Mitigating Risk of US-Beijing Conflict in South China Sea

Mitigating Risk of US-Beijing Conflict in South China Sea

The foreign-policy issues confronting the United States are vast and complex. They range from terror groups such Islamic State and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to Russia’s attempt at re-exerting its status as a major world power. One issue, competition to control the South China Sea, pits mainland China against its lesser rivals: Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei,…

No Amount of Propaganda Qualifies as Humanitarian Aid

No Amount of Propaganda Qualifies as Humanitarian Aid

Last month, Helsinki hosted an international conference on the humanitarian situation in Syria, resulting in the launch of a regional refugee plan for the next two years, focused on assisting Syria’s neighboring states in dealing with the refuge crisis. In accordance with this plan, UN officials seek 4.6 billion dollars worth of humanitarian aid to…

Why a Victory Over ISIS in Mosul Might Spell Defeat in Deir Ezzor

Why a Victory Over ISIS in Mosul Might Spell Defeat in Deir Ezzor

“The re-conquest of western Mosul begins.” Or so several headlines in the Arab press have announced. And it’s true that the Iraqi army and its Shia militia allies and a few token soldiers from the US, Turkey, Britain and Kurdish forces have captured some small villages abandoned by Isis near the old Mosul airport. But…

‘America First’ is a Mantra for Unilateral Aggression

‘America First’ is a Mantra for Unilateral Aggression

President Donald Trump’s oft-repeated slogan of «America First» is not a substitute phrase for American isolationism but a call to arms for aggressive unilateral military action on a global scale. Unlike the pre-World War II «America Firsters», among whose ranks could be counted Trump’s father, Fred Trump, Donald Trump’s administration and the ranks of his…

Australia Participated in 2003 Iraq War Solely to Boost Ties with Bush, Army Think-Tank

Australia Participated in 2003 Iraq War Solely to Boost Ties with Bush, Army Think-Tank

The Australian government joined the widely unpopular Iraq War in 2003 – deploying troops, warships, and combat aircraft – solely to boost its relationship with George W. Bush’s White House, a declassified Australian army paper has revealed. A report, written by Dr. Albert Palazzo of the Australian Army’s Directorate of Army Research and Analysis (DARA)…