Author: Samsalkan

Frankfurt (18/12 – 14) That there are remarkable advantages in being ignored is not generally recognized. Central Asian countries, historically under the thumb of Moscow, all through the 70+ years of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, were more or less cut off from the outside world. There was little trade or other exchange. The USSR was in fact a grab-bag of ethnicities, religions and languages, controlled with an iron fist by Stalin and afterwards with unbroken dominance through subsequent regimes. Under Soviet management, Central Asia had stayed poor and ignored; it had not developed any hydrocarbon resources to lure…

This year’s operations of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) against the so-called senior members of the PKK terror group have dealt a heavy blow to the organization, according to security sources. In line with Türkiye’s strategy of “eliminating the threat beyond the border,” anti-terror operations targeting PKK members in Syria and Iraq continued uninterruptedly throughout the year. The intelligence “neutralized” as many as 201 terrorists, including the so-called senior staffers, in 181 operations, which were mostly supported by drones. A total of 45 targets, including critical energy and infrastructure facilities such as refineries, oil wells, power plants, and weapons and…

Jakarta, Surakarta, Berlin (7/12 – 11) Amid a generally declining period for Germany’s national football team, the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia has been a shining light for them. Germany is one of the most successful national teams ever in international competition. They have won four World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014), three European Championships (1972, 1980, 1996), and a Confederations Cup (2017). Nevertheless, in recent years, Germany is suffering a horrid fate. In 2018, Germany suffered their first-ever first-round exit from the World Cup, since 1938. Germany became the fifth defending champions to be eliminated in the…

Iraqi PM has reportedly received a warning from US officials that American forces in the region would respond if attacks by pro-Iran militias caused any losses among their forces or the coalition forces in Iraq. Iraqi sources say several Iran-backed Iraqi militias have shunned warnings by the Iraqi prime minister to cease attacks on military bases hosting US and international coalition military advisers, raising a possibility of US armed retaliation and destabilisation of the country. This week, armed factions aligned with Iran have claimed responsibility for several Katyusha rockets and drone attacks on at least three US bases in Iraq and another US base…

Frankfurt (11/09 – 20) Two international human rights organizations have called on the Tajikistan government to immediately release jailed lawyer and human rights activist Manuchehr Kholiknazarov, as well as other activists and journalists. The International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the international non-profit organization CIVICUS, which bills itself as “a global alliance aimed at strengthening the action of citizens and civil society around the world,” in their message published specially on the eve of Independence Day, September 8, focus on the fact that Tajik human rights activist and civil society activist Manuchehr Kholiknazarov was falsely sentenced to a long…

Rome (16/11 – 57) Sri Lanka is mired in a deep political and economic crisis and the country’s then President Rajapaksa has flown out of the country, days after a huge crowd of protesters stormed his residence in July 2022. Protesters for months have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose government has been blamed for chronic mismanagement of the country’s finances. The island nation of 22 million people has suffered months of lengthy blackouts, acute food and fuel shortages, and galloping inflation in its most painful downturn on record. Here is how the crisis unfolded: April 1: State of emergency Rajapaksa declares a temporary state of emergency, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest and…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Baghdad on Sunday evening for his first visit to the country as the US top diplomat and held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday, as he tours the Middle East attempting to tamp down tensions amid Israel’s war on Gaza. After an earlier visit to the occupied West Bank, Blinken landed in Baghdad on Sunday evening for his first visit to the country as the US top diplomat and held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Blinken will travel…

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Nestled in the heart of the Middle East, Iraq is a country with a rich history and cultural heritage. However, Iraq’s challenges are as complex as its history. Although it has navigated through the aftermath of wars and insurgencies, these events still loom inside the economic and social fabric of the country. Poverty and hunger are some of the most prevalent in the tapestry of domestic issues in the country. According to the World Food Program (WFP), 2.4 million of 41 million Iraqis suffer from acute hunger, and 31% live below the poverty line. USAID alarms that…

When people hear the word “globalization” they probably think of giant container ships, wonky economic terms like “offshoring” and “trade deficit,” or geopolitical tensions and agreements. And, to be sure, Cato’s Defending Globalization project covers all of that stuff and more. Yet, as we explain in a new essay for the project, there may be no better symbol of real globalization—and its many benefits—than the restaurant down the street. From the menu and the ingredients to the flatware and the staff, your local watering hole— even a good ol’ American Bar & Grill—is a tasty, real‐​world lesson in how the…

The Department of Defense recently reinstated a campaign medal for troops serving in Iraq but not, apparently, because of the recent upswing in drone and rocket attacks on bases there. The Pentagon confirmed to Task & Purpose Tuesday that troops in Iraq are now again able to receive the Operation Inherent Resolve medal after a hiatus. The medal was unavailable to U.S. troops in Iraq, according to Pentagon spokesperson Nicole Schwegman, “due to Iraq no longer being classified as a combat mission.” Officials did not immediately say when Iraq-based troops had been cut off for the medal, but the U.S.…