On September 12, peace talks between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban officially began in Doha, Qatar. For two decades, the Taliban and the Afghan government have been at war, with civilian casualties over 31,000 according to a study by Brown University. The peace talks follow an agreement between the Taliban and the U.S., which brought an end to the 18 year long conflict, reports DW.
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The United States reimposed what is, in effect, an arms embargo on Iran last Monday. This move is one opposed by the rest of the UN, and more specifically, the rest of the UN Security Council. The U.S. argues that it can legally do this through a “snapback,” while Iran has been critical towards the U.S. for making this move.
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After the one-month anniversary of the August 4 Beirut explosions that took place in the port of Lebanon’s capital, dark skies blanketed the city once again with two new fires that erupted within the past week. The former erupted on Tuesday, September 8 and the latter blazed through the port just two days after. The fire has since been contained and no new injuries have been reported. According to NPR, the Lebanese army declared that the latter blaze occurred in a warehouse that housed oils and tires in the port’s duty-free area.
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President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has stated intentions to expand business ties with Russia in response to new, crippling U.S. sanctions under the Caesar Act, according to Reuters. The Syrian economy has suffered enormously under these sanctions, as its economy was already struggling prior to implementation of the Caesar Act. According to Reuters, this has resulted in the Syrian lira losing 80 percent of its value. Most citizens are experiencing extreme poverty.
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On September 4, 2020, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to normalize economic ties as part of U.S. brokered talks that include Belgrade moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo, CBS News reports.
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At least ten people have been killed after a bomb attack in Kabul on September 9. The attack targeted Afghanistan’s first vice president Amrullah Saleh. An additional 31 people have been wounded, including several of the vice president’s bodyguards, says Associated Press. Saleh sustained minor injuries and burns in the attack.
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The Lebanese government introduced its new Prime Minister on August 31, an expected move from a government under intense criticism. Mustapha Adib, a former Ambassador to Germany, assumed the role after securing support from the Lebanese parliament and accepting the president’s appointment, according to the . His tenure will not start on an easy note however, as the new Prime Minister will be tasked with confronting a multitude of crises facing the state while battling extreme skepticism from his own citizens.
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U.S. President Donald Trump announced on August 27 that Israel and the UAE would be normalizing relations after decades of tension. Reuters reports that the UAE and Israel first announced the move to normalize relations on August 13, but did not agree on a deal at that time. This deal is the result of Trump’s broader attempts at peace in the Middle East.
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[Featured Image Credit to Sadiq Khedar] Stephanie Miller Editor in Chief Almost six years after the so-called Islamic State (IS)
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Patriot missile defense systems are now fully operational at U.S. military bases in al-Asad and Erbil, Iraq, months after Iran launched a massive ballistic missile attack in January.
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