Iraq
Iraq: US intervention on behalf of Yazidis?
In authorizing US air-strikes in northern Iraq, President Obama invoked the responsibility to protect the Yazidis from ISIS and avert a potential "genocide."
Tag: Great Game
Iraq
Iraq: great power convergence against ISIS
The US and Iran alike are sending drones to Iraq to help the government beat back ISIS, while Russia has followed Washington in sending warplanes and military advisors.
Europe
Sarajevo at 100: ready for World War 5?
As the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand is commemorated in a bitterly divided Sarajevo, the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria show grim potential for a new world war.
Greater Middle East
Russia blocks ICC action on Syria, heightening ‘anti-war’ contradiction
"Anti-war" voices in the West have called for International Criminal Court action in Syria as a substitute for military intervention. Will they protest now that Moscow has blocked it?
Central Asia
Xinjiang: terror makes headlines —not repression
The deadly assault on a marketplace in Urumqi makes brief headlines, while the ongoing repression and humiliation of the Uighurs that fuels such attacks is little noted.
Europe
Novorossiya resurgent?
With the open encouragement of Putin, separatists in eastern Ukraine are reviving the concept of "Novorossiya" (New Russia)—a dangerous precedent for revanchist claims.
Europe
Will Ukraine ‘go nuclear’? Looking scarier…
As Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warns of "World War III," Moscow and Kiev mass troops on their shared border, and the US sends more forces to the Baltics.
Central Asia
US plays Mongolia card against China
Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel signed a "joint vision" statement with Mongolia calling for expanded military cooperation—clearly aimed at further encirclement of China.
Europe
Ukraine and anti-Semitism: house of mirrors redux
Leaflets distributed in the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk, now under occupation by pro-Russian separatists, order Jews to register with the authorities. Real or provocation?
Europe
Baltics militarized by NATO amid Russian threats
Above Russian protests, NATO is beefing up its Baltic Air Policing program with more fighter jets—at the request of regional leaders, who cite Russian provocation.
Europe
NATO, Russia face off across Black Sea
As the US deploys warships to the Black Sea for NATO exercises, Ukraine approved a NATO force to be stationed in the country. Russian troops meanwhile mass on Ukraine's borders.
Greater Middle East
Russia boosts military aid to Assad
Russia is boosting military aid to the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, just as the US has finally broken off diplomatic relations with Damascus—signalling a deepening proxy war.