The AKP, Turkey, and Kobanê: The Enemy of my Enemy is also my Enemy

US B1 bomber conducting airstrikes over Syria

   by  DVIDSHUB 

Anyone such as myself who follows developments from the Middle East is rarely, if ever, bored.  But the recent months have been both gripping and horrifying at the same time, thanks to a new calamity.  No, I’m not talking about the Ebola outbreak that seems poised to spread beyond Africa, but rather an unnatural pestilence that now plagues Iraq and Syria, and seems hell-bent on spreading further.  I’m speaking of course of the pseudo-religious savages of the so-called Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS or ISIL.  IS has been at the forefront of many peoples’ minds, particularly in recent weeks as a result of the heavy fighting in the largely Kurdish Syrian border town of Kobanê (also known as Ayn al-Arab).

Deciphering the Russian Bear: Reading the Tea Leaves (Part II)

EUROMAIDAN: Barricade with the protesters at Hrushevskogo street on January 25, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.

   by  snamess 

As of the writing of this article, the conflict in Ukraine is entering a new and likely even more dangerous phase, both militarily and economically.  The now-mobilized Ukrainian military has begun turning the tide of war against the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.  With Ukrainian forces having recently recaptured the city of Slavyansk and who are now moving on the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk (the seat of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic or DPR), the question on everyone’s mind is this: how will Russia react?