China Brief Spotlight on Analysis: COVID-19
Hot Issue – They’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat: The Curious Voyage of the Akademik Cherskiy
Problems in the Ukrainian Military Food-Supply System: Coronavirus or Symptom of Slowdown in Reforms?
Escape from Pakistan: TTP Spokesperson Ehsan ullah Ehsan Fled from Custody
In February 2017, Pakistani security and law enforcement authorities managed to get Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Ehsan ullah Ehsan to defect to Pakistani authorities. Or, at least, government officials proclaimed that he had surrendered to... MORE
The GNA’s Latest Defection: A Profile of the Tripoli Militiaman-Turned-Diplomat Mohamed Shaeban ‘al-Mirdas’
In January, Muhammed Shaeban, ‘al-Mirdas,’ resigned as the Libyan deputy ambassador and consul general in Tunis. Allegedly, he was about to be fired and decided to step down on his own. Mirdas was not only... MORE
AQAP’s New Emir: Who is Khalid Batarfi?
On February 23, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a video message from its prominent scholar Hamid al-Tamimi confirming the death of the group’s leader, Qasim al-Raymi, from a U.S. drone strike in Yemen... MORE
The Past as Precedent: Is the Taliban’s Military Chief Sirajuddin Haqqani Ready for Peace?
On February 29, the United States and the Taliban signed the “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” in Doha, Qatar. The agreement paves the way for a pullout of American troops from Afghanistan. The Taliban... MORE
Lukashenka Comes Under Widespread Fire for Lax COVID-19 Response
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has come under growing public pressure and international criticism for not undertaking the types of pervasive quarantine and mobility restriction policies to limit the spread of COVID-19 that had become de rigueur... MORE
Moscow Enhances Artillery Firepower in Kaliningrad
Since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, it has gradually reinforced its military presence in Kaliningrad, frequently portraying these measures as a response to increased North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) activity close to Russia’s borders.... MORE
Military Activity and Political Signaling in the Taiwan Strait in Early 2020
Introduction On March 16, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force aircraft conducted a set of unusual nighttime sorties over the sea to the southwest of Taiwan. At least one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control... MORE
The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Rise of Chinese Civil Society
Introduction: China’s Civil Society Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic According to figures provided by People’s Republic of China (PRC) authorities, the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in early March. One day after Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary... MORE
The Chinese Charm Offensive Towards Italy as the Coronavirus Crisis Deepens
Introduction One year ago, Italy was hitting the headlines as Rome became the first G7 country to formally sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China to join the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI... MORE