Small countries with limited resources have been known to turn themselves into financial centers where dodgy banks and companies find a haven from international regulators as a means to reverse their national fortunes. Djibouti, the third smallest country on the African mainland, has found another way to thrive: hosting military bases. The tiny nation formerly …
Continue reading Djibouti: the Casablanca of a New Cold War
The US is setting up so-called “observation posts” along Syria’s border with Turkey. This controversial move was sharply criticized by Turkey, which sees it as further proof that the US is continuing to protect Syrian Kurdish groups that Ankara officially regards as terrorists. The argument can be made that the US is trying to deter …
Continue reading The US Is Helping Israel & the GCC Team Up Against Turkey in “Syrian Kurdistan”
While the world attention is riveted to the situation in the Azov Sea and the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, US forces are getting prepared for a large-scale military operation in Syria. US President Donald Trump announced this past March that the military personnel would be leaving Syria “very soon.” Looks like he has changed his mind …
Information technology has already transformed virtually every aspect of modern civilization. The rise of artificial intelligence and the ability of systems to train themselves rather than be programmed, allowing them to perform tasks no human could, is expected to have as much, if not more an impact than the proliferation of computers and the Internet. The Wall …
Continue reading Who is Winning the US-Chinese AI Arms Race?
When Vladimir Putin visited President Erdogan’s lavish new $500-million presidential palace in Ankara, he had one thing to say: “I’m very impressed.” Professor Hasan Unal, savoring the dry humor, derives as much pleasure in retelling the story as Putin’s remark may have been lost on Erdogan, who is famous for his lack of humor. Professor Hasan …
Continue reading The Trials and Tribulations of Turkish Foreign Policy
When evaluating the behavior of a sociopath, what constitutes success and failure can prove quite challenging. The US wars against Syria and Iraq were largely failures, as Washington failed to oust Assad and also failed to install a puppet government in Baghdad, which is now allied with Iran. The destruction of Yugoslavia was a resounding …
Despite the post-Kirchner government’s many faults, one thing that it’s doing right is retaining the Argentinian-Chinese Strategic Partnership, which holds the best hope for Beijing to balance Trump’s “Fortress America” plans in the hemisphere. This week’s G20 Summit has drawn global attention to the host country of Argentina, a South American nation that’s recently experienced …
Continue reading The Argentinian-Chinese Partnership Can Balance Trump’s “Fortress America”
After Avigdor Lieberman’s departure from Israel’s ruling coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied expectations by keeping his government intact. The prospect of an immediate vote might have receded, but election speculation is only intensifying, with a maximum of a year left in the government’s term. A major part of the debate pertains to the Israeli …
Continue reading Unseating Netanyahu: New Faces, Same Policies on Palestinians
A generation ago, that title was a truism. Now it raises PC eyebrows. We are being socially engineered. I googled, Ten Traits of Happily Married Women and found not one, a sign that the subject of "happily married women," is an oxymoron in our satanically possessed society, and has been shadowbanned. Happily married women have their husbands' ardor and …
