ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Political and Geopolitical Developments:

Sudan Conflict: Southeast Sudan is experiencing intensified fighting, displacing over 136,000 people. The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen with significant civilian suffering (Global Issues).
Israel-Lebanon Tensions: The UN has raised concerns over escalating violence along the Lebanon-Israel 'Blue Line' frontier. This area has seen an increase in exchanges of fire between Lebanese and Israeli armed forces (Global Issues).
Brazil: Former President Jair Bolsonaro has been indicted by Brazil’s Federal Police for money laundering and criminal association related to undeclared diamonds received from Saudi Arabia during his presidency (The Yeshiva World).

Middle East and Africa:

Gaza-Israel Conflict: In Gaza, recent detainees have alleged torture in Israeli facilities, adding to the ongoing tensions and humanitarian issues in the region (Times of Israel). Additionally, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported the killing of seven Palestinian gunmen in a raid in Jenin, including those behind a recent roadside bomb (Times of Israel).
Lebanon Border Incident: The death of an IDF reserve officer due to Hezbollah fire has been reported, further straining Israel-Lebanon relations (The Yeshiva World).

Natural Disasters:

Hurricane Beryl: The Caribbean island of Carriacou in Grenada has been devastated by Hurricane Beryl, described as virtually “flattened” by the storm. Efforts are ongoing to support affected communities across the Caribbean (Global Issues).

Other Significant Events:

Venezuelan Elections: Venezuela faces a critical electoral challenge as President Nicolás Maduro confronts serious opposition for the first time in his 11-year tenure. This election could significantly impact the country's political landscape (The Yeshiva World).
Ukraine Conflict: Ukraine's army has retreated from parts of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region as Russian forces advance. This town holds strategic importance in the ongoing conflict (The Yeshiva World).
UK Politics: The Labour Party, despite a significant victory, faced challenges from pro-Palestinian candidates, highlighting ongoing political divisions in the UK (Times of Israel).

Comments

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re...

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has ...

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, sp...