Syria and Ukraine might be enjoying new, if probably temporary, ceasefires, but as for Libya... Libyan forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar said on Monday they had tightened their control over four major oil ports, casting a Western-backed project to unite Libya and revive oil exports into deep uncertainty. Haftar's forces met little … Continue reading Well, it’s not raining everywhere

We're now two days into the Syrian ceasefire, and despite a few reports of violations, overall the deal seems to be holding together. However, the ceasefire wasn't the goal so much as the means to achieve the goal, which is the alleviation of Syrian suffering. And in that regard there already appear to be some … Continue reading It’s raining ceasefires

I hope you'll forgive the light posting the past couple of days. I'm back at it, but "back at it" has meant writing for LobeLog instead of here. For example, as you know, the annual Hajj took place over the weekend. This year, contrary to most years, there weren't any Iranians making the pilgrimage (at … Continue reading The Saudi-Iran feud gets more ridiculous

I'm really into the "can't write anymore" portion of our August vacation, but I wanted to highlight a piece I posted at LobeLog this morning from former US Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State Herman Cohen, on South Sudan. Usually when we cover South Sudan around here, I try to stick to telling you what's … Continue reading South Sudan’s path out of civil war?

It's hard to find a lighter side to the civil war in Syria, but damned if Russia and Iran haven't given it their best shot over the past couple of weeks. Last week, the Russian government announced that it was flying bombers out of an air base in Hamadan, Iran, against targets in Syria. This … Continue reading The limits of international bromance

I'll let you all in on a little secret: while I've been on "hiatus" this week I've actually been working anyway. I've been guest-editing LobeLog while the regular editor is on vacation, but mostly for the past few days I was working on a piece about recent events in Syria. Over the weekend, Assad's air … Continue reading Turkey is shaking up the whole Syrian civil war right now

It's hard to get a bead on exactly what's happening on the campus of the American University in Kabul right now, but reports from earlier in the day said that one or possibly two gunmen attacked the university after detonating a car bomb at its front gate. At least one civilian has reportedly been killed … Continue reading Attack on American University in Kabul kills at least 16 UPDATED x 2

Although I'm on semi-hiatus for the rest of the month, Saturday's terrorist strike on a wedding in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which killed 54 people at last count, warrants at least a mention. Of those 54 killed, 22 were reportedly under the age of 14. ISIS is the obvious suspect, and the Turkish government … Continue reading Gaziantep’s repercussions

The story of America's war the American-enabled war in Yemen took another twist yesterday, when former Yemeni president and current Houthi ally Ali Abdullah Saleh appeared to invite Russian intervention into the conflict: A newly-formed governing council in Yemen could work with Russia to "fight terrorism" by allowing Moscow use of the war-torn country's military … Continue reading Obama’s most unforced error

My latest at LobeLog is an extended interview with former State Department official Wayne White, talking about the big failure of the war against ISIS. Although ISIS itself is being driven back on almost every front, the underlying condition that facilitated its rise, the disenfranchisement felt by large numbers of Sunni Arabs in both Syria … Continue reading Treating the symptom while the disease festers