Author: Muhammet Ali Zurnacı
-
Taiwan Secures Reaffirmation
The 2025 Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders’ Meeting, held from September 8–12 in Honiara, Solomon Islands, concluded with leaders reaffirming Taiwan’s status as a “development partner” under a 1992 agreement. This allows Taiwan to participate in side events and dialogues alongside the main summit, despite not being a full member. The decision came amid pressure…
-
Defiant Russian Incursion
On September 19, 2025, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace over the Gulf of Finland near Vaindloo Island for approximately 12 minutes. The jets entered without permission, lacked flight plans, had transponders turned off, and did not communicate with air traffic control. Estonian officials described the incursion as “unprecedentedly brazen” and “brutal,” marking…
-
Israel Strikes Lebanon
Israel has conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon on September 19, 2025, targeting sites linked to Hezbollah. These events align with escalating tensions, including recent Israeli operations in Syria, Yemen, and Qatar, amid U.S.-brokered disarmament talks for Hezbollah. What is your most up-to-date and in-depth assessment? ME-100,Chief of Middle East: Here’s my most current, layered assessment…
-
Saudi-Pakistan Alliance
On September 17, 2025, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a landmark mutual defense pact in Riyadh, formalizing a decades-long security partnership between the two nations. The agreement, described as a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” (SMDA), declares that any aggression against one country will be treated as an attack on both, committing them to joint deterrence…
-
TikTok Ownership Pivot
On September 15, 2025, U.S. and Chinese officials announced a framework agreement during trade talks in Madrid, Spain, aimed at resolving long-standing concerns over TikTok’s U.S. operations. The deal seeks to transfer ownership of TikTok’s American assets from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to U.S.-controlled entities, averting a potential nationwide ban in the U.S. Economics…