Silent Lonesome Man

When Israeli military and Palestinian militants clashed over the decision by the Israeli court to evict six Arab families from Jerusalem, little expected it would escalate into a full-blown conflict, with Israeli military now tries to flatten entire Gaza strip in accusation of the Hamas militants firing rockets to the country. Usually, Israel's actions would always receive condemnations from the majority of Muslim world. This time, no exception. But one country, once being Israel's strongest ally in the Islamic world, has now instead only expressed reservation. This was Azerbaijan, the Caucasus Shiite Muslim nation bordering Russia and Iran. The country's strange silence is abnormal because, in the past, Azerbaijan played an even more active role: it mediated between Israel and the Muslim nations; being one of only a few Muslim-majority states to not condemn Israel. So what happened? Israel and Azerbaijan have a unique relationship that made Azerbaijan the best Muslim ally ...

The moment Roman Abramovich, a rising Russian billionaire, took over the English club Chelsea F.C. in 2003, the small club suddenly emerged to become a superpower in English football and later Europe. And the Russian owner remains loved by the fans of the London Blue. But few people truly realise that Abramovich is a very close ally of the autocratic leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin. When I'm saying "few people", I mean, they have no clear insight about how deep Abramovich and Putin connected. In fact, despite Putin may not always have great relations with various oligarchs, Abramovich, among a handful of henchmen, are never touched by Putin, if not saying the Russian dictator has tolerated Abramovich as a reward. Putin never questions Abramovich, and Abramovich transfers money back to Russia freely. Abramovich's model is being copied by other Russian billionaires, and the number is increasing. Russian government has been successfully diversifying its assets from oil ...

Ever since the Euromaidan and tensions increased between Ukraine and Russia, Kyiv has sought to become a prominent player within Europe, by trying to join NATO and EU. But while France and Germany have become more reluctant to accept Ukraine into the EU, due to the unwanted Brexit that saw the United Kingdom left the group, joining NATO maybe even more problematic because NATO also has members who share veto powers. One of them is Turkey, as Kyiv has been seeking to cultivate a friendlier alliance. Now, with U.S. President Joe Biden going to address the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, this can become a problem for Kyiv. Pro-Turkish and anti-Armenian views Ukraine has been at the spotlight when the Euromaidan when Ukrainians joined the protest demanding the pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, to leave power. The Maidan lasted for a year before it successfully toppled the President, forcing him to flee to Russia. The first death in the Maidan was a Ukrainian national of Armen...

  The alliance between Russia and China has emerged radically since the end of the Cold War. China, now a wealthier, more powerful and economically more prosperous, allying with slowly diversifying and less reliant on Western investors Russia, partly contributed by the increasing antipathy against the West in both nations. The two big nations are cooperating on many fronts, and China is the only country to not give a damn about sanctions the West imposed on Russia and recently, China, over human rights abuse, military aggression and its political infiltration. Yet Russia and China alone can't make them possible to overcome tough opponents. The United States has already built a vast network of allies in Europe and is also making one in Asia in a rapid process. Thus, any potential confrontation right now could bring huge risks to both Beijing and Moscow, so trying to provoke and challenge the response of America and its partners in the current play tool is being used by both governme...

On 19 April 2005, in the capital city of Poland, Warsaw, the Polish Sejm (Lower House), officially passed a solution. This solution was abnormal because it laid a historic and important ground for not just Poland's political stance, but also it greatly affected Poland's relations with another country that historically been one of Poland's biggest protectors. Yes, on that night, a cool night in the Polish capital, the Polish Sejm Marshal, Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, issued an official recognition. And this, by the moment, Turkey started to change. This move by the Polish government triggered widespread nationwide criticism in Turkey. And more. On 19 April 2005, Poland officially became the 17th country, to recognise the Armenian Genocide. And this is also when Turkey will never be the same again. A complicated tie Turkey and Poland have unique relations with each other. In the past, the Ottoman Empire clashed frequently with the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania. The Polish-...

  Israel and Russia are two totally contrasting nations. Russia is a dictatorship with Vladimir Putin in charge of Russia from 2000 onward. Israel is illiberal democracy, which has a rightfully elected government, but conservative and right-wing, a legacy of Arab-Jewish hostilities dated back to 1948. Moreover, Israel is an ally of the United States and a major partner of NATO; Russia is neither. Under that circumstance, Russia and Israel have to be enemies. But it doesn't go that way. Instead, Israel and Russia enjoy some of their best in relations, in particular since the fall of Soviet Union. But this may not be examined without understanding how. Yet when I read an article an Israeli Institute, say, Moshe Dayan Center, I was aware of the resentful attitude against European Union among Israeli population. It still prevails to even today, maybe spearheaded than their once resentment against Russia. So the question comes through, why? I think it needs to be addressed. A different ...