Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing If you’re looking for insight on Terry Jones and his mission of burning the Koran and getting the Islamic world to despise us even more than it already does, I recommend HL Mencken. The caustic essayist of the early twentieth century was a great writer and a Read More …
Brian M Downing Their moral passion spent most of its force in self-accusing, self-denial and self-scourging. They began by howling their sins from the mourners’ bench; they came to their end, many of them, in the supreme immolation of battle. – HL Mencken While thinking (more) about Terry Jones’s efforts Read More …
The Syrian civil war, despite movement of the lines here and there, has been stalemated for well over a year. The ongoing Russian-Iranian offensive may retake Aleppo and Idlib, though without having the momentum or numbers to defeat the rebels. World leaders are looking for a solution but trust is low Read More …
The black flags of ISIL have spread from Iraq and Syria to many other parts of the Islamic world, from North Africa to Central Asia. In recent months they have been seen in Afghanistan, or Khorasan as it is known in Islamic apocalyptic texts – the land where the Read More …
Brian M Downing With the change of presidents in 2009, many observers expected to see a decline in unmanned aircraft strikes inside Pakistan. After all, these drone attacks were widely seen as part of the George W Bush administration’s heavy-handed approach to going after terrorists along the AfPak line. The Read More …
Brian M Downing Statements coming from the London summit on Afghanistan recognize the need for a negotiated settlement to the wars that have raged there for most of the last thirty-two years. The statements are surprisingly candid; diplomatic language is usually less direct than what the NATO chieftains and Kabul Read More …
Brian M Downing A top al-Qaeda commander was reportedly killed on Wednesday by government forces in Yemen’s southern Shabwa province, coinciding with a top United States official suggesting that the US should launch air strikes there and Iran ramping up tensions with Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s Saba news agency reported that Read More …
Brian M Downing Two remarkable events took place in recent days involving the war against the Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, and al Qaeda. Neither event augurs well for US/NATO efforts in Afghanistan, though important opportunities may arise. In any case, recent events signal a new phase in the war in Read More …