Reading tips | Eurispes Observatory on International Issues – September 2021
Reading tips – September 2021
- Mazzetti, Barnes e Goldman. I.A. wanted to return to its job. Not likely (The New York Times): As the Afghanistan War wound down, the CIA had expected to gradually shift its primary focus away from counterterrorism — a mission that transformed the agency over two decades into a paramilitary organization focused on manhunts and killing — toward traditional spycraft against powers like China and Russia.
- Patrick Wintour. West may benefit from pragmatic approach after defeat to Taliban (The Guardian): The history of war is littered with losing parties struggling to accept the terms or even the fact of their defeat. At the end of the first world war, Germany’s then chancellor Philipp Scheidemann announced: “May the hand wither that binds us in such shackles.”
- George Soros. Investors in Xi’s China face a rude awakening (The Financial Times): Xi Jinping, China’s leader, has collided with economic reality. His crackdown on private enterprise has been a significant drag on the economy. The most vulnerable sector is real estate, particularly housing. China has enjoyed an extended property boom over the past two decades, but that is now coming to an end. Evergrande, the largest real estate company, is over-indebted and in danger of default. This could cause a crash.
- Andrew England. Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers join regional summit in Iraq (The Financial Times): Senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran attended a regional summit together for the first time in more than five years on Saturday as efforts are stepped up to cool tensions in the Middle East.
- Entre l’Algérie et le Maroc, une rupture inévitable (Le Monde) : L’arrêt des relations diplomatiques entre les deux voisins, après des mois de tensions, est une source d’inquiétude pour la stabilité au Sahel
- Sami Sadat. I led Afghan troops. The US betrayed us (The New York Times):For the past three and a half months, I fought day and night, nonstop, in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province against an escalating and bloody Taliban offensive. Coming under frequent attack, we held the Taliban back and inflicted heavy casualties. Then I was called to Kabul to command Afghanistan’s special forces. But the Taliban already were entering the city; it was too late.