It is no secret that the conflict taking place in Syria has been one of the greatest recent sources of contention between the United States and the Russian Federation. Now, however, the tension over the Middle East situation may have peaked to an all-time high on Saturday 18 June, after an F-18 of the U.S….
Egypt is arguably the most volatile country in the Maghreb area, barring Libya, presently. Ever since the three decades of “reign” of former president Hosni Mubarak have come to an abrupt end in 2011, the country has been facing the challenges – and instability – that naturally follow such a radical change in the political…
In these days, as Iraqi forces backed up by the US-led coalition are trying to break the last stand of ISIS resistance in the battle for Mosul, the world will witness the laying of a milestone in the war against the cancerous terrorist state, which broke out across the lands of Iraq and Syria, to…
The Yemeni Civil War is probably not the most talked about conflict in western media, with all the attention attracted by the unfortunately well-known atrocities committed by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Nevertheless, the bloodshed has reached sizable proportions with estimated 6000 dead since March 2015 and it cannot absolutely be underestimated for the gravity…
It was 1962 and the world had been dragged to the verge of disaster, where it remained, precariously-balanced, for thirteen – seemingly never-ending – days. Fast forwarding to half a century later, it is 2015 and it is impossible not to notice how the hard-learned lesson of the Cuban Missile Crisis appears to have been…
Just a few days ago the European Union has confirmed that the economic sanctions against the Russian Federation were extended for another year, or specifically up to 19th January 2016. Despite attempts to minimize the perceived impact of this policy on the economy of the EU in the eyes of the public opinion, the price…
During the last part of 2014, optimism steadily raised over the unusually low prices of oil and their allegedly positive economic effects on the economies of oil importing countries. Although some evidence points in this direction, a more thorough assessment leads unfortunately to different conclusions.
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 Hussein.
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.
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…