Worldview- News at demand
For more targeted results combine or exclude search terms by applying the Boolean Operators AND, OR and AND NOT. Place quotations around your search term to find documents that contain that exact phrase
88 Results
Search in Text
Search in Title

Showing 88 results for sorted by

Filters

Search Tools

Saved Searches
AssessmentsMar 28, 2024 | 21:32 GMT
A law enforcement officer patrols the scene of the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 23, 2024.
How Russia Will -- and Won't -- Respond to the Moscow Terror Attack
The Russian government will respond to the Moscow concert hall attack with concrete but limited actions that will not eliminate the threat of future terrorist attacks in the country, while the Kremlin will use the massacre to maintain and potentially increase Russia's options in pursuit of its war in Ukraine. Hours after armed assailants attacked the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, killing over 100 people, the Afghanistan-based Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the assault. Over the past week, however, numerous high-ranking Russian officials -- including President Vladimir Putin -- have alleged Ukraine was involved in the deadly terrorist attack, while downplaying the ISKP threat. On March 25, Putin said the attack fit ''quite logically into the intimidation campaigns that Kyiv is carrying out'' and that Russia was interested in finding who gave the order to conduct the attack, noting that it was the United States that was
READ MORE
Russia
Military & Security
Politics
SnapshotsMar 22, 2024 | 21:07 GMT
Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following a shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, Russia, on March 22, 2024.
What To Make of the Deadly Terrorist Attack in Moscow
The worst terrorist attack in Russia in decades exposes vulnerabilities in the country’s security and intelligence services, and while it may have been carried out by Islamist extremist or North Caucasian groups, it opens the door for the Kremlin to blame the attack on Ukraine and the West, and to intensify its domestic crackdown on dissent and expand its war efforts against Ukraine. More than 40 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a mass shooting and bombing attack at a large theater on the outskirts of Moscow on March 22, marking the deadliest terrorist incident Russia has seen since the 2004 Beslan school siege, and the deadliest incident in the capital city has seen since the 2002 Nord Ost theater siege. According to Russian authorities, the attack was conducted by at least four individuals, who burst into the Crocus City Hall -- located some 20 kilometers from
READ MORE
Ukraine
Russia
Afghanistan
Military & Security
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
SnapshotsOct 17, 2023 | 21:47 GMT
Protesters in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, wave Russian and Burkinabe flags on Oct. 4, 2022.
Africa's Instability Creates Fertile Ground for Russian Disinformation
In sub-Saharan Africa, Russia will continue to capitalize on anti-French sentiment and political instability by launching disinformation campaigns designed to increase its influence across the region. Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Sudan -- and, most recently, Gabon and Niger -- are among the African countries that have experienced military coups over the past two and a half years, fueling fears of a growing ''coup contagion'' across sub-Saharan Africa. Of the three Sahelian countries on this list (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger), the coup leaders leveraged anger toward French political and military activity in the region to justify their political takeover (among other reasons) and took steps to suspend French media sites -- like Radio France International and France 24 -- from operating within their borders, thereby cutting off credible French news sites. Amid the consequent information vacuum, Russian-aligned threat actors were able to quickly and effectively launch disinformation campaigns that
READ MORE
Sub-Saharan Africa
Burkina Faso
Central African Republic
Cote d'Ivoire
Gabon
Mali
Niger
Russia
Cyber
Military & Security
Politics
AssessmentsJul 31, 2023 | 21:54 GMT
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also serves as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), participates in an emergency ECOWAS meeting on July 30, 2023, following the recent coup in Niger.
Gauging the Likelihood of a Post-Coup ECOWAS Intervention in Niger
Despite its desire to set a precedent against coup leaders, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will likely struggle to follow through on its threat to forcefully remove Niger's new military government due to political and logistical constraints. Top ECOWAS defense officials will reportedly meet this week to discuss a potential military intervention in Niger after a group of soldiers calling themselves the National Council for the Protection of the Homeland (CNSP) seized the country's government on July 26 -- marking the latest in a string of West African coups. During an emergency ECOWAS meeting on July 30, the 15-nation African bloc announced that it would give the coup leaders in Niger one week to cede power and reinstate the country's democratically elected president before it took ''all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger,'' including the potential use of force. In response to
READ MORE
Sub-Saharan Africa
Niger
Military & Security
Politics
AssessmentsJul 21, 2023 | 15:24 GMT
Smoke billows north of the Khartoum Bahri district on July 17, 2023, as fighting continues in war-torn Sudan.
The Wagner Group's 'New Path' in Africa
The recent suggestion that the Wager Group will refocus on operations in Africa could see small influxes of mercenaries support the longevity of military rule through enhanced personal security support, while the repercussions for ongoing conflicts ranging from Libya to Sudan will be much more varied. On July 19, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group, appeared in a video reposted by Prigozhin's press service on Telegram, in which he told soldiers and supporters that they would no longer take part in the Ukraine war for the time being but to prepare for "a new path to Africa." Prigozhin apparently spoke from Belarus and called the war in Ukraine "a disgrace that we do not need to get involved in," despite the Wagner Group's heavy participation in Russia's invasion of Ukraine until Prigozhin's failed mutiny on June 23-24, which ended with a reported deal between Prigozhin and Russian
READ MORE
Burkina Faso
Central African Republic
Mali
Sudan
Libya
Belarus
Russia
Military & Security
On SecurityJun 29, 2023 | 16:31 GMT
The director of Austria's intelligence agency (left) and the president of Vienna's state police hold a press conference on a foiled Vienna pride parade attack on June 18, 2023.
What the Foiled Vienna Pride Parade Plot Suggests About the Islamist Threat to the West
Depending on your perspective, the recently disrupted plot against Vienna's Pride Parade on June 17 – in which local Islamic State sympathizers planned to attack the LGBTQ+ celebration – is either a good example of security services doing their job well or a concerning reminder of the persistence of the Islamist terrorist threat to the West. As is often the case, there is truth in both perspectives and the incident thus provides an opportunity to reflect on the current and future state of the jihadist threat to the West. Despite major counterterrorism successes, ongoing technological developments, changing security priorities and rising threats from other extremists threaten to undo hard-won gains.
READ MORE
Austria
Military & Security
SnapshotsJan 9, 2023 | 23:04 GMT
Members of Brazil’s Federal Legislative Police stand next to a vehicle that crashed into a fountain as supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invade the National Congress in Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023.
Gauging the Fallout From Brazil's Capital Insurrection
In the wake of the capital insurrection, Brazil's government will likely increase efforts to monitor inflammatory rhetoric online and the spread of misinformation, but the ensuing investigations and arrests of public officials involved in the riots could still trigger more disruptive far-right protests. On Jan. 8, supporters of Brazil's former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro broke into and vandalized the headquarters of the country's three branches of government -- including the presidential palace, the Congress building and the Supreme Court -- after overwhelming security forces in the capital of Brasilia. Once inside the buildings, the rioters smashed windows, broke furniture and destroyed artwork in protest of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's electoral victory in October 2022, which many Bolsonaro supporters (and the ex-president himself) believe was fraudulent despite several international audits saying otherwise. Organizers and attendees of the demonstrations likely hoped the tumult would force the military to intervene and
READ MORE
Brazil
Military & Security
Politics
AssessmentsDec 6, 2022 | 21:02 GMT
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022.
In Russia, What Would Need to Happen to Seriously Threaten Putin’s Power?
Barring major setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hold on power will likely remain secure. But the high price and questionable strategic benefit of his ongoing war create several avenues by which threats to the Kremlin will likely grow -- especially ahead of the 2024 presidential election. In the weeks following the start of Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine (and in particular following Russian forces’ retreat from Kyiv and northern Ukraine), speculation swirled in Western media that Putin could be in political danger. The speculation included, for example, that a coup could depose the Russian president following the failure of Moscow’s “special military operation” to accomplish its original goal of regime change in Kyiv. Such speculation again appeared in the aftermath of Russia’s latest retreats in Ukraine, including its recent withdrawal from the major southern city of Kherson. The loss of Kherson has left the Kremlin
READ MORE
Russia
Politics
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Social Issues
AssessmentsSep 23, 2022 | 21:35 GMT
A picture obtained by AFP shows a demonstrator raising their arms during a protest for Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died after being arrested for incorrectly wearing her headscarf, in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 19, 2022.
In Iran, a Woman's Death Unleashes a Wave of Anti-Government Protests
In Iran, the quick eruption of nationwide protests over the death of a young woman in police custody points to many Iranians' deepening anger with their country's social, economic and political restrictions, which will continue to destabilize the government and influence Tehran's foreign policy. Demonstrations in Iran continue to rage on over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who was arrested and allegedly beaten into a coma by morality police for wearing her headscarf incorrectly. According to authorities on Sept. 21, a total of 17 people -- including protesters and police officers -- have so far been killed in clashes on the streets since the demonstrations began following Amini's funeral on Sept. 17. The protests have been the largest in Iran's northwestern Kurdistan region (where Amini was from) and in the capital of Tehran (where she was arrested and killed). But rallies have also begun cropping up
READ MORE
Iran
Economics
Military & Security
Politics
Social Issues
AssessmentsSep 9, 2022 | 20:50 GMT
Chinese President Xi Jinping gives a speech in Hong Kong on July 1, 2022.
Xi's Central Asia Visit Offers a Fresh Start for Chinese Diplomacy
Chinese President Xi Jinping's first trip outside of China in almost three years will showcase strong ties with Russia, despite the two countries' competition for influence in Central Asia, and enable Beijing to improve diplomatic relations with developing countries. But China's resumption of in-person diplomacy will do little to ease tensions with the West. Xi will visit Kazakhstan to speak with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Sept. 14, according to a Sept. 5 announcement from the Kazakh foreign ministry. Thereafter, he will travel to Uzbekistan to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -- a group of Central Asian states, along with Russia and China, that primarily cooperate on security matters -- on Sept. 15-16, according to the SCO's Telegram account on Sept. 4. On the sidelines of that meeting, Xi will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to statements given to TASS state media by Russian Ambassador
READ MORE
China
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Russia
Economics
Politics
Stratfor Worldview

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Help & Support