Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Candidate Trump campaigned on leaving the JCPOA and taking an aggressive stance toward Iran. President Trump has indeed left the JCPOA, reimposed sanctions, and supported Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria. Nonetheless, last summer he pulled back from launching strikes on Iran, which National Security Advisor Read More …
Brian M Downing Democratic presidential contenders have conducted four debates so far. On game show-like sets they gave their positions on healthcare, education, and other domestic issues. Spirited remarks, carefully crafted and tested by consultants, flew at the incumbent and each other. Despite the several hours of airtime almost nothing Read More …
Brian M Downing One of the most divisive decisions the Supreme Court has ever issued was Roe v Wade (1973). Brown v Board of Education (1954) was unpopular, especially in the South, but it was a unanimous decision and in time, and after federal troops were sent in, school integration Read More …
Brian M Downing The Trump administration and its Saudi allies were relieved as US interest in the Khashoggi assassination receded. The passage of time and midterm elections saw to that. Riyadh, Washington, and Jerusalem breathed easier as their hardline Iran policy seemed back on track. The issue returned to the Read More …
Brian M Downing Relations between the US and Russia have declined badly since Putin’s invasion of the Crimea and eastern Ukraine. The Trump administration is determined to bring rapprochement. The contours of an arrangement seem to be reducing sanctions on Russia in exchange for its cooperation against Iran – a Read More …
Brian M Downing The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 portended favorably for world peace, at least to some. Others saw the source of Russian-Soviet actions based not in communist ideology but rather in a national security ideology and string of ambitious rulers, both of which predate Marx and Read More …
Brian M Downing My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop Read More …
Brian M Downing The Pentagon admits to about 2,000 troops in Syria, though it declines to give a precise number. The GIs range along the northern border with Turkey and extend down the eastern bank of the Euphrates. They serve as trainers, advisors, air support spotters, logistics personnel, artillery support, Read More …
Brian M Downing A spate of gun-related killings, especially recent school massacres, have led to frustration, anger, and demands for more gun control. Calls abound for enhanced screening of gun purchases and for banning assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. John Paul Stevens, a retired Supreme Court Justice, knows such measures won’t Read More …
Brian M Downing If you’re looking for insight on Terry Jones and his mission of burning the Koran and getting the Islamic world to despise us even more than it already does, I recommend HL Mencken. The caustic essayist of the early twentieth century was a great writer and a Read More …