Head of Red Cross to hold Syria talks in Moscow and Tehran

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, will fly to Moscow, Washington and Tehran in the coming days in a bid to secure access to civilians in Aleppo. Hundreds of people have been killed since Tuesday in a concerted push by the government and its allies to quash resistance in […]

The deal with General Flynn: Trump’s likely National Security Advisor

As has been recently reported, President-elect Donald Trump has settled on former Army General Mike Flynn as his choice for national security advisor, to take effect once the new president assumes office in January.  Flynn was the former head of intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). […]

Why Russia sailed its navy thousands of miles to Syria when doing so brings ‘nothing’ to the battle

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a handful of videos glorifying its Mediterranean naval campaign to support Syrian President Bashar Assad. Cruise missiles were seen launching vertically from destroyers, tipping sideways, and then rocketing toward the Syrian city of Aleppo. The videos also showed operations aboard Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. […]

Meeting Putin, Philippines’ Duterte rails at Western ‘hypocrisy’

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at Western “bullying” and “hypocrisy” during his first meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and said when it came to alliances, the United States could not be trusted. In talks with Putin during an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima, Duterte held nothing back in his views about major powers like […]

Near miss over Syria

As a pilot, I have had multiple “near miss” events. Most pilots I know have had similar experiences. Some of these events still scare me today when I think about them, others were less intense and grave, but I also remember all of them…and what they taught me. A near miss is any unplanned close […]

The Royal Navy may lose its anti-ship arsenal

If geopolitics could be compared to a grade school playground, the United Kingdom has long been America’s best buddy. Our two militaries have worked side by side in countless conflicts and likely will continue to do so for years to come. So when the Royal Navy loses one of its most important offensive and defensive […]

Near Miss Over Syria

As a pilot, I have had multiple “near miss” events. Most pilots I know have had similar experiences. Some of these events still scare me today when I think about them, others were less intense and grave, but I also remember all of them…and what they taught me. A near miss is any unplanned close […]

‘We’re scared for our lives’: Some Syrians view Trump’s win as the ‘most dreadful turn of events imaginable’

The Syrian government seems pleased with US President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning victory last week. The government last week signaled its relief that Hillary Clinton lost, saying it was “happy” she did not win because “she’s the one who considered all these terrorist, Islamist, jihadist groups as moderate rebels.” And Syrian President Bashar Assad followed up Tuesday by saying Trump […]

How much of Trump’s ascent can be attributed to Russian meddling?

The Russians employed “active measures” against the United States and undermined our election process. We should remain skeptical of the results, not optimistic. Putin’s congratulations to President-elect Trump may signify a few things. It could be sincere, but it’s likely just part of his calculus. Russia played a role in this election, and it’s alarming. That […]

Kremlin intrigue suspected in bribery charge against top Putin aide

MOSCOW — A high-profile corruption case shook Russia’s establishment and appeared to shed light on a power struggle within President Vladi­mir Putin’s inner circle on Tuesday, after authorities detained the country’s economic development minister on suspicion that he demanded and accepted a $2 million bribe over a controversial privatization deal. Alexei Ulyukayev became the highest-ranking official to […]

The New Cold War: Russia and the US aim to upgrade ICBM arsenals

ICBMs, or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, were the weapon of choice for cold war posturing between the Soviet Union and the United States. These towering missiles were designed to travel great distances and unleash devastation upon their targets of a magnitude greater than twenty-seven times that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Today’s […]

Trump hates the nuclear pact with Iran, but the rest of the world is busy cutting deals

Judging from Donald Trump’s campaign posturing, his Big Three foreign policy views go something like this: Russia can be wooed, Iran needs to be slammed, and China’s economic and strategic reach must be tamed. But what happens when they all start to overlap? A series of initiatives and announcements Monday pointed to the deepening interplay […]