Raisi and Xi in China

Where is Iran’s position in the Russian war against NATO?

by Emad Abshenass * When the former Soviet Union collapsed, and the eastern bloc called the “Warsaw Pact” collapsed, there was hope to end the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and start a new era of international relations, based on dealings between countries instead of hostility, with the starting point of competition Read more

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The Limits and the Potential of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

A meeting among leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, during any other year in the past, would not make the news. This year’s meeting, however, should matters. Yet, it was hardly covered in Western media. There are important reasons for why the world should pay attention to this 21-year-old intergovernmental organization (IGO). Read more

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The Edge of our World: The new century and the new priorities

A global pandemic is generally enough to trigger a broad transformation with significant impact. A pandemic, an “Arab Spring”, a war in Europe, a climate crisis, and a shift in energy sources and consumptions make global change a certainty. That certainty becomes clear when looking at how each nation-state is maneuvering to secure space in Read more

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The Russian Approach to the Global and Regional Challenges: Consolidating Moscow’s Power in the New World Order

by Mohamed Ibrahim The 1997 National Security Concept of Russia identified Russia as an “influential European and Asian power” and recommended that Russia maintain an equal distance in relations with global European and Asian economic and political actors, while the 2000 Foreign Policy Concept referred to the Russian Federation as its “superpower.” Responsibility for maintaining Read more

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Work: Democratise, Decommodify, Remediate

More than 5,000 researchers from universities around the globe issued an urgent call to heed the lessons of the COVID-19 crisis and rewrite the rules of our economic systems in order to create a more democratic and sustainable society. Their call, made in the midst of an unprecedented health, climate, and political crisis, paves a Read more

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Killing of Soleimani evokes dark history of political assassinations in the formative days of Shiite Islam

by Deina Abdelkader * Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who promoted the religious and political influence of the Iranian regime across the Middle East with covert military operations, was an important figure in the Iranian government. But that’s not the only reason his targeted killing by the United States has elicited explosive grief and outrage in Iran. Read more

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