ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Original published by tvc.ru ; translated from Russian by J.Hawk Prince Mukhammad ibn Salman, Saudi Arabia’s minister of defense, has just finished his visit to Moscow. He met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Their discussions concerned the situation in Syria. The prince once again confirmed Riyadh will continue to support Syria’s opposition. Moscow, in turn, warned that arming the islamists wold be unacceptable, according to Igor Korotchenko, an expert on military issues. Igor Korotchenko, the chief director of the National Defense journal discussed the situation in Syria and in the Middle East with the TV Tsentr anchor Aleksey Frolov. –Saudi Arabia is mainly worried that Iran is becoming stronger. The two countries traditionally view one another as competitors over influence over the region. The Saudis are seriously concerned about the consequences of Russia’s intervention in the region–will it lead to the strengthening of Hezbollah, Iran, the Revolutionary Guard Corps both in Syr...

ISIL Toyotas Are No Mystery Amid US Support for ‘Moderate’ Rebels © REUTERS/ Stringer The ‘mysterious’ mass use of Toyota Hilux pickup trucks is no real mystery considering US support for Syrian rebel factions and the proportion of arms ending up in al-Qaeda’s hands, head of the Ron Paul Institute Daniel McAdams told Radio Sputnik. The finding of widespread Toyota truck use by ISIL is no real mystery considering revelations that 60 to 80 percent of US aid to moderate rebels ends up in the hands of the group, Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity Daniel McAdams told Radio Sputnik. An April 2014 report run by NPR praising the Toyota Hilux’ use in warfare showed that the US State Department recently delivered 43 Toyota trucks to the free Syrian army. As much as 60 to 80 percent of US arms sent to Syria haven ended up in the arms of al-Qaeda and its affiliates, Joshua Landis, Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, told AP on Saturday. “I think the real ...

Second Time Lucky? France Says It Is Ready to Sell New Ships to Russia © AFP 2015/ POOL / STEPHANE MAHE French president Francois Hollande says Paris is looking to sell new ships to Russia; the announcement comes after France cancelled a long-standing deal for Mistral-class helicopter carriers originally built for Russia, eventually re-selling the warships to Egypt. France is looking to sell new ships to Russia in the future, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday during his visit to the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire in western France. “Things went well with Russia, which has agreed to cancel the contract. And I even think we’ll get partnerships for new ships,” Hollande said. He didn’t specify whether they would be military ships. Neither did he say if Russia is willing to buy anything from France in the future. The French president came aboard one of the warships, originally named the Vladivostok, in reference to the Russian port. The inscription on the hull has been erased an...