EUROPE RUSSIA The Russian government is casting doubt on ISIS's claims that it was behind a December 31 explosion in an apartment building in the city of Magnitogorsk. That explosion, which killed 39 people, was most likely caused by a gas leak--Russian infrastructure is generally quite old and in varying states of disrepair--but the terror … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 18 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN The list of challengers to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for July's presidential election is beginning to take shape: On Friday, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, a powerful former national security adviser who parted ways with the government in August, became the most serious challenger to formally join the race so far. He vowed to “save … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 18 2019

SYRIA An airstrike on the eastern Syrian town of Baghouz on Friday killed at least 20 people according to Syrian state media, 23 according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The anti-ISIS coalition (i.e., the US) is presumably responsible. The SOHR says that ten of the dead were ISIS but the rest were civilians … Continue reading Middle East update: January 18 2019

EUROPE RUSSIA At LobeLog, Mark Katz wonders if the US withdrawal from Syria is helping push Gulf states toward Russia: Moscow, of course, is very pleased that, because of the potential U.S. withdrawal from Syria and the fear of what Iran may do there afterward, Gulf Arabs are more likely to view the Russian presence … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 17 2019

ASIA ARMENIA The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met on Wednesday in Paris and apparently--somewhat incredibly--had an extremely positive discussion: Following the meeting, the official statement included several unusual elements that cheered advocates for peace between the two sides. “Here is the most positive statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in a very long … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 17 2019

SYRIA In the wake of Wednesday's suicide bombing in Manbij, the Syrian Democratic Forces on Thursday promised to "escalate our military operations" to defeat ISIS and root out sleeper cells. That effort is likely to be hindered if the US proceeds with withdrawing from Syria as Donald Trump appears to want, and if you think … Continue reading Middle East update: January 17 2019

CLIMATE CHANGESo the good news is that the Trump administration has its very own plan to deal with climate change, one that will replace that dummy Barack Obama's climate plan. Which is fine, Obama's climate plan wasn't nearly as drastic as the situation requires. The problem, though, is that Donald Trump's plan to deal with … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 16 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Afghan Taliban leaders say they're taking pressure from Pakistani authorities to reengage in peace talks with the United States and ultimately the Afghan government. One senior Taliban commander was reportedly arrested in Peshawar by the Pakistanis over the weekend (he was later released) and Taliban safehouses in Pakistan have apparently been targeted by … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 16 2019

SYRIAIn an attack that could have major ramifications for US Syria policy, an ISIS suicide bomber on Wednesday struck a military patrol in Manbij. There are multiple conflicting casualty reports but at least 16 people appear to have been killed in the blast and likely more than that, with at least four of them being … Continue reading Middle East update: January 16 2019

EUROPE EUROPEAN UNION US and European Union negotiators will begin talking about trade issues later this year, but it already looks like they're going to have a pretty rough time reaching an accord: The EU’s executive body will meet Tuesday to firm up the bloc’s parameters for talks expected to launch later this year. It … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 15 2019