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Fezzan will be bargaining chip in Libya conflict

Location:

LIBYA

The Fezzan, Libya's vast southern region, has strategic value given its location and natural resources. Control over it, however tenuous, offers advantage now that the tide of the…

Libyans are preparing for new phase of conflict

Location:

LIBYA

The Cairo talks potentially represent the last chance for a deal between eastern and western factions, and their respective foreign backers. In late June, the current roadmaps…

Belarus will resist Russian embrace despite weakness

Location:

BELARUS/RUSSIA

High-level negotiations have failed to produce an agreement on the price Belarus pays for oil, and it is increasingly apparent that Moscow is leveraging the issue to force Minsk…

Iraqi Kurdistan will face dilemmas over federal ties

Location:

IRAQ

Long-time Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani and new Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) chief Bafel Talabani discussed how to form a common front over…

Colombia’s mixed cabinet will not last long

Location:

COLOMBIA

He faces pressure to deliver on ambitious promises regarding systemic reform, economic prosperity, wealth redistribution, environmental conservation and peace. However, his…

Russian government eyes mining firms as new tax source

Location:

RUSSIA

Facing a budget gap formerly filled by oil and gas, the Russian government is proposing new taxes for the mining, oil and tobacco industries. It is considering proposals to triple…

Gulf states’ non-oil growth will depend on oil income

Location:

GULF STATES

The deal links two key sectors in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries’ efforts to diversify their hydrocarbon-dependent economies, connecting transportation and…

Oil rush may destabilise Somali politics

Location:

SOMALIA

Although production is not expected for another decade or so, initial signing bonuses and speculative futures are already influencing domestic political processes as foreign and…