Latest Articles about Military/Security
Ukraine’s Deeply Flawed Blueprint for Guaranteed Neutrality (Part Three)
*To read Part One, please click here. *To read Part Two, please click here. Invaded Ukraine is negotiating under duress for a two-part deal with the invader Russia: a bilateral treaty on the terms of ending the war and another treaty by which Russia and... MORE
Ukraine’s Deeply Flawed Blueprint for Guaranteed Neutrality (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. *To read Part Three, please click here. Russian forces have perpetrated mass-scale, intentional atrocities on civilians in the Kyiv region. Uncovered in the wake of the Russian military’s defeat and withdrawal from that region (March 31–April 4), the... MORE
Kyiv’s Request for S-300 Air-Defense Systems, and the Looming Battle for Donbas
As March drew to a close, Moscow recalibrated its maximalist war aims in Ukraine, officially designating the “special military operation” as now aimed primarily at “liberating” the entire Donbas region. The demonstrated regrouping of Russia’s forces in the vicinity of Kyiv and Chernihiv is supposed... MORE
Putin’s First Assertive Move on the Energy Front Misfires
Combat operations on all key fronts of the Russo-Ukrainian war continue non-stop, even if without decisive action, but the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe through Ukraine’s pipeline system persists without interruptions. This may appear aberrant given President Vladimir Putin’s well-documented propensity to “weaponize”... MORE
The New Caliph of IS: the Winding Career of Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaida’i
Two months after a U.S. special operation on March 10 in Atmeh, Syria, al-Furqan Foundation, which disseminates Islamic State (IS) messages from the organization’s central leadership, released an announcement through the new spokesman Abu Umar al-Muhajir (Jihadology, March 10). In the twelve minute audio clip,... MORE
Who is Muslim Khan and Why Does the Pakistani Taliban Demand his Release?
Brokered by the Afghan Taliban’s interior minister and Haqqani Network leader, Sirajudin Haqqani, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, agreed with the Pakistani government on November 9, 2021 to a “month-long complete ceasefire” (BBC Urdu, November 6). As part of the... MORE
The Life and 50-Year Struggle of Baluch Nationalist Mir Yousuf Mastikhan
The 77-year old Mir Yousuf Mastikhan [1] is a veteran Baluch nationalist and separatist leader, who has continued his struggle with various political parties in Pakistan. Presently, Mastikhan is the president of Baluch Muttahida Mahaz (BMM), or the Baluch United Front. This is a Baluch... MORE
Russia and the Gulf: Implications for Global Energy Markets and Moscow’s International Isolation
Pressure is growing around the world to cut off international purchases of Russian oil because of the Kremlin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In recent days, the government of Poland announced its intentions to do just that, in addition to self-embargos on Russian coal and... MORE
Russia’s Military Draft—Serious Problems That Go Beyond Ukraine
Today (March 31), President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian Armed Forces will draft 134,500 men over the next three months and release a similar number of soldiers who have completed their service (Pravo.gov.ru, March 31). Russia has always faced problems with its twice-a-year draft:... MORE
Ukraine’s Deeply Flawed Blueprint for Guaranteed Neutrality (Part One)
Turned away from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) purportedly “open door” (see EDM, March 30), Kyiv has submitted its official proposals to Moscow for a treaty on Ukraine’s neutrality under international guarantees. The Kremlin has taken Kyiv’s proposals under consideration at the latest round... MORE