Ireland is attempting to balance its policy of military neutrality with a desire to support Ukraine on a political level.

• September 1, 2023

The announcement of Monday’s meeting in Sochi comes amid international efforts to patch up the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

• September 1, 2023

BRICS is alluring to aspiring members precisely because it does not require them to commit to an alliance.

• August 30, 2023

Britain’s foreign secretary says he raised human rights issues ‘in every single meeting’ he held in China.

• August 30, 2023

White House says Pyongyang should ‘cease its arms negotiations’ with Moscow amid escalating tensions with Washington.

• August 30, 2023

Ukrainian forces advance south and east to the rear of Russia’s first line of defence during the 79th week of the war.

• August 30, 2023

By Benyamin POGHOSYAN, PhD, Chairman, Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies

As the humanitarian crisis deepens in the self-proclaimed Nagorno Karabakh Republic and tens of thousands of people have found themselves in a daily struggle to get basic food, hygiene products, and other goods, discussions are underway in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and within the international community about ways out. Azerbaijan has its vision of the situation. According to Baku, if the international community, including Armenia, recognizes Nagorno Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, then no one should reject supplying goods to Nagorno Karabakh from Azerbaijan. Many in Baku view this option as the first step towards the gradual reintegration of Nagorno Karabakh into Azerbaijan's economic and later political sphere. READ MORE

• August 30, 2023

By Yeghia TASHJIAN, Beirut-based regional analyst and researcher, columnist, "The Armenian Weekly”

The socio-economic crisis was one of the causes of the disintegration of centralized governments in Syria and Iraq in 2011 and the emergence of radical militants in rural areas. These militants were motivated by anger towards the urban elite, who for decades neglected rural areas. As civil wars and political instability hit Syria and Iraq, many young rural people were recruited by these groups, who were financed by regional countries or non-state actors. In 2013, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was founded with the aim to establish an Islamic kingdom (caliphate) in the region. […] After the dissolution of ISIS in late 2019, the movement went underground, yet today it is taking advantage of the financial crisis in Syria and making a comeback. READ MORE

• August 30, 2023