Free Republic

China is leading the way in a growing anti-Western economic alliance known as BRICS, a Wall Street term that has morphed into a diplomatic and trading power bloc that threatens U.S. interests abroad. Originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, these countries invited South Africa to join the political group a year later, when an “S” was added to the BRIC acronym. At the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg last month, six more nations joined the confederation. Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were just admitted to the coalition at the annual...

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s announcement this month that an Iranian-Swedish scholar and expert in disaster medicine, Ahmadreza Djalali, would be executed for “collaboration with hostile governments” and “acting against national security” followed earlier declarations by the regime’s Supreme Court that it would uphold the wrongful conviction, despite Djalali’s rapidly deteriorating health. Detained while participating in a series of academic meetings hosted by universities in Tehran and Shiraz in 2016, Djalali’s initial confession was aired on Iranian state media. But the defendant promptly recanted and alleged at trial that his admission had been extracted through torture. Forced confessions are commonplace...

Is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war spreading beyond Ukraine? On Saturday, tensions flared in the South Caucasus in Nagorno-Karabakh, the location of a Russian-backed separatist state a thousand miles to the south. Internationally recognized as Azerbaijan, long-standing Russian ally Armenia has occupied the territory since the 1990s. As of 2020, so have Russian “peacekeepers.” Last weekend, Russia accused Azerbaijan of breaking a ceasefire agreement. A new front? Perhaps. But there is little doubt these events are tied to The unfortunate answer is that when it comes to the Caucasus many Western officials seem not to know where they stand. When...