Archives USA - Page 94 of 113 - New Eastern Outlook

In February, on an unusual visit to Japan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasised the need for NATO to have more “friends” in the region. The obvious justification was, as Stoltenberg explained to his audience at Keio University in Tokyo, the fact that Russia and China were “coming closer” and the direct threat this alliance poses to the US-led international order. More obviously, what Stoltenberg said exposed active US attempts to expand the scope of its rivalry with Russia and China beyond Europe to include the Asia-Pacific region. At least this is how Beijing and Russia understood it. Responding to Stoltenberg’s projection…

According to numerous reports in the Israeli media, the resumption of ties and normal relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria has caused a state of discontent, severe anxiety and even dismay among the Israeli leadership. These troubles, as noted by the Israeli newspaper World Israel News, have added to the problems that have suddenly presented themselves in all their glory to Tel Aviv of late. Saudi Arabia’s moves to fully restore diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Riyadh’s cease-fire efforts in Yemen are also a major concern for Israel and the United States, which is rapidly losing influence in that part of the world. According to US media, in this regard…

The US system of checks and balances began to disintegrate after the military situation in Ukraine erupted in February 2022. This is particularly noticeable in the energy sector. Therefore, while one-off agreements involving Qatar have partially replaced Russia’s portion of the LNG needed by Europe, the situation with Saudi Arabia remains unclear. During his visit to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2022, US President Joe Biden was unable to persuade the Saudis to boost oil production within the framework of OPEC+, resulting in the extension of the Russian-Saudi quotas until May 2023. Simultaneously, in March…