The United States and Russia brokered ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and few of the fighting groups is scheduled for February 27, 2016, 00:00 local time. While Washington described the agreement as yet another major diplomatic … [Read more...] about Syria Ceasefire Will Not Defeat ISIS
Al Nusra
The Syrian Threat to Israel*
Left: Map of Syrian Civil war/ Global conflict in Syria - liveuamap, February 22, 2016 There are more than two dozen state and non-state actors battling over the prostrate body of what used to be Syria, one of the artificial entities carved out in … [Read more...] about The Syrian Threat to Israel*
Misnavigating America
As if seven years of Obama’s efforts to diminish the world’s superpower were not enough, recent events in the Middle East highlight the need for American leadership capable of righting the ship. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s statement that the … [Read more...] about Misnavigating America
Key factor in sharply-improved Putin-Netanyahu strategic ties? The Obama White House
Left: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Sept. 21, 2015 / EPA Israeli-Russian strategic cooperation already good was markedly improving in early October 2015. The primary impediment … [Read more...] about Key factor in sharply-improved Putin-Netanyahu strategic ties? The Obama White House
U.N. Resolution Will Not Stop ISIS Funding
Left: Security Council first ever meeting at Finance Ministers’ level. UN Photo/Evan Schneider Today’s U.N. Security Council’s resolution to curb the funding of ISIS is essentially the same as resolution 2199 that was adopted earlier this year, and … [Read more...] about U.N. Resolution Will Not Stop ISIS Funding
Weekly Review, Oct 18-23, 2015
Taiwan's Democracy Needs U.S. Arms - Sol W. Sanders - If there was any doubt that Taiwan is the first democratic state in the long history of the Chinese, it came this week in the buildup to January presidential election. The current ruling … [Read more...] about Weekly Review, Oct 18-23, 2015
U.S. Conflicting Objectives in Syria
Left: The A- 10 plane is famed for its tank-destroying capabilities. A day before Bashar Assad's meeting with Russian President Putin in Moscow, the United States signed a deal with Russia, to avoid entering "the same battle space" over the Syrian … [Read more...] about U.S. Conflicting Objectives in Syria
Martyrs unremarked*
Left: Syrian Christians are being murdered, kidnapped, driven out of their country, or displaced within Syria. (Photo/AFP) One of the many mysteries of the current political and media scene is the neglect which accompanies a growing worldwide … [Read more...] about Martyrs unremarked*
Weekly Review, October 5-9, 2015
U.S. Does Not Condemn Palestinian Violence - Rachel Ehrenfeld - The White House latest condemnation of the escalating violence in Jerusalem is akin to that issued by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Both are talking from both sides of … [Read more...] about Weekly Review, October 5-9, 2015
Russia’s Return to the Middle East*
A Russian army pilot poses at a cockpit of SU-25M jet fighter at Hmeimim airbase in Syria on Oct 3 2015. (Alexander Kots, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Photo via AP) Russia is back in the Middle East in a wholesale fashion signing huge aircraft sales … [Read more...] about Russia’s Return to the Middle East*