2015-12-02 By John Bruton It is important to see the civil war in Syria that has killed 300,000 people and driven millions from their homes, against the background of Syrian history. Before its boundaries were created by a deal between the French and the British in 1916, present-day Syria was…
2015-12-02 In September, Egypt announced that they were purchasing the two Mistral-calls amphibious ships which France and Russia agreed would NOT be sold to Russia earlier this year. According to an article by Jess McHugh in the International Business Times published September 27, 2015: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said…
2015-12-02 While Putin was working the Syrian opportunity in September, the Russian Prime Minister was visiting the disputed islands with Japan. His visit paved the way for a building program on two of the four disputed islands. As reported in The Japan Times on December 2, 2015: Russia is constructing…
12/02/2015: Gen Nakatani, Japanese Defense Minister, tours Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 facilities during a visit to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Dec. 2, 2015. As part of the growing U.S. – Japan relationship, this visit provided Nakatani an opportunity to connect with station officials and view…
12/01/2015: U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and service members with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force embark onto an MV-22B Osprey in Palawan, Philippines, during Amphibious Landing Exercise 2015 (PHIBLEX 15), Oct. 09. PHIBLEX 15 is an annual, bilateral training exercise conducted in order to strengthen our interoperability and…
2015-11-24 By Robbin Laird, Harald Malmgren and Ed Timperlake When analysts and intelligence experts were highlighting the warming sun of the Arab Spring, there was much hope: democracy was in the air and the gap between Islam and the West might be closing. Rather than a warming sun, close observers…
2015-12-01 By Harald Malmgren ISIS-Supported terrorism in Paris and ballooning refugee flight from violence in and around Syria has combined to generate heightened apprehensions and political discord among Europeans. Political discord has increased not only between EU governments but also within individual EU nations on how to deal with these…
2015-06-02 By Robbin Laird The Royal Navy (RN) is returning the large deck carrier business after many years absence. This means that the RN while shaping the concepts of operations for it new carrier and the RAF for the new carrier air wing, the two services are not constrained by…
