SYRIA BREAKING: All the stuff below is still good, it's still good! But this should probably take precedence: U.S. aircraft carried out rare, retaliatory strikes in Syria’s Deir al-Zor province on Wednesday against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after they attacked U.S.-backed fighters’ headquarters there, U.S. officials said.   No U.S. troops embedded with … Continue reading Middle East update: February 7 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA It was reported earlier this week that Russia has moved some nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, which raised some eyebrows at, among other places, NATO. On Tuesday, the Kremlin politely reminded everybody that what it does with its missiles on its territory is its business, nobody else's. And that's fair, but sticking potential nukes … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: February 6 2018

ASIA PAKISTAN Thousands of young Pashtuns have been protesting in Pakistan for the past week, triggered in part by the killing of a Pashtun man named Naqeebullah Mehsud by a police officer (now turned fugitive) in Karachi last month. It seems his killing was the last straw for many Pashtuns tired of being denied basic rights … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: February 6 2018

SYRIA The United Nations is calling for a general monthlong ceasefire in Syria, and given how quickly the violence there has escalated in recent weeks it's not hard to see why. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that at least 47 people were killed in government bombardments of Ghouta on Tuesday, after 30 were … Continue reading Middle East update: February 6 2018

ASIA AZERBAIJAN Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has decided to move October's presidential election up to April even though the chances of him losing, regardless of the date, are only slightly greater than the chances of me signing a long-term deal to play in the NBA. Aliyev may be looking to hold the vote before any … Continue reading World update: February 5 2018

SYRIA Russian and Syrian airstrikes pummeled Idlib province on Moday, with dozens of strikes reported but no casualty figures as yet. Even if the Russians didn't intend, in their various peace initiatives, to sucker Syrian rebel groups and their supporters into Idlib only so as to get them in one place and make it easier … Continue reading Middle East update: February 5 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Afghan election officials say they're ready to hold parliamentary elections but that they likely won't be able to do so until at least October due to security concerns. And hey, there's no rush. Technically they don't need to hold this vote until, uh, [checks notes] July 2015. So they have plenty of time. … Continue reading World update: February 3-4 2018

SYRIA Obviously the weekend's big news was the downing of a Russian Sukhoi SU-25 aircraft over Idlib province on Saturday. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham claimed credit for the shoot down and for killing the pilot, who bailed out and made it to the ground but was killed in a subsequent firefight. Assuming HTS did shoot the plane … Continue reading Middle East update: February 3-4 2018

EUROPE UKRAINE Al Jazeera reports on the largely ignored plight of Crimean Tatars, who never wanted the Russian annexation and have been paying for it ever since: The Kremlin praises Crimea's "comeback to Russia" as bloodless and voluntary.   But a day before the March 18, 2014 "referendum", Tatar activist Reshat Ametov was found dead … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: February 1-2 2018

ASIA AZERBAIJAN Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is going to run for a fourth term in October. I know you were all wondering if he would so I thought I'd let you know. AFGHANISTAN An American drone strike in Ghazni province earlier this week reportedly struck a Taliban "meeting" and killed at least 26 of the group's … Continue reading Asia/Oceania/Africa update: February 1-2 2018