... the 1980s from among the network of jihadists that were fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. After the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, al-Qaeda began funneling funds to jihadists in/going to Iraq, many of whom eventually followed Jordanian jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Zarqawi accepted al-Qaeda support but did not pledge himself to al-Qaeda right away because of significant differences in goals and ideology between himself and bin Laden. After the initial period of operating as an independent group,...
- Опубликовано:
- 15.01.2016 16:37:00
In the wake of Turkey’s downing of a Russian military jet that violated its airspace and Russia’s resulting casualties, tensions are certainly on the rise. Despite the fact that these tensions should not be overblown, important questions about Putin’s aims need to be addressed. Yet in the end, the saddest thing is how avoidable this incident was and how easy it would be to improve this situation dramatically.
By Brian E. Frydenborg (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter @bfry1981), originally...
- Опубликовано:
- 13.12.2015 16:44:00
... civilians in a theater with those killings being the very end target of such an attack. You simply should go back to school and work on your similes and metaphors before inflicting your lack of erudition on others.
To the militant pro-Snowden anti-NSA crusaders: I’m not going to tell you that what Snowden did had no positive effect; it clearly did. But there are also negative effects when someone like Snowden does not behave like a true whistleblower and releases far more information than is required ...
- Опубликовано:
- 21.11.2015 13:33:00
The decision of the United States to conduct Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) around the artificial islands in the South China Sea, which China uses for justifying her sovereigny claims in this area, has somewhat increased tensions between the two countries. The newspaper Global Times known for its notorious nationalism commented on the employment of the American destroyer USS Lassen in the disputed waters:
In face of the US harassment, Beijing should deal with Washington tactfully and...
- Опубликовано:
- 31.10.2015 15:03:00
A few days ago the Centre of Strategic and International Studies published a detailed analysis on the results of the economic sanctions imposed on Russia. Its author, Simon De Galbert, gave also some policy recommendations in case some future scenarios will materialize. Here I report the main points.
• Transatlantic sanctions adopted against Russia, a strategy of hard power coercion short of the use of force, have enabled Europe and the United States, along with their allies like Canada...
- Опубликовано:
- 12.10.2015 00:19:00
Just in time for recapping the polarized choices presented by President Obama and President Putin at The United Nations General Assembly. In Foreign Policy there is a struggle between two concepts which every nation must face. There is the idealist perspective which promotes what is right under societal values and norms (which differ per culture), and there is the perspective of what works. There are limits to both. I'm not saying that what is right is always in contrast to what works, but today...
- Опубликовано:
- 05.10.2015 11:22:00
... for Russia's position in Ukraine; they have the support of a significant minority in Ukraine (even a majority in many of the parts in which they are operating). It’s not like all of Catholic Europe will be sending holy warriors in a crusade to fight Orthodox Russia’s attempts to annex the ethnic Russian, Orthodox Christian sections of Ukraine.
Which brings us to the Middle East, and Syria. Perhaps you’ve heard of a place called Afghanistan? Perhaps you are familiar with ...
- Опубликовано:
- 03.10.2015 12:32:00
The downing of the Malaysian airplane MH17 in July 2014 marked a clear turning point in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. The EU leaders put aside their divisions and adopted a resolute approach on Russia for the first time. Russia’s partial isolation, the sanctions’ escalation and the crucial deterioration of the relation with the EU began with that.
More than a year has passed since then but tensions are far from ending. Amid Russia’s veto for setting up a UN backed tribunal...
- Опубликовано:
- 02.09.2015 16:12:00
In one of the biggest military engagement USA is involved in after second world war is in Afghanistan. The War in Afghanistan began on 7 October 2001, as the armed forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and the Afghan United Front (Northern Alliance) launched Operation ...
- Опубликовано:
- 31.08.2015 10:28:00
On August 4 last year, Vladimir Putin responded to the latest round of sanctions levied against his regime by imposing a ban on the import of food products from the EU, the US, and their supporters. The disruption of commerce was worth approximately $12 billion to the Russian economy, with secondary effects in the targeted countries, particularly the EU, causing unemployment within the agricultural sector, a slump in the price of the banned foods in domestic markets, and great losses for producers...
- Опубликовано:
- 26.08.2015 18:09:00
A Sensible Grading of Obama’s Middle East Strategy: The Syrian Civil War
Grading Obama on what has—and has not—been done by his administration regarding the Syrian Civil War
By Brian E. Frydenborg (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter @bfry1981) August 3rd, 2015
Reuters
Originally published on LinkedIn Pulse here
Those who argue that the Obama Administration’s overall Middle East strategy is a total failure have no sense of strategy themselves and dangerously substitute tactical-here-and-nows...
- Опубликовано:
- 03.08.2015 13:05:00
... near future, especially given the latest developments in the relations between the West and Russia.
While the spark that lit the fire in Cuba had been shot by the USSR’s attempt to install nuclear missiles right in front of the coast of the USA, this time around the roles are reversed. Indeed, although in international relations there are hardly ever any instances where both parties involved don't share at least a small portion of the responsibility for a crisis – and arguably ...
- Опубликовано:
- 01.07.2015 21:05:00
... pressure to Israel beyond speeches and meetings. Even while the Obama Administration was trying shore up support for the talks, Israel announced the construction of 1,600 settlement housing units to be built on illegally occupied, disputed land in East Jerusalem (which was occupied in 1967 along with the West Bank and Gaza and which Israel has held in defiance of multiple binding resolutions of the United Nations Security Council over the decades since, beginning with the unanimously-agreed-upon Resolution ...
- Опубликовано:
- 07.06.2015 22:25:00
... actions of Benjamin Netanyahu in general. The recent fighting in Gaza against non-state terrorist militia Hamas cost dozens of Israeli lives; a fight with Iran, a powerful country with a powerful and well equipped military, would very likely cost thousands of Israeli lives and could see serious destruction all across Israel major cities. There is no guarantee that war would end Iran’s nuclear program, either. Even if there is not a war or military action, the current situation—with very ...
- Опубликовано:
- 29.05.2015 19:32:00
Good idea, bad timing?
It's not clear whether the world's worst drought in over a century provided impetus for the agriculture ministers of the BRICS nations to gather in Brasilia in March and launch a manifesto designed to make the group a key player in the global food security regime. But they did. Now the world is waiting.
From a moral and business ethics perspective the effort makes sense and can add value to the BRICS brand.
But success depends on China, India and Brazil...
- Опубликовано:
- 08.05.2015 02:57:00
In recent months, Russian officials have repeatedly emphasized Russian sovereignty and autonomy. Russia indeed is not a part to an integration project or a military alliance that dismantle its bundle of sovereign rights. There are no foreign troops on the Russian territory and no-one dictates economic policy to Moscow. Vladimir Putin has recently portrayed the U.S. as "patrons and sponsors" of European nations and Bulgaria as a country that, sadly, “is deprived of the possibility...
- Опубликовано:
- 07.05.2015 16:53:00
... and malleable minds. Only now it is being powerfully pushed through the technological and virtual advantages of the 21st century, making its reach and scope far beyond anything the West could ever think plausible.
Against this backdrop, it is inexcusable that American agents find themselves at a loss to understand the appeal of that small percentage willing to abandon the U.S. and go fight in a land that America says is barbarous, for a group only more barbarous and a cause most ignoble. To see ...
- Опубликовано:
- 18.04.2015 17:10:00
... newcomers to the drone party will do what the U.S. has not is simply illogical. All of this consternation revolves around four fundamental questions that the United States has been unwise to ignore and the honest answers, based on previous American drone usage, probably carry some severe repercussions for American foreign and military policies: Who is controlling the weapon system? Does the system of control and oversight violate international law governing the use of force? Are drone strikes proportionate ...
- Опубликовано:
- 05.04.2015 07:42:00
Author: Andrei Baikov, PhD in Political Science, Associate Professor, Editor-in-Chief of the International Trends journal
Reflections in the footsteps of Victoria Nuland’s Transcaucasia tour
For several days now, the Russian media has been abuzz over what one journalist dubbed the “explosive” tour of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia taken by Victoria Nuland, whom it has referred to as assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State, but who is actually the assistant to the Under Secretary of State. Interest...
- Опубликовано:
- 06.03.2015 18:04:00
... macro alliance.
Looking at the statistics below, the BRICS appear to dominate the world's basic iron ore and basic steel producers.
Top 10 Iron Ore Producing Nations
1 China
2 Australia
3 Brazil
4 India
5 Russia
6 Ukraine
7 South Africa
8 USA
9 Kazakhstan
10 Iran
Top Steel Producers 2013 in millions of crude tons
Arcelor Mittal Luxembourg 96 million tons
Nippon Steel-Sumitomo Japan 50.1
Hebei Group China 45.8
Bao Steel Group China 43.9
Wuhan Steel Group China 39.3
Posco S.Korea 38.4
...
- Опубликовано:
- 02.03.2015 17:45:00
