InterRegional for Strategic Analysis

In early February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Sudan as part of his African trip that also included Mali and Mauritania. His visit coincided with several official visits to Sudan by American, French, Norwegian, British, German, and EU envoys. All these visits came amid an extremely tense phase between civilian and military components within Sudan’s domestic political scene, which has existed ever since the decisions announced by the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on October 25, 2021. Those decisions returned matters to the state of instability associated with the overthrow of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. These diplomatic visits confirm that the West and Russia consider Sudan a contested space through which to gain greater impact and influence on the African continent in the near term.

Dimensions of the Escalating Western-Russian Competition in Sudan

Influence Sharing:

In recent months, relations between Turkey and Western countries have become aggravated, which has contributed to increasing signs of Western hostility toward Ankara. These signs are associated with several key issues, perhaps most importantly the Western countries’ feeling that Ankara has not fully aligned itself with the Western position against Russia, since it did not join the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow. The issue of Sweden and Finland joining NATO has further complicated Turkey’s relationships with Western countries, and Ankara has shown some obstinacy by imposing conditions on the two countries’ admission into the alliance. This has prompted some to say that Turkey’s policies may lead to the dissolution of NATO. The issue does not stop here, however; indeed, demonstrations in European countries have raised slogans against Islam in front of Turkish embassies.

Will the Earthquake in Turkey De-escalate Tensions between Ankara and the West?

Relief Diplomacy:

Most European countries, especially France and the UK, are beginning to boost efforts to replace fossil fuels with nuclear energy due to concerns over the global energy crisis. The current crisis has been impacted by a year of stagnation due to the COVID-19 epidemic followed by a sharp rise in the global demand for oil and gas since early 2021, reaching a climax after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February 2022. This has led to a number of hard-hitting repercussions on vital economic sectors, including frequent power-cuts and halts in many factories’ production.

Will Nuclear Fuel Solve the Global Energy Crisis?

Nuclear Reactors Return:

Recent years have witnessed growth in the relationship between Morocco and India. This has come as Morocco adopts a policy of diversifying sources of weapons and military equipment. At the same time, Morocco’s interest in diversifying its international partners reflects the Kingdom’s attempt to achieve strategic gains. Perhaps most important, Morocco seeks India’s support in the Western Sahara issue and other matters of importance to the Kingdom. This is to say nothing of the development of Morocco’s economic relations with India, which is considered a rising global power with influence on the international order.

Why Has Morocco Moved to Enhance its Military Cooperation with India?

Turning East:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has historically undergone reforms that enabled it to become independent from political authority and conform more to the rule of law. Despite that, it has recently been criticized for political bias. Criticisms include, for example, its failure to investigate the emails of former Secretary of State and Democratic Party candidate for the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, then reopening the investigation just 11 days before the presidential race and acquitting her two days before the election. The FBI has been criticized for politicizing investigations, violating citizens’ rights to expression, weak security measures and excessive use of force. This has been accompanied by several calls for reform, in various degrees and forms.

Why is Criticism of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation Mounting?

The Politicization Dilemma:

The spread of the Omicron variant in China at the end of last year sparked fears among various countries and experts, who had hoped that 2023 would see economic activity rebound to pre-pandemic levels. There are concerns about the speed at which the newest COVID-19 variant is spreading among China’s 1.4 billion people. The country is grappling with both high population density and the fact that many people are not fully vaccinated. It is uncertain whether Beijing will have the capacity to provide an adequate healthcare response to this new wave. According to some estimates, more than a million Chinese people are expected to become infected with the new variant.

What are the Implications of the New COVID-19 Wave in China?

A Chronic Pandemic:

After five elections that disrupted Israeli politics for nearly four years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally returned to power—18 months on from his removal—after receiving a majority of Knesset votes. Netanyahu and his government took the oath of office on 29 December 2022, for what is likely to be the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. He has pledged to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, broaden peacemaking efforts with Arab countries, and prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, alongside another set of domestic and foreign policies that have sparked international concern about the possibilities of inflaming the conflict with Palestinians, harming the judiciary, and restricting minority rights—despite Netanyahu’s promises to seek peace and protect civil rights.

What Does the Composition of the New Netanyahu Government Reveal?

Right-Wing Dealmaking:

Congress is expected to vote on the proposed National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023, which would increase American defense spending by 8% compared to fiscal year 2022. If the Act passes, the annual defense budget would reach approximately $858 billion, $45 billion above the White House’s proposal in spring 2022. This increase is intended to help the Department of Defense (the Pentagon) face inflation, which has reached a level unheard of for 40 years. The increase is also intended to help the Pentagon meet China’s increased defense spending and fund Department of Defense programs that the Biden administration had sought to eliminate.

Why Did the United States Increase Its Defense Budget for 2023?

Arming First:

Despite the presence of thousands of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications deployed in various fields, the launch of a new chat application called ChatGPT, from the American company OpenAI, has generated wide media fanfare that ranges from anticipation and serious celebration to fear and skepticism. The new application, which is the culmination of a year jam-packed with exceptional events and developments, competes with humans in creative functions such as content-writing, authoring, programming, medical recommendations and advice, and responses to questions of all kinds. This raises overall concerns about the future of the relationship between human intelligence and machine intelligence.

InterRegional for Strategic Analysis

InterRegional for Strategic Analysis

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