British intelligence agency GCHQ has once again been called on to reveal whether it was involved in the US targeted killing program against terror suspects, after a leaked top secret memo to agency staff contained details of a fatal drone strike in Yemen. The documents, leaked by former NSA …
Read More »Turkey’s Post-Election Scene: The AKP-CHP Option
In the aftermath of the June 7 elections, many coalition options are now being discussed in Ankara. TheAKP–CHP option deserves special attention, as it would bring the country’s two largest parties together. The coalition could potentially end a protracted era of political polarization in Turkey. Here are some …
Read More »Putin advises US against dictating decisions to Russia
“Please, let us make decisions regarding our interests and requirements on our own, proceeding from our history and culture,” Putin said. ST. PETERSBURG, June 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States against the intention of speaking to Russia in an ultimatum-like language and urged …
Read More »US, NATO Bracing for Long-Term Standoff With Russia Under Putin and Beyond
Instead of building bridges and accepting Russia’s stance as having merit, the US and the North Atlantic Alliance have chosen to immerse themselves in shaping up for a lasting showdown with Moscow. The standoff could last years or even decades, according to the Pentagon chief, who defended the US …
Read More »US, Britain Want to ‘Weaken EU, Impoverish Russia’
Washington and London have very specific plans regarding continental Europe and Russia: they want to weaken the first and impoverish the latter to prevent them from uniting into a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise, the US policy towards Europe and Russia does not make any sense. “Modern Russia …
Read More »East Mediterranean Natural Gas Resources: A potential Mine Field
It is difficult to predict how the natural gas discoveries in Eastern Mediterranean will impact an already complex regional inter-relation system. Signs of mounting tension around the offshore potential resources are not new. If this tension occurs in the current early phase of exploring and extraction, it should …
Read More »Buying Silence: How the Saudi Foreign Ministry controls Arab media
The Concept of Helsinki Accords and the Search for a Strategy in Syria and Iraq The Concept of Helsinki Accords and the Search for a Strategy in Syria and Iraq The Middle East now is in many aspects reminiscent of the pre First World War Europe. The atmosphere …
Read More »Buying Silence: How the Saudi Foreign Ministry controls Arab media
On Monday, Saudi Arabia celebrated the beheading of its 100th prisoner this year. The story was nowhere to be seen on Arab media despite the story’s circulation on wire services. Even international media was relatively mute about this milestone compared to what it might have been if it …
Read More »St. Petersburg Forum: Message From the Russian Davos
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was attended by more than 5,000 participants, including high-ranking officials, leading businessmen, companies’ chief executives and economic pundits world over who were involved in a three day lively and sometimes heated debate on how to handle global economy and, specifically, on how to business with Russia. The annual St. Petersburg Economic …
Read More »