Posted inGeopolitics
UAE and Israel just a deal, not a peace deal
From the Middle East comes the news: the United Arab Emirates declares the end of the economic boycott of Israel. The news is the first step after the announcement of…
Posted inTerrorism
Lebanon – the STL verdict on the Hariri murder
On February 14, 2005, a 1000 kg explosion of TNT killed the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 21 others, including the Minister of Economy and the Prime Minister's bodyguards.…
Posted inGovernance
Lebanon – hostage to a corrupt politics and to a pro-Iranian armed movement
August 4th is the day of what is called the Lebanese ground zero. The explosions were caused by the presence of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate. The official thesis so…
Posted inGovernance
Hagia Sophia – political or religious matter
On the 10th of July, the Turkish State Council gave the go-ahead for the transformation of the museum of the Great Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque accessible only…
Posted inWar crimes
What happened to “Never again” and to “R2P”?
Traumatized by the 6 million deaths of Jews in concentration camps during World War II, Europe came out after Nuremberg stating that another genocide never happened again. On December 9,…
Posted inGovernance
The Ceasar Act- deterrence and maybe opportunity
On June 17, the first tranche of the largest US sanctions applied so far to Syria entered into force. United States President Donald Trump signed the "Caesar Syria Civilian Protection…
Posted inWar crimes
Kosovo: political or justice decision?
On April 24, the Kosovo Specialist Prosecution Office (SPO) in the Hague asked for indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity for the current president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci,…
Posted inGeopolitics
Carrots and sticks
Since Woodrow Wilson made his speech in Indianapolis in 1919 regarding the usefulness of sanctions, the debate still remains controversial, focusing primarily on their effectiveness as a tool of foreign…
Posted inGeopolitics
Trump and US troops in Germany – strategic importance and common interests of the Alliance
The Wall Street Journal last week announced the U.S. administration's decision to withdraw 9500 of the 34,500 soldiers present at the American NATO base in Ramstein in Germany. The news…
Posted inGeopolitics
Iran: in or out in Syria
The latest Israeli attacks on Syria on May 4 targeted the Mayadin area in the governorate of Deir el Zor where there is a greater movement by pro-Iranian militias and…