagreement in Sochi

The 14thof February meeting in Sochi between the three Presidents (Russia, Turkey and Iran) is not expected to find solutions agreeable to all parties about the two main problem areas left in Syria: northeast Syria (Manbij to Qamishli/al-Hasaka), currently occupied by US forces, and Idlib city and its rural areas occupied by jihadist groups friendly to…

Can Venezuela and Its Neighbours Survive the Coming War?

Can Venezuela and Its Neighbours Survive the Coming War?

Today, Venezuela is divided between two legitimacies – that of Constitutional President Nicolas Maduro and that of the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó. Guaido nominated himself as interim President, allegedly by virtue of articles 223 and 233 of the Constitution. We only need to read these articles to see that they in no…

Afghan Civilians Fear CIA-Backed Death Squads that Can Call In Airstrikes

Afghan Civilians Fear CIA-Backed Death Squads that Can Call In Airstrikes

While the U.S. continues to conduct its mission of nation-building and “democracy promotion” in Afghanistan, bombing the country at unprecedented levels and being associated with de facto death squads on the ground could fuel distrust of Americans. Elite CIA-backed special forces in Afghanistan are leaving a trail of carnage in the country. As such units…

Why Does Pope Francis Hate Western Nationalism But Ignore the UAE’s Arab Variant?

Why Does Pope Francis Hate Western Nationalism But Ignore the UAE’s Arab Variant?

The Pope recently visited the UAE in what was the first time in history that a Catholic Pontiff set foot on the Arabian Peninsula, symbolically occurring in the context of an inter-religious conference hosted by the comparatively tolerant UAE. The Emirates wants to establish itself as a bastion of stability and interfaith harmony in the…

Israel Elections: The Vultures Are Circling Netanyahu

Israel Elections: The Vultures Are Circling Netanyahu

Israel will go to the polls in national elections on 9 April, and in the run-up, maneuvering by political parties and their leaders has intensified. The primary question is: will Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on any of the corruption counts he’s accused of before the election? Netanyahu desperately seeks to avoid…