Author: Steven Sahiounie

In a new piece on Chinese influence in the Middle East and across the globe, Modern Diplomacy argues that China is “not in competition with the US.” Chinese influence continues to grow across the Middle East, making it “unavoidable” according to a new analysis featured in ModernDiplomacy (MD), an international magazine that characterizes itself as a “leading European opinion-maker.” As part of the argument that China became highly influential across Asia and Africa, the MD piece set the premise that China played a role in Middle East affairs, as shown in the most recent and successful Iran-Saudi agreement, as well as the approach to show…

Turkish diplomatic sources announce that Foreign Ministers from Syria, Turkey, Russia, and Iran will meet in Moscow on March 15 and 16. A meeting that will involve Syria, Turkey, Russia, and Iran at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers is set to be held on March 15 and 16 in Moscow, Turkish diplomatic sources revealed on Monday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced earlier last week that a technical delegation will head to Moscow, prior to the planned foreign ministers’ meeting in mid-March. “The Iranian side will also attend this meeting. At this meeting, preparations for the foreign ministers’ meeting will be…

Recent days were marked by the bloody attacks of the Ukrainian military on the civilian settlements in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. On a daily basis, dozens of Ukrainian strikes are targeting civilian facilities, private houses, and public places in cities and villages where no battles are ongoing. The Ukrainian military is intentionally targeting the strategic civilian facilities like grain warehouses and farms in an attempt to cause famine in the recently liberated regions; as well as public transport hubs in order to disrupt communication and transportation within the towns. The main goal of the Kiev regime is to…

The US military hasn’t taken credit for the strike, which was reported on January 30 AntiWar According to the monitoring group Airwars, a suspected US drone strike killed seven civilians, including three children, in Somalia on January 30. Airwars cited media reports from three news outlets: Shabelle Media Network, Somali Guardian, and Caasimada Online News. Local residents said the strike took place between two villages near the border of the Hiraan and Middle Shabelle (Shabeellaha Dhexe) regions. US Africa Command did not report an airstrike on January 30, but it’s not clear if the command is reporting each strike it launches. It’s also possible…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The deal signed in China on March 10 was a surprise to the US and their western allies. They didn’t see that coming, as years of secret talks culminated in a successful restoring of full diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. This new relationship has the potential to change the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The global center of power is shifting towards the east, and the west may be left behind. Steven Sahiounie at MidEastDiscourse interviewed veteran journalist Martin Jay to get his take…

Several shelling attacks were reported in Donetsk during the day Two civilians were wounded in Donetsk after an explosive object was dropped from a Ukrainian drone, the city’s mayor, Alexey Kulemzin, said on Monday. According to the mission of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) to the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) for issues related to Ukraine’s war crimes, the object was dropped in Donetsk’s suburb of Staromikhailovka at 3:00 p.m. “As a result, two civilians – men born in 1981 and in 1982 – were wounded. They were taken to hospital,” he wrote on his Telegram channel. Several shelling…

The decision was made without discussion The European Union has repeatedly extended the anti-Russian sanctions imposed on almost 1,500 individuals and 205 legal entities for allegedly undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine for six more months. This is according to a statement the EU Council published on Monday. “Sanctions will continue to apply to 1,473 individuals and 205 entities,” the statement says. The sanctions have been prolonged until 15 September 2023. The decision was made without discussion. The European Union began to make a black list for Russia in March 2014, extending it for six months every six months. All…

According to the 63-page documents, the United Kingdom “will further strengthen our national security protections in those areas where the actions of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party ) pose a threat to our people, prosperity and security” China poses a challenge to the world order the West wants to see, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a foreword to Integrated Review Refresh 2023 that was released on Monday. “China poses an epoch-defining challenge to the type of international order we want to see, both in terms of security and values – and so our approach must evolve,” the British…

The price of XRP has gained slightly in the past 24 hours, rising by 0.5% after the coin recovered from a significant fall this past weekend. At $0.363344, XRP has dropped by 1.5% in a week and by 5% in the last 30 days, with the coin dragged down by the market-wide selloff following the collapse of Silvergate Bank. Yet XRP has also been threatened by the revelation that Ripple had some exposure to another collapsed financial institution, Silicon Valley Bank, which was shut down on Friday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation after it suffered a run of withdrawals. However, with the…

Bitcoin moved back above $22,000, as the U.S. Treasury moved to avert a regional banking crisis, following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The government confirmed that it will backstop depositors’ funds, giving full access to their capital. Ethereum also moved higher on the news. Bitcoin Bitcoin (BTC) rose back above $22,000 on Monday, as the U.S. Treasury confirmed it will backstop depositors’ funds. This will be for both Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which become the second and third biggest banking failures in U.S. history. Following a low of $20,475.60 on Sunday, BTC/USD surged to an intraday high of…