Qassem Soleimani’s assasination The main political event of the first week of 2020 was undoubtedly Washington’s assassination of Qassem Soleimani, Сommander of the IRGC’s Al-Quds Force.(https://unitedworldint.com/6915-soleimanis-assassination-the-geopolitical-consequences-for-the-middle-east-and-the-west/) Tensions in Iraq had been escalating throughout the week. On December 29, the US attacked positions of Kataib Hezbollah after accusing Iran of interfering in regional affairs, killing 25 people. In response, on December ...

In 2003, the US and Iran managed to draw a red line in Iraq and the Middle East in order to avoid any clashing that could lead to war. The State Department urged US citizens Friday to leave Iraq immediately following an airstrike ordered by President Trump that killed Qasem Soleimani, a key Iranian military commander at Baghdad International Airport. ...

Washington’s recent military operation in Iraqi territory against officials of both Iran and Iraq was a violation of the territorial integrity of both nations and an act of terrorism. THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS On January 3, Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, along with 10 commanders of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces aboard, were in two cars at an airport ...

Europe UK: Conservative victory On December 12, snap parliamentary elections were held in Great Britain. The Conservative party of Prime Minister Boris Johnson won, receiving the majority of votes. Johnson is now poised to break the Brexit deadlock. On December 19, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, in a speech to Parliament on government priorities, said that by January 31, 2020, the country must leave the ...

Last year brought surprises from the very beginning, and this year promises to be no different. Since the very beginning of 2019, one of the most discussed events was the storming of the American Embassy in Baghdad on January 31. Although it is only the third day of 2020, tragedy has already struck the Iranian people: American air strikes in ...

NATO Summit The 70th anniversary NATO summit was held in London. During the leaders’ meeting, the parties signed a document in which they reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance. Nonetheless, the summit and statements of the leaders of Turkey and France on the eve of the event revealed many internal contradictions and the outdated model of the alliance, the constraints ...

Protests in the Shia crescent: Iraq, Iran and Lebanon Several Middle Eastern Shia-majority countries have recently been rocked by mass protests. The protests which started in October in Iraq led to the resignation of the country’s PM, Adil Abdul-Mahdi. The protesters demands include calling for new elections (to fight ‘corruption’) and the withdrawal of the Iranian influence on Iraq (Shia ...

Although the ongoing protests in Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria began as a result of internal factors, there are many indications of US, Israeli, French and Saudi Arabian involvement. Non-governmental organizations, media forces and lobbies are being used as tools by external forces to take control of and guide the protests in their own interests. Before explaining the precise actions of ...

Mass protests have been held in Iraq for more than a month. Al-Tahrir Square in central Baghdad has become the epicenter of revolutionary events. However, the experts are in no hurry to say what type of revolution it may be. The actions of the protesters strongly resemble the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004 (in Iraq, youth also celebrate weddings ...

 Instability in Iran Following the November 15 hike in gasoline prices (from 11,000 to 20,000 Iranian rials per liter), a wave of street protests began in cities across Iran, in many places turning into riots. Rioters set fire to banks, shops, gas stations and clashed with police. There are reports that some of the belligerents opened fire on law enforcement ...