Tag Syria

Tambov and Ghouta

Why would Bashar Assad order the chemical attack in eastern Ghouta? I’ve come across a helpful counterquestion asked by someone in the Russian-speaking parts of the web: And why did Mikhail Tukhachevsky use poison gas against the Tambov insurgents in…

A robust effort to figure out what’s going on

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 7: The organization WikiLeaks on Friday [Oct. 7] released what it claimed to be Clinton campaign email correspondence revealing excerpts from paid speeches that Hillary Clinton gave in recent years, before her presidential…

Reflexes vs. strategy

This piece by Natalie Nougayrède on the battle for Aleppo is peppered with the word “strategy” and its derivatives. According to Nougayrède, Putin had a strategy for Chechnya and is now applying it to Syria. Putin also has a strategy…

Playing with fire in Hatay

The more I read about the history of Hatay, Turkey’s appendage-like province disputed by Syria, the more I am convinced that its status remains a sore point for Ankara. Also, Turkey’s military is in solidarity with Erdogan on the need to…

Cheating by default

This detailed map by the BBC tells the story. When I first saw a map of the area, at The Guardian, I could almost hear the pilot saying: “I’m not going to change course – it’s only five kilometers, man…

What outcome would be perfect for Moscow?

I mostly agree with what Streetwise Professor has to say about Russia’s involvement in Syria but I propose a conspiracy-theoretical addendum. First, why did Russia consent to the nuclear deal with Iran despite the downward pressure it would exert on the oil price? Were…