Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing The Houthis began as a movement opposed to rising Saudi-Wahhabi influence in Yemen. They are Shia but their identity and cause are tied more to regional differences than to sectarian doctrines. The north has been fighting the Sunni south for a decade. After many offensives and counteroffensives, Read More …
Brian M Downing The US and Saudi Arabia have been aligned since the 1945 FDR-ibn Saud meeting aboard an American warship. Washington was concerned the Second World War was consuming too much domestic oil and wanted Europe’s reconstruction to use foreign crude. A deal was struck. The Saudis would allow Read More …
Brian M Downing The Israeli government is being criticized for ignoring Egyptian warnings of a major Hamas strike. There may be a larger intelligence failure – one stretching back years and posing great danger for Israeli security and American standing. The present war isn’t just against Iran, Hamas, and aligned Read More …
While running tests on the microprocessor that runs the world’s hi-tech, gifted chip designer Ethan Alon makes a puzzling discovery: an undocumented section with unknown functions. He and colleague Rina Hardin unravel the secret and discover a clandestine network monitoring defense systems around the world, especially those in the Middle Read More …
Brian M Downing American security interests in the Middle East are declining, yet US troop levels there are rising. By mid-century the region will not be as important to world energy supplies or rivalries with Russia and China. Israel faces no coherent enemies. The Arab world will be plagued by Read More …
Brian M Downing In coming years, a decade or two at most, domestic fiscal and political pressures will force a pullback from many of the US military bases in some eighty-five countries across the globe. For reasons elaborated upon earlier, Persian Gulf bases might be on the cut list. Oil Read More …
Brian M Downing The decades-old partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia is showing strain. Relations will worsen over US oil exports, human rights concerns, antipathy toward the kingdom, support for Israel, fiscal problems, and changing priorities. Oil production The cornerstone of the US-Saudi partnership has long been oil. 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 This week the US opened its embassy in Jerusalem, moving it from Tel Aviv as President Trump promised. The relocation signaled the president’s disinterest in a two-state solution and support for the Israeli Right’s assimilation of the West Bank. Along the Gaza Strip in the west, Palestinian Read More …
Brian M Downing The Pentagon admits to about 2,000 troops in Syria, though it declines to give a precise number. The GIs range along the northern border with Turkey and extend down the eastern bank of the Euphrates. They serve as trainers, advisors, air support spotters, logistics personnel, artillery support, Read More …