September 16, 2017 – Astute News

September 16, 2017

“Unprecedented” Saudi Crackdown Targets Regime Loyalists as King Prepares to Abdicate

Are we seeing early signs of an “Arab Spring” coming to Saudi Arabia, or will the next king emerge stronger than ever? The kingdom is now in the midst of an unprecedented crackdown of both dissidents and even loyalists perceived as less than enthusiastic about Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s consolidation of power as he prepares to ascend the throne of his...

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September 16, 2017

The Politics of Military Ascendancy

Introduction Clearly the US has escalated the pivotal role of the military in the making of foreign and, by extension, domestic policy. The rise of ‘the Generals’ to strategic positions in the Trump regime is evident, deepening its role as a highly autonomous force determining US strategic policy agendas. In this paper we will discuss the advantages that the military...

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September 16, 2017

Russia’s New Thinking Towards Armenia and Azerbaijan: An “Obstructionist” vs. An “Integrationalist”

While there are a host of differences between the two states, the one that Russia is beginning to care the most about nowadays is how Armenia is standing in the way of Moscow’s Great Power engagement with the “Ummah” while Azerbaijan is doing everything it can to facilitate it. Analyzing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations is a lot like talking about those between...

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September 16, 2017

Deplorable American Values

So-called American values have done more harm to more people worldwide over a longer duration than any other nation in world history – a legacy of endless wars of aggression, predatory corporate empowerment and post-9/11 tyranny, nothing to be proud of. Not for former Vice President Joe Biden, a deplorable character throughout his years of public disservice. Biden: “…America’s ability...

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September 16, 2017

Six Major US Foreign Policy Failures of the Post-Cold War Era

The Wolfowitz Doctrine and the document A Clean Break, set out contemporary US policy against Russia, China and the Middle East dating back to the 1990s. These documents, while still influential in Washington, have been abject failures on many fronts. In the 1990s, US officials, all of whom would go on to serve in the George W. Bush White House,...

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September 16, 2017

The Day of the Generals: Winning Armageddon

In a room, somewhere deep inside the Pentagon generals and admirals met recently in order to prepare an assessment for the United States Senate Armed Services Committee. Present at the metering were General Mark Milley, the U.S. Army’s Chief of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, the Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert Neller, and U.S....

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September 16, 2017

America Fears China’s Geo-Political Power More Than China’s Economic Might

The Bannonite wing of the new American right is angry about China. The anger stems primarily from the fact that China’s manufacturing has outpaced that of the US and economies similar to that of the US, which in turn has arguably been a cause of US industrial decline. Steve Bannon recently gave a speech in the Chinese island of Hong...

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September 16, 2017

Remembering the Ottoman Empire in Palestine

The last months of this year contain two landmark centenaries in the history of Palestine. The first is the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, on November 2nd. On that day, while Israelis celebrate, the Palestinians will mourn the short letter which, three decades later, took their country from them, the Nakba which led to 800,000 becoming refugees. The supporters...

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Daily Archive: September 16, 2017

“Unprecedented” Saudi Crackdown Targets Regime Loyalists as King Prepares to Abdicate

The Politics of Military Ascendancy

Russia’s New Thinking Towards Armenia and Azerbaijan: An “Obstructionist” vs. An “Integrationalist”

Deplorable American Values

Six Major US Foreign Policy Failures of the Post-Cold War Era

The Day of the Generals: Winning Armageddon

America Fears China’s Geo-Political Power More Than China’s Economic Might

Remembering the Ottoman Empire in Palestine