May 29, 2018 – Astute News

May 29, 2018

Afghanistan: Israels Commando’s Hit by Taliban, Lose Helicopter, Casualties

Last night (May 27), an Israel Defense Force command unit, newly stationed at the formerly closed US military facility and air base at Farah City in Farah Province, Western Afghanistan, came under Taliban attack. Attacks on the Israeli group had been going on for days. Israel forces were hit with rocket and mortar attacks, losing one helicopter (US) and suffering...

Opinion Comment: 1

May 29, 2018

US Warns of “Firm” Response If Syria Attacks ISIS . . . No, Really

In an apparent attempt to remove all pretense that the United States is nothing more than al-Qaeda’s Air Force in Syria, the American government is warning its Syrian counterpart that, if the SAA moves ahead with its upcoming southern offensive to remove ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists from its southern borders, the U.S. will take “firm and appropriate measures.” In other...

Opinion Comments: 0

May 29, 2018

Trump’s Betraying His Base with the MEK

Trump’s base would be shocked to discover that influential members of his administration are vocal supporters of a cultish Islamo-communist terrorist group. The open support that leading figures of the Trump Administration have given to the “People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran” (officially called the “Mojahedin-e Khalq”, hence the conventional MEK abbreviation) is a betrayal of the President’s base. This organization...

Opinion Comment: 1

May 29, 2018

The Indo-Pacific’s Changing Political Landscape

Several noteworthy events, which have occurred in the past few weeks, bear witness to the continuing changes in the Indo-Pacific region’s political map. This process was long in the making, but its pace increased substantially after the election of Donald Trump as the US President, whose key campaign slogan, “America first,” is often misinterpreted as confirmation and even reinforcement of...

Opinion Comments: 0

May 29, 2018

In Iran and North Korea, China Holds Some Cards

Donald Trump made his television reputation by telling people “You’re fired.” The same bullying approach now substitutes for his international diplomacy, with Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran and cancelation of the summit with North Korea the latest examples. In both cases, Trump is convinced that “maximum pressure” will eventually bring those countries’ leaders around. Far more likely...

Opinion Comments: 2

May 29, 2018

The Manchester Bomber Was Enabled by the British Government

The culpability of the British government and its intelligence agencies in enabling suicide bomber Salman Abedi to blow himself up at a pop concert in Manchester is being masked one year later by the mood of grief and mourning over the death and injury of so many people. It is heartrending to hear injured children and the relatives of the...

Opinion Comment: 1

May 29, 2018

Iran Diary: Bracing for All-Out Economic War

The minute you set foot in the streets of Mashhad, the air smelling of saffron, a fine breeze oozing from the mountains, it hits you; you’re in the heart of the Ancient Silk Road and the New Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). To the east, the Afghan border is only three hours away on an excellent highway. To the north,...

Opinion Comments: 0

May 29, 2018

Is Peace Around Israel Possible?

The Middle East is a region where many different interests meet and interact. Moving one piece may provoke a reaction at the other end of the chess-board. The tentatives by Donald Trump to break with the strategy of Admiral Cebrowski [1] and pacify a particularly wounded zone are, for the moment, provoking contradictory consequences which are preventing him from concluding. It...

Opinion Comments: 0

Daily Archive: May 29, 2018

Afghanistan: Israels Commando’s Hit by Taliban, Lose Helicopter, Casualties

US Warns of “Firm” Response If Syria Attacks ISIS . . . No, Really

Trump’s Betraying His Base with the MEK

The Indo-Pacific’s Changing Political Landscape

In Iran and North Korea, China Holds Some Cards

The Manchester Bomber Was Enabled by the British Government

Iran Diary: Bracing for All-Out Economic War

Is Peace Around Israel Possible?