The United States does well to remove itself from Near Eastern and North African disputes. Its nominal ally Turkey has made it a profession to fish in troubled waters, seeking Great Power status through the projection of military power. The Russians of course have been playing the same game for some time and with greater … Continue reading Turkey Confronts Russia on Yet Another Front
Month: September 2020
Merkel Saves the Russian Gas Pipeline
The German Chancellor's ability to survive awkward political challenges has once again been severely tested and once more appears confirmed. Angela Merkel is reported in Vzglyad ru as having craftily evaded the pressure to cancel the Nordstream 2 pipeline by handing over the thorny issue to the EU as a whole, framed in terms of … Continue reading Merkel Saves the Russian Gas Pipeline
Russia’s New Forward Policy in Afghanistan
It was always to be expected that once they realised that the Americans under President Trump's leadership were serious about pulling out of Afghanistan - in the teeth of vocal Pentagon opposition - the Russians would be forced back in to take some responsibility for events. And, since the appointment of a new and dynamic … Continue reading Russia’s New Forward Policy in Afghanistan
Naval’ny Poisoned With Novichok
After opposition leader Naval'ny was taken seriously ill in Russia and the Russian doctors declared that he just had a problem with blood pressure, world opinion ensured that he got out and to the safety of Berlin where German military toxicologists discovered that he had been poisoned with a toxin from the … Continue reading Naval’ny Poisoned With Novichok