Law and Order

Mysterious massive pressure drops in both Nord Stream One and Two pipelines were recorded, coupled with three separate leaks being detected near the Danish island of Bornholm on September 26 of last year. The damage to the gas pipelines that run between Germany and Russia under the Baltic Sea was extensive and an act of sabotage. The Nord Stream One pipelines were built in 2012 and the Nord Stream Two pipelines were completed in 2021 for the purposes of commercially exporting Russian gas into Germany in particular and Europe in general. Immediately Western leaders and various media outlets rushed to blame Russia as the culprit for the deed. For their part, the Russians denied they did it and accused the West of being the perpetrators.

On February 6, in the middle of an otherwise normal night, millions of people in Turkey and Syria were abruptly awakened by an unexpected and disastrous earthquake. Many buildings instantly collapsed while their inhabitants were still in bed, while other buildings collapsed later during some of the about 10,000 recorded aftershocks in the following three weeks. The earthquake was so strong that it was even felt in many surrounding countries; including some of our editors in Israel. So far, about 51,000 people are confirmed to have died. Going forward we will explore what happened, its consequences, and more importantly what it means for expected future earthquakes and damage prevention in the Levant.

The Kremlin has increasingly shifted its rhetoric, strategy, and policies toward a protracted war in Ukraine - all the while, continuing to frame conflict as having a short horizon. The recent withdrawal from the New START arms limitations treaty, the neutering of Wagner mercenary group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, the FSB’s (Russian security services) infiltration of the defense industrial base, and this week’s arrest of an American reporter from the Wall Street Journal (the first such case since the Cold War) are just a handful of examples that illustrate Moscow’s changing approach to the conflict. As such, the West needs to send more munitions and more capable weapons systems to Ukraine. The weapons should be given because they will help the Ukrainians achieve victory, but also as a demonstration of our prolonged willingness to support Ukraine’s independence. Concerns over the cost, squeamishness over escalation, and inquisitions over their deployment will merely embolden China to refill the shrinking stockpiles of the Russian Armed Forces.

In the last few weeks, Israel saw a wave of protests against judicial reforms proposed by the country's ultranationalist government, currently led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These reforms could hamper the separation of powers within Israel, as they allow for the selection of its judges by the government, and require only a simple parliamentary majority to override the Supreme Court’s decisions.