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Will US troops have to  go to war for Mohammed bin Salman? (VIDEO)

Will US troops have to go to war for Mohammed bin Salman? (VIDEO)

Biden appears ready to do anything to get Saudi Arabia and Israel together

Analysis | Video Section

Even as the war in Gaza rages on and the death toll surpasses 35,000, the Biden administration appears set on pursuing its vision of a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal that it sees as the path to peace in the Middle East.

But, the agreement that the administration is selling as a peace agreement that will put Palestine on the path to statehood and fundamentally transform the region ultimately amounts to a U.S. war obligation for Saudi Arabia that would also give Mohammed bin Salman nuclear technology.

As the Gaza War demonstrates, the Abraham Accords — which normalized relations between Israel and other Arab states — did not help bring peace to the Middle East. But instead of pushing for a ceasefire that could end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and limit the chances of a wider regional conflagration, Biden is pushing to continue the legacy of the Abraham Accords in a move that only increases the likelihood of American troops being sent to fight another war.

Learn more in this new video by the Quincy Institute’s Khody Akhavi:

Biden's Saudi War Obligation
Analysis | Video Section
Congress to return on a anti-China jag, and more
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to members of the news media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis

Congress to return on a anti-China jag, and more

Asia-Pacific

Congress is set to return to session next week and with the November elections and the holidays right around the corner, it is possible that some controversial or significant pieces of foreign policy-related legislation won’t get touched until the new year.

With that said, lawmakers are expected to push legislation related to China and Ukraine spending, with the massive annual defense appropriations coming, as well as its yearly authorization, otherwise known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), before the end of the year.

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Populist surge in Germany driven in part by war, economic backlash

Amira Mohamed Ali (l-r), party chairwoman of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), Sahra Wagenknecht (from the M, r-l), party chairwoman of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), Sabine Zimmermann, top candidate of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Saxony, and Christian Leye, Secretary General of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), leave after a press conference on yesterday's (01.09.2024) state elections in Saxony and Thuringia.

Populist surge in Germany driven in part by war, economic backlash

Europe

Elections Sunday in the eastern states (Länder) of Saxony and Thuringia showed unprecedented levels of support for the right populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), as well as a strong performance for the new ‘left-conservative’ party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

In a major historical breakthrough, a party on the far right has finished first in a state election in postwar Germany. In Thuringia, the AfD received nearly a third of the vote, followed by the center right Christian Democrats (CDU) at about a quarter, and the third-place BSW at almost 16%.

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hans blix

Vitaliy Holovin / Shutterstock.com

How Hans Blix fits Gaza and Ukraine into 'A Farewell to Wars'

Global Crises

The two wars that have engulfed much of the second half of Joe Biden’s presidency are at risk of escalating. Ukraine has taken the war into Russia in recent weeks, and Washington continues to gradually lift its restrictions on how Kyiv can use American weapons. Meanwhile, the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza appear to be stuck, and the risks of a wider regional war remain acute.

Against this backdrop, Swedish diplomat Hans Blix published a book, “A Farewell to Wars: The Growing Restraints on the Interstate Use of Force,” that argues that a number of factors, including fear of nuclear war, growing public aversion to armed conflict, and increased economic interdependence, greatly decrease the possibility of large interstate wars in the future.

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