Left: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Barack Obama. (Photo: Cihan), Nov.13, 2015 The confusion in the President’s thinking and strategy about the current terrorist crisis is frightening in its implications. As the tragic … [Read more...] about Obama’s illogic
Egypt
What the Downing of the Russian Plane May Portend
Left: The remains of a Russian airliner are inspected by military investigators at the crash site at the al-Hasanah area in El Arish city, north Egypt. (Reuters). It is now generally accepted that the Russian commercial airliner that crashed in the … [Read more...] about What the Downing of the Russian Plane May Portend
Obama is No Reagan*
The Obama Administration’s utter strategic confusion, particularly in foreign affairs, was nowhere more exhibited than in Sec. of Defense Ashton B. Carter’s recent statements at the Reagan Defense Forum. Irony was added to insult when Carter equated … [Read more...] about Obama is No Reagan*
MANPADS Threats To Civilian Aviation
Left: Two insurgents in Iraq with SA-7b and SA-14 MANPADS. Courtesy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security What crashed the Russian Airbus A321 in the Sinai Peninsula is yet to be determined. The British Telegraph reported an ISIS "bomb plot was … [Read more...] about MANPADS Threats To Civilian Aviation
One Year of the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula*
Left: Egyptian President al-Sisi (C) inspects weapons, found with militants, in Sinai peninsula on July 4, 2015.(Photo: Reuters) Sinai militancy changed over 2015, following the decision of the peninsula’s main violent jihadi group to pledge … [Read more...] about One Year of the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula*
Iran Unleashed*
As Iran extends its influence to Israel's northern border, the madness of the nuclear deal is becoming apparent. The two greatest physicists in history, writing centuries apart, agreed on one thing. Sir Isaac Newton wrote: "I can calculate the motion … [Read more...] about Iran Unleashed*
Egypt’s Salafist* Party Returns to the Wilderness
“Running for the Salafi Party was a loss…I regret it. [My] popularity in the constituency was very strong, but joining the party caused it to decline.” - Daily News Egypt, October 24, 2015 Results from the first round of phase one of Egypt’s … [Read more...] about Egypt’s Salafist* Party Returns to the Wilderness
Would Turkey’s Military Stand By?
Left: Turkish police officers stand on guard, securing the site of the explosion in Ankara. Protesters clashed with riot police after the bombings, accusing officers of blocking a road being used by ambulances to transport the wounded. (Burhan … [Read more...] about Would Turkey’s Military Stand By?
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*