Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Five weeks on, the war has changed remarkably, welcomingly, and probably irreversibly. The Russians are withdrawing from areas northwest of Kyiv, abandoning pockets of soldiers and tons of equipment. Troops around Kharkiv may soon hie north too. Ukrainian troops will soon near the border with Belarus. This Read More …
Brian M Downing Earlier this year Putin’s strategic position was quite good. The alliance with China was sound, Iran and Venezuela were defying American threats, and Turkey was moving away from NATO. Then came a political crisis in Belarus, a war in the Caucasus, and more recently an upheaval in Read More …
Brian M Downing Protests are jarring many countries. In recent days, after an election gave a suspicious win to a longstanding ruler, Belarus is now in the rapids. Once part of the Soviet Union, and situated between Russia and the EU (geographically and geopolitically), Belarus is closely watched by western Read More …
Brian M Downing Mentioning oil in world politics will immediately bring up the oil shock of 1973. The Saudis and other Gulf states showed their opposition to US support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War, when the US sent anti-tank missiles and helped the IDF defeat Arab air defenses. Read More …