In Geopolitics Today - Friday, January 7th
Russian Regulars Deploy to Mali, Armenia Ends Ban on Imports from Turkey, and US Pressures Israel on Chinese Investments
Russian Regulars Deploy to Mali
Following the evacuation of French forces from the city of Timbuktu earlier this month, Russian troops have deployed to the northern part of Mali to train Malian forces at a base vacated by French troops. As the former colonial power France is scaling down its presence in northern Mali, Russian soldiers have deployed to amid persistent insecurity where large swaths of territory are beyond the reach of the Malian state.
The French military has already shut down its bases in Kidal and Tessalit but will be maintaining a presence in Gao where French military operations have been concentrated in recent years. Russia appears to have stepped up its involvement in Mali as the Malian government has announced that “Russian trainers” had arrived last month. Mali has been plagued by a separatist conflict in the north of the country since 2012, and over the years the conflict has transformed into a power struggle between a multitude of armed groups in the country’s central and northern regions. As concerns the recent Russian deployment, both Bamako and Moscow remain secretive about the details of the deployment, with details on how many soldiers are involved or the precise mission they are tasked with unclear.
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Armenia Ends Ban on Imports from Turkey
Armenia has ended its embargo of Turkish imports as the two sides move towards gradually restoring relations. The ban was put in place in 2020 following Armenia’s disastrous military defeat to Azerbaijan in response to heavy Turkish involvement on the side of Baku. The ban was aimed at putting an end to financial proceeds and revenues Ankara was gaining from trade with Armenia as its troops were assisting Azerbaijani forces against Yerevan.
Despite the extensive ban however, enforcement proved difficult and alternative avenues of trade were still conducted between businesses in Armenia and Turkey. In addition to reports that Turkish consumer products were making it through in spite of the ban, Turkish products were not subjected to controls to other Eurasian Union countries, thereby allowing Turkish products to enter Armenia via other countries in the Union. The ending of the trade embargo at this time may also be explained by the drastic devaluation of the Turkish Lira, which has had the effect of making Turkish products more attractive to businesses.
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US Pressures Israel on Chinese Investments
The Biden administration has reportedly held consultations with Israel over the issue of Chinese investments in the country. Chinese involvement in projects such as the port in Haifa have over time became a point of contention between the United States and Israel. But following talks on the issue, the new Israeli government has signaled that Israel will take US concerns more seriously going forward, and that future cooperation agreements with China will be assessed through a national security lens.
Over the last decade, China and Israel have enjoyed warm ties which have been expressed through tech and infrastructure investments. As a result of increased cooperation between the two, China has become Israel's third largest trading partner and most significant trading partner in East Asia. Yet this warm relationship is increasingly seen as a problem in Washington, which is working to limit China’s influence globally. In their most recent discussions on the issue of China and Chinese investments in Israel, Washington has expressed reservations about the China-Israel Joint Committee for Innovation Cooperation, a mechanism established in 2014 to promote cooperation across government ministries on innovation and tech.
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