Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
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 …
Hobbesistan is here – and so is a competition to control it Brian M Downing Large swathes of the Islamic world, from West Africa through the Middle East East to Central Asia, are no longer under the control of any government, save for self-proclaimed ones. Uprisings, insurgencies, and foreign interventions have Read More …
The battle of Raqqa – and Russia’s opportunity Brian M Downing The ISIL War is reaching an important junction. The Islamist movement has lost momentum and given up a lot of the territory which it claimed to be its caliphate. ISIL is bracing for major battles in Mosul in Iraq Read More …
(More) mission creep in Iraq Brian M Downing Late in Bush the Younger’s second term, Iraq ordered US troops to leave by the end of 2011, and the US complied. Iraq decided on US military trainers for its new army. So, some US troops in fact remained. Since then, al Qaeda Read More …
Donald Trump takes on Saudi Arabia – and foreign policy Brian M Downing Throughout the presidential campaign Donald Trump has spoken freely and often harshly of many individuals and groups. He recently bluntly noted Saudi Arabia’s AWOL status in the ISIL War, even though it takes place not far from Read More …