Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Sectarian conflict in Iraq is again a concern as the Shi’ite government seeks the arrest of a Sunni vice president whom they tie to an assassination team. Implicit in the accusation is the charge that Sunni politicians were complicit in a number of bombings over the past Read More …
Brian M Downing The United States and other powers are seeking to change the government of Iran from the present mullah-centered authoritarianism to a representative government, or at least to a government more acceptable to regional powers. This objective is being pursued amid a program of sanctions and violent attacks, Read More …
Brian M Downing In the past few years, bombings and assassinations have taken place inside Iran that have killed scores of people. These attacks are almost certainly directed by Israeli, Saudi and US intelligence services which are pressing Iran to open its nuclear research facilities to international inspection. In recent Read More …
Brian M Downing The uprising in Syria has in the last week become much more violent and the Assad government is tottering. Civilians have obtained weapons and begun an armed resistance. Syrian soldiers are deserting and forming a Free Syrian Army. Fighting is breaking out between the Sunni majority and Read More …
Brian M Downing Opposition to the Assad regime in Syria has been firming since the beginning of the Arab Spring earlier this year. The government’s efforts to wait out and use force to end the opposition have failed thus far. Public opposition remains strong, almost mythic, even after thousands of Read More …
Brian M Downing In 1898, amid the age of imperialist acquisition, Great Britain and France confronted each other at Fashoda in the Sudan. The two powers almost went to war but happily, diplomacy prevailed. Today, amid fierce global competition for commodities and regional influence, the US and China are facing Read More …
Brian M Downing United States President Barack Obama announced on Friday that US troops would be out of Iraq by the end of 2011, little more than two months away. This date was set three years ago with the Iraqi government’s status of forces agreement, but two US administrations have Read More …
Stephen Tankel, Storming the World Stage: The Story of Lashkar-e-Taiba. (London: C. Hurst and Co., 2011). Brian M Downing There are a dozen or more militant groups operating today along the Af-Pak frontier. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) remained relatively unknown outside of the region and a few intelligence circles until it launched Read More …
Brian M Downing Iran recently offered to assist in a new probe of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina that killed 85 people – an event often attributed to Iran and its Hezbollah ally. While Iran has hinted at evidence that might be in its favor, Read More …
Brian M Downing Iran has recently offered to assist in a new probe of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina – an event often attributed to Iran and its Hisbollah ally. Iran has hinted at exculpatory evidence, but this, while interesting, is unlikely. Another motive might Read More …