Category Archives: Middle East

Turkey’s Shootdown of Russian Jet: What You Need to Know

Turkey takes a great big swing at Assad via Russia…and what might the fallout be?

John Helmer: The Barbarians at the Gate of Civilization, but Which Empire is Falling?

Empire-booster-in-chief Niall Ferguson gets yet another well-deserved shellacking, this time on how he falsifies the record in drawing lessons from Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Paris Attack Round-up and Open Thread

The chain of events in Paris, strategy and tactics of the attackers, history of ISIS and origins of “radical islam”, French particularities, media critique, Beltway meltdown and warmongering.

Afghanistan “After” the American War

A grim look at conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.

John Helmer: As Merkel and the EU Look Wobbly and Obama’s Syrian Misadventure Misfires, Will Putin Be the Last Man Standing?

How has Putin managed to survive, and even arguably prosper from, a US/EU assault on his leadership?

The End of the President Erdogan’s AKP Era in Turkey? – Part I

The state of play in Turkey before the November 1 election.

Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Special Operations ‘Successes’ Around the World

To quote Andrew Bacevich: “There is no doubt that U.S. Special Operations forces are hard at it in lots of different places. It does not follow that they are thereby actually accomplishing anything meaningful.’”

What Could Possibly Go Wrong (Next) in the Middle East?

A look at the wreckage the US has created in the Middle East, and an assessment of the prospects.

Tom Engelhardt: The Fog of Intelligence, or How to Be Eternally ‘Caught Off Guard’ in the Greater Middle East

An in-depth look at the US’s big-ticket intelligence apparatus that can’t shoot straight in the Middle East. A bug or a feature?

Russia’s Move In Syria Threatens Energy Deals With Turkey

Will the Turkish Stream project be a casualty of Putin’s bold moves in Syria?

John Helmer: US Strategy In The Middle East Is Dying, Along With Its Authors, Carter And Brzezinski; Putin, Al-Assad Get To Dance On Their Graves, David Ben-Gurion Too

US experts try to claim the Russians are vulnerable in the Middle East as the window for US intervention closes. A German military analyst: “The Red Army is invigorated to a level that has never been fielded on the Middle Eastern map.”

Could The Syrian Conflict Irrevocably Change Global Geopolitics?

A concise, high-level overview of the main issues at play in the Syrian conflict.

Is Russia Plotting To Bring Down OPEC?

Can Russia succeed in creating an anti-Saudi bloc to split OPEC by taking advantage of having oil supplies less vulnerable to transit risk?