(Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders report directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R)) There is no reason to disbelieve the boast by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming credit personally for US President Donald Trump’s decision to designate Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a “foreign terrorist organisation” under American law. It …
Trump takes his Venezuelan itch to the UN
(President Maduro’s supporters mark 20th anniversary of rise to power of socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, Caracas, Feb. 2, 2019) The phone briefing by a “high-ranking” US official on Friday regarding the situation in Venezuela triggered speculation that the Trump administration is considering the use of military force against the Maduro government. The US official said …
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BJP sidesteps Imran Khan on Balakot
(Imran Khan is the 9th most popular world leader on Tweeter) Isn’t it curious that the BJP has been put on the defensive by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who trashed India’s ruling party for its “attempt to win elections through whipping up war hysteria and false claims of downing a Pak F 16”? The …
Rows mar NATO’s birthday bash
(Elusive unity amidst growing diversity: NATO’s 70th anniversary meet, Washington, April 3-4, 2019) In his initial remarks with the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House on April 2, US President Donald Trump charged straight into his pet grievance that America “alone accounts for the vast majority of NATO defense spending ’s spending”. Trump …
China’s PLA troops in Venezuela is game changer
(Chinese PLA personnel pose with members of Venezuela’s National Bolivarian Armed Forces, March 29, 2019) The reported arrival of Chinese military personnel in Venezuela last weekend is undoubtedly a major event in world politics. Unlike Russia, which has a history of force projection abroad, this is an extremely rare Chinese move. Although vital Chinese interests …
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US, Israel punish Turkey’s Erdogan
(President Erdogan’s supporters celebrate election victory, Ankara, April 1, 2019) “Turkey is a global “swing state.” It has a large and growing economy, a strategic location, a democratic government, and mixed views about prevailing international arrangements. Like the other three global swing states — Brazil, India, and Indonesia — Turkey’s choices will influence whether today’s …
US lacerates China’s Uighur wound
(US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo receiving Uighur activists, Washington, March 27, 2019) The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s meeting with Uighur Muslim activists in Washington DC, on March 27 is by no means a routine diplomatic event. Clearly, there is nothing personal about this meeting. Although Pompeo is a passionate Bible-reading Christian from …
Russia throws down the gauntlet to US on Venezuela
(An airplane with the Russian flag was seen at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela, March 24, 2019.) The Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova acknowledged in Moscow on Tuesday that Russian “specialists” are indeed in Venezuela within the ambit of a 2001 military-technical cooperation agreement with Caracas. Zakharova underscored that Russia’s bilateral military cooperation …
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Trump’s Golan is a megalomaniac’s own goal
(Syria defending against Israeli missiles attacking Damascus, January 2019) The US President Donald Trump’s decree on March 26 granting official US recognition to Israel’s illegal annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights does not create any new fact on the ground. Trump’s motivations are fairly clear — boost Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s prospects in the April election …
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Trump unleashed. This is how it matters.
(Special counsel Robert Mueller walks with his wife, Ann, in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.) The big news from Washington is that special counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into President Donald Trump’s ‘Russia collusion’ is unfounded. Attorney General William Barr’s communication to the US Congress says, “The special counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign …