Diplomacy and Russia: – Bulgarian diplomat expelled from Russia in tit-for-tat move after Sofia asked the Kremlin to recall a diplomat under suspicion of espionage. Bulgaria also declined granting visa to a Russian defense attache (basically an ambassador). Given the strong cultural ties and energy relations between the two countries, this response of Bulgaria causes … Continue reading The World After a Week December 8, 2019
The World After a Week – November 24, 2019
Pope visited Thailand, the most heavily Bhuddist country (more). Russia returned naval vessels which were captured during the Kerch Strait incident. The Ukrainian navy reported that three of the vessels were vandalized by Russians (more). Google will prevent advertisers from targetiing election ads using data containing public voter records and general political affiliations (more). Microsoft … Continue reading The World After a Week – November 24, 2019
Is There Really a Power Void in the Middle East?
The approval of Turkey’s code-named Operation Peace Spring in north-eastern Syria by the United States, highlighted a strident contention of numerous Foreign Policy analysts on the basis of which the United States has ceased to be the preponderant force in the Middle East. The overemphasized passivity of the United States towards Turkey’s aggression and overall … Continue reading Is There Really a Power Void in the Middle East?
Remembering the Fall of the Berlin Wall: 30th Anniversary
By George Monopatis and Alexandros Sainidis Following the defeat of the Third Reich, Germany was virtually cut in half. The Red army had occupied East Germany in the same fashion the Russian empire did during its war with Frederick the Great. What is remarkable, however, what happened to Berlin itself, the capital city of Germany. … Continue reading Remembering the Fall of the Berlin Wall: 30th Anniversary
The Kurdish Strategic Impasse and Deir ez-Zor
By Nickolaos Angelis Since the beginning of the war in Syria, the Kurds have opposed Assad by fighting in eastern Syria against the Syrian army in both Hasakah and Qamishly. An example of Kurdish participation in the war was the “Northern Sun Battalion on the side of the anti-regime Free Syrian Army, which played a … Continue reading The Kurdish Strategic Impasse and Deir ez-Zor
China: The Challenger
By George Monopatis It is common knowledge in international fora that China is the number 2 power in the international system. However, the tricky part consists of identifying the means of achieving the status of a world order challenger. Perhaps the straightforward answer to this question derives from the country’s geography. In a geopolitical sense … Continue reading China: The Challenger
Do it for Sturgeon
A Brief of an older article What could possibly be the link between caviar and natural gas going to Europe? Simple – Russians love both. In fact one of Russia’s provinces, Dagestan is dependent on the production of caviar from Caspian surgeon. However hypocritical may it sound, a pipeline from Turkmenistan leading to the European … Continue reading Do it for Sturgeon