SYRIA The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that late Saturday rebels located inside the supposed demilitarized zone in Idlib province killed two Syrian soldiers when they fired mortars into neighboring Hama province, and also fired some other mortars into neighboring Aleppo province. Government forces then apparently returned fire. Obviously this is a pretty big problem. … Continue reading Middle East update: October 13-14 2018

EUROPE UKRAINE RFE/RL reports on naval tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian officials say that commercial ships there are being shadowed and/or harassed by Russian coast guard vessels, and the US has provided Kiev with two patrol boats to enhance its naval presence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-ir3I1kgXU Be sure to stick around for … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: October 12 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN US Afghan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad did, as some had speculated, meet with Taliban representatives during his stop in Qatar on Friday. Nobody is saying what they talked about but presumably it was more talking about holding talks. Khalilzad is headed back to Kabul to brief the Afghan government before he returns to the … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: October 12 2018

SYRIA The Israeli and Syrian governments, plus the United Nations, agreed on Friday to reopen the Quneitra border crossing in the Golan. This should allow UN peacekeepers back into the area to hopefully, you know, keep Israel and Syria from going to war with one another. Amnesty International on Friday heavily criticized the joint US-Syrian Democratic … Continue reading Middle East update: October 12 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN At least 15 Afghan police officers were killed Thursday in a Taliban attack in Kunduz province, while at least 21 Taliban fighters were killed in an Afghan attack in Wardak province. Elsewhere, Afghan forces are reportedly chasing a Hazara warlord named Alipur. After they tried and failed to capture him in a gun battle … Continue reading World update: October 11 2018

SYRIA Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters earlier this week that the US-Turkish agreement over the Syrian town of Manbij is "not completely dead," which is good news, I guess? The agreement calls for joint Turkish-US military patrols around Manbij but those haven't started yet. The Turks also seem to think it calls for joint … Continue reading Middle East update: October 11 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA Finnish media is reporting that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may meet in Helsinki again next spring. Hey, it was so much fun the first time around, why not? ROMANIA Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor warned at a conference on Wednesday that Russia "is using the Black Sea to project force in the eastern … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: October 10 2018

ASIA ARMENIA Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he'll be tendering his resignation in the next few days, by October 16, with an eye toward holding a snap election in early-mid December. Pashinyan finally seems to have enough parliamentary support to call for a new election, which he's expecting will break the power of Armenia's … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: October 10 2018

ISIS RAND political scientist Colin Clarke argues that despite losing most of its territory, plus the natural resources and tax base that went with it, ISIS is doing OK financially. Its leaders allegedly smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars out of Syria and Iraq before the hammer really came down, its expenses are now pretty … Continue reading Middle East update: October 10 2018