You know how there's been a concern that the U.S. air campaign in Syria could drive ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra into some kind of alliance? Well, about that: Militant leaders from the Islamic State group and al-Qaida gathered at a farm house in northern Syria last week and agreed on a plan to stop fighting … Continue reading ISIS and Nusra and bears, oh my!

Turns out our friend "Caliph" Ibrahim is still among the living: An audio recording of the speech by the leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was distributed online, along with Arabic, English and Russian transcripts. It was first reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, a jihadist monitoring organization. Mr. Baghdadi’s speech appeared to end days of rumors … Continue reading Well it was a nice thought

This is a month-old story, but Zack Beauchamp just referenced it in a Vox piece today, so it's worth looking at. After the last round of nuclear talks concluded in Vienna last month, the top Russian negotiator told reporters that there was "no consensus" on the final disposition of the heavy-water reactor (and plutonium proliferation … Continue reading Iran talks: Arak reportedly still a sticking point, but who’s stuck?

Hey, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead! Well, maybe, I mean. U.S. airstrikes on al-Qaʾim, Iraq, on Sunday reportedly "seriously wounded" or possibly even "killed" the erstwhile Caliph Ibrahim, though it should go without saying that reports like these are the definition of sketchy and shouldn't be given too much weight without reliable confirmation. He's definitely … Continue reading ISIS is losing, whether its leader is dead or not

The ostensible leader of the Democratic Party just completed what must fairly be called a historic agreement with China over climate change: According to the plan, the United States will reduce carbon emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, nearly twice the existing target—without imposing new restrictions on power plants or vehicles. Tuesday's announcement … Continue reading Does the Democratic Party have an environmental message at this point?

This is pretty freaking cool: "This is a big step for human civilisation," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, the director-general of the European Space Agency (Esa). Shortly after the touchdown was confirmed, Stephan Ulamec, the mission's lander chief, said: "Philae is talking to us... we are on the comet." The first pictures from the surface have already … Continue reading People managed to land a probe on a comet without destroying either the probe or the comet

Mexico is off the beat for this place, and I can't offer much beyond linking to a couple of worthwhile pieces, but what's happening in the south Mexican city of Iguala is so utterly shocking that it merits some attention anyway. In September, 43 students of a teachers college in the nearby village of Ayotzinapa … Continue reading Unspeakable horror fueling Mexico protests

I'm not officially back to this blogging business until tomorrow, but the news that America has agreed to allow Russia to annex Ukraine in return for Russian cooperation over the Iran nuclear talks is too big to ignore: It goes like this. Vladimir Putin’s Russia makes nice over an Iran nuclear deal. It is helpful … Continue reading Quid pro d’oh

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, and the U.A.E. (Jordan and Algeria too, if they want) are in talks to form a rapid reaction(ary) force that could be deployed anywhere in the region where an individual gets the crazy idea that he or she ought to be able to speak openly or even have a say in … Continue reading The Middle East’s answer to a question nobody asked

I'm inexplicably late on this (I just kept writing about other stuff instead), but the New York Times reported Monday that negotiators are putting together a compromise framework for the nuclear deal that would allow Iran to keep more of its centrifuges active while requiring it to ship all or nearly all of its stockpiled … Continue reading More positive news on the Iran nuclear talks?