ASIA AFGHANISTAN The Russian government has reportedly been in contact with several Afghan political leaders, including former President Hamid Karzai, to try to bring them to Moscow for peace talks with the Taliban. This is...pretty inappropriate, to be honest, and current President Ashraf Ghani is justifiably pissed that the Russians are basically trying to bypass … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: November 2 2018

SYRIA According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Syrian government shelling killed at least eight people on Friday in the town of Jarjanaz, inside the demilitarized zone in Idlib province. Government forces and some rebel groups in the province--Hayat Tahrir al-Sham being most prominent among them--have continued a low-level exchange of fire in and around … Continue reading Middle East update: November 2 2018

MIGRATION Thanks to assholes like Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, and Matteo Salvini, the global discussion about migration generally revolves around how supposedly dangerous and destabilizing they are. But it's worth considering just how desperate migrants have to be when the act of migrating is as dangerous as it is: An Associated Press tally has documented … Continue reading World update: November 1 2018

SYRIA US and Turkish forces finally began their joint patrols north of Manbij on Thursday. Reuters reported that at least one joint patrol was sighted about 20 kilometers outside the town. It's unclear whether the Turks are going to push to extend these patrols into Manbij itself, but the Kurdish council running the town has … Continue reading Middle East update: November 1 2018