Turkey’s military operations in northern Syria
At the end of last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that his country would soon launch a new military operation into northern Syria which he said would target Kurdish “terrorists”. “We are taking another step in establishing a 30-kilometre security zone along our southern border. We will clean up Tal Rifaat and Manbij”, […]
Northern Iraq’s Oil
Iraq’s oil ministry has taken all necessary steps to implement a federal court ruling granting it authority to manage oil and gas fields in northern Iraq, in collaboration with regional Kurdish authorities. Iraq produced 4.3 million barrels of oil per day in 2020, making it the world’s sixth-largest producer. It has the world’s third-largest proven […]
Security concerns shape China’s cautious approach to the Taliban
In contrast to most western states, China is typically prepared to openly work with any government regardless of how it obtained power. The difference between how Beijing has dealt with the Taliban since it took over Afghanistan in August 2021 compared to how Washington, London and Brussels have done so underscores this point. Whereas the […]
China’s strategic interest in the Arctic
Beijing has long considered the Arctic to be important to its strategic, economic, and environmental interests. In accordance with international legal treaties, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Spitsbergen Treaty, China has rights in the Arctic high seas such as scientific research, freedom of navigation and overflight, fishery, […]
Is China waging economic war on America?
In 2018, in an interview with Australian television channel ABC, Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, was asked about the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. He interrupted the interviewer to say: This is not a trade war…we’re in an economic war with China, ok? Not a trade war. China’s been […]
A resurgent TTP in Pakistan
Last week, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced its withdrawal from a month long ceasefire agreement with the government, accusing Islamabad of reneging on its promise to release a number of TTP prisoners, while also accusing the government of conducting raids and arrests in TTP strongholds. Following the end of the ceasefire, the group promised a […]