Interview with Jacopo Bencini, expert in climate diplomacy and member of the Italian Climate Network, on the expectations and desirable outcomes of the next Climate Conference in Dubai Alessandro Mariani There is little time left, less than a month, before the start of COP28, the twenty-eighth Climate Conference to be held in Dubai, United Arab...
The US has increased its sanctions against Russia, targeting companies and individuals in Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates for supplying Moscow with goods that can be used for military purposes.The new measures include additional action against the Russian energy and mining sectors, and lists more than 200 names around the world facing financial...
The EU’s new climate commissioner has been criticised for backsliding on a commitment to push for a fossil fuel phase-out at the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai, ahead of talks on Monday (16 October) where EU countries are expected to agree their stance. Dutchman Wopke Hoekstra was officially nominated on Monday (9 October), on...
Much like Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh, the war in Ukraine is now another “frozen conflict” derived from the fall of the Soviet Union. What the Kremlin calls its “near abroad,” is now an escalating proxy war between two nuclear superpowers. Dangerous stuff we have here. As global diplomats look for a path forward...
Acording to British academic Matthew Hedges, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened its friendship with the Russian Federation since Russia invaded Ukraine. A fact that taken together with the UAE joining the BRICS alliance, may prove to be a major test of the strength of the West to maintain hegemony over the world order. Just in...
As the annual COP climate summit approaches in Dubai next month, one prominent figure conspicuously absent from past conferences may decide to attend COP28 – Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, there are good reasons why the ICC suspect feels comfortable enough to potentially skirt international justice and visit the UAE. Some context – in March,...
Deep dive: A big year for climate negotiations… or not? Today, we dig into the major tensions building in climate negotiations in the lead-up to the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 28, which starts in late November. Summer used to be a time of joy. Now, each passing July in the Northern...
Russia’s geopolitical balancing act between Iran and the UAE. Kremlin has to keep up excellent ties with its two main allies in order to carry on with its assault against Ukraine: Iran for drone delivery and the United Arab Emirates for evading sanctions. The three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are...
After Russia launched its attack on Ukraine last year, Iran was one of a few countries to support Moscow’s position and goals. The two countries also shared a battlefield in Syria for years, helping prop up Bashar al Assad’s regime, with air strikes and boots on the ground. But that close partnership is being tested,...
The use of mercenaries dates back to 400 B.C., and they were used by ancient Greeks, Alexander the Great and Rome’s army. Since then, there have been several debates around their use for centuries, and some intellectuals argued that they are beneficial while others opposed the idea of using mercenaries. In his famous book “Utopia,”...