NEWS

Kit Klarenberg The Pentagon has activated a new psychological operations unit targeting Africa, tasked with “expanding the military’s ability to influence foreign audiences” across the continent. The heavily hyped launch occurs against a backdrop of dramatically and irreversibly waning Western influence and power in every sphere across the continent. …

Hanna Eid In 1985, Indian scholar Gayatri Spivak asked “Can the Subaltern Speak?” in what would become a landmark essay of poststructuralist theory. Spivak’s answer–ironically enough, mediated through French theory of the 60s, 70s, and 80s–was ‘no’; the answer was negative due to the power over the production …

The United States is on track to withdraw its remaining forces from Iraq by September 30, according to US and Iraqi officials who spoke with the Associated Press, marking the latest and potentially final stage of a military intervention that began with Washington’s 2003 invasion and occupation of …

 Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh The signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on 7 August 2026 represents one of the most consequential developments in the reconfiguration of the Middle East’s security architecture in decades. The agreement establishes a collective-defence principle under which aggression …

As food, water and medical supplies dwindle in El-Obeid, the UN warns of parallels with the massacre in El-Fasher. Residents describe siege conditions, drone strikes and growing fears as Sudan’s war grinds on. The UN is warning that El-Obeid could become Sudan’s next humanitarian catastrophe, echoing the violence seen in …

Amir Soltanzadeh Iran says a shipping accord with Oman is in its final stages, but analysts warn sanctions, security concerns and rival US-Iran goals could limit its impact. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said this week that an agreement with Oman, which lies on the other side …

How to control a technology whose spread and capabilities are outpacing our ability to manage its risks? That question has become increasingly urgent with the rise of artificial intelligence. One answer seemed to stand out: Keep the most powerful models under close supervision by limiting their release and …

In the United States, the Republican Party is heading into the upcoming midterm elections in November with a considerable disadvantage: the widespread unpopularity of Donald Trump. From the disastrous decision to attack Iran to the abandonment of any form of ethical standards to an obsession with leaving his …

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Iranian separatist groups have begun digging trenches and tunnels along the border with Iran, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Sulaymaniyah. Fighters have been redeployed from the Duhok mountains and northeastern Syria to the Iranian border, our correspondent reported, with heavy engineering …