"What will Washington do about us?" Telephone conversation, Kurdish subject. 18 June 2014 Two days before the ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) attack on Mosul led to the discovery of 160 flash drives of inestimable value. From them, … [Read more...] about An Intelligence Coup and Kurdish Aspirations
Contributor: J. Millard Burr*
Turkey, Erdogan, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq
A recent photograph taken 16 April 2014, which appeared in Turkey's Hurriyet Daily, shows an injured ISIL commander Abu Muhammad "allegedly receiving free treatment," in Turkey's Hatay State Hospital. It was reported that commander Muhammad was … [Read more...] about Turkey, Erdogan, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq
Kurdistan Oil Export: A Game Changer
Late December 2013: Baghdad and Erbil agree on Kurdistan's oil revenue payments. Reportedly, funds are to be deposited with New York-based JPMorgan in an account previously opened in the name of the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI). Iraqi Prime … [Read more...] about Kurdistan Oil Export: A Game Changer
South China Sea Territorial Disputes
"Vietnamese Riot in Industrial Zones in Anti-China Protest," Reuters, Hanoi, 14 May 2014. Thousands of workers took to the streets to demonstrate against "Chinese oil drilling in a contested area of the South China Sea." It did not take long before … [Read more...] about South China Sea Territorial Disputes
Russia: The Geopolitics of Natural Gas
Russia’s economic weakness lies in its dependency on natural gas, which represents nearly 60 percent of its exports. This dependency, which led Senator John McCain to describe Russia as “a gas station masquerading as a country,” should make economic … [Read more...] about Russia: The Geopolitics of Natural Gas
Qatar: Small Nation, Large Schemes
One could wager that these days few recall the works of Bismarck, Mahan, Haushofer, or the once puissant geopolitical theories of the Rimland and Heartland. And more recently, one wonders if even the study and evaluation of Realpolitik is anathema in … [Read more...] about Qatar: Small Nation, Large Schemes
Yemen: The Never-Ending Battleground
Yesterday's attack that killed at least 20 Yemeni soldiers is the latest Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) atrocity in the region. It came at a time the country is debating the February 10 Regions Defining Committee's decision to turn Yemen … [Read more...] about Yemen: The Never-Ending Battleground
The Drone Mystique and Turkey
The recent positioning of US unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, at bases created in the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant and Afghanistan is a geopolitical event that demands greater consideration. That it does not receive more … [Read more...] about The Drone Mystique and Turkey
Muslims in Ukraine: A Small Problem Amid a Larger One
"Crimean Tatars and Pro-Russian activists clashed outside a local parliament building in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula." (Washington Post, 26 February 2014) In a long and detailed article on recent events in the Ukraine the Washington Post provided a … [Read more...] about Muslims in Ukraine: A Small Problem Amid a Larger One
The Fatwa: From the Middle East to South Asia
In early February 2014 Egypt's shadowy Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (the ABM, or Partisans of Jerusalem) were continuing their attack on government forces and institutions. The Sinai-based Islamist intransigents, whose leadership appears tied to Al Qaeda … [Read more...] about The Fatwa: From the Middle East to South Asia