ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Despite pressure from the United States and a host of  ASEAN  nations who have all expressed concern over China’s increasing militarization of the South China Sea, Beijing seems undeterred and is continuing to expand its power in the region. That was made evident, once again, in recent days by China’s release of a plan for a new military buildup on an island that was claimed by the Philippines in the Scarborough Shoal in the Spratly Island chain. The plan calls for future deployment of Chinese warships close to where U.S. Navy Ships are to be stationed in the future, the  Washington Free Beacon   reported . U.S. intelligence officials obtained details of the plan over the last several months, defense officials said. The plans were confirmed in March when a web site for Chinese military enthusiasts posted a detailed dredging plan for the shoal that includes a runway, housing, power systems and a harbor deep enough to accommodate Chinese warships. The shoal is located about 140-

By: Baykar Makina On March 13, Qatar signed an deal with the Turkish company BMC to purchase 50 BMC Kirpi mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles and 35 BMC Amazon 4×4 multi-purpose armored vehicles, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency. Head of BMC Ethem Sancak told Anadolu that the deal had been reached on the sidelines of the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2018) in the Qatari capital of Doha. Sancak didn’t provide further details about the timeframe of the deal. Qatar News Agency (QNA) also revealed that Turkish BMC had won a bid to establish a naval special operation base for the Qatari Special Forces in the northern part of Qatar. The contract to build the naval base was reportedly signed during the DIMDEX 2018. Commander of the Qatar Joint Special Forces Major General Hamad bin Abdullah al-Fattais al-Marri told QNA that a navel division will be permanently stationed in the base. The base will also include a training center, a

Military personnel wearing protective suits remove a police car and other vehicles from a public car park as they continue investigations into the poisoning of Sergei Skripal on March 11, 2018 in Salisbury, England. Chris J Ratcliffe—Getty Images Written by  The Saker ; Originally appeared at  The Unz Review Assuming mankind finds a way not to destroy itself in the near future and assuming that there will still be historians in the 22nd or 23rd centuries, I bet you that they will look at the AngloZionist Empire and see the four following characteristics as some of its core features: lies, willful ignorance, hypocrisy, and hysterics. To illustrate my point I will use the recent “ Skripal nerve-gas assassination ” story as it really encompasses all of these characteristics. I won’t even bother debunking the official nonsense here as others have done a very good job of pointing out the idiocy of the official narrative. If you are truly capable of believing that “Putin” (that is t

A damaged vehicle of the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is removed after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip March 13, 2018. Source: MOHAMMED SALEM/ REUTERS An improvised explosive device exploded on March 13 morning near a convoy carrying Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in the Gaza Strip. Hamdallah was unharmed but several people were lightly wounded in the incident. Later on the same day, however, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Hamdallah and the two agreed that Israel and its collaborators had been responsible for the attack. General Tawfiq Abu Naim, head of Gaza’s Interior Ministry, will lead the investigation into the incident. The Interior Ministry said several suspects had been arrested. A manhunt is still ongoing.

The Syrian Arab Army has seized coin machines used by ISIS to produce own coins in the village of Al-Hasrat in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Defense Ministry reported on March 13. The ministry also released a video showing machines and coins seized in the area. According to the video, the machines had been likely produced in Turkey and then trafficed into Syria. Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image

On March 13, the US threatened to strike Syrian government forces in the Damascus countryside.   On March 14, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it will act in response if lives of the Russian servicemen are endangered.  In terms of the actual failure of diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, the threat of a direct armed conflict between Russia and the United States is becoming more and more of a reality. In simulating a possible armed conflict between the Armed Forces of the involved countries, we can state with some confidence that it will commence with a series of provocative actions. Possibilities include air strikes of “unknown aircraft” on civilians, the use of chemical weapons, destruction of humanitarian convoys, “shooting” at military aircraft or ships of the coalition forces, and possibly even encompassing their complete destruction. The United States and Western countries will undoubtedly accuse the Syrian or Russian Armed Forces of any such action in