Commentaries

The CENTCOM Airstrikes Suggest Syria Is Deteriorating

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Nothing good is happening from the American perspective. Even as a cynic, I am actually astonished at how fast this situation is deteriorating. Yesterday’s CENTCOM press release was basically a template. An extremely vague description of bombing “ISIS” along with a boilerplate justification and a copy/pasted quote from a general. If you ask why I’m … Read more

Daniel Penny Is a Free Man, But the Regime Won

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More than a year and a half ago I wrote about the Daniel Penny subway incident in the New York City subway. Now the ordeal is over, Penny has been found not guilty of all charges and is a free man. But everything I said in that initial article remains true, and the regime won. … Read more

Will Russia Leave Syria?

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Here’s a quick write-up I shared to Quora yesterday. Apparently I am the minority in this opinion and have been arguing with people about it, including Russians, funnily enough. Russia has two major bases in Syria, Tartus and Latakia. Rebel forces have control of the surrounding areas at both of these bases. They could attack … Read more

How Much Longer Does Ukraine Have?

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With accelerating Russian gains in Donbass and the implied political shift accompanying Trump into office next month there is an equivalent increase in speculation about how much longer the war will last. That is a tough question so let’s quickly review what happened from the start of the SMO. First off, it is fair to … Read more

Kosti Hayskonen, Finnish Journalist In the SMO Zone

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Last week at a Thanksgiving gathering in Moscow I had the privilege of meeting Kosti Hayskonen, a Finnish journalist reporting out of the military zone in Donbass. His recent documentary is worth a look, and gives a first-hand glimpse of life there, from the Alley of Angels to the streets of Avdeevka.