Conflict update: January 3 2017

Happy New Year, everybody! I had some grand vision of leaping right back into blogging today, but some car trouble (a false alarm, luckily) and a little "I need a vacation from my vacation" syndrome combined to stifle most of those plans. It is a new year though, so I assume that all the bad … Continue reading Conflict update: January 3 2017

Conflict update: December 27 2016

This may be mercifully (for all of us) short tonight. World War III Senator John McCain (R-WEBOMBINGANYONEYET) went to Estonia today and said some words about America's commitment to NATO and protecting its Baltic members from possible Russian aggression. He was trying to reassure the Baltic states in advance of Donald Trump's inauguration, Trump having … Continue reading Conflict update: December 27 2016

Today in Central Asian history: the Soviets invade Afghanistan (1979)

For a while Americans mostly viewed the Soviet-Afghan War positively, as the Beginning Of The End for the Soviet Union, and while there may still be something to that, I imagine most of us think of it a bit differently nowadays. The plucky Mujahideen who earned America's support and admiration for their brave fight against … Continue reading Today in Central Asian history: the Soviets invade Afghanistan (1979)

Conflict update: December 26 2016

Israel The fallout from Friday's UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's illegal annexation of occupied Palestinian territory continued all weekend. Benjamin Netanyahu's government began by summoning the ambassadors of the 12 security council members who voted in favor of the resolution and with which Israel has relations (Venezuela and Malaysia also voted yes but don't … Continue reading Conflict update: December 26 2016