Tag Archives: MENA

The IDF appears to have overcome its long-standing fear of "another 2006" and to be preparing for war against Hizbullah and indeed against all of Lebanon.... Will Iran come in? Sic Semper Tyrannis "We will destroy Lebanon..." Michael Katz, MoD of Israel in Tweet yesterday Col. W. Patrick Lang, US Army (ret.) At the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lang was the Defense Intelligence Officer (DIO) for the Middle East, South Asia and counter-terrorism, and later, the first Director of the Defense...

The world just got a lot more complicated. When it comes to the Middle East, China has not been shy about its recent ambitions to expand its geopolitical influence in the Gulf region: Just last week we reported that the Chinese Ambassador to Syria, Qi Qianjin, shocked Middle East pundits and observers by indicating the Chinese military may fill the void left in the wake of the collapse of ISIS - and most regional armies - and directly assist the Syrian Army in an upcoming major offensive on...

Comprehensive update for those following MENA affairs. Sic Semper Tyrannis A "Tour d'horizon" of the ME - Lang's opinion Col. W. Patrick Lang, US Army (ret.) At the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lang was the Defense Intelligence Officer (DIO) for the Middle East, South Asia and counter-terrorism, and later, the first Director of the Defense Humint Service. At the DIA, he was a member of the Defense Senior Executive Service. He participated in the drafting of National Intelligence...

Sad story of American liberal interventionism putatively based on spreading freedom and democracy gone wrong in the Middle East, told by an insider. Is the US getting ready to repeat that mistake in Iran after Iraq has been generally admitted as a strategic blunder?LobeLogInauspicious Anniversaries and Lessons Unlearned Emile Nakhleh | Senior Intelligence Service officer and Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program at the Central Intelligence Agency, a member of the...

In accordance with an energy cooperation framework agreement signed in late January, Russia will have exclusive rights to produce oil and gas in Syria. The agreement goes significantly beyond that, stipulating the modalities of the rehabilitation of damaged rigs and infrastructure, energy advisory support, and training a new generation of Syrian oilmen. Still, the main international aspect and the key piece of this move is the final and unconditional consolidation of Russian interests in...

Some years ago, I started collecting information about the so-called Maghreb countries, which typically refers to the region spanned by Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, although sometimes Libya and Mauritania are also included in the aggregation. You will find it referred to as the Barbary Coast in English literature. I was interested (as a long-term project when I get old :-)) to write a book about how nations broke away from the yoke of colonialism only to fall into the hands of the IMF and...

More twists and turns in the snake pit. Here we go again. Yesterday [Lebanese Prime Minister] Hariri was visited in Beirut by Ali Velayati, a top advisor of the supreme leader Khamenei of Iran. The Saudis did not like either. Thamer's plan was set into motion. They sent a private jet and hauled Hariri to Riyadh. There the Saudi clown prince Mohammad bin Salman gave Hariri his resignation statement (written by Thamer?) to be read by him on Saudi TV.  Irony alert: The Lebanese PM (with a...

What, then, is US policy in the Middle East—under Trump, Obama, Bush and Clinton (and even earlier)? When all the rhetoric has been stripped away, we can identity quite clear, precise, and fairly consistent major strategic policy positions. First, Washington accedes to almost anything that Israel wants. This is an untouchable posture, a third rail, beyond any debate or discussion lest we anger the powerful Zionist lobby of AIPAC and end up being labelled “anti-Semitic.” The New York...

This portends to have wide-reaching ramifications. Turkey is already on the outs with Germany, and now the US.  Is Turkey long for NATO?  It's fairly certain that Erdogan blames US covert operations for the coup attempted against him. Asia TimesTurkish market crumbles as Erdogan overreachesKenny Hodgart