OK, so...this could get long. Sorry. That's what happens when I'm away for a few days. #ThanksTrump I almost feel like I should start each of these with a quick roundup of the miscellaneous ways Donald Trump is fucking up around the world. For example: When President Trump makes a formal state visit to the … Continue reading Conflict update: February 7 2017

Hey, so I'm not all the way back into blogging, but I'm back enough to post this very partial roundup of world news, with more to come tomorrow. There's no particular rhyme or reason to what I've summarized here, it's just whatever I had done when the clock hit 11:56 or whatever time it is … Continue reading Conflict update: February 6, 2017

This is likely the last one of these for at least a couple of days, for a couple of different reasons that I'll explain in a post tomorrow. Trumptopia I feel like the frenzy of alternately draconian and idiotic foreign policymaking that has marked the first three (almost) weeks of Donald Trump's presidency is overwhelming. … Continue reading Conflict Update: February 3 2017

Iran Reuters is reporting that the Trump administration will impose new sanctions on several Iranian entities, perhaps as soon as tomorrow. Whatever their rhetoric about the nuclear deal, it's clear that Trump's people have come into office looking for an excuse to take an action like this, to quickly get back to the days when … Continue reading Conflict update: February 2 2017

Iran If the Trump administration accomplishes nothing else in its (hopefully only) four years in office, provoking a war with Iran seems to be at the top of its bucket list. How else do you explain the National Security Advisor taking the podium at a White House press briefing and doing this: “Recent Iranian actions, … Continue reading Conflict update: February 1 2017

After yesterday's marathon catch-up session, I'm going to try to keep this one relatively short. Ukraine Fighting in and around the town of Avdiivka, in the northern part of Donetsk, has reached a level serious enough to move the UN Security Council to express its collective "grave concern." At least eight people were reportedly killed … Continue reading Conflict update: January 31 2017

Iraq Purely by coincidence, my absence from regular blogging coincided with the planned lull in the Mosul operation. With eastern Mosul having been liberated just before I checked out, the Iraqis have been laying the groundwork for the eventual assault on the western half of the city. Iraq forces have been actively liberating villages north … Continue reading Conflict update: January 30 2017