Between downing a Turkish war plane and military defections, President Assad is beginning to look cornered.
Syrian Regime Hastening Its Own Demise
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Europe & Central Asia
Is the Threat of a “Mafia State” Real?
If international relations scholarship is to advance policymakers’ understanding of transnational organized crime and its role with respect to state power, new frameworks are needed.
Recent Arms Purchases by Azerbaijan a Hedge Against Armenia, Not Iran
Even with its newly acquired weapons, Azerbaijan is ill-prepared to face off against Iran.
Taliban Vaccination Ban: Paranoia or Based in Fact?
CIA taints polio vaccination campaigns by using them as a cover for espionage.
U.S. in No Position to Condemn Alleged Russian Transfer of Helicopter Gunships to Syrian Regime
The Obama administration’s opposition to the alleged Russian arms sale is the result reflects a desire to weaken the Syrian regime’s ability to combat rebels armed by U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Spanish Austerity Savage to the Point of Sadism
Even though Deutsche Bank helped cause its financial crisis, Spain is bailing it out.
Afghanistan Dominates Latest U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue
United States-India cooperation continues to move beyond the economic and scientific to the military.
Mexico’s G20 Summit: In the Eye of the Storm
The hopes of Mexico’s president Felipe Calderon to have the European crisis under control before he presides over the G20 Summit have been dashed. Although the immediate threat of an economic meltdown has subsided, the crisis is far from over. Continued uncertainty in Greece and growing crisis in Spain are the most recent problems that have worsened the situation in the euro zone, said the European Commission in its weekly report for the last week of May. As usual, it called for holding the line.
The Spanish Bank Bailout: Digging a Deeper Hole
“I’m going to see the European cup having resolved the situation,” claimed Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Sunday, after a bailout of the country’s banks worth up to €100 billion was announced. The Spanish team drew, but the Spanish people continue to lose – paying for a crisis that has left them with “not much bread, and terrible circus” (Poco pan y pésimo circo), in the words of a Spanish rap-rock song that sounds more apt today than when it was recorded over 15 years ago.
To ISAF, Committing Atrocities Means Only Having to Say You’re Sorry
The definition of insanity is continuing air and drone strikes and expecting the results to be different each time.