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While on a working visit to Russia, the UAE president briefly toured the country’s pavilion at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). For the UAE, this is a “calculated risk” it is willing to take, part of the Gulf nation’s policy of de-escalation and dialogue in an increasingly polarized world, a top UAE official told CNN in exclusive comments on Thursday. “This polarization has to be broken,” Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said. Meanwhile, its bilateral trade with Russia increased by 68% to $9 billion in 2022, mostly Russian exports to the UAE. But the UAE’s policy towards Russia has invited warnings from the US that individuals and institutions that allow Russia to evade sanctions risk losing access to G7 markets.

Persons: Mohamed bin Zayed, ” Sheikh Mohammed, Putin, ” Anwar Gargash, “, Sheikh Mohamed, Gargash, ”, ” Gargash, Brittney, Victor Bout, Sheikh Mohamed’s, Griner, Dina Esfandiary, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Esfandiary Organizations: UAE CNN —, West, United Arab Emirates, St ., Economic, UAE, CNN, Putin, Crisis Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Ukraine, Russia, St, St . Petersburg, “, Europe, East, North Africa, United States, Al Dhafra, Israel, China, Iran, Turkey, SPIEF, Emirates

There are about 900 U.S. personnel deployed to Syria, most of them in the east, as part of a mission fighting the remnants of the Islamic State. In March, 25 U.S. troops were wounded in strikes and counter-strikes in Syria, which also killed one U.S. contractor and injured another. U.S. forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Islamic State, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country. U.S. officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat.

Persons: Obama, Bashar al, Assad, Phil Stewart, Kanjyik Ghosh, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, military's, Command, U.S . Central Command, Islamic State, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Syria, U.S, Islamic State, Iran, Kurdish, State, Iraq, Russia, Iranian, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Opinion: A blistering indictment of the Trump-Biden legacy in Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The withdrawal agreement was supposed to be predicated on the Taliban negotiating with the elected Afghan government about some kind of power-sharing arrangement and cutting their ties to terrorist groups like al Qaeda. Zawahiri was living in Kabul with the “awareness” of Taliban officials, according to a Biden senior administration official. Worrisomely, al Qaeda is “covertly rebuilding its external operations capability,” according to the UN, i.e., its ability to launch attacks outside of Afghanistan. Of these, an astonishing 35 hold cabinet-level positions in the de facto Afghan government, according to the report. In sum, “debacle” seems almost too kind a word to describe the Trump-Biden legacy in Afghanistan.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Zalmay Khalilzad, “, al Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, Zawahiri, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Edmund Fitton, Brown, ”, Fitton Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, United, US, Afghan, Biden, Trump, US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Taliban, UN, ISIS, Pakistan, Twitter, “, NATO Locations: New America, United Nations, Afghanistan, al Qaeda, United States, Qaeda, Kabul, Pakistani, Afghan, Kandahar, America

CNN —Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and 2024 Republican presidential contender, sharply criticized the party’s top-polling candidates in a CNN town hall in Iowa on Sunday. “This is bigger than Ukraine,” Haley said during the CNN town hall, “this is a war about freedom and it’s one we have to win. “I don’t trust the government to deal with red flag laws. Red flag laws or “extreme risk protection orders,” as Michigan Gov. On the trail, Haley has called for raising the retirement age for people currently in their 20s and limiting Social Security and Medicare benefits for wealthier Americans.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, ” Haley, Haley, “, DeSantis, Vladimir Putin –, that’s, Trump, Kim Jong, don’t, ”, Biden, “ We’ve, CNN Haley, you’ve, Gretchen Whitmer, we’re, ’ Haley, I’ll, DeSantis ’, –, we’ve, China Haley, Joe Biden’s, Michael’s, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, South, Sunday, United Nations, Capitol, Florida Gov, Disney, United, Trump, Ukraine, Russia, North, Health, WHO, Putin, Democratic, Republicans, Michigan Gov, Social Security, GOP, Medicare, Congress, Democratic National, Republican, Florida Republicans, South Carolina Army National Guard Locations: South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, United States, Russia, Haley’s, Ukraine, Afghanistan, ”, China, Taiwan

☆ 5 reasons G7 Summit 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —This year’s G7 meeting in Japan holds special significance, not only for its location. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at Hiroshima airport to attend the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Thursday. Together with his wife Britta Ernst, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz boards an air force plane for his trip to Hiroshima and the G7 summit. The biggest challenge for the G7 leaders may be keeping that momentum going. Two of the biggest holders of that debt, Japan and Britain, will be at the table with Biden in Hiroshima.

☆ Inside the scramble to evacuate a US embassy surrounded by the chaos of street fighting, gunfire, and explosions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

US forces evacuated the American embassy in Sudan days after violence erupted in its capital. As the situation deteriorated, the Pentagon dispatched Special Operations Forces to evacuate US diplomatic staff in a dramatic helicopter operation. Foreign governments began efforts to pull out their diplomatic staff and, in some cases, also moved to evacuate their civilians. People walk by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. US Marine Corps courtesy photoWith the embassy staff gone, questions remained over whether Washington would move to evacuate US citizens, as some other Western nations had been doing.

☆ Erdogan's future is in doubt, but Turkey's ties to Russia and tensions with the US aren't going anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Matthew Mai | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Western observers dislike Erdogan's foreign policy, but a different leader is unlikely to change course. Critics charge that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's foreign policy is a direct outgrowth of his illiberal posture at home rather than shrewd geopolitics. Whether Erdogan or his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, wins, the interests guiding Turkey's foreign policy will require the same balancing act that eschews alignment with any great-power bloc and maximizes Ankara's freedom of action. Locals applaud as a convoy of Turkish trucks carrying tanks near Turkey's border with Syria in October 2019. By prioritizing independence and autonomy, foreign policy under a prospective Kilicdaroglu administration will embody a significant degree of continuity from his predecessor.

CNN —Iran smuggled weapons and military equipment into Syria using humanitarian aid shipments as a cover following a devastating earthquake there in February, two sources familiar with US intelligence and an Israeli defense official told CNN. Intelligence officials believe the weapons were destined for Iranian proxy groups in Syria, who have repeatedly attacked US military personnel stationed there as part of the anti-ISIS coalition. “The humanitarian assistance of Iran to Syria was used as an umbrella of moving weapons capabilities into the region,” the Israeli defense official said. Reuters earlier reported that regional and western officials believed Iran was smuggling the weapons under the guise of earthquake relief. Foreign aid poured into Syria and Turkey after February’s earthquake, which killed more than 50,000 people.

☆ My grandfather hid the emotional toll of World War II from his family for decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Chloe Melas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —For decades after returning home from World War II, my grandfather did not talk about his wartime experiences. Frank Murphy, the grandfather of CNN's Chloe Melas, after he was captured and taken a prisoner of war by the Nazis in 1943. Everyone could see the physical toll of war on his body, but we didn’t know about his invisible wounds. After World War I, it was “shell shock”; post-World War II it was known as “combat fatigue,” and after Vietnam it was called “post-Vietnam syndrome.” In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized it as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. “When your grandfather and my grandfather served in World War II, they didn’t talk about it,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told me.

☆ Title 42: Why the Biden administration expects a surge at the US-Mexico border next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Migrant surge expectedThe surge of migrants is expected because Title 42, the Trump-era policy that allowed the government to quickly turn away certain migrants at the border during the Covid-19 pandemic, is expiring. These deployments are not unprecedented in recent years, but this one is notable since it coincides with an expected surge of border encounters. Biden administration’s plan to discourage border crossingsThe administration has tried to discourage migrants from simply crossing the border and promised that people apprehended will be turned away and potentially barred from reentry. Anger from New York’s mayorTexas has been transporting thousands of migrants to cities like New York, Chicago and Washington, DC. “Governor Abbott sent asylum seekers to NY – Black mayor; to Washington – Black mayor; to Houston – Black mayor; to Los Angeles – Black mayor; to Denver – Black mayor.

☆ Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he wants to 'shut down the FBI' and replace it with something that sounds a lot like the FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 GOP candidate, said he wants to shut down the FBI. It was a "head-scratcher" for MSNBC's Chuck Todd, who spoke with Ramaswamy on Sunday. If you're confused about 2024 GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's proposal, you're not alone. I said shut down the FBI and replace it with something new," said Ramaswamy, an "anti-woke" biotech millionaire. "So, you're going to replace the FBI with a new FBI?"

CNN —Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decried the presence of the US military in Iraq during a meeting with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid in Tehran on Saturday. “The presence of even one American in Iraq is too much,” Khamenei said, Iranian state media outlet IRNA reported. “The United States will continue to strengthen and broaden our partnerships in support of Iraqi security, stability and sovereignty,” Austin said during his Baghdad visit. Growing tensionsIraq plays a crucial role for the United States in containing Iran’s influence in the region. Tensions between the United States and Iran are also growing over Tehran’s actions in Syria.

☆ An A-10 squadron is loading up with a lot more bombs for a new mission even as the Air Force tries to get rid of its attack planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A-10 Warthog attack planes are getting a new mission in the Middle East and more bombs. Air Force leadership has been trying for years to retire its aging fleet of Warthogs. It's not immediately clear how many A-10s are being sent to the Middle East, as squadrons can vary in size. These guided air-to-surface munitions, which can hit fixed and stationary targets, weigh 250 pounds and have a range of over 46 miles, according to an Air Force fact sheet. Air Force photo/Master Sgt.

CNN —The World Health Organization warned Tuesday of a “huge biological risk” after Sudanese fighters seized the National Public Health Laboratory in the capital Khartoum, as foreign nations raced to mount rapid evacuation efforts from the country and violence punctured a fragile US-brokered ceasefire. Seized laboratory a potential ‘germ bomb’A high-ranking medical source told CNN that the lab, which contains samples of diseases and other biological material, had been taken over by RSF forces. Navy PhotoAs many as 500 people fleeing the fighting have begun boarding the French frigate “Lorraine” in Port-Sudan on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the French Chief of Defense Staff told CNN. “Shops are running out of food completely” and several food factories in the state had been looted, the witness, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, told CNN. On Monday, the Sudanese military claimed that the RSF killed an Egyptian diplomat, while the RSF claimed the army targeted civilians in an airstrike on a Khartoum neighborhood.

☆ US troops rushed to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan, but thousands of Americans remain with advice to 'shelter in place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US special operators evacuated American embassy personnel from Sudan, where intense fighting continues. Thousands of Americans, however, remain in country and have been warned to "shelter in place." The Washington Post reported Sunday that an estimated 16,000 Americans, many of whom hold dual citizenship, remain in Sudan, where they have been encouraged to "shelter in place." Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. The officer noted though that 'tThis is an unfolding situation, and we cannot provide more details for security reasons."

☆ Western countries have scrambled to deliver billions of dollars of military gear to Ukraine. Getting it to the frontlines is a whole other problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

For a military at war, it's a challenge to get the right gear to the right troops at the right time. Western countries have scrambled to deliver that gear to Ukraine, overcoming political debates and logistical hurdles, but getting it to the frontlines presents a whole other problem. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThe restricted operational environment makes Ukraine's logistics that much harder. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesFurther complicating the situation is the fact that the Ukrainian military is a dynamic force. Many Ukrainian troops are also rotating through the US and European countries for training.

☆ US troops are moving into position for a possible embassy evacuation mission amid intense fighting in Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US troops are deploying to positions near Sudan amid a worsening situation there. Forces are being deployed for possibly 'securing and potentially facilitating the departure of US Embassy personnel,' the Pentagon said. Intense fighting in Sudan has left hundreds dead and thousands more injured. The New York Times reported that American troops are being deployed to nearby Djibouti, where the US has a military installation. Sudan has been gripped by violence since Saturday when fighting broke out between Sudan's national army and a rival paramilitary group.

☆ The US and its allies are stuck in a violent cycle with Iran-backed militias who want blood but don't want to 'poke the bear'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

But even still, miscalculation is possible, and these deadly exchanges nearly sent the US and Iran to war just a few years ago. In response, two US Air Force F-15E fighter jets carried out airstrikes later that evening against IRGC Quds Force facilities in Syria, killing eight Iran-backed militants. Angel Ruszkiewicz"We do not seek conflict with Iran, we don't seek escalation with Iran," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. "As soon as the Iranian special forces and their proxies showed up in Syria, the Israelis started hitting them. The next day, Iran-backed militias attacked US forces near Hasakah, killing the American contractor.

☆ Lindsey Graham, warning of Russian and Chinese expansionism, says he'd be 'very much open to using US forces to defend Taiwan'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

On "Fox News Sunday" Senator Lindsey Graham said he'd be open to sending US troops to defend Taiwan. The GOP Senator warned that China appears to be preparing to create a blockade around the island nation. Warning of Russian and Chinese expansionism, he said the US needs to "up our game." "I'd be very much open to using US forces to defend Taiwan because it's in our national security interest to do so," Graham said, citing the large supply of high-end microchips created in Taiwan and the risk of allowing China to take control of the technology. While some Republican politicians have criticized the United States' ongoing support of the Ukrainian war effort, Graham has maintained his support of providing military and humanitarian aid, even proposing the White House ramp up hostilities against Russian forces.

☆ China brokering a deal between the Saudis and Iran is a message for the US: Change your strategy or get left behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Hassan El-Tayyab | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they had normalized relations in a deal brokered by China. Hassan El-Tayyab is legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. By mediating the Saudi-Iran deal, China has demonstrated its ability to play a constructive role in resolving conflicts impartially, rather than relying on arms sales to keep nations in America's corner in geopolitical disputes. There have been some positive signs for diplomacy in Yemen since the Saudi-Iran deal was announced. Hassan El-Tayyab is the legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

☆ How the US Army's Best Ranger competition uses days of grueling challenges to find the military's best 2-man team
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US troops will gather in Georgia in April for the US Army's Best Ranger Competition. The Best Ranger competition is organized and run by the US Army in conjunction with the National Ranger Association. 101st Airborne Division soldiers compete in the Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning in April 2022. David DumasThe Best Ranger competition typically starts strong with a 10-mile run followed by a swim event and an obstacle course. 10th Mountain Division soldiers complete a casualty evacuation lane during the Best Ranger Competition in April 2022.

☆ Matt Gaetz's legislative aide is a convicted war criminal who murdered an Afghan civilian and dumped his body in a latrine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sonam Sheth | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A legislative aide who works for GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz is a convicted war criminal, The Intercept reported. The aide, Derrick Miller, spent eight years in prison after murdering an Afghan civilian, the report said. Gaetz's office defended its decision to hire Miller, saying he was "wrongfully convicted." According to The Intercept, Miller shot Mohammed in September 2010. The Florida congressman also repeatedly criticized the war in Afghanistan before President Joe Biden withdrew US troops in 2021.

☆ Another SEAL parachuting death highlights the inherent danger of US special operators' go-to infiltration method
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Deadly accidentsNaval Special Warfare operators perform a free-fall jump in Alaska in September. The incident, which likely happened during as part of a pre-deployment workup, is still under investigation, according to Naval Special Warfare Command. Despite that danger, however, free-fall parachuting is also extremely valuable as an insertion method for special-operations units. The Navy SEAL community — especially the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, formerly known as SEAL Team 6 — is well-versed in free-fall operations. Most US special-operations units have recognized the value of free-fall parachuting and have incorporated it into their training.

☆ Ukrainian troops are putting a Vietnam-era US anti-tank weapon into use against Russian armor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Maya Carlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrianian troops are using US-made TOW missiles against Russian armored vehicles in Ukraine. TOW missiles were first used by US troops in the Vietnam War and have been in service since then. Ukrainian troops are using an array of foreign-made anti-tank missiles against Russian forces. A US Army mockup of the Heavy Antitank Weapon, a project that led to the TOW missile, in 1964. The TOW missile in UkraineOn Monday, Ukraine Weapons Tracker tweeted footage depicting an M41A7 TOW HMMWV-mounted ITAS being fired by a Ukrainian soldier.

☆ Putin's war turned this quiet Polish airport into a global military hub where passenger jets touch down alongside Patriot missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport is just 50 miles from Poland's border with Ukraine. He told Insider: "I realized that a great challenge was ahead of us and that any mistake on our part couldn't be an option." Hamryszczak told Insider that he had to rise to "countless" challenges, including making complex arrangements with world leaders and welcoming the world's media. Air Force One is "the most famous aircraft that has ever visited our airport," Hamryszczak said. "This is no longer the same regional airport that operated in 2021, or even before the pandemic," Hamryszczak told Insider.

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