Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing President Trump issued a warning to Pakistan last January and this week he cut $300 million in military aid to our putative ally. Other forms of aid are continuing, however. The reason for the cuts is Islamabad’s support for the Taliban, which has been gaining ground in Read More …
Brian M Downing Diplomacy has known the Message to Garcia, the Willy-Nicky correspondence, the Zimmerman telegram, and the Zinoviev letter. Now we have President Trump’s tweet claiming Pakistan has been duplicitous in the Afghan war: “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over Read More …
ISIL expanded suddenly over the last year and a half, from half-forgotten bombing outfit in western Iraq to regional danger. It has won the allegiance of unaffiliated Islamist groups as well as those formerly bound to al Qaeda. Attention is on North Africa and the Middle East, but conditions conducive to Read More …
Afghanistan’s prominence in the news is subject to sudden change. The 9/11 attacks vaulted it into our attention. Iraq pushed it aside for years, until the Taliban reasserted itself and reconquered parts of the south and west. The rise of ISIL in Syria and Iraq pushed it aside once more, until Read More …
The black flags of ISIL have spread from Iraq and Syria to many other parts of the Islamic world, from North Africa to Central Asia. In recent months they have been seen in Afghanistan, or Khorasan as it is known in Islamic apocalyptic texts – the land where the Read More …
Brian M Downing This week brought news that the United States was releasing a number of Taliban figures of mid-to-high standing in the insurgent group’s political and military apparatus. This is a good sign of efforts to bring about meaningful peace talks, which were thought to have been on hold Read More …
Brian M Downing The United States is withdrawing troops from Afghanistan though the recent agreement with President Hamid Karzai indicates that the US will retain a significant presence, civilian and military, for many years to come. It is unclear how many Western troops will remain but the level will certainly Read More …
Reviewed by Brian M Downing With the US ensnarled in the Afghan insurgency and Pakistan headed toward implosion, Af-Pak and the countries around it are in crisis. Renowned journalist Ahmed Rashid offers a series of essays drawn from his connections to figures in the state, army, and insurgent groups which Read More …
Brian M Downing The war in Afghanistan has been stalemated for several years now and eyes are turning to a negotiated settlement. In recent weeks, talks between the United States and the Taliban have come and gone, but they will almost assuredly return. As welcome as these bilateral talks are, Read More …
Reviewed by Brian M Downing Peace talks between the US and the Taliban are in the offing and the relationship between the latter and al-Qaeda will figure highly in them. Strick Van Linschoten and Kuehn argue that the two Islamist groups have never had close ties. This will strike longtime Read More …