Since August 1, when President Barack Obama announced the start of an air war against the Islamic State (ISIL) in Libya, the United States has conducted a total of 57 air strikes, most involving close air support for Libyan militia forces, ostensibly loyal to the United Nations-imposed Government …
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 »Trump-Clinton Won’t Be a Landslide. The Economy Says So
While Hillary Clinton is the consensus of most Democrats, from activists on up to the establishment, Donald Trump is the Republican candidate whom many Republicans want to avoid. His feuding with the Bush family and the pointed nonendorsements from Ted Cruz and Mitt Romney brought about a contentious …
Read More »Why Turkey’s Hot Pursuit of ISIS Is Not What It Seems?
Last week, in what commentators are calling an escalation in the Syrian Civil War, Turkish tanks rolled across the border near Jarablus, ostensibly in “pursuit” of ISIS militants holed up there. But Turkey has never waivered from sending military forces across its border with Iraq or Syria. By …
Read More »Why Turkey Went Into Syria?
The Turkish military operation symbolizes a new phase in the Syrian Civil War. Turkey has resisted calls for “boots on the ground” since the early phases of the Syrian crisis, which eventually led Ankara to face the twin threats of the PKK’s territorial enlargement in northern Syria and …
Read More »Globalization and the West: Coping With the Politics of Anger
For better or worse, we are living in exciting times. On the one hand, globalization and rapid technological change are creating huge opportunities. On the other hand, the gains are not evenly distributed. The major winners are: 1. Hundreds of million people in formerly closed economies who have been …
Read More »Global Terrorism Index: Countries Most Affected By Terrorist Attacks
The effects of terrorism are felt most strongly in the Middle East and Africa, where countries such as Iraq and Nigeria account for the majority of deaths due to terrorist attacks. As the 20th Century has given way to the New Millennium, terrorism has remained on the rise …
Read More »Are We Witnessing a Kurdish State 100 Years on “Sykes-Picot” Agreement?
As the first practical implementation of the US-Russian understandings that have been reached in closed “black rooms,” several Kurdish parties, and in the aftermath of the Turkish intervention in Syria to keep Kurdish armed forces eastern Euphrates, the Kurds started thinking of the establishment of a “federal regime” …
Read More »The Broken Chessboard: Brzezinski Gives Up on Empire
The main architect of Washington’s plan to rule the world has abandoned the scheme and called for the forging of ties with Russia and China. While Zbigniew Brzezinski’s article in The American Interest titled “Towards a Global Realignment” has largely been ignored by the media, it shows that …
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