The 50-Year History of U.S. Dominance of the Middle Eastern Arms Trade

The 50-Year History of U.S. Dominance of the Middle Eastern Arms Trade

It’s no secret that Donald Trump is one of the most aggressive arms salesmen in history. How do we know? Because he tells us so at every conceivable opportunity. It started with his much exaggerated “$110 billion arms deal” with Saudi Arabia, announced on his first foreign trip as president. It continued with his White…

Oil, Military And Nuclear Tech: Russia’s Influence in Africa

Oil, Military And Nuclear Tech: Russia’s Influence in Africa

Virtually all great powers have set their eyes on Africa as the continent’s global importance grows. Its population is set to double by 2050 and its economy is expected to expand significantly alongside its energy consumption. It is these projections that have driven Russia to invest heavily in strong relations in the region for when…

New Weapons and the New Tactics Which They Make Possible: Three Examples

New Weapons and the New Tactics Which They Make Possible: Three Examples

There are probably hundreds of books out there about the so-called “Revolution in Military Affairs”, some of them pretty good, most of them very bad, and a few very good ones (especially this one). For a rather dull and mainstream discussion, you can check the Wikipedia article on the RMA. Today I don’t really want…

China’s Anniversary Parade Reveals New Weapons That Will Influence U.S. Strategies

China’s Anniversary Parade Reveals New Weapons That Will Influence U.S. Strategies

The People’s Republic of China held a great parade (3h video, shorter version with comments) to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding. Some interesting new weapons were on display that are of strategic significance. China has, like Russia and Iran, used the decades the U.S. military wasted with counter insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan…