Kurdistan and Catalonia both have long histories. That’s one reason many Kurds and Catalans argue that they deserve their own nation states. Iraqi Kurds voted September 25, and it appears a majority support establishing an independent Kurdistan in what is now Iraqi Kurdistan. Though the referendum is advertised as “non-binding,” Kurdish leaders say the results […]
Austin Bay
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Russia looks to gain back land, power
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personally expressed dismay at the collapse of the Soviet Union connects directly to two current events: Russia’s war of conquest in Ukraine and the Russian Army’s large-scale war games in western Russia and Belarus. By the way, the Russian military calls its war game enemy “The Western Coalition.” The name deliberately […]
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Congo's vicious Kasai war could spread
In August 2016, small but violent conflict erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s south-central Kasai region. In the world beyond the Kasai region’s five provinces (Kasai, Kasai-Central, Kasai-Oriental, Sankuru and Lomami) the cause of the violent outburst was unclear. According to initial reports, it involved a local grievance. The Kasai region’s relative isolation contributed […]
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Yemen's odd war is a human disaster
Three civil wars with roots in Arab Spring revolts continue to plague the Arab world: Yemen, Syria and Libya. Syria receives the most international attention. With over 500,000 dead, that’s understandable. Libyan battles over oil facilities also draw headlines. In comparison, Yemen’s civil war on the Arabian Peninsula’s southwestern corner receives little notice. There are […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
North Korea targets Japan — 1998 and 2017
On August 31, 1998, North Korea bluntly informed Japan that the next time the Korean War escalated to all-out combat, Tokyo would be a target. Pyongyang used a multi-stage Taepodong-1 intermediate range ballistic missile to deliver the diplomatic message as a military object lesson. The first stage of the rather poorly constructed missile landed in […]
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In Iraq: Fighting continues against ISIS
President Barack Obama’s 2011 decision to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq was not based on the political and security conditions within the country. Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign determined the withdrawal timetable. Obama intended to sell himself as a war-ender no matter the real world conditions. No debate — Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Iraqi government […]
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China backing away from North Korea
On August 11, the U.S. island territory’s Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense posted a website fact sheet entitled “In Case of Emergency … Preparing for an Imminent Missile Threat” in response to North Korea’s threat to launch a volley of ballistic missiles in Guam’s direction. The fact sheet included a warning reminiscent of late […]
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Venezuela continues slide toward civil war
In the early morning hours of August 1, Venezuelan secret police arrested the country’s most prominent opposition political leaders, Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma, and quickly hauled them off to prison. Lopez is the gutsy leader of the Popular Will Party and a former mayor of Caracas. Ledezma also served as mayor of Caracas and […]
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Mosul serves as case lesson in urban warfare
On July 10, Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared coalition forces had won a “total victory” in their fight to free the city of Mosul. Since June 2014, the unfortunate city had been occupied by ISIS terrorists. Abadi’s claim of total victory was premature. In the following days, several small firefights erupted around the city. […]
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Anti-missile defense now a U.S. priority
North Korea’s Kwasong-14/KN-14 intercontinental ballistic missile test launch was by far the Fourth of July’s most disturbing firework. Spoiling America’s birthday was Pyongyang’s goal. In fact, for the Kim dictatorship, it’s an old hat propaganda tactic. On July 4, 2009, North Korea test-fired seven short-range missiles. July 4 missile displays send a provocative signal: the […]