EUROPE GERMANY The Social Democrats took a step closer to forming a governing coalition with Angela Merkel's conservative alliance on Monday...by compromising their environmental policies! GREAT! Germany’s would-be coalition partners have agreed to drop plans to lower carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, sources familiar with negotiations said on Monday … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 8 2018

ASIA MYANMAR The trial of two Reuters journalists accused of revealing state secrets under a colonial-era law is set to begin this week. The use of regressive laws to stifle the press is not going over well with activists: Critics and rights groups say that in some respects, press freedom in Myanmar is more restrictive … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 8 2018

SYRIA The Syrian army and friends captured 14 villages from rebels in Idlib province on Monday, bringing them closer to the Abu al-Duhur airbase. No word on casualties. Meanwhile, the Russian military now says that both its air and naval bases in Latakia province came under drone attack over the weekend--13 drones, to be precise. … Continue reading Middle East update: January 8 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Reuters has conducted an interview with Atta Muhammad Nur, who remains governor of Balkh even though President Ashraf Ghani, uh, "accepted" his "resignation" almost three weeks ago. While there's every reason to believe that Atta Muhammad Nur is neck deep in corruption in his Balkh fiefdom, he argues--and he's probably not wrong--that Ghani … Continue reading World update: January 6-7 2018

SYRIA The fighting in Idlib province continues to intensify, and at this point I think we can officially scrap any notion of "deescalation." For now the Syrian army's goal remains the Abu al-Duhur airbase (they're nearly there after capturing the village of Sinjar over the weekend), though they also want to take the eastern part of … Continue reading Middle East update: January 6-7 2018

ASIA GEORGIA Georgian President-turned-Ukrainian governor-turned stateless pariah Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison by a Georgian court on Friday, for abuse of his pardon power during his tenure as president. You've heard the saying "you can't go home again"? In Saakashvili's case it's literally true. PAKISTAN The Trump administration clarified … Continue reading World update: January 5 2018

SYRIA Utilizing its total airpower advantage, the Syrian army has pushed deep enough into southern Idlib province that it's approaching the strategic Abu al-Duhur airbase, which could serve as a forward base for an ongoing push through the province. The airbase is on the eastern edge of the province so it's not like Syrian soldiers are … Continue reading Middle East update: January 5 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN At least 20 people were killed in Kabul on Thursday when an ISIS suicide bomber struck a crowd of police monitoring a protest in the Afghan capital. A Russian news outlet reported on Thursday that China is financing the construction and operation of a new Afghan military base in the northern province of Badakhshan. … Continue reading World update: January 4 2018

IRAQ Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is apparently going to try some sleight of hand in an effort to disarm and cut the size of the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Units: Abadi’s plan envisages taking back the militias’ heavy weapons and cutting their strength by half, according to military and intelligence sources.   The army is … Continue reading Middle East update: January 4 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Indiana University's Nazif Shahrani argues that one of Afghanistan's problems is that the office of the president, regardless of who holds it, is too powerful: The 2004 Afghan constitution invests the president with more powers than former Afghan kings had before the republican period. Among them is the power to appoint all government officials, … Continue reading World update: January 3 2018