It has been five years since Mohammed Bouazizi lit a match and set fire to the Middle East, and the heat from the flames continues to engulf the region. A region shaken, revived, broken – yet still alive. The glowing pulse of the embers still burning has …
Read More »Syria’s Raqqa Next in Line for Anti-IS Campaign
The Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State [IS] group’s de facto capital, stands next in line in the battle against militants after this week’s assault on Mosul in Iraq. French President Francois Hollande has warned that IS militants under attack by Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Mosul are …
Read More »China’s Fall 2016 Latin America Charm Offensive
In recent months, the People’s Republic of China has successfully faced and largely overcome a significant crisis in its relationships with Latin America, even while the United States, as it approaches the upcoming presidential election, plunges into a new phase of uncertainty in its own relationship with the …
Read More »Russia-Armenia Joint Air Defense Reinforcement in South Caucasus
In view of the enhanced NATO’s activity to expand its military presence on the Eastern European block, Russia embarks on the strategy of increasing its military buildup in the South Caucasus with the key air defense units to be deployed on the Armenian soil – Russia’s ally in …
Read More »Aleppo for Mosul – Was it the Russian-American Deal?
I confess that when it comes to the politics and conflicts of the Middle East, I am a firm believer in conspiracy theories. This is not due to a penchant for rash or unfounded judgments. It is a product of experience. Conspiracies have played a major role in …
Read More »Eurozone Banks to Tighten Access to Corporate Lending
Eurozone banks are set to tighten access to corporate credit for the first time in 2-1/2 years as they become more wary of risk and negative interest rates eat into their profit, a European Central Bank survey showed on Tuesday. Banks stopped easing credit standards for enterprises in …
Read More »Internationalizing the Yemen War
One year and a half after the start of the Saudi-led ‘Decisive Storm’ aerial bombing campaign, the tables are turning in Yemen. The intended targets of the assault – the Houthi Ansarallah movement and the followers of former president Ali Abdallah Saleh – have moved on from their …
Read More »Assange Backed Into a Corner, Drops Bomb On Entire U.S. Government
Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have done this world a great service. While they are not the group actually hacking agencies, they have spent more than ten years collecting, validating, archiving, and disseminating information the people deserve to see. WikiLeaks has played a major role in exposing Hillary Clinton, …
Read More »Zero Hour to Liberate Mosul, Daesh Last Major Stronghold in Iraq, Ticked
The battle to regain Mosul from Daesh kicked off at 12 midnight October 17, 2016 with the participation of more than 25,000 Iraqi troops from various legions. Mosul is Islamic State’s last major stronghold in Iraq. It was once the country’s second-largest city, with a diverse population of about 1.2 …
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