NATO Two major NATO exercises took place in Eastern Europe today, the annual BALTOPS naval exercise in the Baltics and the Romanian leg of the alliance's "Noble Jump 2017" exercise. This did not, of course, go without notice from Moscow, whose ambassador to NATO, Alexander Grushko, issued a warning: "NATO countries should understand that all … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: June 1, 2017

ASIA UZBEKISTAN An audio recording has surfaced that appears to include Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev lambasting his deputy prime minister, Rustam Azimov, who may or may not have been present. This seems to be another sign that Azimov, who was expected to be part of a ruling triumvirate with Mirziyoyev and Uzbek intelligence chief Rustam Inoyatov after … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: June 1 2017

ISRAEL-PALESTINE The US embassy in Israel is...staying put, in Tel Aviv, for the foreseeable future. After making a big campaign deal about moving the embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing that city as Israel's capital, President Donald Trump today issued the same national security wavier that every president since 1995 has issued to keep the embassy … Continue reading Middle East update: June 1 2017

WELL, WE HAD A...RUN Via Axios, Donald Trump is reportedly, and unsurprisingly, about to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Or if you prefer visual representations of your world news, he's about to do this: https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/869930895821725696 Without disparaging Nicaragua and, ah, Syria, I'm not sure that's the best company for the … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: May 31 2017

AFGHANISTAN This morning's bombing in Kabul, news of which just started to break as I wrapped up last night, was, perhaps unsurprisingly, far deadlier than initial reports seemed to suggest. The most recent updates I've seen, like this one from the BBC, put the death toll at 90, and it's been steadily climbing throughout the day … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: May 31 2017

SYRIA Hopefully I'm wrong here, but it seems to me that--without getting a lot of attention--the potential for a dramatic escalation in southern Syria is growing by the day. Here's the latest tiptoe in the direction of what could be a very dangerous line: Western-backed Syrian rebels said on Wednesday that Russian jets attacked them as … Continue reading Middle East update: May 31 2017

MISSILE DEFENSE Well, this might actually be good news: The US military has successfully carried out its first-ever missile defense test involving a simulated attack by an intercontinental ballistic missile, in a major milestone for a program meant to defend against a mounting North Korean threat. The US military fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-type … Continue reading World update: May 30 2017

IRAQ Yesterday evening's bombing in Baghdad was the first of several that have struck the Iraqi capital over the past 24 hours. The attack yesterday, targeting a popular ice cream shop in central Baghdad, has killed 17 people so far and I'm not sure if any of the wounded are still in critical condition. This morning, … Continue reading Middle East update: May 30 2017

THE TRUMP EFFECT Donald Trump just returned from an extended trip in Europe, where he attended a meeting of NATO heads of state and then the G7 summit in Sicily. It...didn't go very well: Body language aside, there was much else to marvel at. In his speech at Nato’s new headquarters – the cost of … Continue reading Europe update: May 27-29 2017

PHILIPPINES The Philippine military says that it's "close" to defeating a group of ISIS-aligned militants who have dug themselves in to part of the southern city of Marawi over the past week. Over 100 people have been killed in the fighting, most of them Maute Group fighters, and of course there's no way to tell … Continue reading Asia/Africa/Americas update: May 27-29 2017