Nov 7, 2021We don’t have time to analyze. Why I’m starting a newsletterDo you remember the classic British sitcom, Mind Your Language? Sometimes international news and politics seem to be actors from this series. We try to understand each other, to learn something new from the other, but something is missing and we often fail. Although we point the finger, no one…News3 min readNews3 min read
Aug 6, 2021In its battle for influence, Russia’s soft power strategy seeks to reshape Syria’s futureSyria today is divided informally and de facto into zones of influence between the main players of Russia, Iran, and Turkey. The Syrian regime itself also has reasons to worry; the economic situation in the areas it controls could be a major cause of future problems for Assad from his…Russia7 min readRussia7 min read
Jul 21, 2021For Iran, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is a problemWhen US President Joe Biden announced earlier this year that he intended to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021, international observers warned that it could have serious regional consequences. Recent events confirm these fears. Afghanistan is on the verge of collapse, with various European intelligence services predicting…Afghanistan2 min readAfghanistan2 min read
Jun 25, 2021Why Libya will remain a battleground for mercenariesIn February this year, after five months of negotiations, a new transitional government was formed in Libya during UN-led talks in Geneva. The breakthrough came following a formal truce in October, with the Government of National Unity tasked with unifying Libya’s institutions, preparing for elections, and reconstructing the country after…Syria2 min readSyria2 min read
Dec 21, 2020From Afghanistan and Africa to Vienna: The intelligence services should not be naive about ISISThe first version of the article has been published in the European Eye on Radicalization, December 21, 2020, under “Western Withdrawal is Helping ISIS’s Resurgence”. The attack on Vienna on November 2 linked the fates of three people of Albanian descent: the terrorist Kujtim Fejzulai, the first victim, Nexhip Vrenezi…ISIS9 min readISIS9 min read
Dec 6, 2020The Syrian and Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations are part of a bigger processOctober 20, without much media hype, Turkish forces stationed in the Syrian city of Morek began withdrawing from the base. Morek is the most important Turkish post north of the Syrian government-held city of Hama and borders the rebel-controlled northwestern part of the country. The base is surrounded by Russian-backed…Turkey3 min readTurkey3 min read
Oct 23, 2020No, the war in Syria is not overThe article was originally published in Acta Fabula. On the evening of June 16, 2016, journalists Khaled al-Issa and Hadi Abdullah returned to their place of residence in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The day was hard — earlier that day, they covered the continuous airstrikes over residential areas in…Syria6 min readSyria6 min read
Jun 2, 2020Article about the current Libyan conflict in Zenith MagazinMy article on Russia in Libya and the international clash over the country, published in the specialized German magazine, Zenith: https://magazin.zenith.me/de/politik/russland-und-die-tuerkei-libyen-und-syrienLibya1 min readLibya1 min read
Mar 24, 2020The West, stuck in the mantras of the Cold War, needs new approachesIn 2018, three Russian investigative journalists were killed in the Central African Republic (CAR). The same year, dozens of fighters died in an exchange of fire in the desert regions of eastern Syria, and a Russian journalist was found dead –officially ruled as having fallen from his balcony in Yekaterinburg…Mercenaries5 min readMercenaries5 min read
Feb 28, 2020How the Drug Trade Funds TerrorismTerrorist groups and international organized crime often make common cause, as I have detailed previously at EER. The crime syndicates in the European Union (EU) make alliances with their counterparts in the wider world and sometimes through mediators communicate with terrorist organizations in the Sahel, Central Asia, and West Africa…Security8 min readSecurity8 min read
