Geostrategic Media Political Commentary, Analysis, Security, Defense
At the dawn of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, diplomats, politicians, and intellectuals debated a fresh question: what role can Islamist political parties play in a fledgling democracy?
Read More »Is Political Islam Compatible with Democracy?
Saudi Arabia and Iran are fighting a proxy war — on Twitter
Saudi Arabia and Iran are waging a proxy war for dominance of the Middle East and the broader Muslim world that is playing out on battlefields from Yemen to Syria. This past week, though, the hottest front in the Saudi-Iran cold war wasn’t in some war-torn country in …
Read More »Turkey Adds a Layer of Complexity to a Convoluted Conflict
Aug. 30: Turkey Adds a Layer of Complexity to a Convoluted Conflict After clearing a path for its troops to enter Syria, Turkey is now fully involved in a military campaign in northern Aleppo province. Turkish forces, predominantly backing the Free Syrian Army, are advancing against positions in …
Read More »Why Did Russia Stop its Use of Iran’s Air Base to Bomb Syria?
Mounting opposition from Iranian nationalists and historic suspicion between Iran and Russia contributed to ending the short-lived Russian use of an air base in western Iran. The decision to end the mission also expressed Moscow’s understanding of the Arabs’ position, that by totally siding with Iran in the …
Read More »Turkey and Iran: The Seduction Game
There are already timid signs that the regional tension in the Middle East may have already passed its peak. The fact that Syria’s ceasefire is still holding, at least in some areas, is definitely one of them. Another is the recent visit of Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu …
Read More »Western Mission Creep In Libya
by Abdel Bari Atwan Reports of Western ground forces operating in Libya are increasingly frequent. Their role is not, as they claim, to restore security and stability to the chaotic country, but to eliminate the growing threat from Islamic State which has been expanding its presence in the …
Read More »Farcical Syrian “Peace Talks”: Dead on Arrival
Talks are orchestrated to fail. Mainstream and much alternative media misreporting continues calling five years of US naked aggression against a nation threatening no one a “civil war.” There’s nothing “civil” about it. Syria was invaded, Washington using ISIS and other terrorist groups, enlisting fighters from scores of …
Read More »ISIS Is Here: Return of the Jihadi
Bruce Hoffman “This is sort of the new normal,” FBI Director James Comey observed after the most recent Fourth of July. Comey was talking about the ten persons who were arrested in connection with a variety of plots linked to ISIS in the weeks leading up to that …
Read More »How Would Turkey End? – Some Scenarios
By Stana Dubajic • After downing of the Russian SU-24 fighter-jet over Syrian airspace for an alleged ‘Turkish airspace violation’, the US probably expected Russia to retaliate militarily, which would then ‘justify’ deeper military involvement of US-UK-NATO alliance in the Syrian-Iraqi battlefield. Since Russia and Iran would not let …
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