Iran State TV station FARS announced Saturday morning that four American dual-nationality prisoners were released from Iranian custody in a “prisoner swap” with the United States.
This is an update from our report yesterday. From the UK Guardian: Plans by the hacker collective Anonymous to expose collaborators withMexico’s bloody Zetas drug cartel – a project it dubbed “#OpCartel” – have fallen into disarray, with some retreating
It’s part of a bigger trend, with US forces set to leave Iraq and Afghanistan. The new Kyrgyz President-elect Almazbek Atambayev now wants a US airbase shut by 2014. The base at Manas is a critical logistics hub for US
On Halloween the Obama administration announced it was extending nearly 1,400 deep-water oil and gas drilling leases to make up for delays caused by last year’s drilling moratorium. That sounds like good news, but given the Obama administration’s anti-energy track
The courthouse in Benghazi is the iconic seat of the revolt which toppled Qaddafi. It’s Libya’s “(im)moral equivalent” to Egypt’s Tahrir Square. During the tumultuous months of Libya’s brutal civil war, it was here that rebel forces established a provisional
From Avi Jorisch: Mahmoud Reza Khavari As details of the Iranian terror plot to blow up the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC become clearer, the U.S. and other Western allies will look to punish Iran. One of the most powerful
From the UK’s Daily Mail: The Putins Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was described in German intelligence files as a ‘philanderer and a wifebeater’ when he was the deputy boss of the KGB. Germany’s BND spy agency compiled reports on
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com. * Universal fury at George Papandreou for referendum call * Papandreou’s government in Greece may be near collapse * ‘Sighs of relief have been replaced with cries of horror!’ * Foreign central banks are
Is the European Union about to collapse? It’s too soon to call the coroner. And the realities of the financial crisis may force Europe to hang together rather than hang separately. But the political divisions seem to be growing. Greece
The FBI is investigating whether a suicide bomber killed in Saturday’s bombing of an African Union military base in Mogadishu is Abdisalan Ali, 22, a U.S. citizen from Minneapolis. At least 10 people died in the attack carried out by
On 28 October the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) held a conference in Vienna on “confronting intolerance and discrimination against Muslims in public discourse.” Among the featured speakers was Special Adviser to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
The Zetas, a violent Mexican drug cartel, have killed and kidnapped hundreds if not thousands in recent years. But when they recently kidnapped one particular individual they apparently made a big mistake. The individual, name not known, is a member
From the Washington Times and the great Bill Gertz: Anna Chapman: part of a larger spy ring The FBI rounded up a network of deep-cover Russian spies last year after the group came close to placing an agent near a
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com. * Euro bailout deal unravels as Italy’s bond yields soar * Greece will hold a referendum on the euro bailout deal * Greece’s opposition parties accuse Papandreou of blackmail * Italy’s bond yields (interest
World politics is a peculiar game. It often leaves countries with strange bedfellows. That is exactly what is playing out between the US and Pakistan. As the US prepares to lighten its footprint in Afghanistan, it is turning to its
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) began in the days of detente as a forum for discussion and debate between East and West on issues like “conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.” Unfortunately since the dissolution
Tonight on Secure Freedom Radio: Does the United States have a hard time understanding the 21st century battlefield where unassociated extremists (in countries such as Iraq) are backed by hostile governments? In a new segment here at Secure Freedom Radio,
As the world is playing catchup with the events in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and other Arab Spring focal points, Iran is very busy. Trying to keep people oppressed in light of Arab Spring revolutions surely keeps the regime in
We can all breathe a sigh of relief; our troops are coming home from Iraq. Of course, no one ever wants a single one of our men and women in uniform to be in harms way. It is interesting to
There was an Alternative Futures Symposium recently put on by the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) at the Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Eustis, Virginia. They didn’t look at the threat posed by a nuclear Iran or Islamist
It was a normal Shabbat afternoon in Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood. Children were outside visiting with their friends and playing in the empty streets. But the tranquility of the scene was destroyed in a moment when a Palestinian terrorist crept up
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com. * Former cricketer Imran Khan promises hope and change for Pakistan * Second Gaza cease-fire broken within a day * China arrests over 12,000 suspects in internet drug trafficking sweep * Somali-American identified as
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com. * Tension over Syria mounts as Arab League meets * Syria’s Assad warns that intervention will cause an ‘earthquake’ * Support for Assad regime * Is Iran dropping its support for Syria? * U.S.
Europe is going through an extended disruptive economic period. Many people and institutions are greatly harmed in disruptive periods, but this is when nations are forced to develop new, efficient technologies to pull themselves out of this malaise. Europe has
Harry Crocker (disclosure: a book editor with whom I have worked, and a friend) has a new book out on the British Empire. No, it’s not an attack on our cousins across the pond. It’s a defense of the British
The squeeze is on at the Pentagon. And there are some deep-rooted procurement problems that are going to have to be fixed if we hope to get maximum bang for the buck. Procurement system (the simple version) The simple fact
