IRAQ There's been a bit of ISIS activity in Ninewa province over the past couple of days--for example, ISIS forces in Tal Afar unsuccessfully attacked a couple of villages outside that city, undoubtedly an attempt to forestall the coming Iraqi operation there. The Tal Afar operation should begin fairly soon and is unlikely to be … Continue reading Middle East update: August 3-4 2017

EUROPE RUSSIA As expected--he really didn't have much choice considering Congress could've and would've overridden his veto--President Trump signed into law a bill levying sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korean on Wednesday. While I would argue that the bill has greater ramifications with respect to Iran--it designates the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: August 2 2017

ASIA TURKMENISTAN Here in America we're just getting used to having a man-child president who likes to play with cool toys and do real manly stuff to show what a big boy he is. This kind of thing: https://twitter.com/deadspin/status/845010027551244288 Needless to say, though, on this score we're way behind a number of other nations in … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: August 2 2017

IRAQ The main issue in Mosul and the rest of Ninewa province continues to be security. ISIS no longer controls any part of Mosul but it still has cells throughout the province, and of course there are other criminal matters (reprisal killings, for example) that require a stable police force of some kind. But Baghdad … Continue reading Middle East update: August 2 2017

You may have noticed that I've been away for a couple of weeks. While I'm absolutely not going to try to catch you up on everything that's happened while I've been away, I will be interspersing the usual daily news with a few stories that developed over that time. EUROPE RUSSIA On Sunday, Russian President … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: August 1 2017

You may have noticed that I've been away for a couple of weeks. While I'm absolutely not going to try to catch you up on everything that's happened while I've been away, I will be interspersing the usual daily news with a few stories that developed over that time. ASIA AFGHANISTAN At least 29 people … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: August 1 2017

You may have noticed that I've been away for a couple of weeks. While I'm absolutely not going to try to catch you up on everything that's happened while I've been away, I will be interspersing the usual daily news with a few stories that developed over that time. IRAQ Combat operations in western Mosul … Continue reading Middle East update: August 1 2017

EUROPE CYPRUS Although reunification talks collapsed last week, observers say there are positives to take away from the negotiations. For one thing, Turkey showed more flexibility on the issue of its future military role on the island (there are reports they actually offered to give up any right to intervene to protect Turkish Cypriots, though … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: July 12-13 2017

ASIA GEORGIA It's nice to see, centuries after it was founded, that Russia is still finding ways to keep the empire growing: Just before President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin’s tête-à-tête at the G-20 on July 7, Russia quietly annexed “about 10 hectares” of Georgian territory on behalf of the Republic of South Ossetia, a … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: July 12-13 2017

IRAQ A number of things are happening on parallel tracks in Mosul. Most urgently, Iraqi forces are still mopping up pockets of ISIS holdouts and responding to multiple ISIS attacks on villages around Mosul. The village of Jaran was attacks on Wednesday and ISIS fighters still hold most of the village of Imam al-Gharbi. Many … Continue reading Middle East update: July 12-13 2017