Crashing Currency Chaos Spreads Across the Global South

September 4, 2018

The Iranian rial: crash. The Turkish lira: crash. The Argentine peso: crash. The Brazilian real: crash. There are multiple, complex, parallel vectors at play in this wilderness of crashing currencies.…

Asia’s Shifting Alliances in the Time of Trump

September 4, 2018

Opinion

“Boxing the compass” is an old nautical term for locating the points on a magnetic compass in order to set a course. With the erratic winds blowing out of Washington these days, countries all over Asi…

The Syrian-Iranian Military Deal Strengthens Russia’s “Balancing” Strategy

September 4, 2018

Opinion

No real details were publicly revealed about the new military deal that was clinched after the Iranian Defense Minister’s trip to Damascus but the Islamic Republic’s top military representative earlie…

Will Someone in Washington Play the Ace of Spades before November?

September 4, 2018

Opinion

With regard to American foreign and security policy, President Donald Trump presents a paradox. Aside from some harsh bluster (“fire and fury” directed towards Pyongyang in the lead-up to an unprecede…

Is a ‘Suez’ Event Being Prepared for Syria?

September 4, 2018

Opinion

So, the metamorphosis is done. President Trump has finally, fully, shed his 2016 Campaign ‘skin’ of loosely imagining a grand foreign policy bargain that could be the foundation for “WORLD PEACE, noth…

The Long Shadow of the Gulf Crisis: Qatar Emerges as Key Player in Gaza Crisis

September 4, 2018

Opinion

Dug in for the long haul in its increasingly bitter dispute with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Qatar is emerging as a key player in efforts to prevent tension between Israel and Hamas, th…

Who’s Who and What’s What in Iraq’s New Parliament

September 4, 2018

Opinion

Iraq’s parliament by numbers Iraq’s new parliament will meet to form a new government following the first national elections since the terror group Daesh occupied vast swaths of the country’s territo…

The Real Stakes of the USA China Trade Wars

September 4, 2018

Opinion

The bizarre and escalating “trade war” being waged by Washington against the Chinese is not at all about balance of trade surpluses. The Chinese have apparently recently concluded this as well. It is …