(President Erdogan’s supporters celebrate election victory, Ankara, April 1, 2019) “Turkey is a global “swing state.” It has a large and growing economy, a strategic location, a democratic government, and mixed views about prevailing international arrangements. Like the other three global swing states — Brazil, India, and Indonesia — Turkey’s choices will influence whether today’s …
Trump’s Golan is a megalomaniac’s own goal
(Syria defending against Israeli missiles attacking Damascus, January 2019) The US President Donald Trump’s decree on March 26 granting official US recognition to Israel’s illegal annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights does not create any new fact on the ground. Trump’s motivations are fairly clear — boost Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s prospects in the April election …
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Trump’s Golan move shows US contempt for international law and rules-based order
(Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967) The US President Donald Trump’s tweet on Thursday that the United States should back Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967, didn’t quite come like a bolt from the blue. There has been talk about such a thing for sometime. Last December, the …
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US-Russian exchanges gather momentum
If a single exchange stood out during the tense interview of President Trump with the CBS News 60 Minutes on Sunday — Washington Post listed 8 of them — I would say it was when he tried to filibuster Lesley Stahl over the topic of ‘Russian meddling’ in the American elections. Stahl kept taunting Trump …
US-Saudi Relations Enter Unchartered Waters
US-Saudi Relations Enter Unchartered Waters By M. K. Bhadrakumar The disappearance of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in mysterious circumstances while on a visit to his country’s consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday still remains unexplained. The plot is thickening by the day. The latest reports suggest that he may not even be alive. The Istanbul …
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