EUROPE The European Union wants to put migrant processing centers in Africa to screen candidates before they attempt to cross the Mediterranean. While in one sense the objective is commendable--screening people out before they risk drowning at sea rather than after they've already risked it--in another sense this is an effort to outsource immigrations and … Continue reading Europe/Americas: June 21 2018

ASIA UZBEKISTAN Voice of America's Navbahor Imamova believes that the US should help bolster what increasingly appears to be a genuine reform effort underway in Uzbekistan: Americans stand to benefit from progress in the largest country in Central Asia. Just north of war-torn Afghanistan, a successful Uzbekistan would be a more reliable partner, not just in … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: June 21 2018

SYRIA Syrian artillery struck more targets in the rebel-held southwest on Thursday, and it seems as though Bashar al-Assad has finally committed to that area as his next target. Thousands of civilians have reportedly begun fleeing parts of Daraa province in anticipating of a government offensive there. The Syrian military appears to be focusing its … Continue reading Middle East update: June 21 2018

WORLD REFUGEE DAY John Feffer has some thoughts about how the world is treating refugees on World Refugee Day: This week, as the international community marks World Refugee Day, 22.5 million people have fled their countries to seek refuge elsewhere. In 2016, a mere 189,000 were resettled. That’s less than 1 percent. It’s as if … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: June 20 2018

ASIA KAZAKHSTAN The chair of Kazakhstan's Senate (who functions sort of as a vice president), Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, told the BBC on Wednesday that incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev will not stand in the country's 2020 election. Considering that Nazarbayev has been Kazakh president since 1990, that's kind of a big deal if true. Tokayev stressed that he was only expressing … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: June 20 2018

SYRIA The escalation in government bombardments in southwestern Syria reportedly has the Jordanian government concerned. Amman would desperately like to see its main border crossing with Syria reopened to facilitate commercial traffic, but it wants a peaceful solution to the situation to avoid either a new influx of displaced Syrians heading for the Jordanian border … Continue reading Middle East update: June 20 2018

We're a little early today because in addition to being Juneteenth we also have a family birthday to celebrate. I'll catch you all up tomorrow. ASIA AFGHANISTAN Taliban fighters killed at least four people in a Tuesday morning attack on police and military checkpoints in Kunduz province. In case you weren't sure if the ceasefire … Continue reading World update: June 19 2018

We're a little early today because in addition to being Juneteenth we also have a family birthday to celebrate. I'll catch you all up tomorrow. SYRIA The Syrian army is once again dropping leaflets on southwestern Syria asking civilians to expel the rebels who currently control most of Daraa province and part of Quneitra province. … Continue reading Middle East update: June 19 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may be holding a summit in the next few weeks. Rumor has it that they're looking at a meeting in Vienna while Trump is in Europe prior to a July 11-12 NATO meeting in Brussels. Meanwhile, the Federation of American Scientists says that satellite imagery shows Russia "hardening" … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: June 16-18 2018

ASIA GEORGIA Former Georgian Finance Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze is the country's new prime minister. He was named on Monday to replace Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who resigned last week over disagreements with their Georgian Dream party leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Bakhtadze plans to shrink the Georgian government--quite explicitly, from 14 ministries to 11. He's also looking to integrate Georgia into … Continue reading Asia/Oceania/Africa update: June 16-18 2018