North Korea still remains a mystery to much of the outside world.  It is concealed behind the Iron Curtain, and very few have managed to peak through.  In late 2014, I had an opportunity as a tourist to take a glimpse behind the curtain in an attempt to observe the ordinary lives of North Koreans.
 
Prior to the trip, I always assumed…

The Three-State Solution for Iraq
 
Proceeding in order, to fully appreciate the information that constitutes the core of the anlysis and to understand the events that shaped the Islamic State, it is crucial to briefly outline the situation in Iraq in 2003, focusing on George W. Bush's project for the future of the country after Saddam…

For much of the post-Soviet period, Central Asia has been a backwater of Russian foreign policy. But things are changing. Circumstances in and beyond the region are driving a more committed approach in Moscow. Central Asia is critical to Putin’s aim of establishing Russia as the leading player in the Eurasian Heartland, and as an…

How the Obama Administration Removed Iraq’s Largest Political Obstacle
Originally published Nov. 2nd, 2014
 
How Did It Come To This?
 
At some point during Obama’s second term of his presidency, he and his Administration realized that Nuri Kamal al-Maliki was part of the problem, not part of…

Mr. President,  “Je suis Charlie,” but who are you?   The whole world is asking the same question?   Yesterday more than a million people were in Paris alone – more than at any time in France´s history.  Yet you were MIA. We are simply aghast at your absence! 
 
 
 Unforgettable…

If you did not notice, Mr. President, the attack in Paris on Charlie Hebdo, and the hostage-taking by terrorists of a Parisian kosher shop , defeats any attempt to minimize the seriousness of Islamic terrorism.   Following Fort Hood,   Boston, London, Volgograd, Brussels, New York, Ottawa, and Sydney, we must now view the cities of the…

Jihadist took over Paris


 

Ø  It isn’t the first time France faces radical religious terrorism (Groupe Islamique Armé in the 1990’s).

Ø  It isn’t the first time terrorist attacks are conducted against Charlie Hebdo (the one in 2011 following the re-publishing of Danish…

Today's attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo marks a turning point in the terror threat on European soil, which could either turn out to be a long overdue wake-up call for the Western governments or on the contrary - if ignored - set up the right conditions for very dark times ahead of us.
 
The nature of Paris shootout is…

A spirit is haunting Europe;  It is a  spirit of  Islamic terrorism.  The latest attack is not just on the 12 dead editors and artists of a Paris magazine that satirized the prophet, it is an attack on free speech worldwide.  
Would President Obama finally wake up to the international dimension of the conflict? …

 
Western media members are currently basking in what to them seems to be a story of economic ‘come-uppance.’ Saudi Arabia announced that its 2015 budget will suffer from a significant economic shortage, resulting in a nearly $39 billion dollar deficit. Most in the West look at this fact curiously, mainly because it seems to be that…

Kvashnin Yuri (Ph.D in History)
(Head, European Union Studies Department, IMEMO RAN, RIAC Expert)
Today the Russian-Greek economic relations are affected by a triple crisis: the ongoing crisis in Greece, the crisis in Russian–EU relations and Russia's economic hardships.
As for the first one, at the beginning of this year Greece's…

Undoubtedly, the plummeting of oil price is one of the most observed and debated topics of this year's end, both for its economic and political implications. These kind of events are hardly ever random, or driven by market forces alone. In this article I will examine the reasons behind this issue, as well as the behavior of the countries involved…