Billions Down the Afghanistan Drain

Billions Down the Afghanistan Drain

India is reported as being “one of the largest donors of civilian aid to Afghanistan” and has recently undertaken to give the Kabul government another billion dollars, which is extremely generous of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, because, as CNN points out, there is in India “a stark picture of widespread rural poverty and deprivation“. According to the site Poverties “70…

No-Fly Zone would ‘Require War with Syria and Russia’ – Top US General

No-Fly Zone would ‘Require War with Syria and Russia’ – Top US General

Speaking to the US Senate, the Pentagon’s leaders blamed Russia for the Aleppo aid convoy attack, but admitted they “had no facts.” Only US coalition planes should be allowed over Syria, they said, though that would require war against both Syria and Russia. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint…

Russian Troops Arrive in Pakistan for First Druzhba-2016 Joint Drills

Russian Troops Arrive in Pakistan for First Druzhba-2016 Joint Drills

Russian troops with the Southern Military District have arrived in Pakistan for the first Druzhba-2016 (“Friendship-2016”) exercises in the country, the district’s press service said Friday. “The Southern Military District troops arrived in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan aboard an Il-76 military transport aircraft today to participate in the first joint Russian-Pakistani ‘Druzhba-2016’ tactical exercises,”…

The Pretence of Peace

The Pretence of Peace

Even as it negotiated a cease-fire with the United States, Russia knew that they would not respect it any more than they had respected previous agreements. But Moscow was hoping to move ahead on the road to the recognition of a multipolar world. As for Washington, they played the card of the end of Obama’s…

Non-Aligned to… Nowhere?

Non-Aligned to… Nowhere?

The summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) came and went in Isla Margarita, Venezuela, virtually invisible to Western corporate media. NAM nowadays congregates every African nation except South Sudan; most of Latin America – except Brazil, Argentina and Mexico (they are observers); and most of Asia and the Middle East (China is an observer). So…

India Signs $8.8bn Deal to Buy 36 Rafale Fighter Jets from France

India Signs $8.8bn Deal to Buy 36 Rafale Fighter Jets from France

India has signed one of its biggest defense deals in decades, committing to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from French aviation company Dassault. The agreement will set Delhi back $8.8 billion. The agreement was signed on Friday by India’s defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian. The deal follows four years…