ASIA GEORGIA Former Georgian Finance Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze is the country's new prime minister. He was named on Monday to replace Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who resigned last week over disagreements with their Georgian Dream party leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Bakhtadze plans to shrink the Georgian government--quite explicitly, from 14 ministries to 11. He's also looking to integrate Georgia into … Continue reading Asia/Oceania/Africa update: June 16-18 2018

SYRIA Syrian and Iraqi paramilitary groups say that the US-led coalition attacked them late Sunday night. The groups say that drones, which they believe to belong to the US, struck a Syrian military base near the border town of al-Harra, southeast of al-Bukamal, at around 10 PM. The Iraqis claim the attack killed 22 of … Continue reading Middle East update: June 16-18 2018

Eid Mubarak! ASIAUZBEKISTAN Maybe Uzbekistan isn't at the top of your world tourism list. I get that. Parts of the country are supposed to be amazing, like Samarkand. On the other hand, their last president had that whole "boiling people to death" thing happening. But if the change in leadership hasn't convinced you to check … Continue reading World update: June 15 2018

Eid Mubarak! ARMS SALES This isn't strictly about the Middle East, but since it probably affects this region more than any other I thought you might be interested in new work at Cato that attempts to create an objective assessment of the impact of US weapons sales: In a recent study for the Cato Institute, … Continue reading Middle East update: June 15 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA Russia is hosting the FIFA World Cup for the next month--perhaps you've heard about that. Which is a nice chance for Vladimir Putin to parade himself around like a world titan. It's also a nice chance for a bunch of young Russians and young foreigners to meet and mingle. But is that such … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: June 14 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN The Pentagon says it conducted an airstrike in Afghanistan's Kunar province on Wednesday targeting "a senior leader of a designated terrorist organization." They won't release the name, but it's believed they were targeting Mullah Fazlullah, one of the leader of the Pakistani Taliban. It sure is going to be awkward if the US military … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: June 14 2018

MIDDLE EAST During its rise as a global power, China's approach to the Middle East has been in many ways the polar opposite of America's. Beijing works with pretty much everybody, stays out of conflicts, doesn't get on anyone for human rights issues, etc. It doesn't take sides, therefore it doesn't get bogged down in … Continue reading Middle East update: June 14 2018

ASIA GEORGIA Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili resigned on Wednesday. He'd been mired in a series of disagreements with billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who awkwardly reassumed leadership of Kvirikashvili's Georgian Dream party (which Ivanishvili founded in 2012) and has been meddling in the government's work ever since. Ivanishvili's return to active politics has coincided with a series of major anti-government demonstrations … Continue reading World update: June 13 2018

SYRIA The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported on Wednesday that both sarin and chlorine gases were used in attacks around the village of Ltamenah in Hama province last March. The OPCW's findings only pertain to the use of chemical weapons and do not by rule identify the perpetrator or perpetrators. Southwestern Syria still … Continue reading Middle East update: June 13 2018

AFRICA MALI According to Malian authorities, militants attacked a town in the country's central Mopti Region on Tuesday but were driven out by Malian forces. Ten of the attackers were reportedly killed. It's unclear who the militants were. CAMEROON Amnesty International has a new report on violence in Cameroon's Anglophone region: In a new report … Continue reading World update: June 12 2018