Yemen's seven-day ceasefire looks at the moment like it's going to last a couple of days at most: A ceasefire between Yemen's Houthi group and a Saudi-led alliance was in danger of collapse on Wednesday, each side accusing the other of violating the truce, as peace talks went into a second day in Switzerland. Brigadier … Continue reading Well, it had a good run
Month: December 2015
Today in South Asian history: the Indo-Pakistani War and Bangladesh Liberation War both end (1971)
India and Pakistan have fought no fewer than four major wars since the two nations came into being in 1947. Where their 1971 war stands out from the others is that it had nothing (directly, at least) to do with the disputed region of Kashmir. In fact, the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War was really the final … Continue reading Today in South Asian history: the Indo-Pakistani War and Bangladesh Liberation War both end (1971)
Nigeria can’t deal with one Islamist insurgency, and now it’s got to deal with a second one
Nigeria is struggling to deal with Boko Haram, the jihadi insurgent organization that was the world's deadliest terror group in 2014 and hasn't really let up this year. President Muhammadu Buhari's plans to have defeated Boko Haram by the end of the year are totally kaput, the multi-national coalition that was supposed to contain and … Continue reading Nigeria can’t deal with one Islamist insurgency, and now it’s got to deal with a second one
Americans, I don’t think we’re getting the most out of our political system
Last night's Republican debate was entertaining if viewed as a sort of ridiculous spectacle, the ongoing descent into madness of our entire political system. But given some recent events in eastern Europe, I have to wonder if we're getting the maximum amount of enjoyment out of our political leaders. Take, for example, Romania. The Romanian … Continue reading Americans, I don’t think we’re getting the most out of our political system
Happy Bahrain National Day!
Since we commemorated National Day in the United Arab Emirates a couple of weeks ago, it wouldn't be right not to commemorate Bahrain's National Day today, right? Happy National Day, everybody! Bahrain's National Day is slightly different from the UAE's. UAE National Day (December 2), if you recall, marks the actual date (in 1971 when … Continue reading Happy Bahrain National Day!
Today in Middle Eastern history: Reza Pahlavi is crowned Shah of Iran (1925)
A couple of decades before Britain sat Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi on the Iranian throne and several decades before they helped engineer the coup that kept him in power, British operatives were also responsible for the Iranian coup that enthroned his father, Reza Shah Pahlavi (d. 1944), and instituted the Pahlavi “Dynasty.” I put “dynasty” in quotes … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Reza Pahlavi is crowned Shah of Iran (1925)
Taliban schism means more attacks in Afghanistan
Last week, a major Taliban attack in the Afghan city of Kandahar, starting last Tuesday evening and lasting through most of the day on Wednesday, killed as many as 50 people (not counting the nine Taliban who were killed). The Taliban assault initially targeted a Kandahar military airfield where around 2000 American military personnel are … Continue reading Taliban schism means more attacks in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia forms international coalition to combat atheism and ladies who drive cars
Good news, everybody! Terrorism is over! Yes, it had a good run, but like all passing fads, it finally overstayed its welcome and now people are actively hating on it. I guess it might come back as kitsch in a couple of decades, but for now, this is clearly the end of the line: A … Continue reading Saudi Arabia forms international coalition to combat atheism and ladies who drive cars
Well this is interesting…
The Egyptian government apparently doesn't agree that ISIS brought down Metrojet Flight 9268, a stance that pits them against the prevailing view in Russia, the US, the UK, and ISIS itself. Cairo is saying that its probe has found "no evidence" of terrorism behind the crash: However, the head of the Egyptian committee investigating the … Continue reading Well this is interesting…
Boko Haram has been on quite a run lately
The World's Deadliest Terrorist OrganizationTM continues to rack up bodies across Africa. On December 5, a suicide bombing on Koulfoua Island on Lake Chad killed 27 people, and while that attack is still unclaimed it's likely that Boko Haram was behind it. On Friday, another Boko Haram attack, this time in Cameroon, killed 10. Meanwhile … Continue reading Boko Haram has been on quite a run lately
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 