Greater Middle East
US, Russia broach Syria carve-up
Obama's proposed agreement with Russia for military cooperation in Syria in exchange for protected zones for US-backed rebels actually means a division of the country.
Tag: World War 5
Greater Middle East
Erdogan exploits Istanbul terror —of course
ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly Istanbul airport attack, but this did not prevent President Erdogan from exploiting the terror for anti-Kurdish propaganda.
Greater Middle East
Kurds and Assad in race for Raqqa
Russian and US warplanes are each backing rival sides as the Assad regime and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces race to take the ISIS "capital" of Raqqa.
Europe
Cold War nostalgia as ‘missile shield’ goes live
The US anti-missile station in Romania was officially activated, to harsh protests from Moscow—as NATO prepares to deploy German troops in the Baltic republics.
Greater Middle East
Syrian Kurds declare autonomy —at what price?
Kurds officially declared their own "Federation of Northern Syria"—to be swiftly denounced by the Assad regime, the opposition and regional powers alike.
Greater Middle East
Syria: ‘ceasefire’ signals escalation (of course)
The Syrian ceasefire announced in Munich does not apply to US or Russian air-strikes on "terrorists," and comes as Turkey and Saudi Arabia are preparing military intervention.
Greater Middle East
Syria: will fall of Aleppo internationalize the war?
As Syrian regime troops and Russian warplanes advance on Aleppo, some 100,000 have fled the city for the Turkish border—prompting Turkey and Saudi Arabia to threaten intervention.
Watching the Shadows
Obama’s seventh year: a World War 4 Report scorecard
World War 4 Report offers its annual annotated assessment of Obama's moves in dismantling, continuing or escalating the apparatus of the Global War on Terrorism.
Greater Middle East
Syria: ‘peace’ declared amid carnage, starvation
The State Department named "bringing peace" to Syria as a 2015 accomplishment—as Russian air-strikes continue on schools, and starvation sets in behind rebel lines.
Greater Middle East
Kurds caught in Russo-Turkish game… again
Amid counterinsurgency against Kurds in Turkey, Kurdish opposition leader Selahattin Demirtaş is received in Moscow—now executing a grisly counterinsurgency in Syria.
Greater Middle East
Syria: ‘peace deal’ signals escalation (of course)
The UN resolution on a democratic transition in Syria assumes this can happen under Assad's rule. The US is now openly blocking with Russia over support for the dictatorship.
Greater Middle East
Syria and Ukraine wars headed for convergence?
Russian naval forces got in a confrontation with Turkish vessels in the Black Sea, with control of contested oil platforms off the Crimean Peninsula at issue.