SYRIA I don't want to be Derek Downer about this whole Idlib situation, but it seems to me that when you've got the Russian foreign minister running around talking about the province as a "festering abscess" that "needs to be liquidated," things are probably not heading in a positive direction. This particular festering abscess is … Continue reading Middle East update: August 29 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA I'm sure this is fine. Really, just very OK and normal: Russia is mobilizing for its biggest military exercise since the height of the Cold War, the Kremlin says, citing a tense international climate that is “frequently aggressive and unfriendly towards us.” The exercises, which are set to involve nearly 300,000 Russian troops, … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: August 28 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Secretary of Defense James Mattis seemed to rule out privatizing US military operations in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Of course he's not the guy who would be making that decision. According to the South China Morning Post, Beijing is planning to build a military "training camp" in Afghanistan: Once the camp is completed, the People’s … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: August 28 2018

SYRIA The Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar, which has links to Hezbollah, reported on Tuesday--and an unnamed official in the pro-Bashar al-Assad coalition later acknowledged--that a delegation of US officials visited Damascus in June to meet with Assad's national security adviser, Ali Mamlouk. A couple of anonymous US officials later acknowledged that the US is communicating with Assad's government, … Continue reading Middle East update: August 28 2018

EUROPE UKRAINE A spate of attacks against Roma in Ukraine has raised concerns both about the violence and about the police response: However, police stand accused of failing to protect the Roma from a growing number of ethnically-motivated attacks by far-right groups. In recent months there have been at least eight brutal incidents, with two … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: August 27 2018

ASIA TAJIKISTAN According to Afghan officials, either the Russian or Tajik military conducted airstrikes in northeast Afghanistan's Takhar province on Monday, but whatever did or did not happen there is being lost amid a flurry of denials from just about everybody who might have been involved. The Afghans say that Tajik helicopters or possibly jets … Continue reading Asia/Oceania/Africa update: August 27 2018

SYRIA Well, it sure seems like somebody is fixing to do something in Syria and then somebody else might retaliate in some way for whatever that is. You can fill in the blanks there. Russia has already warned that it has evidence that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is preparing to stage a fake chlorine gas attack … Continue reading Middle East update: August 27 2018

ASIA TAJIKISTAN Artillery fire struck Tajikistan's Khatlon province on Sunday, killing at least two people. Most of the details of the attack remain unclear but it's thought that the shelling came from across the border in Afghanistan. AFGHANISTAN A suicide bomber killed at least seven people outside an electoral commission office in Jalalabad on Saturday. … Continue reading World update: August 25-26 2018

SYRIA The Russian Ministry of Defense warned on Saturday that a "private British contractor" is helping Hayat Tahrir al-Sham prepare a chemical (chlorine) false flag attack in Idlib that would be blamed on the Syrian government. Russia makes these kinds of warnings periodically, and whether you think they're genuine warnings about rebel activity or pre-cover … Continue reading Middle East update: August 25-26 2018

ASIA GEORGIA The hypothetical Republic of South Ossetia will celebrate its tenth year of "independence" on Sunday (Russia recognized said "independence" on August 26, 2008). It's planning a big bash with a lot of high-profile guests: Nicolás Maduro, Bashar al-Assad, Daniel Ortega, the leaders of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. Very high profile, assuming … Continue reading World update: August 24 2018