Michael Scollon is a senior correspondent in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom in Prague.
A former North Korean soldier says even the country’s elite troops are ill-prepared for frontline action against Ukraine, making them highly vulnerable to defeat and death.
What will be the impact of a second Donald Trump presidency? That depends a lot on who you speak to -- with Trump backers saying he will restore U.S. might and detractors saying it will spell the end of U.S. democracy.
After weeks of intelligence reports, it has been confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia. The development raises concerns that they could be sent into battle against Ukraine, but there are questions about their readiness and what Pyongyang might get from Moscow in return.
A “shoot first, negotiate later” mindset is beating out considerations of finding a diplomatic solution to the escalating Middle East crisis.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is dead, according to Israel. What does his death mean for the Palestinian militant group and the prospects for peace in the Gaza Strip?
Amid the uncertainty of war, a few things remain constant in northern Israel: the livestock and crops must be tended to, the bread must be baked early every morning, and there is a risk that rockets fired by Hezbollah could strike at any moment.
Dr. Lior Yohanani, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute and a lecturer at Tel Aviv University, says Israeli society is deeply polarized a year after the October 7 attack, the deadliest in the country’s history.
Iran meticulously patched together a formidable "axis of resistance" against Israel over the course of decades, only to see Hamas put the whole thing in jeopardy by attacking Israel on its own a year ago.
The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks ended in failure after a costly and nearly 20-year war and effort to establish a democracy. Did it leave Washington forever wary of getting involved in such efforts again?
A controversial Iranian track star turned Turkish para-athlete has been stripped of his gold medal and denied the right to compete in another event at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Iran is following Russia’s playbook as it attempts to disrupt the U.S. electoral process. But is anybody paying attention amid all the homegrown division?
Three years after seizing Kabul, the Taliban has consolidated power. But ruling a state has left many rank-and-file members fighting nothing but boredom, leaving the Taliban at risk of losing fighters to other extremist groups.
As Russia and Iran look to break out of their isolation, they see Africa as the perfect place to boost their international and military standing. Often their focus is similarly drawn to restive areas where anti-Western sentiment is high and chaos reigns.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the EU- and U.S.-designated Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, will not influence the peace process toward ending the Israeli-Hamas war “because peace is not on the agenda at this point.”
Ahmad Batebi, who unwittingly became the face of Iran's 1999 student protests, laments the demise of a true reformist movement, the increasing use of violent suppression by the state, and the "nonexistent" potential for real change.
Saeed Jalili is an ultraconservative who has never held public office in Iran. Now he is one of two candidates remaining in the race to become the next president of the Islamic republic.
The death of Iranian President Ebrahimi Raisi has left a huge vacancy to fill, and fast. Elections must be held within 50 days, leaving the clerical establishment scrambling to find a suitable replacement.
Iran has dismissed reports that it intends to obtain advanced military technology from North Korea as fake news. But the two states are aligned in their opposition to the West, and have much to offer each other in terms of missile, air-defense, and nuclear technology.
A common enemy -- the Islamic State extremist group -- has emerged as the catalyst for closer ties between Russia and the Taliban in the fight against terrorism. And to move the relationship to a new level, Russia says it plans to de-list the Taliban itself from its terror blacklist.
Tehran is making a major push to increase trade and political ties to African states, giving it new routes to bypass sanctions and confront global adversaries. But its involvement in African hotspots has led to concerns that Iran really seeks to cash in on instability.
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