July 24 News
Iraqi offensive to retake Ramadi to begin. Former Likud cabinet member calls for replacing Netanyahu. Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision-making style under criticism. Turkey takes steps to aid in the ISIL War.
News Commentary: Khorasan Group leader killed
The Khorasan Group is a small group of experienced al Qaeda fighters and bomb makers dedicated to attacking western targets. The name comes from an old name for a region covering modern-day Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, This reflects al Qaeda’s ambitions for the area which would then serve as a Read More …
News Commentary: US training only 60 Syrian troops
After many months of trying to build an effective force to fight in the Syrian civil war, the US has trained only sixty troops. Most Syrians are reluctant to serve in a unit that will be seen as controlled by the US. They likely will be regarded with suspicion by other rebel Read More …
News Commentary: Obama calls for dialog between Iran and Saudi Arabia
From AL Monitor This is one of the benefits of the opening to Iran: the US can play one of against the other and better manage the animosities in the Gulf. The sectarian hatreds may get out of hand and endanger world oil supplies and economic growth. A smart Read More …
Prospects for liberalization in Iran
The recent nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 brings hope for political reform in Iran. This is especially so among the middle classes of Tehran and other urban areas. The impending end to sanctions by much of the world, they believe, will bring greater prosperity and an easing of Read More …
News Commentary: Saudi Arabia arrests 400 ISIL suspects
Little surprise that there is a sizable ISIL following inside Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom’s Wahhabi understanding of Islam is militant and anti-western and meshes fairly well, though not precisely, with jihadi thought. Many of the fighters in ISIL and the several al Qaeda franchises come from Saudi Arabia and a Read More …
Analysis: Realpolitik in the opening with Iran
Brian M Downing The dialog between the US and Iran has moved ahead. Opposition comes from important groups in both Tehran and Washington – as well as in a few Middle Eastern capitals. In Washington, the issue is decried as a sign of the administration’s naivety regarding world affairs Read More …
Analysis: Behind Prime Minister Netanyahu’s hard line by Brian M Downing
While many parts of the world have called the Iranian nuclear deal a triumph of diplomacy, Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded it an “historic mistake, even though international inspection teams will monitor the number of centrifuges and see that Iran’s uranium is well below weapons grade. The Read More …
War and change in Saudi Arabia
Brian M Downing Wars bring formidable changes to countries, even if they are fortunate enough not to have fighting on their own soil. The US was transformed by the Second World War and Vietnam, both politically and culturally, in the course of only a few years. The Middle East was Read More …
Rethinking the US tilt toward Saudi Arabia
Brian M Downing From the end of World War Two, until the outset of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the US maintained good relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. The US imported hydrocarbons from both, exported weapons to both, and maintained cordial diplomatic relations with both. This contributed to Read More …