Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Donald Trump will leave the White House on January 20th, perhaps a bit sooner. Even he now says he will depart, albeit reluctantly. There’s hope that the country will return to at least a modicum of comity. The trials are behind us, a new day is dawning. Read More …
Brian M Downing The IRGC has several ways to increase its power at the expense of the mullahs. Again, the scenario suggested here isn’t a coup. The mullahs have far too much popular and institutional power for that. But the generals can establish a formidable power bloc comprising military, economic, Read More …
A review by Brian M Downing 7/10 Sinclair Lewis’s 1927 book is deeply satirical and loads of fun. It’s dedicated to the caustic HL Mencken, who loathed fundamentalism. The film isn’t satirical, though some scenes of revival meetings might seem that way – a howling sinner, a deaf man who Read More …
Brian M Downing The mullahs from the IRGC perspective There are few young ayatollahs (or popes for that matter). The accreditation process is long and arduous and unrelated to governing a large country in parlous times. In terms of age, they are like the geriatric politburo of the Soviet Read More …
Brian M Downing The health of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, has been in question for years. Wounded in an MEK bombing, treated for cancer, the 81-year-old cleric was recently said to be gravely ill and choosing a successor. But death isn’t at hand, though piety and Read More …
Brian M Downing President Biden will have his hands full. A slew of domestic problems await him. The same holds for international ones. China and Russia will present new problems and exacerbate old ones. The confrontation will take place at a pivotal moment in history. One great power is facing Read More …
Brian M Downing The new foreign policy team has shown no reluctance to send troops into danger. That’s clear from their positions in previous administrations and at research institutes between political appointments. They may be more cautious after the failure of the Afghan surge, the aftermath of ousting Qaddafi, the Read More …
Brian M Downing President Biden faces daunting problems in the world. High on his agenda will be restoring comity and trust with allies. Trump was dismissive of them, even though they’re needed to counter the continuing problem of jihadism and the emerging one of China. He was unaware that the Read More …
Brian M Downing The new administration takes over following the erratic previous one. Trump dropped out of the JCPOA, the Paris climate agreement, and the TPP. He opted not to fill numerous positions in State and Defense, leaving decisions in the hands of inexperienced colleagues and family members. The administration, Read More …
Brian M Downing Last week Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, leader of his country’s nuclear program, was shot to death near Tehran. It’s the most recent attack going back to the Islamic Republic’s early years. The Sunni powers waged a long war that killed several hundred thousand Iranians. Since its inconclusive end, Iran Read More …