Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
A review of Thomas Hegghammer, Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism since 1979. (Cambridge University Press, 2010) Brian M Downing Thomas Hegghammer, a research fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, looks at al Qaeda with an eye trained in international affairs, statistical analysis, and sociology. His book is Read More …
Brian M Downing A top al-Qaeda commander was reportedly killed on Wednesday by government forces in Yemen’s southern Shabwa province, coinciding with a top United States official suggesting that the US should launch air strikes there and Iran ramping up tensions with Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s Saba news agency reported that Read More …
Brian M Downing The US and Iran could be allies again. Angry verbal exchanges notwithstanding, geopolitical dynamics present both countries with common interests and enemies, as they did many years ago when Washington and Tehran cooperated closely in the region. Elites and ideologies pose obstacles to renewed cooperation, but if Read More …
Brian M Downing The “surge” of General David Petraeus, the commander of United States forces in Iraq, is widely credited with bringing down violence in Iraq to a level that allows for political development and the withdrawal of some US troops. In an interview published on Tuesday, following a series Read More …
Brian M Downing Senator Barack Obama has repeatedly assured the public that, if elected to the presidency, he will withdraw US troops from Iraq, and in a manner more cautious than the way in which the US went in. He is unclear as to how many troops he would withdraw, Read More …
Brian M Downing In recent months, US casualties and Iraqi deaths have dropped markedly. Americans and Iraqis welcome the news but are perplexed by it as well. This is especially so in the US Congress, where confusion and indecision have deepened, and opposition to the war is even more tepid Read More …
Brian M. Downing In recent months the administration has been touting successes in Iraq, and polling data show a modest increase in public support for the war. Various reports on the war will be released in the next week or so, the interpretations of which will be contested widely, bitterly, Read More …
Brian M Downing The United States’ war in Iraq, as is more apparent with each passing year, is going badly. The administration of President George W Bush has recently admitted as much and announced a new strategy – or at least a new word. “Counterinsurgency” glitters in studies of guerrilla Read More …