CounterStrikeMedia
  • Home
    • American Foreign Policy
    • Emerging Threat Assessment
    • Foreign Policy Challenges for 2022
    • FINAL BATTLE: FAITH, REASON & MILITANCY
    • The World's Most Pressing Foreign Policy Challenge
    • Geography, Strategy, Great Power Competition
    • Monetarism, SANCTIONS & TERROR FINANCING
    • Congressional Reform
    • Demography
    • Pentagon Acquisition Reform
    • Quadrennial Defense Review Posture
    • Post Bretton-Woods: Monetary & Exchange Rate Reform
    • Thought Leadership: International Political Economy, Foreign Affairs
  • Regional Policies
    • Monetary Regimes, Exchange Rates, Capital - Current Accounts, Crisis
    • Fiscal Policy
    • Macro Trends
    • China
    • Mexico/Central/South America
    • Israel
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Russia
    • India
    • Syria
    • Chechnya
    • Pakistan
    • Africa
    • North Korea
  • Media
    • TED Video & Talks
    • Radio
    • Television
    • Newspapers
    • Book Reviews
  • About
    • CAFE HAYEK
    • The Most Pressing Challenge Facing America
    • The Revolution in Military Affairs
  • U.S. Central Command CENTCOM: The Long War
  • State of the Nation
  • SOUNDCLOUD
  • International Relations Jobs: Global Ranking Think Tanks
  • Tribute: Fouad Ajami & Bernard Lewis
  • Women & International Affairs
  • William Holland Blog
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
    • Topical Newsletter
  • OIL - ENERGY MARKETS

GLOBAL strike MEDIA
u.s. central command
centcom & The long war

THE ISLAMIC STATE PENETRATES PAKISTAN, IRAQI P.M. RESIGNS & WOLFOWITZ COMMENTS ON US ALIGNMENT IN NEAR EAST

11/28/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
ASIA TIMES
​As protests in Iran become more frequent, Iran's top leaders and security forces fear that popular unrest threatens the future of the Islamic Republic. In a new National Interest op-ed, Michael Rubin analyzes the protests of 1999, 2001, 2009, and 2017 and concludes that a regime crackdown may lead to a civil war. The result? A military dictatorship that eliminates the enforcement of Islamic law. Continue here.

As anti-government protests in Iran escalate, AEI’s Danielle Pletka took to Twitter to ask colleagues and close observers whether the regime is at risk. Experts provided their feedback, detailing events on the ground, the nature of Iran’s police state, the risks a collapsing economy poses to the system of the Islamic Republic, and the stakes for the United States and, ultimately, for the people of Iran. View the responses here.

Two months after the US abandoned its allies in Syria, Paul Wolfowitz in The New York Times reflected on alternative ways to limit American involvement in the still-critical region of the Middle East. Wolfowitz discusses the success of the Gulf War, in which America's mission to protect the Kurds was a model for low-cost and low-risk intervention, as a prototype for President Donald Trump's future operations in Syria. Finish here.
 The second battle of Fallujah: 15 years later
(Marine Corps Times) The dust and grime were finally starting to settle as the sun set in Iraq.
 
0 Comments

BIBI BARELY HANGS ON WHILE SHAPING EVENTS IN ISRAEL & WHY ITS OVER FOR THE PA

11/23/2019

0 Comments

 
Netanyahu’s rival accelerates campaign for party leadership
Gideon Saar wants to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: He’s more hawkish than Netanyahu; he campaigns for a new status quo with the ultra-Orthodox; and he stresses the importance of engaging Israel’s Arab citizens in dialogue.
​Israeli opposition leader rejects defense pact with US 
The leader of Israel's main opposition Blue and White party on Monday opposed the prospect of a mutual defense pact with the United States, warning it would endanger the Israeli army's freedom of action and break with decades of defense policy. “Blue and White under my leadership will not support an international agreement that will limit Israel’s actions and the IDF’s [Israel Defense Forces] ability to protect the country from the threats it faces,” Benny Gantz tweeted. The remarks come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he briefly broached the subject with US President Donald Trump ahead of the September elections.
Read More  
timesofisrael.com
How Palestinian Leaders Sabotage Palestinians' Interests by Khaled Abu Toameh  •  
Israel Will Only Attain Peace through Victory by Nave Dromi
JNS
November 24, 2019

https://www.meforum.org/59971/israel-will-only-attain-peace-through-victory
Liberman, Lapid miscalculate about Likud rebellion
Both Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman and Blue and White co-leader Yair Lapid mistakenly assumed that some Likud members would break ranks and join a Gantz-led unity coalition.
Israel Comes Down With the American Disease
Editorial of The New York Sun | November 23, 2019
https://www.nysun.com/editorials/israel-comes-down-with-the-american-disease/90914/
Netanyahu at war with legal system
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be standing now with his back against the wall, but he still succeeds in keeping his supporters on his side.
Avigdor Liberman drives Israeli politics crazy
Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman had promised that he would not accept any other solution than a "liberal unity government," and so far, he has kept every last letter of that promise, even if driving all politicians crazy.
Why Liberman ends alliance with ultra-Orthodox
After he prevented the formation of a right, ultra-Orthodox government following the April and September elections, Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman has sharpened his statements toward the ultra-Orthodox.
0 Comments

ISLAM: THE RISING NATION STATE IN THE MIDDLE EAST & INDIA'S TRIANGULATION AGAINST IRAN REMAINS RIYADH

11/19/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
RUSSIA CANNOT HANDLE NORTHERN SYRIA
HOOVER
ASIA TIMES
"So long as Iran dominates the Middle East, a new Baghdadi will rise," Tzvi Kahn, The Hill
Jennifer Cafarella and Jason Zhou write: The U.S. is pursuing the wrong diplomatic goal. American policymakers are biased toward viewing a cessation of hostilities as the most important sign of diplomatic progress in Syria and thus overlook opportunities to shape Syria’s long-term trajectory. The U.S. must widen its aperture for what diplomacy in Syria can and must achieve. The U.S. should set as its overarching goal keeping space open for political competition within Syria and reinvigorating and relegitimizing a stale and discredited diplomatic process. – Institute for the Study of War
Neil Hauer writes: It is of course impossible to predict the future here, but it seems very likely that Moscow has finally bitten off more than it can chew in its Syria ceasefire-keeping operations. Separating regime and rebel soldiers, or even patrolling an inactive Turkish-Kurdish frontline is one thing; pacifying an active war zone and preventing the outbreak of a full-blown insurgency is another. […]Whatever comes next, it is certain that Russia’s military police have their work cut out for them in north Syria. – Middle East Institute
"Uranium Particles Found in Iran: Why it Matters," Andrea Stricker and Tzvi Kahn, FDD Policy Brief
JPost’s Seth J. Frantzman: Syria is an increasingly dangerous chessboard for Iran in the Middle East
A new public report, Iran’s Military Power, produced by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, details how the 40-year-old Islamic regime boosts its relatively weak conventional forces with “a hybrid approach to warfare” that relies on missiles, naval forces, and proxies to threaten its neighbors. – Washington Examiner
Iran is building space capabilities that could be a launching pad to developing intercontinental ballistic missiles and has made progress in its efforts to disrupt GPS and communication satellites, according to a new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency. – C4ISRNET
Seth J. Frantzman writes: Now Iran must decide its next step in Syria. The role of its IRGC Quds Force has been key to supporting the Assad regime while also benefiting on the side. But Iran understands that its role is entangled with the regime and also with Russia. Its presence must not undermine either of these two. In addition, the Syrian regime and Russians are focused more on the north today, while there are questions about what the US is doing in the east. […]Towards that end, it has invested in new missiles, drones and other technology which it has transferred to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. While those transfers have made Iran’s role in Syria even more dangerous, any seasoned chess player knows that pieces spread too thinly across the chessboard may result in checkmate. – Jerusalem Post
John Dunford writes: Russia also likely intends to deploy new air defense systems to Qamishli, allowing it to constrain further the freedom of movement of the U.S. in Eastern Syria. Meanwhile, the U.S. expanded its ground patrol routes to villages west of Qamishli. The U.S. will thus likely come into closer contact with the growing number of pro-regime forces – including Russians – based in and around Qamishli. – Institute for the Study of War
Earl Anthony Wayne and Christopher D. Kolenda write: The U.S. approach needs to test credibility and build trust via a step-by-step process, and, if successful, work toward reductions in violence and toward Afghan political negotiations.  Efforts may best advance by initially pursuing simple measures that do not require large concessions and building from there. These could include coordinated statements of peace principles, shared disaster hotlines, joint civilian casualty investigations, etc. If the Taliban fail to partake in such steps, then the futility of additional efforts will be clear.  – The Hill
0 Comments

INDIA AND THE US HOLD HANDS WHILE RUSSIA TAKES LIBYA & WHY IMRAN KHAN'S TIME WITH PAKISTAN IS FINISHED

11/17/2019

0 Comments

 
WHY IMRAN KHAN IS FINISHED
CPEC STILL HOLDS PAKISTAN
Picture
Congress Moves to Sanction Russians for Mercenary Surge in Libya
By Jack Detsch, Al-Monitor: " Congress is preparing bipartisan sanctions on Russian mercenaries and other suspected human rights violators in Libya, Al-Monitor has learned, as the Donald Trump administration looks to use the recent entry of Moscow-linked paramilitaries into the conflict to reinvigorate a long-dormant American strategy in the war-torn country."
The Classicist: Defending The Trump Doctrine
interview with Victor Davis Hanson via The Classicist
The president’s approach to foreign policy is unconventional — but might be the best approach for a changing global environment.
Russia is intervening in Libya. Should we care?
(RealClear Defense) The U.S. has abandoned its partners in the fight against ISIS, and the Russians are capitalizing on the void.
 
  China’s lead in the AI war won’t last forever
(Bloomberg) Artificial intelligence will be very useful in controlling a police state. But a police state may not be very good at controlling artificial intelligence.
US, India bolster their military partnership in Tiger Triumph exercise
(Defense News) The U.S. and India are set to kick off this week a major joint military exercise: Tiger Triumph.
US, India bolster their military partnership in Tiger Triumph exercise
0 Comments

THE EMIR FOR THE FAITHFUL DRAGS ON FOR THE LONG WAR

11/12/2019

0 Comments

 
Caliph Incognito: The Ridicule Of Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi
by Cole Bunzel via Jihadica
The last week of October 2019 was an eventful one in the history of the Islamic State. On October 25, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, its leader and caliph, blew himself up during a U.S. special forces raid on his compound in Idlib Province, Syria. The next day, official spokesman Abu al-Hasan al-Muhajir, a potential successor to al-Baghdadi, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in nearby Aleppo Province. On October 31, the Islamic State confirmed the fatalities in an audio statement read by al-Muhajir’s replacement, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, who went on to announce the appointment of a certain Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the new “commander of the believers and caliph of the Muslims.” The adjective Qurashi in their names denotes descent from the Prophet Muhammad’s tribe of Quraysh, one of the traditional qualifications of being caliph.
The Road to an Iranian Attack on Israel
By Prof. Eytan Gilboa, November 15, 2019
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Israeli political and military leaders have warned against the possibility of a major military confrontation with Iran, which wants to deter Israel from disrupting its attempts to build military bases in Syria and Iraq and to construct factories in which Hezbollah can convert its huge arsenal of rockets into accurate missiles. This threat is more acute in light of the American failure to respond to recent Iranian provocations in the Gulf. Israel should adopt an aggressive new strategic approach to meet this threat, in coordination with the US and in consultation with Russia.

Continue to full article ->
Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; in re:  Taliban overruns district HQ in Zabul. Eleven districts in the province, three have come under Taliban control since July. Grinding down the Afghan forces. One of the biggest problems in the entire war is that no one’s telling us why we’re there. No explanation that we have an enemy committed to ending the Western way of life, and it starts in a [region like this]. Successor to al-Baghadi, the Emir of the Faithful (Amir al-Muminin):  Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. They still have a network and a robust media operation. “That both the group’s emir and spokesman have adopted al-Qurayshi in their jihadist names is significant, because it means they are claiming descent from the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad.” ​
The al Qaeda component in Afghanistan: remains a vital network for Taliban. Al Q provides expertise, training, and support; Talban give al Q safe haven, freedom of movement. As one succeeds in operations, so does the other.  Al Qaeda will stay there irrespective of what the US does.  There are thousands and thousands of al Q fighters n Afghanistan, and not leaving. A Saudi in Syria connected to al Q network put out a vid blaming al-Baghdadi for errors.  Al Q helped birth ISIS in the first place. A key issue: al Q does not advertise what it’s doing in Afghanistan, stays under the Taliban banner, whereas ISIS advertises every little thing it does.
0 Comments

BEIRUT BURNS. . . AGAIN & WHY ABBAS IS THE LAST PRESIDENT FOR THE PA

11/10/2019

0 Comments

 
https://www.ft.com/content/3463589e-ffc7-11e9-b7bc-f3fa4e77dd47
●        https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/why-iran-wants-the-lebanon-and-iraq-uprisings-to-fade/
●        https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/293535/the-revolt-against-iran
●        https://www.timesofisrael.com/yemens-government-separatists-sign-power-sharing-deal-to-stop-infighting
●        https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/riyadh-agreement-delivers-political-gains-in-yemen-but-implementation-less
●        https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/yemen/massive-plaudits-greet-yemen-deal-uae-us-kuwait-un-arab-league-hail-riyadh-agreement-1.67632206
  https://palwatch.org/page/16701
●        https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2019/november/israeli-watchdog-group-says-billions-in-aid-donated-to-palestinians-is-missing-given-to-terrorists
●        http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/268555
●        https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-elections-are-looking-likely-and-may-be-spectacularly-bad-for-abbas/
​
0 Comments

40 YEARS LATER:  WHY IRAN HELD US HOSTAGES & WHY A ONE STATE SOLUTION IS DELUSIONAL

11/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Iranian Protests Were Not about the Price of Gas by A.J. Caschetta
The Hill
December 2, 2019

https://www.meforum.org/60015/iranian-protests-were-not-about-the-price-of-ga
Picture
The real reason for the Iran hostage crisis, 40 years later
Michael Rubin | Washington Examiner
Perhaps it is time for liberals and European diplomats who lament the fact that US-Iran relations seemingly continue to deteriorate to stop blaming Washington. Instead, the fact that Iran not only attacked America’s embassy but also continues to occupy it suggests that its antipathy to international norms and the framework of diplomacy remains unreformed.
U.S. Deterrence in the Middle East Is Collapsing
Lebanon is a basket case run by a terror group: don’t fund it
Expanding U.S. pressure campaign on Iran could reach a tipping point
Iraqi Protesters Vent Anger at Iran-Backed Militias
Danielle Pletka took to the pages of The Washington Post to analyze the protests occurring in Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt. She argues that Western governments must demand that the region’s leaders answer to their own people before we face another wave of refugees, the next iteration of the Islamic State, and Baghdadi’s successor. Keep reading here.
 Katherine Zimmerman explains that eliminating a leader of a Salafi-jihadi group does nothing to fill the gaps in security and governance that drive vulnerable communities into the arms of Salafi-jihadists. Instead, the US should shift to a civilian-led strategic approach that uses foreign assistance and soft power to strengthen communities at risk of Salafi-jihadi penetration. 
​
Read more here.
 Giselle Donnelly analyzes the dramatization of Trump’s announcement and contrasts it to President Barack Obama’s announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death. Rather than being a formal announcement of America’s success, Trump’s statements served as a stream-of-consciousness performance for the president’s commitment to a reduced presence in the Middle East. 
​
Finish here.
Michael Rubin points out that while Iraqis have had enough, Iran’s proxies would rather kill than accept democratic will. For Iraqis, the current battle is about government accountability and fighting corruption. For the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, what is going on in Baghdad, Karbala, and Basra may be a dry run. Learn more here.
The Delusional One-State Solution by Matthew Mainen
The Jerusalem Post
November 4, 2019

https://www.meforum.org/59838/the-delusional-one-state-solution
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/07/why-iraqs-protesters-are-still-in-the-streets/
·         https://www.vox.com/2019/11/5/20947668/iraqs-protests-baghdad-mahdi-tehran-explained
·         https://www.foxnews.com/media/iraq-protest-prime-minister-resign-iran
·         https://time.com/5721115/lebanon-iraq-protests-iran/
·         https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/why-iran-wants-the-lebanon-and-iraq-uprisings-to-fade/
·         https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-5021982
November 4 marked the 40-year anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis when a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans captive for 444 days. Four decades later, has the Islamic Republic of Iran changed its ways? This week, Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen sat down with AEI’s Kenneth Pollack to discuss exactly what happened on that day 40 years ago, how the hostage crisis set Iran on a course of enmity with the US, and whether President Trump's Iran approach differs from those of his predecessors. Listen here.
0 Comments
    Picture
    prism_9-1.pdf
    File Size: 8134 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    FRAGILITY & FAILURE
    File Size: 3456 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    CIVILIAN LED APPROACH: THE LONG WAR
    File Size: 806 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    US: THE LONG WAR GAME
    File Size: 564 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    America's Anti-Colonial Wars Abroad
    File Size: 616 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    RETHINKING EGYPT'S ECONOMY
    File Size: 2736 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    Picture
    EGYPT: CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS, ECONOMY
    File Size: 53 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture

    national-identity_web-1.pdf
    File Size: 1137 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture
    AFRICA'S POST COLONIAL ERA ENDING
    File Size: 156 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    AFRICAN ARAB SPRING
    AFRICAN ARAB SPRING
    File Size: 786 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    ISHMAEL IS NOT FATHER OF ARABS
    ISHMAEL NOT FATHER OF ARAB CIVILIZATION
    File Size: 995 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    DEFEATING SECTARIANISM IN MIDDLE EAST
    rand_rb10052.pdf
    File Size: 856 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    SECULARISM, NATIONALISM, ISLAMISM: MAKING MODERN MIDDLE EAST
    File Size: 95 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    terrorism-tactics-and-transformation.pdf
    File Size: 1422 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    Picture
    CHANGING DYNAMICS OF SALAFI JIHADI MOVEMENTS

    FOREIGN AFFAIRS - THE ARAB SPRING @ 5
    File Size: 15719 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    Picture

    Picture
    BIN SALMAN & THE REFORM OF SAUDI ARABIA
    File Size: 83 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    NATIONAL INTEREST, ARAB SPRING
    File Size: 207 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    FOLLOWING VISION 2030

    Picture
    HOOVER; ISLAMISM

    Picture

    Picture
    MEF RADIO LIVE

    Picture
    SECTARIANISM MIDDLE EAST.pdf
    File Size: 1462 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    THE PAKISTAN READER

    Picture
    ARAB SPRING & POLITICAL REFORM
    File Size: 11836 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Picture
    ISRAELI NEWS NETWORK

    Picture
    THUCYDIDES & THE LONG WAR PROBLEM

    Picture
    250 YEARS OF AMERICAN IRREGULAR WAR

    Picture
    AEI - CRITICAL THREATS PROJECT: SALIFI JIHADI MOVEMENTS GROWING

    Picture

    Picture
    ABBAS MILANI HOOVER PAGE: IRAN & U.S. RELATIONS

    Picture
    HOOVER INSTITUTION BLOG ON THE NEAR EAST

    Picture
    JEWISH INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY OF AMERICA

    Picture
    FATA PAKISTAN RESEARCH CENTER


    Picture
    ISRAELI NUCLEAR POSTURE & DOCTRINES

    Picture
    CONTAIN, DEGRADE, DEFEAT: PLAN FOR MIDDLE EAST

    Picture
    THE PLAN TO DEFEAT THE ISLAMIC STATE & al-QAEDA

    Picture
    CENTER FOR SECURITY, REGIONAL STUDIES, KABUL

    Picture
    AfPak POLICY OPTIONS

    Picture
    ISLAMISM & INTERNATIONAL ORDER

    Picture
    HOOVER INSTITUTION PUBLICATION ON U.S. NEAR EAST POLICY


    Picture

    Picture
    Israeli Security & Gulf States

    Picture
    PRINCIPALS GUIDING US POLICY IN MIDDLE EAST

    Picture
    HOW ISRAEL WINS

    Picture
    FREE BOOKS ON MIDDLE EAST

    Picture
    AEI: GLOBAL JIHADI THREAT & BEYOND

    Picture
    HOOVER: OPERATIONAL GUIDE FOR THE LONG WAR

    Picture
    THE ETTINGER REPORT: U.S. ISRAELI RELATIONS

    Picture
    GOOGLE NEWS PAKISTAN

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture
    HOW TO WIN WORLD WAR IV

    Picture
    REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LONG WAR






    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015


    Categories

    All


    RSS Feed


    WASH. INSTITUTE NEAR EAST POLICY
    BROOKINGS
    TAHRIR INSTITUTE MIDDLE EAST POLICY
    MIDDLE EAST FORUM
    BELFER CENTER

    Tweets by WilliamHolland
    Tweets by LongWarJournal

What Our Clients Are Saying

"For topical research on items related to international political economy, unrivaled."

Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit