French trade delegation heads for Iran
With international sanctions peeling away, many countries are eager to establish trade with Iran, a country with 80 million people, many of them middle-class, western-leaning, and with disposable incomes that reset to rise. American businesses will, for now, hold back. Other countries will benefit.
Israel may be preparing for the collapse of the Palestinian Authority
With Palestinian anger growing, and their political leadership unable to get two-state negotiations in motion, the Palestinian Authority may lose what public support it has. This will suit the Likud, which wants no Palestinian state or an indigenous political movement pushing for one. The Likud and its religious coalition partners will go ahead with West Bank settlements.
Russia to build airbase in Belarus
Russia continues to exert itself on the world stage. Belarus, a former Soviet republic, has long preferred authoritarian rule over democracy and hence has leaned toward Moscow. Belarus shares a nerdier with the Ukraine.