Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing One of government’s most important and sacred duties is protecting the nation from foreign threats. That’s accomplished by a strong military, domestic unity, and reliable allies. The Trump administration strode back into Washington determined to cut government and lower taxes. Tremendous economic growth, we’re told, will ensue Read More …
Brian M Downing Donald Trump, political and business elites, and a fiercely loyal base will try to bring fundamental political change to the United States. Lincoln, Wilson, and Roosevelt curtailed certain democratic principles such as free speech but only as temporary wartime measures. Trump, however, seeks permanent change in the Read More …
Brian M Downing Studying the quarrels of an ancient day [we] can at least seek to understand both parties to the struggle and want to understand them better than they understood themselves; watching them entangled in the net of time and circumstance [we] can take pity on them – these Read More …
Brian M Downing Hamas’s attack last year was intentionally barbaric. It was intended to elicit a disproportionate response from Netanyahu and his religious-nationalist bloc and shake up the region to the advantage of Iran, Russia, and Chins. Netanyahu is doing his part. Much of Gaza has been leveled and an Read More …
Brian M Downing The first year of the war went well for Ukraine. The Russians were stopped outside Kyiv and driven from Kharkiv and Kherson. Victory seemed assured. But there’s been little movement in the last six months. The war for now is a stalemate and Ukrainians are less buoyant. Read More …
Brian M Downing The US has retaliated against IRGC personnel and proxies after three GI deaths on a small remote base near the Jordanian-Syrian border. Retaliatory trikes have gone on for several days now and aim at getting Iran to back down. There’s little sign of it. Where is this Read More …
Brian M Downing American troops in Syria and Iraq have come under fire since the Hamas war began. Over the weekend an Iranian drone struck an outpost in Jordan near its borders with Syria and Iraq. The Houthis continue to attack Western shipping in the Red Sea. It’s all part Read More …
Brian M Downing The IDF is pressing ahead in Gaza. Thousands of residents have been killed and about 1.5 million have been driven from their homes and pushed south toward the Egyptian border. The Netanyahu government plans to expel them altogether and wants Arab states to take them in. In the Read More …
Brian M Downing The Houthis began as a movement opposed to rising Saudi-Wahhabi influence in Yemen. They are Shia but their identity and cause are tied more to regional differences than to sectarian doctrines. The north has been fighting the Sunni south for a decade. After many offensives and counteroffensives, Read More …
Brian M Downing The Hamas attack with its torture, rapes, and mutilations was appalling. A firm, violent response was understandable and in accordance with international law. However, the destruction Netanyahu has unleashed on Gaza and its 2.4 million people is disproportionate. Whole blocks and neighborhoods lie in ruins. Reliable sources Read More …