2020/06/03
Strategic Council Online: According to the agreement reached between the United States and the Taliban in March 2018, the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan will begin and by mid-July (July 2020) the number of US combat troops will reach 8600 persons. This is happening at a time when the bilateral security agreement between the United States and the Afghan government is still valid. In addition, in recent months, the activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan have not diminished, but in addition to the Taliban’s spring attacks, ISIS terrorist activities in Afghanistan are taking civilian tolls from among the oppressed people of Afghanistan, and the atmosphere of insecurity has not changed. Although the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is important, it may have significant implications for the future of Afghanistan and the region, given the shortcomings and negligence in fulfilling their commitments, especially in the field of training Afghan forces. Americans should accept responsibility and pay the damages.
Seyed Mostafa Hashemi – Afghan Affairs Expert
2020/05/17
Strategic Council Online: The removal of the US dollar from trading on the China Commodity Exchange, given its significant contribution to the financing of European, Latin American and even African goods, means that global demand for the USD will decline. A drop in global demand for the USD would weaken the value of the currency and further destabilize its position as the dominant international currency.
Reza Majidzadeh – Developmental Political Economy Researcher
2020/05/09
Strategic Council Online: A university professor says the United States is still embroiled in divergence after the outbreak of the corona crisis, adding that today every country is concerned with its own problems, and unfortunately, the world is moving towards non-convergence and escalation of divergent policies.
2020/05/02
Strategic Council Online: “Despite international efforts to lift unilateral sanctions against Iran under the coronavirus crisis, unfortunately, there are no signs of a change in US policy,” said an analyst of international affairs. He added that the IRI Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made great and successful efforts to this end but the pressure must be much greater to be effective and leave an impact on the Trump team.
2020/05/02
Strategic Council Online: Given the economic and social implications of the coronavirus in the United States, maybe it would be more attractive if Trump was defeated by his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. However, even if this would be the case given the US governing structure in practice, it is unlikely for Biden to be able to make effective changes in the US strategy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Saeed Shokouhi – Faculty Member of Allameh Tabatabai University
