Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
The US wades into Libya Brian M Downing The West is stepping up its activity in the Libyan civil war. Fearing that ISIL is establishing a statelet, the West is about to provide arms and more advisers to the forces backing the Government of National Accord. NATO troops and airpower Read More …
Is Iran wading deeper into the Euphrates? Brian M Downing Over the years, since the Assad government crushed peaceful calls for reform, foreign power after foreign power has intervened with money or arms or troops – Western and Middle Eastern, Shia and Sunni, Arab and Persian. Iran has sent money, Read More …
Revisiting the end of World War Two, again Brian M Downing Later this year President Obama will visit Hiroshima – the southern Honshu city that was destroyed by an atomic bomb at the end of World War Two. The White House insists that no apology will be made, but the Read More …
The Islamic world continues to break apart – Pakistan Brian M Downing Rand-McNally must be a busy place. Europe has seen the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia break apart; the Ukraine is being broken apart. The Islamic world has been even more tumultuous. The Sudan broke in two; Iraq is Read More …
The battles in Baghdad and the future of Iraq Brian M Downing Just as Iraqi units were beginning to clear the approaches to Mosul and prepare to retake the city, the Baghdad government has fallen into crisis. Its reform efforts have stalled in parliament. Angry demonstrators broke into the heavily Read More …
The illusion of a quick win in the ISIL War Brian M Downing ISIS is a 10- to 20-year problem; it’s not a two years problem. – General Ray Odierno I do think it’s going to be a generational struggle. – Admiral Sandy Winnefeld In recent months the US Read More …
The House of Saud tries to modernize (at last) Brian M Downing Saudi Arabia has announced bold economic moves. Weeks ago Riyadh floated the idea of selling shares in its oil industry to shore up cash reserves, and more recently it announced an ambitious program of building an industrial base. This, the Read More …
Time to rethink US-Saudi ties (while we can)? Brian M Downing President Obama’s greeting on his arrival in Saudi Arabia was less than warm. He was met by a less than august figure in the Saudi state and given relatively little attention in local media. The Saudis, as the expression Read More …
NATO weaknesses and Russian opportunities Brian M Downing Vladimir Putin sees the weaknesses in NATO. Defense budgets are flagging, commitment to new members in Eastern Europe is dubious. In 1939, France asked, “Die for Danzig?” Today, much of NATO is unlikely to go to war over Eastern Europe or Turkey. The Read More …
Russia looks for NATO’s weaknesses Brian M Downing Vladimir Putin wants NATO out of his backyard – or what he thinks of as his backyard. NATO expanded deep into Eastern Europe, despite Bush the Elder’s assurance that it would not. However, most Eastern European countries were eager to join NATO Read More …