grey dynamics

How the Trump Admin Weaponised Sanctions

February 26, 2021

Rachele Momi

    The imposition of US sanctions is an increasingly controversial topic. Under Trump’s presidency, the number of sanctions doubled compared to the one imposed by the past presidents of the United States, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush. The main target of this new policy is Iran, which is affected by US sanctions since 1979.   Between 2017 and 2021, during Trump’s administration, the average number of annual additions to the US sanctions list was 1,027.5, which cannot…

Money Before People? The Farmers’ Protest in India

February 25, 2021

Maria Garcia Ribera

    This Grey Dynamics article examines why the Farm bills of 2020 have created violent protests throughout India and what the bills mean for farmers and their financial situation, highly showing that the Indian government is only interested in its economic improvement at the population’s cost.     The Context   In 2017, the Indian government introduced model farming acts. The Standing Committee on Agriculture 2018-19 noted that several reforms suggested in the model had not been implemented by…

Plausible Deniability: Hezbollah in South America

February 22, 2021

Iñigo Camilleri De Castanedo

  Despite counter-accusations, Hezbollah’s plausible deniable presence is maintained within illicit economies and activities in South America. The growth in a Venezuelan-Iranian partnership provides Hezbollah with an opportunity to strengthen its degree of anonymity in the continent.     Why Does This Matter?   The Trump administration highlighted in January 2020 the threat Hezbollah poses to the Americas after a targeted Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) strike killed Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds force. Hezbollah’s history suggests an almost certain…

How Russia Is Hijacking Pan-Africanism to Drive France out of Africa

February 19, 2021

Fredrik Hellem

      Russia’s return to Africa is by no means new or underreported as the presence of private military groups such as Wagner, meddling with elections as in Madagascar, signing arms and mining deals with countries such as Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR), as well as backing Libyan warlords is the ‘new normal’ for Russia in Africa. What is underreported, however, is Russia’s use of Pan-Africanism to increase anti-Western sentiment and in turn, increase its influence on the…

Russia’s Chemical Romance: The Secret Russian Biological Weapons Program

February 16, 2021

Eren Ersozoglu

      Key Findings     The clandestine ‘Project Toledo’ is identified in an OpenFacto report as a project linked to the 48th, 33rd, and 27th Central Research Institute. The 48th and 33rd institutions are under sanctions by the US for highly likely participation in the Russian Biological Weapons Program.     The 48th institute directly supplies the FSB military Unit 68240, a multi-purpose R&D body. UNIT 34435 or Lab NII-2, directly linked to Unit 68240, is hosting a clandestine Biological Weapons Program according to…

Zaslon: Russia’s Most Secretive Unit

February 15, 2021

Ahmed Hassan

  What is Zaslon?   Zaslon "Barrier or Screen" is Russia's most secretive special-purpose unit within the Russian external security service, Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki (SVR), which roughly resembles the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)--also known as MI6.   If the SVR is Russia's CIA or MI6 then Zaslon is comparable to the CIA's Global Response Staff (GRS), the CIA's high-security detail, or the even more secretive MI6s E-Squadron. Incorrectly, some sources claim that…