Vietnam's political system has recently undergone a major reshuffle across the board, including the party apparatus, the National Assembly, and the government. The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) elected a new 200-member Central Committee, which then appointed an 18-member Politburo, and a five-member Secretariat. After the 11th Session of the National Assembly ended on April 8, a new Vietnamese leadership team was strengthened to complete the leadership transition process and shape Vietnam's political and economic development policies and direction during the new term ... Read More. 

It took the Biden administration more than three months to make headway in restarting negotiations. While at this point, Tehran and Washington have neither been conducting direct talks, the shuttle diplomacy that is being conducted through seems up to now, still panning out. Sources coming out of the Joint Commission meeting reflected a “constructive atmosphere” and the path to maintain “positive momentum”. 

The main concern however, is the gap of understanding between the degree to which sanctions towards Iran will be lifted. As the US has in the years of Donald J. Trump enmeshed a web of sanctions that were both part of the original nuclear deal as well as those that were justified by the US pulling out.... Read More.

This whole situation is exacerbated by three additional factors related to NATO. First, as we already know, the US and their NATO allies are planning to conduct military exercises near the borders of Russia. Secondly, according to information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, partly the games will be held on the territory of Ukraine, under the name Cossack Mace 2021.  Ukraine is not an alliance member of NATO, and therefore NATO’s presence on the territory of Ukraine is considered by the Kremlin as a “red line” crossing which could result in a conflict. Thirdly, recently in negotiations with the head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged NATO to hasten membership of Ukraine into the organization, under the pretext that this is the only way to end the war in Donbass once and for all and return Crimea to Ukraine...Read More.

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