Great Game

Syria

Druze protesters mobilize for independence from Syria

Hundreds demonstrated in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, pressing for the “self-determination” of the Druze people. Protesters demanded full independence from Syria, dismissing ideas of federalism or autonomy as inadequate. Speakers asserted that statehood is needed to guarantee their security, citing last month’s episode of violence in Suwayda as evidence that inter-ethnic coexistence under one state is no longer a viable solution. Complicating the situation is that Israel is posing itself as the protector of the Syrian Druze. Amid the July fighting, Israel launched air-strikes on Syria, saying that the Druze were threatened by government-affiliated forces. (Photo: Druze Free Spirits via Twitter)

The Caucasus

‘Trump Corridor’ through Armenia under ‘peace’ deal

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan signed a joint declaration at the White House, with Donald Trump boasting that the US-brokered deal ends decades of conflict between the Caucasus neighbors. Critically, the agreement calls for a new transport corridor across Armenian territory, linking Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan, which lies between Armenia and the borders with Turkey and Iran. The corridor is to be named the “Trump Route for International Peace & Prosperity,” and Armenia has granted the United States the right to manage it for 99 years. US companies will have exclusive development rights on the corridor throughout this period. (Map: Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock via The Conversation)

Africa

Violence escalates in DRC —despite ‘peace’ deal

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned a recent surge in deadly attacks against civilians by M23 fighters and other armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The attacks come in spite of a Washington-brokered ceasefire agreement between the DRC government and Rwanda, which backs the M23 rebels. The DRC government and M23 have only signed a “declaration of principles” supposedly committing them to a formal peace deal—but meanwhile, violence on the ground has escalated. (Photo: Sylvain Liechti/MONUSCO via Wikimedia Commons)

Europe

Podcast: Alaska 2025 = Munich 1938?

Russia’s irredentist claims on its former holding Alaska have provided fodder for comedians, but the stakes at the Trump-Putin meeting in the Last Frontier are no laughing matter. Despite the escalating mutual nuclear threats between Washington and Moscow, Trump’s call for a Russia-Ukraine “land-swap” obviously means Kyiv being forced to accept Moscow’s annexation of much of its territory in exchange for the return of other pieces its own territory illegally occupied by Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow sends drones to threaten NATO member Lithuania, which sits on the critical corridor to the Russian exclave (and tactical missile outpost) of Kaliningrad. Germany has responded by sending troops to the Baltic country—its first post-war foreign deployment. Appeasement of aggression failed to win peace at Munich in 1938, and there’s no reason to hope it will in Alaska today. But the difference is that the contending powers today have nuclear weapons. In Episode 291 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg takes an unflinching look. (Map via Wikipedia)

Southeast Asia

Orwell and the Thai-Cambodia conflict

Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Manet, nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize on Aug. 7, citing his “crucial role” in restoring peace after bloody border fighting with Thailand. The gushy statement praised Trump’s “extraordinary statesmanship” and “innovative diplomacy.” (NYT) Cambodia now… Read moreOrwell and the Thai-Cambodia conflict

Africa

Sudan: RSF announce rival government

A coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has announced formation of a parallel government in Sudan, further cementing the country’s territorial split between army-held and RSF-held regions. Paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti“) will head a 15-person council with Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, head of the SPLM-N rebel group, as deputy. The African Union urged member states to not recognize the new regime, which wants to rival the Port Sudan-based army-led transitional government. This effectively leaves the RSF-led regime in control of much of the south, the army in control of the north, and the center of the country contested. (Map: PCL)

Syria

Syria: revolution on the razor’s edge

The investigation by the Syrian transition government into the March violence against the Alawites in Latakia province has been submitted—but the full findings have not been made public, and it apparently exonerates the government of involvement. Meanwhile southern Suwayda province has seen a perhaps even deadlier eruption of violence—this time pitting Druze against Bedouin, with the role of the government similarly the source of much contestation (and fodder for Internet partisans). And a Damascus protest against the violence and for co-existence was attacked by goons. Amid all this, Israel is militarily intervening, the government looks to Turkey for military aid, and both the US and Russia still have forces on the ground—treating the country as a Greet Power chessboard. In Episode 288 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg warns that the Syrian Revolution is poised on a razor’s edge, ready to descend into ethno-sectarian war and authoritarianism unless political space can be kept open for the secular-democratic civil resistance that began the revolution 14 years ago. (Image: Banners read “Syrians must not shed Syrian blood” and “We reject Israeli aggression against Syria.” Credit: The Syria Campaign via Facebook)

Africa

France withdraws last troops in Senegal

France officially transferred control of its last military installations in Senegal to local authorities in a ceremony, bringing to an end the permanent deployment of French troops in the country since Senegal gained independence in 1960. The withdrawal of over 350 troops marks the completion of a process initiated in March, when France began handing over multiple military sites. Unlike in other West African countries, where French forces were expelled amid political tumult, the withdrawal from Senegal was peaceful and coordinated, reflecting France’s broader re-orientation away from its traditional “Françafrique” military footprint. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Iraq

Iraq: mysterious drone strikes on Kurdistan oil-fields

Three days of drone attacks on oil-fields in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region have brought operations at several facilities to a halt and slashed crude output. The targeted sites include fields at Zakho, operated by Norway’s DNO; the Sarsang field, operated by US-based HKN Energy; and the Ain Sifni field, operated by Hunt Oil, all in Dohuk governorate. Kurdistan authorities also said a drone was downed near Erbil airport, which hosts US troops. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Kurdish authorities blamed the Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Units, a paramilitary network aligned with the Baghdad government and backed by Iran. The attacks come amid renewed dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government over whether the KRG may enter into hydrocarbon contracts with foreign firms. In May, the central government filed a complaint against the KRG for signing gas contracts with two US companies, including HKN Energy, asserting that all oil and gas deals must go through Baghdad. (Map: UNHCR via ReliefWeb)

Inner Asia

Amnesty: PRC hands off Tibetan succession

Amnesty International called on People’s Republic of China authorities to cease their interference in Tibetan religious practices, and criticized the Beijing government for attempting to control the selection process of the future Dalai Lama. Amnesty’s statement follows the Dalai Lama’s announcement that his successor will be reincarnated and that the Gaden Phodrang Trust is the only entity authorized to recognize his future reincarnation. In response, Beijing insisted that the reincarnation of the Tibetan Buddhist leader must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn and receive approval from the central government, in accordance with what it calls long-standing historical conventions. (Image via Facebook)

Afghanistan

Russia recognizes Taliban regime in Afghanistan

Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan, with the Taliban flag raised at the Afghan embassy in Moscow. Earlier this year, Russia removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, citing “the need for cooperation in combating drug trafficking and terrorism, as well as building economic ties.” The move to recognize the regime comes weeks after the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan shared evidence of systematic discrimination against women under Taliban rule. (Photo: 12019/Pixabay via Jurist)

Syria

US removes sanctions amid Syria transition

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that terminates the majority of US sanctions imposed on Syria and associated designated persons. Lifting of the sanctions will represent a significant opportunity for the ravaged Syrian economy. Sanctions against people and entities tied to the ousted Bashar Assad regime, terrorist organizations, and human rights abusers will remain in place. While the Syrian government welcomed the relief, the United Nations expressed the need for “genuine political inclusion” during Syria’s political transition. Critics have recently questioned the “promise of real change” in the country after the establishment of an electoral process that does not allow for a direct public vote to seat the new People’s Assembly. (Image of Free Syria flag via Wikimedia Commons)