Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing US exit? A few weeks ago angry protesters in Iraq called an end to Iranian interference. After Soleimani’s assassination, calls for ousting the US erupted. The sentiment is shared by many MPs and a legally-binding order is in the works. President Trump’s threat of sanctions hardly cooled Read More …
Brian M Downing Over the last few months Iraq, like many countries in and out of the Middle East, has been hit hard by violent protests. The Baghdad government is paralyzed. Most of the violence was aimed at Iranian targets at the direction of Shia leader Moqtada al Sadr – Read More …
Brian M Downing The US embassy in Baghdad was attacked and besieged by crowds angered by recent US airstrikes on Iran-backed militias. Those strikes came just after one such militia rocketed a base containing US personnel, killing an American contractor. The siege appears to be lifting but the Saudi-Iranian conflict, Read More …
Brian M Downing Overt Iranian intervention? Tehran is deeply concerned that events in Iraq will lead to Saudi and American gains along its western border, parts of which have low-level insurgencies. Its only major military ally in the region, Syria, has come out on top in the civil war but Read More …
Brian M Downing Unrest is spreading across many parts of the world. The most violent case might be Iraq where a large youth population is calling for reforms and enduring high casualties for it. Prominent in their demands is a call for the end of Iranian meddling in the country’s Read More …
Brian M Downing A second Arab Awakening is underway. Mass protests have continued in Algeria and the Sudan. The protesters are numerous and determined – even in the face of harsh repression that’s killed hundreds. The Hong Kong opposition to Beijing’s hovering fist is another case in point outside the Read More …
Brian M Downing The 2003 invasion of Iraq, we are told, was done to ensure Saddam Hussein didn’t have WMDs. However, days before the shooting started, the Bush administration framed the war as an effort to bring democracy to Iraq. That was an interesting shift in rhetoric from hard-nosed security Read More …
Brian M Downing The last few months have seen numerous demonstrations in Iraq – some large and violent. They protest government incompetence and corruption but often mask the designs of the mercurial Muqtada al Sadr. Scion of a family of revered Shia clerics who opposed Saddam Hussein, Sadr has at Read More …
Brian M Downing Jordan has been in the background while much of the Middle East has burned and raged. It experienced no upheaval as in Egypt, Libya, and Syria. ISIL’s presence isn’t strong in Jordan, though it has pockets of support. The Jordanian military is playing a role in fighting Read More …
Brian M Downing The US is walking away from the JCPOA and sectarian conflict is poised to spread, intensify, and probably go on for years. The US and Israel are foursquare on the Sunni side. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at odds since Khomeini came to power in 1979 Read More …