Greater Middle East
China enters Syrian war?
China is reported to be sending warships to Syria to augment the Russian build-up there—as word emerges of a Uighur jihadist group allied with the Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front.
Tag: Great Game
Greater Middle East
Kurds punished for success against ISIS —again
With the Rojava Kurds mounting an offensive on the last ISIS-held border town in northern Syria, Turkey has launched a new propaganda push to brand them as "terrorists."
Greater Middle East
Syrian rebels pledge to defeat Russian ‘occupation’
Amid signs of an escalating Russian intervention in Syria, the opposition government-in-exile issued a statement pledging to "defeat any foreign occupation."
Iraq
Russia launches Syria intervention
Russian fighter pilots are arriving in Syria, to begin sorties against ISIS and rebel forces—amid reports that Moscow's elite units are already fighting on the ground for the regime.
Greater Middle East
Syria: ‘ceasefire’ signals Great Power carve-up?
A partial ceasefire in Syria was brokered by the great regional enemies Turkey and Iran—and may signal the division of the country into "spheres of influence."
Iraq
US betrays Rojava Kurds (inevitably)
Washington has given Turkey a green light to crush the revolutionary Kurds—in Turkey, Syria and Iraq alike—as the price of Ankara's cooperation against ISIS.
Greater Middle East
North Korean troops fight in Syria?
Pro-opposition sources in Syria say a force of North Korean soldiers has arrived in Damascus, and been mobilized to the rebel-controlled suburbs of Ghouta district.
Iran
Iran, world powers reach nuclear agreement
The Iran nuiclear deal comes as the US is in a de facto alliance with Tehran against ISIS, and includes a lifting of sanctions on a notorious commander of counterinsurgency forces in Syria and Iraq.
Greater Middle East
Syria: Alawites clash with regime, Iran troops
Syrian regime forces backed by Iranian troops clashed with residents of two Alawite villages outside Hama following a wave of mass arrests in the area.
Southeast Asia
Vietnam tilts to US in Pacific ‘Great Game’
Vietnam's paramount leader Nguyen Phu Trong meets with Obama at the White House, as the US and China play a dangerous game of chicken over disputed islands.
Central Asia
Xinjiang: Ramadan terror and repression
Up to 28 were killed in an attack on a police checkpoint in Xinjiang, as Chinese authorities take measures to discourage observance of Ramadan in the mostly Muslim region.
Iraq
ISIS gains ground as diplomats dither
ISIS advanced on Aleppo and launched an offensive on the Syrian Kurdish city of Hassakeh as the US and coalition partners met in Paris. No Kurdish leaders were invited to the summit.