ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The British Army has conducted an initial test of its new line of robotic vehicles during a scheduled exercise in Michigan in the United States. Driverless robotic all-terrain 4x4s were run by unseen British soldiers using Xbox controllers as the Ministry of Defence told the public on Tuesday, November 14 that it will join the United States to trial an improved method of transporting ammunition, food, and fuel to the front lines. Footage from the exercise, which has been three years in the making, shows a robotic convoy of the trucks rampage across the big landscape led by the six-ton British Army MAN SV. The truck and the U.S. Light Medium Tactical Vehicles that immediately follow after the behemoth utilize integrated robotics to decide speed and steering, among other functions. They have also made use of  Hoverbike drones  to simulate delivering supplies in the most dangerous “last mile” up to the battlefield, which is part of a technology called Coalition As...

Hassan Rouhani, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Sochi. Photograph: Tass/Barcroft Images Russian President Vladimir Putin  met  with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in Sochi on November 22 in first ever three-side summit dedicated to regulating the situation in Syria. The leaders of the three countries, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan met at the “Rus” resort. Putin opened the summit by saying that the full fledged action against the terrorist threat comes to a close, thanks to the efforts of Russia, Iran and Turkey, that stopped Syria from dissolution. “The full fledged assault against terrorist groups in Syria are coming to an end,” said Putin. “The efforts of Russia, Iran and Turkey managed to avoid the collapse of Syria, its capture by international terrorist forces, and avoid the humanitarian catastrophe.” Russian leader stated that a truly decisive strike was dealt to the militants and that “a r...

Sputnik/ Igor Zarembo Written by  Dmitri Evstafiev ; Originally appeared at  eurasia.expert , translated by  AlexD  exclusively for  SouthFront On November 22, in Sochi, an unusual summit will be held  [SF comment:  It already took place ]  – talks between the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey. At the centre of attention will be the settlement in Syria, where the three countries come out as guarantors of peace. Along with that, cooperation in the Moscow-Ankara-Tehran triangle can go beyond the Syrian scope. Professor of the NRU “Higher School of Economics” Dmitry Evstafiev assessed the prospects of the “axis” formed between the three countries and the accession of Azerbaijan. Preparing to Redraw Maps On the main agenda of the meeting of the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey in Sochi on November 22 are issues related to the necessity to start the political reconstruction process of Syria and the prevention of its transformation into a...

A screenshot of the video showing a slave market in Libya On November 22, France Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the French Parliament that France called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the slave-trading issue in Libya. “France decided this morning to ask for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss this issue … We are doing it as a permanent member of the Security Council. We have this capability and we are using it,” Le Drian told the French Parliament, according to France 24 TV. Le Drian revealed that France had warned the Libyan authorities of the slave-trading problem many times without a result. The French foreign minister added that international sanctions should be implemented if the Libyan authorities fail to address this problem. “Libyan authorities, who have been alerted several times, including by myself because I was there in September, have decided to open an investigation into the facts … We want...

A screenshot from the video A firefight has been reported in the Georgian city of Tbilisi where security forces storm a multi-storey apartment building. Georgia’s state security service said a unidentified number of suspects holed up in one of the apartments opened fire on the troops that were conducting the  operation in the area. According to reports, at least 1 suspect was detained and at least one security officer was shot in the head during the operation. The officer is in a critical condition. “According to the preliminary information they are not Georgian nationals and they are members of a terrorist organisation,” Nino Giorgobiani, the deputy head of administration at Georgia’s state security service, commented the situation. “It is important to note, that Georgia’s counter-terrorism department has been conducting negotiations with them for several hours about surrendering but they rejected it.” The situation remains tense.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool) Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir  has denied  there are relations between Riyadh and Tel-Aviv, in an apparent response to Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz making the first public disclosure of such ties. Steinitz,  a member of Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet,  gave the first official confirmation  of long-rumored secret contacts when he told Army Radio on November 19 that “ties are developing” with Riyadh and other Arab or Muslim states. Last week, the Israeli military chief, Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot,  told  to the Saudi newspaper Elaph that Israel was ready to share “intelligence information” with Saudi Arabia, saying their countries had a common interest in standing up to Iran. Jubeir  told  Egypt’s CBC television station on November 20: “There are no relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. There is the Arab peace initiative...

Colombia sent a letter to the Venezuelan foreign ministry on November 21 protesting the incursion of a military helicopter and troops from that nation over the border, the latest in a series of similar incidents that have drawn criticism from Colombia, Reuters  reported . According to a statement issued by Colombia’s foreign ministry, the incident occurred on November 15 and 16 near the town of Tibu in Norte de Santander province. “The events have already been protested by the foreign ministry and there has been a meeting arranged between the foreign ministers to analyze what happened and request that measures be taken to prevent a recurrence,” the statement said. According to the ministry, during their incursion Venezuelan military forces illegally detained several people and stole from them, having caused damage to several private properties and farms. Forays by Venezuelan troops into Colombia have increased in recent years, heightening diplomatic tension between the go...

A source close to the Saudi royal family told the British Daily Mail newspaper that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is planning to step down and to hand over the Saudi Crown to his son Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. However, according to the source, King Salman will keep the title of “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” that’s traditionally linked with the “King” title in Saudi Arabia. “Unless something dramatic happens, King Salman will announce the appointment of MBS as King of Saudi Arabia next week… Salman will play the role of the queen of England. He will only keep the title Custodian of the Holy Shrines,” the source told the Daily Mail. No one ever tried to separate the two titles in the history of Saudi Arabia, mainly because this could lead to future problems within the royal family. The “King” title represent the political power. The “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” represents the religious power in Saudi Arabia. ...