EUROPE NATO More stories are coming out about Trump's behavior at last weeks NATO summit and they're everything you imagined they might be: On "CBS This Morning" Monday, Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group and a CBS News senior global affairs contributor, said that backstage at the NATO meeting there were elements that were … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: July 16 2018

ASIAAZERBAIJAN Azerbaijani authorities' response to the recent attempted murder of Ganja mayor Elmar Veliyev is bordering on the totally incoherent: Although the details of the case remain murky, the authorities were quick to blame “Islamic extremists” for the crime. They pointed to Yunis Safarov as a main suspect. Safarov is a Russian citizen of Azerbaijani … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: July 16 2018

SYRIA The Syrian offensive in Quneitra proceeded apace on Monday, with the Syrians capturing al-Haara hill, a strategic vista that overlooks the Golan. It used to be the site of a Syrian radar installation to track anything coming across the border from Israel. In Manbij, meanwhile, Turkey is complaining that the YPG hasn't actually evacuated the … Continue reading Middle East update: July 16 2018

EUROPE On his way to Finland to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump once again made his feelings about the European Union very clear: In an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor Jeff Glor in Scotland on Saturday, President Trump named the European Union -- comprising some of America's oldest allies -- when … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: July 14-15 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN ISIS claimed responsibility for a bombing on Sunday that killed at least seven people near the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development building in Kabul. The day before, a likely Taliban attack on a military checkpoint in Farah province, which began late Friday night, ended with at least 11 Afghan soldiers dead, and a … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: July 14-15 2018

SYRIA Late Sunday, Syrian state media reported that Israeli missiles struck a Syrian military base outside of Aleppo. No word on any casualties. Having secured most of Daraa province, the Syria military began the second phase of its offensive in southwestern Syria over the weekend in neighboring Quneitra province. Russian planes bombed rebel targets in … Continue reading Middle East update: July 14-15 2018

MIDDLE EAST SYRIA In what was incredibly only the second most heinous atrocity story of the day (see Pakistan, below) a Thursday airstrike on the Syrian village of al-Soussa, near al-Bukamel, reportedly killed at least 54 people, at least 28 of them civilians. This was likely a US airstrike--the anti-ISIS coalition has admitted that it … Continue reading World update: July 13 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN A likely Taliban attack on a military post in Kunduz province killed at least 15 Afghan soldiers on Thursday, though some estimates had the toll as high as 30. A separate likely Taliban attack on a police checkpoint in Farah province left four police officers dead. Additionally, a US service member died of … Continue reading World update: July 12 2018

SYRIA The Syrian military seized the city of Daraa on Thursday, symbolically flying the Syrian flag in the middle of town in commemoration. Daraa is an important tactical victory--you can't control southwestern Syria without it, obviously. But it may be an even bigger symbolic victory, because it was in Daraa in the spring of 2011 … Continue reading Middle East update: July 12 2018