Op-ed

Implications The ongoing construction is significant because it not only shows that base operations continued uninterrupted after Prigozhin’s mutiny in June, but also demonstrates Wagner’s sustained intention to expand its operations out of Bamako. In particular, the construction of the revetted storage area portends a possible increase in …

Patrick Cronin While threats posed by North Korea remain the central adhesive for concerted action by South Korea, the United States, and Japan, the agenda for trilateral cooperation is increasingly moving beyond defense to build order and promote prosperity. Camp David, the presidential redoubt 60 miles north of …

Ehud Eilam Israel and Iran used to be partners, until 1979. Since then, following the Islamic revolution, there has been a conflict between them. Iran’s nuclear program is getting closer to  producing nuclear weapons. It is a top concern for Israel, since Iran had threatened to destroy Israel. …

Kester Ken South Africa is hosting the 15th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit August 22 to 24, but in fact, not all the current five leaders will attend.  Russian President Vladimir Putin will only participate virtually as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued …

Eng. Saleem Al Batayneh In an era when truth, integrity, impartiality, and objectivity are essential, the corrosive influence of tainted media has played a detrimental role in critical moments of our history. Libyan legal advisor Abdulsalam Shuqair aptly states that the annals of time will remember the devastating …

Natasha Hall On July 17, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi opened the Chamshir Dam. In spite of vociferous opposition from environmentalists, who argued that the dam would cut off the water-impoverished and neglected province of Khuzestan from the Zohreh River, construction proceeded—supported by a 244 million USD loan from …

Brett Shaeffer While the “Pact of the Future” will not possess legal backing, it will create political pressures on future U.S. presidential administrations. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, President Obama’s first Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, famously said the quiet part out loud: “You never …

Paul Pillar The answer to the question of “why now” regarding the change in discourse about U.S. policy toward Israel is primarily due to larger political patterns that have come into focus this year. Certain ideas about U.S. policy toward Israel have crept into mainstream discourse, where only …

Nedine Hilmi China has planned a huge project within the framework of its Belt and Road initiative to curb US influence in Latin America through the state of Colombia. This Chinese project aims to link the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Colombia and Latin America to counter and …