OPEC+ announced last week that it will cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day starting in November, driving up prices globally. The U.S. responded by framing the cuts to oil production as a nakedly self-serving move that will benefit Russia, singling out Saudi Arabia as the ringleader of that collective effort.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked an opportunity for Germany and Poland to converge around their shared interests in the face of a common threat. But developments since then have resurfaced the many lingering questions regarding the two countries’ differences, which often reflect broader divides across the continent.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba began a 10-day visit across Africa this week that was billed as an attempt to “better explain Ukraine.” It’s a welcome change of pace from Kyiv, whose engagement with Africa amid the war has consisted of diplomatic improprieties and unfamiliarity with African diplomatic positions.
Russia unleashing the destructive power of a nuclear weapon in Ukraine would be catastrophic, but not solely because of the physical damage the weapon would cause. Instead, Russia’s use of a nuclear weapon would be catastrophic because it would cause us to enter a new world, one transformed in three permanent ways.
Just eight months after seizing power in Burkina Faso, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba conceded the presidency to his rival, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, in a countercoup. What the change in leadership will mean for Burkina Faso’s deteriorating security situation and transition back to democratic elections is unclear.
Many analysts expected Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to include a cyber Armageddon as part of the conflict. So when those expectations didn’t materialize, the initial surprise quickly turned into declarations that Ukraine had won the “cyber war.” But it’s still possible that Moscow will turn up the dial on its cyber operations.
Ever since the August 2021 suicide bombings at Kabul’s international airport, the Islamic State-Khorasan has continued to make headlines with gruesome attacks in Afghanistan, in an effort to portray itself as resurgent. The reality is more complicated, and there is a real possibility that IS-K is actually in decline.
The “War on Drugs” has failed. While that statement is absolutely true, it’s also a cheap applause line. Calling out the failures of the war on drugs is easy, and these days doing so generally finds widespread support. But it’s easier to criticize the current failed approach than to develop and implement alternatives.