CLIMATE CHANGE Well folks, it's been fun. I hope whatever supremely heat- and water-resistant creature inherits this planet does a better job with it than we did: A draft United Nations climate science report contains dire news about the warming of the planet, suggesting it will likely cross the key marker of 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: February 14 2018

ASIA ARMENIA The ruling Republican Party of Armenia's chosen candidate in the country's March 2 presidential vote (Armenian presidents are voted into office by parliament), former Prime Minister Armen Sargsyan, may not be eligible for the office. Everyone agrees that Sargsyan was a dual Armenian-British citizen between 2002 and 2011. The Armenian constitution requires presidents to … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: February 14 2018

SYRIA One addendum to yesterday's update. When I cited the New York Times on estimates of Russian casualties in last week's US airstrikes in Deir Ezzor, I somehow let this gem of a sentence slide past me: The attack occurred in the vicinity of Deir al-Zour, a strategic, oil-rich territory that is coveted by the Syrians. … Continue reading Middle East update: February 14 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN The AP is reporting that Afghan authorities are maintaining two separate tracks of back-channel contacts with the Taliban, one via the country's intelligence chief Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai and the other via Ashraf Ghani's national security adviser, Mohammad Hanif Atmar. The existence of these channels leaves open the possibility of a resumption of peace talks, but … Continue reading World update: February 13 2018

SYRIA There are lingering questions about just how many Russian contractors were killed in last week's US airstrikes in Deir Ezzor province (on Tuesday, a US drone bombed a Russian-made tank in the same area in what appears to have been an isolated incident). Russian authorities continue to deny that any Russian soldiers were killed … Continue reading Middle East update: February 13 2018

ASIA UZBEKISTAN The Uzbek government on Monday suddenly unblocked several media and NGO websites, including Voice of America and Amnesty International, as well as the website for the opposition People’s Movement of Uzbekistan. Many of these sites had been blocked in Uzbekstan for over 12 years. This happened so quickly that it's hard to know what … Continue reading World update: February 12 2018

SYRIA Reuters is reporting that at least two Russian mercenaries who were fighting in Syria were killed during that US airstrike on Syrian-aligned forces in Deir Ezzor province last week. "Associates" of the two men have reportedly confirmed their deaths. The official Russian line is that no Russians were involved in that incident, and while … Continue reading Middle East update: February 12 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Taliban fighters killed six Afghan policemen late Friday night in an attack on several checkpoints in Helmand province. Meanwhile, residents of Kabul are living in fear of more terrorist attacks and anger, not just at the Taliban and ISIS but also at their own inept government: It is not only the shock of … Continue reading World update: February 10-11 2018

SYRIA Olympics or not, it was quite a weekend in Syria. To cut to the chase: an Israeli F-16 was shot down by Syrian air defenses on Saturday morning. This was after an Israeli helicopter shot down what the Israelis say was an Iranian drone that had crossed into Israeli airspace. The Israeli military later … Continue reading Middle East update: February 10-11 2018

Maybe everybody's on their best behavior because of the Olympics, but it seems like the planet is a little quieter than usual today, so as a result we can get away with cramming everything into a single update. MIDDLE EAST SYRIA This has been quite a week in Syria to say the least. The Syrian … Continue reading World update: February 9 2018