ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Neil Clark It’s not a nice thing when someone else takes the credit for the hard work you’ve been doing. It’s even worse when the same person criticizes you while praising themselves to the rafters. That’s what’s happening to Russia in relation to its anti-terror op in Syria. The state-owned France 2 channel has used images of Russian air strikes in Syria - not to applaud Moscow’s efforts in the fight against ISIS, but to illustrate the ‘achievements’ of the Western/Gulf coalition (of which France is a member) instead. The same news report strongly criticized the Russian actions, while all the time showing footage of how Russia was kicking ISIS butt- or rather ISIS derriere. Just how unfair is that? Perhaps next week France’s state television will be showing footage of the Red Army’s victory over the Wehrmacht at the Battle of Kursk to a voiceover lauding France’s heroic anti-Nazi effort in WW2. Or showing and old film of Sputnik 1 being launched into space and saying it was a “West...

The relationships between NATO and Russia have slid down toward a new Cold War, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference, describing NATO's policy as "unfriendly and not transparent." "Almost every day we are referred to as the most terrible threat to NATO as a whole or to Europe, America and other countries specifically," Medvedev said. "Although actual threats that exist in our small world - and I hope, you understand that - are absolutely different." My conclusion before the Munich Security Conference — the world is a more dangerous, darker place pic.twitter.com/ADoh8qnDys — Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) February 11, 2016 Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated plans for massive military build-up on its eastern flank – the largest since the Cold War – to counter "Russia's actions." He added that relations with Russia would be based upon "def...

Meeting in Munich on February 11 & 12, 2016, as the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), the Arab League, China, Egypt, the EU, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the United States decided that humanitarian access will commence this week to besieged areas, and an ISSG task force will within one week elaborate modalities for a nationwide cessation of hostilities. The ISSG members unanimously committed to immediately facilitate the full implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, adopted unanimously December 18, 2015. The ISSG reaffirmed their readiness to carry out all commitments set forth in the resolution, including to: ensure a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition based on the Geneva Communiqué in its entirety; press for the end of any indiscriminate use of weapons; support and acce...

World powers have agreed to seek a nationwide "cessation of hostilities" in Syria to begin in a week's time, after talks in Munich, Germany. The halt will not apply to the battle against jihadist groups Islamic State (IS) and al-Nusra Front. The 17-member International Syria Support Group (ISSG) also agreed to accelerate and expand aid deliveries. The announcement comes as the Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, advances in Aleppo province. The move threatens to encircle tens of thousands of civilians in rebel-held parts of the major city of Aleppo. The Syrian government has not yet responded, though a key rebel coalition welcomed the announcement. "If we see action and implementation on the ground, we will be soon in Geneva," Salim al-Muslat told reporters, referring to the Swiss city where the UN is trying to get peace talks between the Syrian government and rebels off the ground. More than 250,000 people have been killed and 13.5 million displaced in ...