Afghanistan
US general in Afghanistan calls for more troops
The US commander in Afghanistan told lawmakers he needs several thousand more troops to break "a stalemate" with the Taliban and other insurgents.
Tag: Russia
North Africa
More mysterious air-strikes in Libya
The latest in an ongoing wave of unclaimed air-strikes in Libya hit al-Jufra air base in the interior of the country, which is in the hands of local militia forces.
North America
Trump’s Red-Brown alliance: don’t take the bait!
Anti-war icon Tulsi Gabbard, recently a visitor with Trump and Bannon at the Trump Tower, just returned from meeting with genocidal dictator Bashar Assad in Damascus.
Iraq
Can Assad (and Putin) reconquer all Syria?
Trump dramatically steps up US air-strikes along the Syrian border in Iraq, as Russia pitches the Kurds and Syrian rebels on a peace deal that will allow Assad to remain in power.
Syria
Trump’s Syria plan: ‘safe zones’ or kill zones?
Will Trump’s proposed “safe zones” become areas where hapless Syrians can be detained as the US, Russia and Assad regime alike bomb the hell out of the rest of the country?
Planet Watch
Doomsday Clock: 2.5 minutes of midnight
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the minute hand of its symbolic Doomsday Clock from three minutes to two-and-a-half minutes to midnight.
Iran
Iran’s land-grab in Syria
Iran's government and companies close to the elite Revolutionary Guards have signed major economic contracts with Syria, gaining control of large areas of the country.
Syria
Russia signs pact for long-term Syria bases
Russia signed a long-term pact to greatly enlarge its military presence in Syria, more than doubling the space for warships at Tartus, Russia’s only Mediterranean port.
North America
Human Rights Watch: Trump portends ‘tyranny’
In its yearly report, Human Rights Watch warns that the rise of populist leaders "poses a dangerous threat to basic rights"—particularly naming Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
North Africa
Russia’s next intervention: Libya?
Khalifa Haftar, the warlord who controls eastern Libya, was feted on board the Russian aircraft carrier that just left Syrian waters, sparking fear of Moscow's regional designs.
Syria
Russia ‘withdraws’ from Syria —not
Despite misleading media accounts, Moscow has only withdrawn its aircraft carier from Syria’s coast, and is in fact beefing up forces at its bases within the country.
Watching the Shadows
Obama’s final year: a CounterVortex scorecard
With a Trump despotism looming, CounterVortex offers its final assessment of Barack Obama's record in addressing the oppressive legacy of the Global War on Terrorism.