ISIL forces marching in victory parade

Islamic extremism and what lies ahead? Part I: Iraq

Over the last few years, I have written many posts and provided consultation on the situation I predicted would materialize in the Middle East and North Africa as a result of US policy blunders.  In short, I predicted that our policies would lead to the creation of an even greater Islamist enemy that would destabilize […]

Protestors in Kiev Fire on Police

An Open Letter to the People of Ukraine

I generally have focused my writings on events in the Middle East, but would like to take a few minutes to visit the violence currently erupting in Kiev, Ukraine.  As you are aware, I am speaking as a westerner and cannot fully grasp the situation as a native Ukrainian.  However, I will speak to you […]

Syrian Rebels Continue to Lose Ground against Government Forces

Syrian government forces reinforced by Lebanese Hezbollah forces have been consolidating their control over the strategic rebel held district of Homs, which is Syria’s third largest city.  Homs has been controlled by rebels in part since 2011.  The recent military success by the Syrian military and Hezbollah fighters has left the rebels in retreat and […]

Media Missed the Biggest Coup in the Middle East and it wasn’t in Egypt

Tuning into the Fox and CNN “entertainment” networks, one would be lucky to catch a small bit of news between the brain numbing, around the clock reports on the Trayvon Martin Case and Anthony Weiner’s perverse antics.  Nonetheless, a close follower may have gathered that “former” Egyptian President Morsi was overthrown in a broadly supported coup […]

M1A1 Abrams tanks sit parked at a secured compound at the Besmaya Combat Training Center. The last shipment of M1A1 Abrams tanks arrived mid-August completing the Government of Iraq's purchase of 140 tanks through a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the United States. 
— Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Edward Daileg

Exploiting War as a Way to Resuscitate a Waning U.S. Economy?

INTRODUCTION The mighty U.S. military industrial complex (MIC) continues to swell, particularly after two decade-long, trillion dollar wars and a post 9/11 world wrought with conflict. A 2012 CNBC report concluded that among the ten biggest U.S. government contractors, defense contractors secured a remarkable nine of the ten spots (Toscano, 2012). These mega-Fortune 500 companies […]

Assessing the Success of the War on Terror Part II: Return on Investment and Perpetual War

Part II of our series continues to evaluate the success of the War on Terror.  It is our thesis that not only has American policy and strategy failed to defeat terrorist threats to the United States from radical Islam, but it has in fact exasperated them.  Today, Al Qaeda and terrorism have become the new […]

Israeli Bomb Hits Mark In Gaza

Israeli Battle Plan for Gaza and the Strategic Implications for the Region

As news of the continued fighting between Hamas and Israel headline media around the world, we sit on the eve of another ground invasion of Gaza.  If bombs and rockets continue to rain down on both sides, we can expect to see a full Israeli assault within the next 48 hours.  In the run up […]

Israeli border defense along the Sinai

Border Security Threatens to Collapse Israel-Egypt Peace

Just as we warned when civil war broke out in Egypt, the breakdown in security along the Israel border with Egypt has begun to undermine the peace in the region. Israel has relied on Egypt for years to maintain the Sinai buffer between the two countries as a demilitarized area free of threats. However, as […]