Category: Conflict Zones

Israeli-Lebanese confrontation on the Eastern Mediterranean shelf

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Oleksiy  Volovych The natural gas and oil deposits in the Lebanese energy basin in the Eastern Mediterranean, discovered by the American oil and gas company Noble Energy Mediterranean in 2009–2010, have become almost at once exploration and development target for the countries of the sub-region — Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. In 2010, the US Geological Survey previously estimated reserves of hydrocarbons in the Levantine Basin at 3.45 trillion cubic metres  of gas and 1.7 billion barrels of oil. According to other data, the potential of the region…

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To Bomb Or Not to Bomb?

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Iran shot down an American UAV in the Persian Gulf   According to the Iran Daily of June 21, 2019, on 19th June the Air Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran shot down a US UAV in the Kouh-e Mobarak district, near the city of Jask, the southern province of Hormozgan. After an inspection of the wreckage, the Iranian side identified the drone as the MQ-4C Triton of the US Navy, which is a modification of the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Iran’s Supreme National…

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Russia’s Policy in Libya After 2011

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Russia’s Rivalry with the West Is Clearly Visible in Libya   Oleksiy Volovych Despite all the adventurous attempts by the Kremlin to get a foothold in Libya and make that country “pro-Russian”, this will hardly happen in the foreseeable future, as the economic opportunities of the current Russia and its geopolitical weight are much weaker compared to the capabilities of the USSR. On the other hand, Libya is currently the object of geopolitical interests of such influential states as the US, France, Italy, the KSA, the OAE, Qatar and Turkey, with which Russia cannot compete due to its limited financial resources. The…

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Iran — US: A New Cycle of the Crisis in the Middle East

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Today, the main question is important: when and how will the opposing parties cross the “red line”?   Vadym Volokhov Washington decided to deploy the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, as stated on 5th May by the US National Security Advisor John Bolton. In his view, Tehran should receive this “clear and unmistakable message” if it did not fully understand the White House’s decision on “oil sanctions” against Iran. John Bolton, in particular, pointed out that the United States was not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but was fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces. It…

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Peculiarities of the Region of East Asia, As One of the Centers of World Power

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Global and Regional Dimensions and Influence on the Interests of Ukraine   Olha Ratkovych, Bratislava Today, the region of East Asia has such peculiarities as strengthening of China’s role, unresolved territorial demarcation, the desire to eliminate interstate conflict situations through diplomatic negotiations, without the use of armed forces. Also, the countries of the region are participants of the ASEAN, the World Trade Organization, and China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and cooperates (as well as Japan) in the International Monetary Fund. It should also be noted that the states of East Asia are among the leaders who own and develop…

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Aggravation of the Crisis in Sudan

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Roman Kot April 11, 2019, a military coup took place in Sudan, during which Omar al-Bashir, the country’s President, was removed from his post. Besides, the Sudanese military disbanded the Cabinet and the Parliament of the country — the National Assembly, and also announced a three-month state of emergency to be followed by a two-year transitional period. Also, state Sudanese media reported that all political prisoners, including the leaders of the protests taking place in the country, were released from prison. This is the end of the thirtieth year of Omar al-Bashir’s staying in power…

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Prospects for the Development of the Situation in Sudan

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Sudan and the Interests of the United States, the PRC and the RF   Oleksiy Volovych On April 11, 2019, a military coup took place in Sudan. The Command of Sudan’s Armed Forces arrested and removed from all posts the country’s President, Omar al-Bashir (75 years old), who came to power in 1989 after a military coup. Thus, O. al-Bashir, left his post in the same way as he came to it — as a result of a military coup. It is already the eighth military coup after the declaration of Sudan’s independence on January 1, 1956. All in all, between 1952…

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Five Years of the Annexation of the Crimea

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Consequences for the World, Russia and Ukraine   Victor Hvozd March 18, 2014, an agreement was signed in the Kremlin on the “accession” of the Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia, which became the official date of their annexation. Since then, every anniversary of this event has traditionally attracted attention to the Crimean problem in Ukraine, Russia, and throughout the world. As it should have been expected, in March 2019, the world’s reaction to this issue was very wide, and in covering it, media emphasized the so-called five-year jubilee of the Russian annexation of the Peninsula. For example, the problem of Russia’s annexation of the Crimea was…

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The Indian-Pakistani Conflict

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A War Between Nuclear Powers and Its Consequences for the World   Victor Hvozd One of the notable consequences of the formation of a new multipolar world, taking place in recent years, is the actual violation of the whole system of international relations, which was formed after the end of the “Cold War”. In this regard, the most dangerous is the loss of effectiveness of nuclear arms control agreements, concluded between the USA and the USSR, and then — Russia. As we have already pointed out, the reason for that was the obtaining of such weapons by countries that are not…

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