A respected British paper, The Independent, is reporting that a number of the remaining Sudairi brothers, the elite of the House of Saudi, want oust the present king. He is said to be suffering from dementia and has allowed his son to involve the country in a costly and pointless war in Yemen.
Russia offers support to the Free Syrian Army
Russia has called for national elections in Syria. This will never happen as the Sunni majority would vote out Russia’s Shia/Alawi supporters. Russia has also offered to support the Free Syrian Army, which was once a sizable force in the rebel movement but which is now a much weaker outfit. Putin may be trying to split off a small rebel faction to weaken the rebel side and improve the image of the government by claiming that rebels are now rallying to Damascus.
De facto annexation of Eastern Ukraine underway
Moscow is changing the school books and currency. Look for a referendum on joining Russia in coming months. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian city of Odessa has transformed a statue of Lenin into one of Darth Vader. The Ukraine strikes back!