Mike Whitney Would you be willing to defend your country against a foreign invasion? That’s all Putin is doing in Syria. He’s just preempting the tidal wave of jihadis that’ll be coming his way once the current fracas is over. He figures it’s better to exterminate these US-backed maniacs in Syria now than face …
Read More »Erdogan Meets With Crimean Blockade Organizers: Naval Provocation Imminent?
Turkish and Ukrainian media have reported that President Erdogan has met with two of the organizers of the so-called Crimean blockade. Earlier this week, another of the masterminds behind the failed ‘food’ and ‘electricity’ blockades promised that the radicals would organize a ‘naval blockade’. Is a provocation imminent? …
Read More »Boots on the Ground: Does Daesh Pose an Existential Threat to US?
Washington should avoid committing more US ground troops in the latest Middle Eastern conflict, CIA veteran Paul R. Pillar notes, adding that the exploitation of the Daesh (IS/ISIL) issue by American politicians is likely to continue. While the majority of the US presidential candidates are banging war drums over the …
Read More »UN Endorses Peace Process For Syria
U.N. Security Council members unanimously approved a U.N. resolution Friday endorsing a peace process for Syria including a cease-fire and talks between the Damascus government and the opposition, but the draft makes no mention of the most contentious issue — the future role of Syrian President Bashar Assad. …
Read More »Plans for Redrawing the Middle East: The Project for a “New Middle East”
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya This article first published by GR in November 2006 is of particular relevance to an understanding of the ongoing process of destabilization and political fragmentation of Iraq, Syria and Yemen. “Hegemony is as old as Mankind…” -Zbigniew Brzezinski, former U.S. National Security Advisor The term “New …
Read More »Religious extremism a real threat to international community
By Shehab Al Makahleh Mikhail Bogdanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and African countries, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia has confirmed that the real danger to modern world is extremism, fanaticism and radicalism. Speaking at the International media forum …
Read More »ISIS Is Adapting Its Strategy. Obama Should Too.
Back in June I asked if the United States had an anti-ISIS strategy. The conclusion was straightforward: Yes, the Obama administration has a clear and defined strategy, but it’s not working. Specifically, America’s focus on military operations without fully backing or resourcing a governance plan will ultimately end …
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 »Gas Wars: Turkey Tries to Push Russia Aside
Nikolay Pakhomov The current outbreak of animosity between Russia and Turkey has had many consequences. One consequence, in the economic sphere, has repercussions far exceeding bilateral ties: a project to deliver Russian natural gas—first to Turkey and then to Europe—has been put on hold. This project, known as …
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