When It Comes to U.S. Relationships in the Middle East, Expect a Lot More Change in Coming Years and Decades.
By Brian E. Frydenborg, originally published January 5th, 2015
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2014 has certainly been a year of change. While an ostensible explanation for this would be the...
... understanding of Al-Qaeda's goals, strategy, and tactics. I'm not talking about al-Qaeda's grandiose vision of global domination through a violent Islamic caliphate. That vision is absurd, and we are not going to organize our counterterrorism policies against a feckless delusion That Is never going to happen. We are not going to high These murderous thugs and their aspirations into something larger than they are”.
Maybe it was just a macroscopic oversight, but one that inevitably ...
How the Obama Administration Removed Iraq’s Largest Political Obstacle
Originally published Nov. 2nd, 2014
How Did It Come To This?
At some point during Obama’s second term of his presidency, he and his Administration realized that Nuri Kamal al-Maliki was part of the problem, not part of the solution. It did not help that when the administration realized this, violence in Iraq was increasing to levels not seen since the height of the near-civil-war experienced in 2006-2007 during...
... parades. Many participants were long date Europe's residents. But instead of taking a hard stance against those, the European governments rushed to stress profusely that Islam is a religion of peace. It is unclear why condemning the supporters of terrorism would have anything to do with the nature of Islam as a religion, but as it stands being politically correct is probably a major source of concern than homeland security.
In this regard, Europe - more than the U.S., Australia and New Zealand ...
As we go into the period of holidays to celebrate Christmas and New Year, how many people live in fear, sadness and hopelessness? I read about Ukraine and the human suffering caused by the coup, the incited civil war supported by “Friends” of the new regime running Ukraine. And I wondered. What all these leaders will be thinking of while they have their grandiose luncheons and dinner parties to celebrate Christmas and New Year? Will they be thinking of the plight of the thousands of refugees...
... Prize for Peace.
The increase in terrorist attacks of this kind is a trend that affects not only Pakistan, but also other countries, regardless of whether terrorist groups operate within their borders. This is due, a) to the success of the global war on terrorism; b) to new opportunities that can be exploited by terrorists; and c) to substantial changes in the media.
The success of the war on terrorism at the national and global levels has severely handicapped terrorist organizations. It has become ...
... common citizens, etc. Can one stop someone who is determined to die from accomplishing his (or her) evil mission? No amount of passive protection can prevent this. Active protection means taking the fight to them, taking them out at their roots. Such terrorism as is currently practiced in Pakistan is impossible to perpetrate without foreign funding and logistical support. Foreign sponsors must be exposed.
Interdicting the logistics behind terrorist hideouts, money, ammunition, supplies, uniforms, ...
Dr. Glen Segell
(Fellow – The Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies,University of Haifa, Israel)
The Southern flank of Europe is the Mediterranean Sea. It is a small sea and many countries rely on the freedom of both sea and air traffic for their economy. On the one hand there was optimism that the Arab Spring would bring greater freedom for the individual in countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. There was further optimism that the North African countries of Tunisia...
Patrick Adams (Strategic Analyst & RIEAS Research Associate)
A victory for the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria would have a wide range of economic, social and political consequences. Economically, there would be a significant and damaging effect on the world's oil supply. Socially, not only would Iraq and Syria be affected but any country with a sizable Muslim population. Politically, there would be consequences due to the forming of new alliances between former foes and the type of...
Quentin de Pimodan
(Author based in the Middle East)
Al Baghdadi's major strategic failure has been his choice of the Fertile Crescent as the region for the establishment of his Khilafa. His dream of reestablishing a Sunni caliphate with roots in Iraq and Syria will eventually be crushed by the field's realities and only exposes his own lack of knowledge about the region. Not that a Sunni leadership would be impossible to carry on the lands of the ancient Omayyad and Abbasid's...
