New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy

This week, the Middle East saw heavy military escalation after Israel launched a ground assault against Lebanon following the death of Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah. Iran responded with a missile attack on Israel. In the Indo-Pacific, Russia and China conducted a joint naval patrol along the Arctic, while the U.S. imposed further trade restrictions against Chinese imports. In Ukraine, Russian forces made advances near Vuhledar and Moscow announced plans to conscript more men into the military, while the U.S. called Ukrainian President’s Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory plans “productive.”

Editor's Note: This podcast was recorded on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 4 before the port workers strike ended.

Marxist Arrow by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, Israel continued its airstrikes against Lebanon and Gaza, as the U.K. proposed increasing sanctions against West Bank settlers and members of the UN General Assembly repeatedly called for a ceasefire. In the Indo-Pacific, a Russian aircraft breached Japanese airspace for the first time, while the U.S. announced new partnerships in the region to increase resiliency for critical infrastructure and the critical minerals supply chain. In Ukraine, Russia expanded its nuclear doctrine and its cooperation with China while Zelensky visited the US to discuss a roadmap to victory.

This week, Israel conducted a major sabotage operation against Hezbollah, killing two dozen and injuring thousands in Lebanon. In the Indo-Pacific, a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through Japanese contiguous waters, and the U.S. is facing TikTok in court while having disrupted a new major Chinese hacking group. In Ukraine, Russian forces made advances in Donetsk and in their counteroffensive in Kursk, while a Ukrainian drone attack took out a weapons depot near Moscow.

In this episode of the Contours podcast, host Eugene Chausovsky sits down with Dr. Farid Shafiyev, the Chairman of the Baku-based Center of Analysis of International Relations and former Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Canada and the Czech Republic. Together, they take an in-depth look at Azerbaijan-Armenia relations and their impact on geopolitical dynamics throughout Eurasia and beyond.

This week, Ukraine intensified its attacks on Russia, as it launched its largest drone-attack against Moscow to date, while the US is considering lifting restrictions on use of long-range US-supplied weapons on Russian targets. In the Middle East, Iran is facing sanctions from the West as it supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, while Israel conducted strikes against targets in the West Bank and Gaza, including designated safe zones. In the Indo-Pacific, China is conducting joint naval exercises with Russia, and the US passed a number of bills addressing Chinese influence at home and in the Pacific.

In today’s episode of the Contours podcast, host Kelsey Quinn sits down with Middle East Affairs researcher Dr. Massaab Al-Aloosy. The pair discuss the increasing role China plays in the Middle East, the American response, and how regional powers are adapting to the changing dynamics.

Eugene Chausovsky and Miloš Maggiore discuss this week's rising tensions between China and Japan, as well as Putin's significant visit to Mongolia and rising tensions in the Gaza War.

In this episode of Eurasian Connectivity, Dr. Kamran Bokhari and Ejaz Haider, a prominent Pakistani broadcast journalist and analyst, discuss the recent arrest of Pakistan's former ISI head, the country's challenging civil-military relations, and the external pressures Pakistan faces.

This week, Ukraine continued to advance into Russian territory in Kursk and near Belgorod and agreed to a prisoner exchange with Russia. In the Middle East, Israel expanded its focus into the West Bank and exchanged cross-border strikes with Hezbollah in both Lebanon and Syria. In the Indo-Pacific, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with government officials in Beijing in an effort to de-escalate bilateral tensions, while a Chinese reconnaissance plane flew into Japanese airspace.

In this episode of the Contours podcast, host Eugene Chausovsky talks with Richard Giragosian, founding director of the Regional Studies Center. Together, they discuss the implications of a potential peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the changing roles of foreign powers in the region, and what the future holds for connectivity throughout Eurasia.