Syria
US edges up to Mission Creep in Middle East
WASHINGTON (TIP): Mission Creep, a term that has come to describe a gradual shift in objectives during the course of a military campaign, often resulting in unplanned long-term commitment, came into the American lexicon during […]
House authorizes arming Syrian rebels to fight ISIS
WASHINGTON (TIP): The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, September 17, afternoon to approve President Obama’s controversial proposal to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels in effort to defeat the terrorist group known as the […]
Leaders: US, UK will ‘not be cowed’ by militants
NEWPORT, WALES (TIP): Faced with a mounting militant threat in the Middle East, US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron declared on Thursday that their nations will “not be cowed” by extremists […]
Al-Qaida announces India wing, renews loyalty to Taliban chief
DUBAI (TIP): Al-Qaida leader Ayman al Zawahri on Wednesday announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group he said would spread Islamic rule and “raise the flag of jihad” across the subcontinent. […]
MOTHER OF US REPORTER IN SYRIA BEGS FOR HIS LIFE
BEIRUT (TIP): The mother of a hostage American journalist pleaded for his release on August 27 in a video directed at the Islamic State group, while new images emerged of mass killings, including masked militants […]
US mobilizes allies to widen assault on ISIS
WASHINGTON (TIP): The United States has begun to mobilize a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria and is moving toward expanded airstrikes in northern Iraq, administration officials said on August […]
UN chief condemns American journalist’s killing
UNITED NATIONS (TIP): UN secretary general Ban Ki- moon on August 20 strongly condemned the killing of American journalist James Foley by extremist Islamist militants, calling it “an abominable crime”. “The secretary-general condemns in the […]
Devil’s Brew in Middle East
By S Nihal Singh America’s Receding Ability to Bring Peace “The major power in the region, the United States, is increasingly compromised by its total support of Israel, largely due to domestic factors, and its […]
Foreign funding and the Maharajas among NGOs
“At the heart of the dilemmas presented by the evolving situation is the kind of Middle East major regional and world powers want to see. More importantly, where will the present series of conflicts take […]
UK had plan to train and equip 100,000 Syrian rebels: BBC
LONDON (TIP): Britain had planned to train and equip a 100,000-strong rebel army to defeat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before it was deemed to be too risky, BBC Newsnight reported on July 3. The BBC […]
MILITANTS TAKE IRAQI GASFIELD TOWN
BAGHDAD (TIP): Militants took a town an hour from Baghdad that is home to four natural gasfields on June 26, another gain by Sunni insurgents who have swiftly taken large areas to the north and […]
White House sends $60 billion war-funding request to Congress
WASHINGTON (TIP): The White House sent Congress a 2015 war-funding request on Thursday of nearly $60 billion, a drop of $20 billion from the current fiscal year after President Barack Obama decided to withdraw all […]
National imperatives in a complex world
A well-thought-through response combining intelligence, the internal security apparatus and mature political initiatives are called for. The design and execution of a response that is successful will need to ensure that the response itself does […]