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Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

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https://nordictimes.com/world/controversial-transitional-government-formed-in-syria/

World

Controversial transitional government formed in Syria

Published April 1, 2025 – By Editorial staff
EU Commissioner for Equal Opportunities Hadja Lahbib was an early visitor to Salafist leader Julani back in January.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Four months after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, jihadist leader Ahmed al-Julani, head of the HTS terrorist group with roots in the Salafist organizations Al-Qaeda, the Nusra Front and the Islamic State, has unveiled what it describes as a new 23-member transitional government. The government is being launched as a step towards "change and reconstruction".

The jihadist terrorist leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani has reverted to using his original name, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, as part of the takeover.

Since Assad's flight to Russia in December 2024, violence has greatly intensified and strong concerns have been expressed about a genocide mainly against the Alawite minority. In March 2025, over 1,000 people, mostly Alawites, were reported to have been killed in brutal massacres in Latakia and Tartus. The UN Security Council condemned it as "unacceptable", and the US also accused the HTS of "ethnic cleansing of minorities".

The EU, for its part, instead singled out what it described as "pro-Assad elements" as responsible for attacks on the new interim government's forces and has donated billions in aid to the new regime. Russia has warned of a power vacuum and "chaos without Assad's stability", and Turkey has maintained a close relationship with HTS. Formally, however, the new state formation lacks international recognition.

The new transitional government features, among others, Hind Kabawat, described as a "Christian activist for interfaith dialogue and women's rights", who has been appointed Minister of Social Affairs. The Alawite Yarub Badr will be in charge of the Ministry of Transportation, while the Druze Amgad Badr will take over the Ministry of Agriculture. Alawites, who make up around 12% of the population, have traditionally supported Assad and the socialist Baath Party, while the Druze (around 3%) have often remained neutral.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the autonomous administration in northeastern Syria have been excluded from the formation of the government – which, according to regional sources, is due to the HTS's refusal to recognize Kurdish autonomy, as well as pressure from Turkey.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/russia-producing-weapons-in-volumes-adversaries-couldnt-have-dreamed-of/

World

Russia producing weapons in volumes adversaries “couldn’t have dreamed of”

The war in Ukraine

Published today 10:06 am – By Editorial staff
Sergei Chemezov is the head of Rostec, the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Russia's defense industry is now manufacturing more artillery shells and aerial bombs than any other country in the world, according to Sergey Chemezov, head of the state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec. Production has increased dramatically since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in 2022.

In an interview with the news agency TASS, published on Tuesday, Chemezov outlines a significant escalation in weapons manufacturing, writes RT.

— We are supplying aircraft, tanks, infantry vehicles, howitzers, electronic warfare systems, drones and much more in enormous quantities. No country in the world today produces as many shells and aerial bombs, he says.

Chemezov states that he cannot provide exact figures but notes that the production volumes are such that the country's adversaries "could not have dreamed of".

Production multiplied many times over

Russian officials have repeatedly highlighted the increased defense production over the past three years. In May 2024, President Vladimir Putin stated that ammunition manufacturing had increased fourteenfold since the military operation began, while drone production had quadrupled and the production of armored vehicles increased 3.5 times.

Russia has consistently condemned Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing that they only prolong the conflict without affecting its ultimate outcome.

Kremlin open to negotiations

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Tuesday that Russia wants to achieve its goals "through political and diplomatic means" and that the country remains "completely open to a negotiation process". At the same time, Moscow accuses Kiev of wanting to continue the fighting, backed by its Western allies.

Russia has also accused the EU and Britain of obstructing ongoing peace efforts.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/american-academics-propose-nuclear-weapons-for-us-allies/

World

American academics propose nuclear weapons for US allies

Published November 24, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Professors Mark Raymond (left) and Moritz Graefrath write in a joint opinion piece that US allies should be allowed to acquire their own nuclear arsenals.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The American journal Foreign Affairs has published a debate article by two professors at the University of Oklahoma that challenges prevailing security policy principles. The professors suggest that the United States' closest allies should consider acquiring nuclear weapons themselves.

The article, authored by professors Moritz S. Graefrath and Mark A. Raymond, has received extensive international attention and sparked controversy, though no Western country has yet officially endorsed the proposal.

In the widely discussed text, the duo argues that countries such as Canada, Germany, and Japan have both the technical capacity and security interests to develop nuclear weapons themselves – thereby reducing their dependence on US military protection.

The article states that "America’s allies should go nuclear. Selective proliferation will strengthen the global order, not end it".

The text highlights that these countries already participate in advanced military cooperation with the US and have access to the resources required for developing nuclear weapons.

The authors continue: "What the three allies would need – and what the United States can and should provide – is public support and diplomatic cover for their transition to becoming nuclear-armed states, as well as technical and doctrinal guidance to ensure robust command and control safeguards".

The debate surrounding the article has quickly gained momentum, and so far none of the countries mentioned in the text have officially endorsed the proposal, instead maintaining strong support for international disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Critical reactions

Germany, for example, based on official statements, policy decisions and debate contributions, stands firm in its policy against nuclear proliferation and emphasizes that the country has no plans to change this principle.

Government representatives have expressed that Germany's position continues to support international disarmament agreements and that they reject all proposals to develop their own nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, American and European experts have criticized the authors' reasoning as risky and have warned that such a development could trigger a new global arms race.

The background to the Foreign Affairs article is the increased geopolitically tense situation, where US commitments regarding the so-called nuclear umbrella are being questioned in several places in Europe and Asia.

Several European leaders have recently requested discussions about independent deterrence and nuclear weapons cooperation within NATO.

The US and other nuclear powers have so far rejected such discussions, continuing to insist on diplomacy and disarmament as the fundamental strategy.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/marjorie-taylor-greene-leaves-congress-after-conflict-with-trump/

World

Marjorie Taylor Greene leaves Congress after conflict with Trump

Donald Trump's USA

Published November 23, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Marjorie Taylor Greene explained her withdrawal in a video on X.
3 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Marjorie Taylor Greene, formerly one of Donald Trump's most loyal allies in Congress, announced on Friday that she is resigning from the House of Representatives. She said she refused to be "a battered wife hoping everything goes away and gets better" and face a primary campaign against a Trump-backed challenger.

The resignation marks a dramatic turn for the Republican congresswoman from Georgia, who was once among Trump's closest allies and a vocal advocate for his "America First" agenda. The relationship between the two has deteriorated sharply in recent months, primarily due to disagreements over the release of investigation documents linked to American-Jewish sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a ten-minute video on social media, Greene explained that the decision to resign was due to the prospect of facing a Trump-backed Republican challenger in the primary and the risk of Democrats taking over the House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections. She also complained that Congress has largely been "sidelined" since Trump returned to the presidency in January.

— I have too much self-respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and don't want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me from the president we all fought for, only to then fight and win my election while Republicans likely lose the midterms, Greene said.

— I refuse to be a ‘battered wife’ hoping it all goes away and gets better, she added.

Trump's reaction and internal concerns

In an interview with ABC News, Trump called Greene's resignation, which takes effect on January 5, "fantastic news for the country".

The conflict between Trump and Greene has raised concerns among some Republicans that Trump's "Make America Great Again" base could split ahead of the midterm elections, when Democrats hope to regain control of Congress.

Greene's resignation will reduce the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to 218 members versus the Democrats' 213. In the Senate, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.

Growing independence from Trump

Recently, Greene has shown increased independence from Trump. She joined an initiative in the House of Representatives to force the release of Epstein documents despite Trump's objections, criticized party leadership for poor handling of healthcare costs during the recent government crisis, has demanded that the US stop sending American taxpayer money to the Ukraine war, and called Israel's attacks on Gaza genocide.

Trump, in turn, became increasingly critical. Before the House voted overwhelmingly to release the Epstein documents, he called her a "traitor" and "disgrace" to the Republican Party. He withdrew his support and called her a "ranting lunatic".

In her video, Greene defended her Epstein vote.

— Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I fought for, she said.

Greene said she was proud of her conservative voting record and added, in a jab at Trump, that "loyalty should be a two-way street".

Greene won her district in northwestern Georgia with 64 percent of the vote in 2024.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/china-brings-taiwan-dispute-with-japan-to-un/

World

China brings Taiwan dispute with Japan to UN

Published November 23, 2025 – By Editorial staff
On October 31, 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was visiting Gyeongju, South Korea to attend APEC, held a summit meeting with Xi Jinping.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

China has taken the recently flared-up dispute with Japan to the UN. In a letter to the UN Secretary-General, Beijing accuses Tokyo of threatening armed intervention regarding Taiwan and vows to exercise its right to self-defense.

China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong wrote on Friday to UN Secretary-General António Guterres that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi committed "a grave violation of international law" when she said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan, reports Reuters.

"If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression", Fu wrote according to a statement from China's UN mission.

China vows to "resolutely exercise its right of self-defence" under the UN Charter and international law to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Biggest bilateral crisis in years

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the People's Republic of China and has not ruled out military action to regain control over the island. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's claims and maintains that only the island's population can determine its future.

Japan's Foreign Ministry confirmed that it had received Fu's letter, which is the sharpest criticism of Takaichi from a senior Chinese official to date. The ministry emphasized that Japan's commitment remains unchanged and rejected China's claims as "entirely unacceptable".

Takaichi, a conservative nationalist who took office last month, abandoned the ambiguity that Japan and the United States have long maintained regarding Taiwan when she said on November 7 that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could be considered "a situation threatening Japan's survival" – a legal designation that allows a Japanese prime minister to deploy the military.

The conflict has spread beyond diplomacy. China claims that trade cooperation has been seriously damaged, while concerts by Japanese musicians in China have been canceled.

Fu demanded that Japan "cease provocations and violations and retract its erroneous statements," which he said "openly challenge China's core interests."

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com