Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Libya has been seeing the flight of its Western presence. Western governments, including the European Union and NATO, have been evacuating their embassies in Libya in late July. The evacuation came amid heavy fighting between Islamist militias that halted flights from the country’s largest airport. “The situation in Libya is […]
Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — The Western effort to train Libya’s Army has been stuck. Western diplomats said the NATO-aligned campaign to train the Libyan Army has stalled. The diplomats cited the chaos in the Tripoli government as well as feuds within the military in wake of the ouster of Col. Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Iran is said to be planning a natural gas pipeline to Western Europe. Officials said Iran was discussing a pipeline project to pump gas in cooperation with neighbors. They said the gas supplies would be welcomed to European Union members in wake of a nuclear agreement with the P5+1. “We […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com Ukraine abruptly called off the long anticipated comprehensive trade deal with the European Union on Nov. 21 for “National Security reasons.” Meanwhile, Kiev expressed its desire to resume an “active dialogue” with its former foe Russia, whose president Vladimir Putin has been vehemently opposed to Ukraine’s move toward […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — The European Union wants to increase maritime security patrols to stop the flow of migrants from the Middle East. The EU has been mulling plans to expand maritime operations that would prevent migrant ships from reaching Europe. Officials said the operations would also respond to the sinking of migrant vessels, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The United Nations is bracing for a withdrawal by European Union peacekeepers from Lebanon. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon has been consulting with EU states on the prospect of an imminent withdrawal from Lebanon. EU contingents from France and Italy, which have an ordered an evacuation of its diplomatic […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Britain has blocked dozens of arms exports to Egypt. The British government suspended 49 licenses for the export of military and security equipment to Egypt. The Business, Innovation and Skills Department said the suspension blocked the export of everything from small arms ammunition to radars. “This suspension will apply to […]
Sol W. Sanders President Barrack Obama’s sudden volte-face on a strike against the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad has only put on hold the enormous stakes in the crisis’ ultimate outcome. In one of those curious turns of history, an ugly, bloody, little conflict in an always fragile, volatile, artificial nation-state created in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has sought to stop the Republic of Cyprus from using energy assets as collateral for its bailout. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Nicosia did not own the natural gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean. The ministry, warning of a regional crisis, said Turkey claims the fields along with the […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The world is confronted by a maze of crisis ranging from North Africa to the Middle East and South Asia. Places from Afghanistan, to Syria, Somalia and Mali make the grim headlines. So it’s not surprising that an extraordinary achievement of peace and reconciliation in Western Europe is flippantly […]