SYRIA Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is back on its bullshit in and around Idlib province. The former al-Qaeda affiliate has been on the offensive against the so-called National Army, the latest moniker for Turkey's rebel proxy force. On Tuesday it reportedly captured four villages in the al-Ghab plain in western Hama province, and there's no sign … Continue reading Middle East update: January 8 2019

Welcome back! As always after an extended break, we will not be recapping everything that happened while I was gone. If I've missed a story you think is important, you can always drop me a line and let me know. EUROPE RUSSIA At Eurasianet, Igor Torbakov argues that despite their recent Era of Good Feelings, … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 7 2019

Welcome back! As always after an extended break, we will not be recapping everything that happened while I was gone. If I've missed a story you think is important, you can always drop me a line and let me know. ASIA AFGHANISTAN At least 27 people were killed across Afghanistan from late Sunday into Monday. … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 7 2019

Welcome back! As always after an extended break, we will not be recapping everything that happened while I was gone. If I've missed a story you think is important, you can always drop me a line and let me know. ISIS Terrorism analysts say that recently acquired evidence shows that ISIS, despite losing its territorial … Continue reading Middle East update: January 7 2019

Tonight's updates will unfortunately have to be our last of 2018. I had hoped to continue for a couple more days before breaking for the holidays but between holiday plans, travel plans, and other commitments my attention and stress levels have reached the breaking point. Owing in part to a strange winter break schedule for … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: December 18 2018

Tonight's updates will unfortunately have to be our last of 2018. I had hoped to continue for a couple more days before breaking for the holidays but between holiday plans, travel plans, and other commitments my attention and stress levels have reached the breaking point. Owing in part to a strange winter break schedule for … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: December 18 2018

Tonight's updates will unfortunately have to be our last of 2018. I had hoped to continue for a couple more days before breaking for the holidays but between holiday plans, travel plans, and other commitments my attention and stress levels have reached the breaking point. Owing in part to a strange winter break schedule for … Continue reading Middle East update: December 18 2018

EUROPE POLAND The European Court of Justice upheld its own interim ruling on Monday ordering the Polish government to immediately suspend a law, passed in April, that lowers the mandatory retirement age for Polish judges from 70 to 65. Poland's right-wing government pushed that law through in order to purge the judiciary of uncooperative judges … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: December 17 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Taliban representatives met with negotiators from the US, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in the UAE on Monday. Which was nice. But they refused to meet with representatives of the Afghan government. Which was not so nice. These negotiations between the Taliban and the US are a welcome development, and … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: December 17 2018

SYRIA Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that his country's planned offensive in northern Syria could begin "at any moment," and while Erdoğan tends to, let's say, exaggerate from time to time, if this offensive is coming it's going to come soon. Turkey's going to lose a lot of leverage with the US if it waits to … Continue reading Middle East update: December 17 2018