Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
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The Islamic State’s Balkan ‘Strongholds’
To the Islamic State militant group, foreign fighters from the Balkans have particular importance due to their historical ties to Islam, their homelands’ proximity to other Western Europe and because ethnic disputes in the region remain close to the surface. A video released in June... MORE
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Defying Georgia, Turkey Gradually Cultivates its Influence in Separatist Abkhazia
Turkey has been one of Georgia’s closest economic and political partners in the wider Middle East since the latter country regained its national independence in 1991. Currently, Turkey is Georgia’s biggest trading partner, with a 15.4 percent share of Georgia’s total trade turnover with the... MORE
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Riyaan Saalim Sadeq al-Kaldani: The Pro-Iran Iraqi Christian Militia Leader
In the wake of the Islamic State’s June 2014 takeover of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, the Iraqi government created al-Hashd al-Sha’bi (Popular Mobilization Committees—PMCs), a militia network to help counter the jihadist organization. Though dominated by Shi’a armed groups, several militias within the network are... MORE
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Ahmad Qaddaf al-Dam and the Qaddafist Shadow Over Libya
Given that many might think Qaddafism as a political ideology died along with Mu’ammar Qaddafi in his hometown of Sirte at the hands of Libyan revolutionaries in October 2011, the announcement of the creation of the Nidal (“Struggle”) Front by pro-Qaddafist exiles in Cairo on... MORE
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Westgate and Garissa Mastermind Shaykh Ahmad Iman Ali: Kenyan Jihadist Leader Within al-Shabaab
Shaykh Ahmed Iman Ali is one of the al-Shabaab militant leaders most wanted by Kenyan security agencies, particularly for his role in attacks in that country. In 2012, he declared war on Kenya on behalf of the jihadist group (Daily Nation [Nairobi], September 29, 2013).... MORE
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Putin’s Diplomatic-Military Strategy in Syria: Spearheading a New Coalition
Russia’s military build-up in Syria has provoked international speculation as to the motives and aims underlying what might prove to be the country’s first out-of-area operation since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Clues about this Syria gambit emerged during the strategic-operational military exercise Tsentr... MORE
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Will Russian Military Intervention in Syria Continue After Today?
The United Nations General Assembly will hear today (September 28) the long-promised address by President Vladimir Putin, which is unlikely to contain any shocking surprises. The main content of his initiative on bringing the devastating civil war in Syria to an end has already been... MORE
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Putin Strains Wobbly Western Unity on Syria
President Vladimir Putin is heading to New York to address the United Nations with a strong hand, while his United States counterpart, Barack Obama, seems weak and indecisive. According to Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the summit with Obama on September 28 will be dominated... MORE
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Ukraine Introduces Sanctions Against Russian Citizens, Companies
On September 16, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree introducing sanctions against 105 firms and 388 individuals, mainly from Russia, for supporting the annexation of Crimea and the war in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas (President.gov.ua, September 16). The decree came into effect... MORE
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In Foreign Affairs and Politics, Belarus Enters Uncharted Waters
On September 19, following his one-on-one meeting in Sochi with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin issued an order to launch negotiations with Belarus about the creation of a new Russian airbase near Bobruisk (Tut.by, September 19). Vigorous discussion in Belarus, this past... MORE