ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

What Does Washington 'Plan B' in Syria Really Mean?   In October a series of reports appeared in The Washington Post and other US media about expected supplies of various modern weapon systems to the so-called ‘moderate opposition’ in Syria. The reports argued that Washington was considering the new plan for Syria that included massive supplies of weapons that had to allow the oppositioneers to defend themselves from the Russian and Syrian air power and artillery. This fact was described as an indication of Washnigton’s skepticism about the prospects of so-called ‘peaceful solution’ in the country. Nonetheless, it was neither approved nor denied, according to the media. The secret CIA program of training and arming ‘moderate terrorists’ has been the core of American strategy, aiming to overthrow Assad and set a puppet government in Syria, since the start of the war. Nonetheless, the Obama adm...

This is the newst update of the ‘U.S. Carrier Strike Groups Locations Map’ exclusive series showing the approximate locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups on a weekly basis. SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence tracks locations of U.S. aircraft carriers using the available open-source information. No classified information was used in production of the map. Click to see the full-size map Carrier strike group (CSG) is an operational formation of the United States Navy. It is centered on an aircraft carrier and a carrier air wing (CVW) of 65 to 70 aircrafts. It’s composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers and/or frigates. A carrier strike group also, on occasion, includes submarines, attached logistics ships and a supply ship. Carrier strike groups comprise a principal element of U.S. power projection over the world’s oceans.

The US establishment’s global trade projects are falling apart at the seams with Europeans and Asian nations seeking to establish closer ties with the BRICS bloc and to take part in the China-led New Silk Road and Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union’s initiatives, French journalist Karel Vereycken told Sputnik. Ekaterina Blinova If Hillary Clinton wins the US presidential election she will most likely try to pressure the EU into adopting Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Karel Vereycken, a French journalist and founder of the LaRouche-associated Agora Erasmus organization, noted in an interview with Sputnik. “Hillary [Clinton] and [Barack] Obama are nothing but two heads of the same animal ruling over the quasi-bankrupt financial oligopoly running the City and Wall Street. Never take election promises serious. Since Bill Clinton rammed through NAFTA [the North American Free Trade Agreement], one can expect Hillary to go ahead with TTIP, to reward those on Wall Street ...

Muslims have lived in and around Thailand - and before that, Siam - for centuries. They have contributed significantly to Thailand's long history as a nation, from Malay Muslims moving up into central and even northern Thailand over the centuries, bringing their unique form of Islam with them, to Persian Muslims arriving in the 17th century and integrating themselves into business and ruling circles through trade and marriage. Today, Muslims comprise as much as 12% of the Thai population and have become part of the sociocultural and economic fabric of the nation. Their restaurants, businesses, and mosques are scattered across the country side-by-side Buddhist and secular businesses and institutions. Tolerance and mutual respect are hallmarks of this coexistence between people who identify themselves first as Thais, and second as members of their respective faiths. Contrary to popular belief, of Thailand's 7.5 million Muslims, only 1.4 million reside in the nation's southern...

Perhaps the biggest challenge the US faces regarding its credibility globally is the self-inflicted damage it does to its alleged principles and values as a center of global power. A perfect example of this is unfolding in the dramatic unraveling of US-Philippine relations where any and every means of finding leverage over Washington's wayward ally is being brought to bear on Manila. The most recent manifestation of this occurred when the US blocked the shipment of US rifles destined for the Philippines' police forces. PhilStar Global's article, " Duterte cancels rifle sale blocked by US over rights concerns ," would report that: The US State Department had earlier halted the sale of about 26,000 rifles to the Philippines when US Sen. Ben Cardin said that he will oppose it due to concerns over human right violations attributed to the government's war on drugs.At face value, and ignoring any wider context, it would appear that the United States took a moral st...

The rise of Rodrigo Duterte is probably the biggest blow to the CIA’s grand plan in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia, because, not only is the incumbent president is in an all-out war with US imperialism for patriotism’s sake, i.e. for those Muslim patriots waging the longest Muslim war in history against the Western invaders, he’s taking this as a personal battle against those who killed hundreds of innocent civilians in multiple bombings in his hometown city of Davao by a CIA operative disguising as a treasure hunter, i.e. Michael Terrence Meiring, who was spirited out from a hospital arrest by FBI operatives without the then Mayor Duterte’s prior consent. So, while Duterte’s government is talking peace with the two large Muslim separatist groups, i.e. MILF and MNLF, the Philippine military is relentlessly pursuing the total destruction of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Sulu, right now. Here’s why… Abu Sayyaf and the CIA in the Philippines by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed January 19, 20...