Iraq I should have mentioned this days ago, but if you're looking for really nitty gritty information about the Mosul offensive, like which specific villages and neighborhoods Iraqi forces have liberated, Joel Wing's "Musings on Iraq" blog is the place to go. He gets into those details, whereas I tend to stick to more macro … Continue reading Conflict update: November 13
Author: DWD
writer, blogger, lover, fighter
Conflict update, November 11
Here's a big update on events in the greater MENA region to punish you and/or make up for the fact that I've gone a little dark around here since Donald Trump was elected. Iraq Iraqi federal police, are in the process of entering Mosul from the south. This will put them in position to advance … Continue reading Conflict update, November 11
Let the madness end
Like most of the rest of the world, I am being emotionally held hostage by the presidential elections, so I hope you'll forgive me if things aren't very active around here today. I should be writing a piece for pay, but I can't even focus well enough to do that and there's potentially some money … Continue reading Let the madness end
Saying all the right things
It's going to be another day with me mostly away from the blog, sorry, but in the interim you should enjoy my friend Brendan James's profile of natsec "expert" Robert Caruso. Caruso is, apparently, a Navy veteran with impressive credentials: Which brings us to the strange case of Robert Caruso, a young, intense, and charismatic … Continue reading Saying all the right things
Conflict update, November 6
Oh, hi there. Been a while, huh? Sorry. Sometimes you just need a break, or a decent night's sleep, or in my case both. Here are the latest updates from all the various places in the greater MENA region where people are currently killing each other, or thinking about killing each other: Syria The big … Continue reading Conflict update, November 6
Conflict update, November 2
Iraq Let's start in Mosul, where the possibility of an Iraq-Turkey war immediately following the conclusion of the Iraq-ISIS war got considerably bigger today, when it became clear that Turkey has been deploying what sure looks like an invasion force along its Iraqi border. Ankara insists that it's just preparing for "eventualities," like, I guess, … Continue reading Conflict update, November 2
The craziest thing you’ll read, well, maybe ever
Apologies for the late content; it's been a busy day culminating in a vet visit for our dog--she needed to get pre-op blood work done before she gets...fixed (don't tell her). In lieu of anything new and exciting from me, I'm going to steer you to what is honestly one of the nuttiest stories I've … Continue reading The craziest thing you’ll read, well, maybe ever
Conflict update, November 1
Syria Syria's parent corporation, Russia, decreed today that peace talks are on hold "indefinitely," citing Moscow's strong desire to blow a whole bunch more shit up the West's failure to separate the good rebels from the bad rebels: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday a Western failure to rein in violent Islamists in … Continue reading Conflict update, November 1
Nothing is coming up Nigeria
Earlier today a car bomb killed eight or nine people near the northeastern Nigerian town of Gubio, in that country's Borno state. On the plus side, it appears that the carnage was confined to the bombers themselves, who were apparently attempting to strike a military checkpoint when their bomb went off. On the minus side, … Continue reading Nothing is coming up Nigeria
Conflict update, October 31
This is a very Halloween-shortened edition; I wouldn't have even bothered except that there are a couple of developments worth noting. Syria The Syrian government is saying that 84 people have been killed in three days since the rebels began attacking western Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which may have some sympathies toward … Continue reading Conflict update, October 31
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 