ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

By Paul Craig Roberts Not everyone likes to hear about the threat of nuclear war. Some find refuge in denial and say that nuclear war is impossible because it makes no sense. Unfortunately, humankind has a long record of doing things that make no sense. In previous posts in recent years I have pointed out both written documents and changes in US war doctrine that indicate that Washington is preparing a preemptive nuclear attack on Russia and China. More recently, I have shown that Washington’s demonization of Russia and President Putin, the incessant lies about Russian deeds and intentions, and the refusal of Washington to cooperate with Russia on any issue have convinced the Russian government that Washington is preparing the Western populations for an attack on Russia. It is obvious that China has come to the same conclusion. It is extremely dangerous to all of mankind for Washington to convince two nuclear powers that Washington is preparing a preemptive nuclear strike against t

By Patrick Buchanan Has President Donald Trump outsourced foreign policy to the generals? So it would seem. Candidate Trump held out his hand to Vladimir Putin. He rejected further U.S. intervention in Syria other than to smash ISIS. He spoke of getting out and staying out of the misbegotten Middle East wars into which Presidents Bush II and Obama had plunged the country. President Trump’s seeming renunciation of an anti-interventionist foreign policy is the great surprise of the first 100 days, and the most ominous. For any new war could vitiate the Trump mandate and consume his presidency. Trump no longer calls NATO "obsolete," but moves U.S. troops toward Russia in the Baltic and eastern Balkans. Rex Tillerson, holder of Russia’s Order of Friendship, now warns that the U.S. will not lift sanctions on Russia until she gets out of Ukraine. If Tillerson is not bluffing, that would rule out any rapprochement in the Trump presidency. For neither Putin, nor any su

FILE IMAGE The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has repelled a large-scale attack by ISIS militants on the village of Abu Mayalah and Sardah, northeast of the important town of Khanasser. The only government supply line to the city of Aleppo runs through Khanasser. The ISIS-linked news agency “Amaq” announced that ISIS militants had managed to kill 30 Syrian soldiers and captured four during the attack on government positions east of the Khanasser road. However, a source from the SAA in Khanasser said that no soldier was lost in the battle. The source said that dozens ISIS terrorists were killed and four their bodies of militants were captured. The SAA destroyed two ISIS technicals (a vehicle armed with a machine gun) and a battle tank. As a result of clashes the SAA did not lose any position and ISIS terrorists fled the area because of large losses. According to pro-government sources, the SAA may work on securing the eastern side of the Khanasser road. They could advance from t

FILE IMAGE Official Syrian sources denied reports that attack helicopters of the Israeli Air Force struck the 90th Brigade of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) south of Quneitra on April 29. This statement came after several news agencies claimed that the Israeli Air Force conducted an airstrike on Syrian army targets in southern Quneitra after a rocket fell in the Israeli territory coming from the area of Syria. Local sources talked about un usual movement of Israeli helicopters and fighter jets along the Syrian-Israeli front, the sources also confirmed the deployment of Israeli tanks on advance position the front. Earlier this week, Israeli warplanes had launched five missiles on an alleged Hezbollah arms depot at the Damascus International Airport. The Israeli Air Defense Forces also used a Patriot missile against a reconnaissance drone after it had penetrated the Israeli airspace from Syria. It is believed that the Israeli escalation on the Syrian front may be related to a w

Click to see the full-size image The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has recaptured the abandoned battalion from ISIS north of the T4 airbase in the province of Homs. The advance came after the  5th Assault Corps  liberated the Al-Sha’er gas field and a range of highlands near the Al-Mahr gas field. Click to see the full-size map Separately, government forces repelled a large-scale ISIS attack on the Al-Sukari area southeast of Palmyra. ISIS claimed that four Syrian soldiers were killed as a result of the clashes. ISIS had deployed some reinforcements to eastern Homs following the significant advances made by the SAA and the Free Syrian Army in the desert of Palmyra and Damascus. ISIS seeks to keep the presence in this area in order to prevent further advances of anti-ISIS forces along the Syrian-Iraqi border. The current operation of the SAA in the vicinity of Palmyra aims to secure the Al-Mahr gas field northwest of Palmyra, the Arak gas field east of Palmyra as well as the

Does North Korea really pose a military threat to anyone?  A comparison of the military assets of the two Koreas. Written by  Brian Kalman  exclusively for  SouthFront ;   Brian Kalman is a management professional in the marine transportation industry. He was an officer in the US Navy for eleven years. He currently resides and works in the Caribbean. Introduction As the very real threat of a military confrontation breaking out on the Korean Peninsula once again becomes probable, it is important to reassess the current military capabilities of both the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea (North Korea). An analysis of the respective militaries will give a clearer picture of the probability of a conflict, and how such a conflict might unfold. A realistic assessment of the balance of power on the peninsula, as well as the forces that can be brought to bear by likely allies, will also provide insight into the motivations of North Korea in d