Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing It’s been said countless times that British PM Neville Chamberlain appeased Hitler at the 1938 Munich conference. Hoping to stop war, he let the Reich seize parts of Czechoslovakia. The decision, it’s said, emboldened Hitler. He went on in the next three years to invade all Czechoslovakia, Read More …
Brian M Downing One of government’s most important and sacred duties is protecting the nation from foreign threats. That’s accomplished by a strong military, domestic unity, and reliable allies. The Trump administration strode back into Washington determined to cut government and lower taxes. Tremendous economic growth, we’re told, will ensue Read More …
Brian M Downing January has been the month of pardons. Joe Biden ended his term with a slew of pardons and Donald Trump began his rule with a volley of his own. My source inside the White House says that the president may pardon John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Read More …
Brian M Downing Twenty years in Afghanistan brought only waste and tragedy. The army and state we built fell apart and the Taliban walked into Kabul. No meaningful inquiry followed, only occasional jabs in last year’s presidential contest. Most of the blows hit Biden but every president since the September Read More …
Brian M Downing The assassination of business leader Brian Thompson was shocking. More shocking is the approval heaped on his suspected murderer – Luigi Mangione. The US has had spates of terrorism led by small groups: the KKK after the Civil War, the anarchists a century ago, and the Weathermen Read More …
Brian M Downing No sooner had Assad’s plane left Syrian airspace when talk of regime change in Iran intensified. The notion has been around for decades. It’s embedded in political parties, think tanks, media, and lobbies. Advocates find steady work. They read each other’s reports and attend each other’s conferences. Read More …
Brian M Downing In October of last year, Hamas attacked Israel. Iran planned the surprising and murderous sortie and soon enough its Hisbollah and Houthi allies entered the fray. The aim was to avenge Israeli assassinations and acts of sabotage but more importantly to ensnarl its enemy in harsh urban Read More …
Brian M Downing Assad’s rule is over. Russia couldn’t come to his aid, Iran wouldn’t act on its own, and Hisbollah had been whittled down and decapitated. His troops looked around, saw no help, and called it quits. His family’s reign lasted 53 years. Once foreign aid vanished, it fell Read More …
Brian M Downing An excerpt from a 2014 article http://www.downingreports.com/cohesion-and-disintegration-in-iraqs-armies/ The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has demonstrated remarkable fighting ability in both Syria and Iraq. Despite its small size – no more than 18,000 – it put the better equipped and much larger Iraqi military into flight in Read More …
Brian M Downing A week ago, Putin’s fortunes were promising. Events in Syria have complicated things. Turkey’s proxy offensive has turned stalemate into rout and Russia faces manpower troubles in its far-flung system. Ten years ago, Assad’s hold seemed to be slipping away. Rebel armies, backed by Gulf princes, Turkey, Read More …