Politics

On September 2018 French President Macron admitted that France had committed war crimes in the Algerian War for Independence that lasted from 1954 to 1962. He acknowledged, as just a single example, the torture of FLN member, Maurice Audin, a communist, who, after being tortured was executed by French military forces, at the age of 25.  Married with three children, he, like many others, disappeared during the Battle of Algiers. A few months earlier, as a presidential candidate, Macron described colonialism as a crime against humanity, but not much later ruled out any chance of reparations…

Given the continued conflict between Israel and Iran in the absence of a direct physical link, the struggle for influence in border territories has captured the interest and attention of both Tel Aviv and Tehran. In fact, the Israeli policy of occupying the Golan Heights in western Syria (Quneitra Governorate) in 1967 had the objective of strengthening Israel’s security zone. In turn, security concerns and Israel’s need for fresh water were factors in the 1967 Six-Day War’s decision to take control of the West Bank of the Jordan. Since then, 90% of Jordan’s water has been used by Israel to provide the population with drinking water…

In 2019, well before the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, the Russia-Africa summit held in Sochi attracted 43 countries in total. The purpose of the summit was the “development and consolidation of mutually beneficial ties” between Russia and the African continent. Four years later, the 2023 summit held in St. Petersburg attracted 49 countries in total, with the summit ending with a 74-point-long joint declaration pledging cooperation across a large number of critical areas. As is evident, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine (NATO) military conflict – and the West’s persistent attempts at ‘isolating’ Russia – has failed to make Russia…