Left: Locations of ISIS presence and control in Libya. It has territorial control over the square outlined in black. Outlined in red are large cities where ISIS is present but not in control, while Misrata and Ajdabiya are on its agenda (Google … [Read more...] about ISIS’s Libyan Expansion
Oil
China’s New Grand Strategy for the Middle East*
Chinese President Xi Jinping with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Tehran, January 23, 2016 - After decades of distance, China is moving closer to the region’s sectarian feuds — and its vital oil reserves At the start of 2016, prospects … [Read more...] about China’s New Grand Strategy for the Middle East*
Obama’s Millennial Problems
President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address to Congress, along with calling Ukraine a Russian "client state", which infuriated the Ukrainians, referred to conflicts in the Middle East "...that date back millennia" It's not clear what … [Read more...] about Obama’s Millennial Problems
The Petrokingdom In Peril*
"The decision makers of the Saudi government should not have any doubt that this blood will trouble them. It will haunt them."- Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - The eastern province, bordering on the Gulf, not only has a concentration of oil, it … [Read more...] about The Petrokingdom In Peril*
A Century after Sykes-Picot: Strategic and Geopolitical Aspects*
"The instability and the uncertainty that characterize the current state of affairs is best exploited, as mentioned before, by the most prominent enemies from the Radical Islamic camp – both Iran and its surrogates and the Sunni Radicals." The … [Read more...] about A Century after Sykes-Picot: Strategic and Geopolitical Aspects*
Dangerous Mideast Reality*
The volatility of Middle East events notwithstanding, a new picture is emerging of alliances very different from those preceding the outbreak of the Arab Spring and the now five-year-old Syrian civil war. That new reality is obscured by the Obama … [Read more...] about Dangerous Mideast Reality*
Saudi Princes Trafficking Drugs: Déjà vu
Saudi prince Abdel Mohsin Bin Walid Bin Abdul-Aziz was detained by Lebanese authorities at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on October 26, 2015. Two tons of amphetamines (fenethylline) and some cocaine were found onboard his private plane … [Read more...] about Saudi Princes Trafficking Drugs: Déjà vu
Energy: let’s go!*
The markets - including old-fashioned American technological know-how - has almost turned the Obama Administration's original energy policies 180 degrees. But there is still a lot to be done. And it will require the cooperation of a Congress, too … [Read more...] about Energy: let’s go!*
Obama’s ISIS Legacy*
Presidential candidate and billionaire businessman Donald Trump has the right idea regarding how to stop ISIS. "I would knock out the source of their wealth, the primary source of their wealth, which is oil," he told MSNBC. A year into it, the … [Read more...] about Obama’s ISIS Legacy*
Weekly Review, July 27-31, 2015
ISIS: “We Are on Our Way to Rome” - Rachel Ehrenfeld - While officials of the countries fighting ISIS meet in different cities around the world to try to figure out how best to fight it and its...continue... No High Level Military Participation in … [Read more...] about Weekly Review, July 27-31, 2015