Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing The war in Afghanistan has dragged on for fifteen years now. The conflict has been complicated by the rise of ISIL in the region. Its Afghan franchise, ISIL-Khorasan Province, has established itself in eastern Afghanistan, where it has coalesced with and recruited from other jihadi groups, including Read More …
Brian M Downing Once Aleppo is completely taken and reasonably secure, Assad and Putin will turn their attention to the last rebel city in the west, Idlib. Their tactics of intensive airstrikes followed by ground assaults are effective, if inhumane. The rebels have no protection from Russian aircraft. Their foreign Read More …
Negotiation and escalation in the Syrian civil war after Aleppo Brian M Downing The war in Syria is entering its sixth year. Various rebel groups, backed by Sunni powers, had the upper hand until Hisbollah, Iran, and Russia intervened on the government side. Over the last year government forces developed a tactic Read More …
Is conflict with Iran coming, again? Brian M Downing Throughout the campaign Donald Trump criticized his chief adversary for supporting the Iranian nuclear deal of 2015. The president-elect has backtracked on several matters, including prosecuting Hillary Clinton and building a physical wall along the Mexican border. Trump has not stepped Read More …
President Trump takes on the Middle East – Iran Brian M Downing No newly-elected president has caused more anxiety and speculation than Donald Trump. His hastily proposed polices and mercurial temperament worry foreign leaders and fellow Republicans alike. Many US foreign policy experts have publicly declared him unfit for the presidency. Read More …
Russia looks for opportunities in Iraq Brian M Downing Russia and the United States are engaged in Cold War Two – a global contest for influence, trade, military bases, and power. Russia, in conjunction with China, want to establish hegemony in the Eurasian land mass, including the Middle East. Read More …
Muslim Press: How do you analyze Washington’s role in Iran-Iraq war? Brian Downing: The US was in the awkward position of opposing both countries: Iran for the embassy hostage situation and its calls for revolution; Iraq for its brutal government, alignment with the Soviet Union, and hostility to Israel. The Read More …
Russia moves even closer to Iran Brian M Downing Upheaval in the Middle East has caused great concern in many capitals. Some states see opportunity. Saudi Arabia, for example, has brought Egypt and its formidable army into its sphere, and hopes to do the same with Sunni regions of Syria, Read More …
Escalation and attrition in the battle for Aleppo Brian M Downing A major battle for Aleppo has been coming for many months, delayed by a short-lived ceasefire and preliminary negotiations. There will not be a lasting ceasefire or meaningful talks until the fate of Syria’s once largest city, now in ruins, Read More …
Is a great Shia-Sunni war in the offing? Brian M Downing Almost 1400 years after the great schism in the Islamic world, sectarian hatreds in the Middle East are higher than in centuries. Princes and mullahs exchange angry words. Proxies fight fierce local wars. Armies of regional powers purchase huge Read More …