The Indo-Pacific: The Expansion of a Geopolitical Presence

The Indo-Pacific: The Expansion of a Geopolitical Presence

On May 30, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattisannounced that the Pacific Command was being renamed as the Indo-Pacific Command. Thus the Pentagon’s largest (in a geographical sense) command has grown even more gigantic. The new designation is being introduced gradually, seeing as not many announcements have been made about the command’s reorganization, but in…

Shooting Oneself in One’s Own Foot: Pakistan’s Failed Effort to Evade Terrorism Finance Listing

Shooting Oneself in One’s Own Foot: Pakistan’s Failed Effort to Evade Terrorism Finance Listing

The Pakistani government’s removal of a virulently anti-Shiite militant from its terrorism list at the very moment that an international money laundering and terrorism finance watchdog was deciding to put the country on a watchlist highlights Pakistan’s struggle to come to grips with militancy. The decision by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that was…

Iranian Hard-Liners Smell Blood as Rouhani Under Fire Over Economy

Iranian Hard-Liners Smell Blood as Rouhani Under Fire Over Economy

Iranian hard-liners are euphoric as President Hassan Rouhani is under increasing pressure from public opinion and losing credibility among voters, given the dire condition of the economy. But this state did not emerge overnight; rather, it is the result of a combination of US President Donald Trump’s policies and the well-devised plans of Rouhani’s staunch opponents…

Moscow-Riyadh: Balancing Out Washington

Moscow-Riyadh: Balancing Out Washington

The Times of Israel published an article titled “Israel to begin promoting railway linking Haifa seaport with Saudi Arabia”, which self-explanatorily describes Israeli Transportation Minister Israel Katz’s unprecedented proposal for pioneering an overland rail route from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf as part of his signature “Tracks for Regional Peace” initiative. First unveiled just…

Venezuela – Towards an Economy of Resistance

Venezuela – Towards an Economy of Resistance

The Government of Venezuela called an international Presidential Economic Advisory Commission, 14-16 June, 2018 – to debate the current foreign injected economic disturbances and seeking solutions to overcome them. I was privileged and honored to be part of this commission. Venezuela is literally being strangled by economic sanctions, by infiltrated elements of unrest, foreign trained…