Eighteen members of the Ennahda Movement, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, submitted their collective resignations from the movement’s membership on
September 26, 2021, just only three days after 113 others have resigned as well. This
brings the total number of members who resigned in two days to 131 members. This
is a significant indication of the intensifying disputes and divisions within the movement following the Tunisian President’s announcement of exceptional measures in
the country on July 25, 2021.
Topic:
Reform, Democracy, Domestic Politics, and Ennahda Party
The ISIS Amaq news agency on September 19 announced on its Telegram channel that
the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISKP claim responsibility for three bombings
in Jalalabad in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province. The Taliban accused the
organization of carrying out a fourth attack in the Afghan capital Kabul. The developments come amid concerns in the West that the next terrorist threat from Afghanistan
is this particular militant group.
Somalia is witnessing an escalation in the current political crisis, which is likely to undermine the credibility of the Somali leadership, in addition to threatening the internal
stability in Somalia, as concerns heighten regarding the country possibly plunging
into civil wars, similar to what happened in previous historical periods due to the clan
nature of the Somali society.
Topic:
Security, Leadership, Crisis Management, and Political Crisis
On October 2021, Libyan House of Representatives announced that the election dates
would be rescheduled, so that presidential elections would be held on December 24,
while the legislative elections would take place thirty days later. Originally, the legislative elections were supposed to be held on the same day as the presidential elections.
This can be considered a new step taken by the Parliament with the aim of showing
commitment to the roadmap by approving the parliamentary election law.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held their
first face-to-face talks on October 22 in Sochi, Russia. The summit talks, called by Putin, were slated for only two hours but lasted for about five hours, reflecting the two
sides’ interest in enhancing coordination about several common issues, and warming
up the Israeli-Russian relations which cooled down since Bennett rose to power.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Treaties and Agreements, Syrian War, and Consensus
On October 21, Daily Sabah announced that an Israeli spy ring, consisting of 15 agents, was arrested in Turkey early in October. The Turkish newspaper affiliated with the Turkish government and JDP said that the spy ring targeted Israel's opponents in Turkey. A day later, the newspaper affirmed that one of the arrested agents collected information about Palestinians residing in Turkey, and about Turkish military industries. However, Ankara did not officially announce the news, while Israel denied the accusation.
A few weeks earlier, the pro-Hamas Shehab News agency announced that seven Palestinian PNA and Mossad agents were arrested in Turkey allegedly for spying on certain Palestinian residents in Turkey.
Topic:
International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Espionage
Iraqi media outlets such as Dijlah, Al-Rafidain TV and Al-Sharqiya, on November 7,
reported that Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force, a branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had arrived in the Iraqi capital on November 7 on an
unannounced visit. Qaani met with the chiefs of Shi’ite militant groups, as well as
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and the Iraqi President Barham Salih. Qaani expressed rejection of the assassination attempt on al-Kadhimi. Qaani’s visit was part of
Iran’s efforts to bring its Iraqi armed groups under control in exchange for giving their
parties a share in the next government.
Topic:
Government, Non State Actors, Media, and Assassination
From October 31 to November 3, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) managed
to achieve strategic gains at the expense of the Ethiopian government, as it continues
to draw closer to the Ethiopian capital, especially after its seizing control of the cities
of Dessie and Kombolcha. Meanwhile, contrary to regional and international appeals,
the Ethiopian Prime Minister continues to mobilize citizens to fight, refusing a ceasefire and any negotiations with the Tigray Front.
Maria Elena Rodriguez Ortiz and Paz Andrés Sáenz De Santa María
Publication Date:
11-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
BRICS Policy Center
Abstract:
The precedence afforded in recent decades to environmental issues and to the centrality of a sustainable development agenda has led financial institutions to redefine and redirect their funding as well as their institutional and market arrangements to contribute towards balanced and inclusive development, such as strategies to support national environmental targets that will secure the sustainable development goals.
This research will therefore explore some elements that underline the relation between the NDB and the BNDES, the Brazilian Development Bank, which can be considered one of the main agencies implementing funding geared for Brazil, with various joint projects approved.
Topic:
Development, Environment, Partnerships, Banks, Sustainability, and BRICS
Many Arctic narratives cast suspicion on China, based on concern that the Asian power will seek to undermine the sovereignty of Arctic states and co-opt regional governance mechanisms to facilitate access to resources and new sea routes to fuel and connect its growing global empire. This paper focuses on China’s Arctic maritime capabilities to analyze and infer possible Arctic interests of this self-declared “near-Arctic” state. Do Chinese state officials mean what they say about the Arctic, or are they using the cover of polar scientific research and thinly veiled language in an attempt to normalize their presence and advantageously position themselves? Assuming that acceptance of China’s presence – or at least apathy to it – serves as a necessary precondition to access and exploit Arctic resources, the authors deduce how Chinese scientific research reflects and fits with the country’s regional interests and its global commercial, resource extraction, and power projection goals. After producing a timeline of key inflection points in Chinese academic and official discourse, the authors analyze the activities of Chinese icebreaker Xue Long and the 11 Chinese national Arctic research expeditions (CHINARE). They conclude that China has successfully used its scientific community as an instrument to normalize its presence in the region for skittish Arctic nations. This is consistent with China’s “near-Arctic state” narrative, thus laying the foundation for the broader strategic goal of accessing the region and exploiting its resources.
Topic:
Natural Resources, Maritime, and Strategic Competition