SYRIA Winter weather is battering Syrian refugees in Lebanon, many of whom live in ramshackle camps in the flood-prone Bekaa Valley. More than 1500 refugees had to be resettled on Friday after rain and snow earlier in the week caused their camps to flood, and many more were bracing for another storm over the weekend. … Continue reading Middle East update: January 12-13 2019

EUROPE ESTONIA The Estonian government has for some time been concerned about the possibility that Vladimir Putin might make a move against its predominantly Russian east a la Crimea. In order to help develop that part of the country and keep the people there happy, the Estonian government has begun investing in the arts in … Continue reading Europe/Americas: January 11 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Ashraf Ghani made wholesale changes in his national security cabinet last month, installing former intelligence boss Amrullah Saleh as interior minister and putting new people in charge of the defense ministry and the High Peace Council. The point, with momentum building behind peace talks between the Taliban and US that threaten to leave … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 11 2019

SYRIA We'll start with the story that came out late in the day, which is that Syrian air defenses have once again fired on targets over Damascus. The Syrian government later identified them as Israeli missiles, some of which struck a warehouse at Damascus International Airport. Syrian authorities did not announce any casualties. But reports … Continue reading Middle East update: January 11 2019

WORLD BANK When it comes to the two main international institutions responsible for immiserating the developing world, the US and Western Europe have always shared responsibility. Though both positions are technically open to anyone from anywhere, the head of the International Monetary Fund historically has come from Europe, and the head of the World Bank … Continue reading World update: January 10 2019

SYRIA Hayat Tahrir al-Sham extended its conquest of Idlib province on Thursday, forcing Turkish-backed elements of the Free Syrian Army to surrender and accept an HTS-led "civilian" administration--the so-called "Salvation Government"--over areas that HTS took from the FSA earlier this week. The bigger HTS's footprint gets, the likelier it will provoke a confrontation with Syria … Continue reading Middle East update: January 10 2019

EUROPE REPUBLIC OF NORTH (?) MACEDONIA/GREECE The Macedonian parliament will spend the rest of this week debating the constitutional amendments that would change the country's name to "Republic of North Macedonia" ahead of a final vote on the switch presumably either late Friday or maybe over the weekend. The amendments are expected to pass despite … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 9 2019

ASIA AZERBAIJAN They're small, but there have been some signals from Baku lately suggesting that Azerbaijani officials see an opening to improve relations with Armenia under (still relatively new) Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: Senior Azerbaijani officials have been making unusually positive statements in recent weeks. In December, President Ilham Aliyev tweeted that “The year 2019 … Continue reading Asia/Oceania/Africa update: January 9 2019

SYRIA Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that the US is leaving Syria whether or not Turkey agrees not to attack the Kurdish YPG militia once the withdrawal is completed. This is pretty much a complete contradiction of what John Bolton has been saying, though Pompeo did add that the US would nevertheless ensure the … Continue reading Middle East update: January 9 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN A bombing in the city of Khost killed at least two people on Tuesday and injured at least 23 more. The Taliban is likely responsible. Speaking of which, the Taliban said on Tuesday that it's canceled planned talks with US representatives in Qatar that were supposed to begin on Wednesday. The group is refusing … Continue reading World update: January 8 2019