ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Click to see the full-size image Written by Elijah J. Magnier –  @ ejmalrai ; Originally appeared at  his blog Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of Syria “very soon” and to  deliver   the city of Manbij to Turkey fell as a shock to the Syrian Kurds gathered in the northern part of the country. These Kurds, who act on a day-to-day basis as a shield for the US forces, have been deliberately manipulated by the US establishment to cover and protect its occupation forces in the north-east of the Levant. Trump is apparently ready to dump the Kurds from one day to the next. Not content with that, Trump is now putting the Kurds “up for auction”, betting on which Arab country will occupy the Kurdish controlled area and dispose of the territory they are currently based in. So, what are the Kurds’ options? The US President clearly attaches no importance to the fate of the Kurds. He is ready to abandon them, despite knowing that they have no other place to go ...

Illustrative image On June 24, the Yemeni Missiles Force [loyal to the Houthis] announced that it had launched a salvo of Burkan-2H ballistic missiles at the information center of the Defense Ministry of Saudi Arabia and other military positions in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The Burkan-2H is a is a mobile short-range ballistic missile with a range of over 800km. According to experts, the missile is a member of the Soviet Scud family, and shares design features with the Iranian Qiam-1 missile. The Houthis unveiled the Burkan-2H for the first time on July 22 of 2017 when it was launched at Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV reported that the Royal Saudi Air Defense Force (RSAF) intercepted a ballistic missile with its Patriot surface-to-air missile systems over Riyadh. Saudi activities released videos confirming the interception of at least one missile. This missile strike is likely a response to the recent attacks of the Saudi-led coalition and its Yeme...

Supporters of Muharrem Ince, presidential candidate of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), attend an election rally in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 23, 2018. Osman Orsal / Reuters Polling has started in Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections. There are 56,322,632 registered voters and 180,065 ballot boxes across the country. About 1.49 million expats already voted in a 13-day period between June 7-19 at 123 Turkish missions abroad. Recep Tayyip Erdogan needs more than 50% of the presidential vote to secure his post in the first round of the presidential election. If no candidate gets more than 50%, there will be a second round.  MORE HERE: “ Another Political Crisis May Erupt In Turkey “ Erdogan’s main challenger is Muharrem Ince of the Republican People’s Party (CHP). According to pre-election surveys, Erdogan will get about 47-48% in the first round while Ince will get up to 30%. Thus, many experts predict a two-round challenge. ...

Two days ago, when we laid out the components of Merkel and  Macron’s blueprint to reform the EU , we said that while “Macron suggested the proposal will be presented to other countries, with specifics to be worked out later this year and the plans to take effect from 2021, i t was unclear how he plans to get “other countries” to vote for a proposal which has already led to the alienation of Central and Eastern Europe, Brexit and an openly populist government in Italy .” We did not have to wait long for confirmation, because just two days later, Europe’s two self-proclaimed leaders were facing an unexpected backlash from most other European governments against the German and French plans for a common eurozone budget,  dealing a blow to the two countries’ ambitions for a big overhaul of the single currency area. As the  FT reports , the rest of Europe’s “core”, including  the Netherlands, Austria and Finland are among 12 governments questioning the need for any...

Ruslan Shamukov/TASS Russia is going to launch construction of a new nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer in 2020, Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief for Armament Viktor Bursuk says. “A preliminary design [of the destroyer] has been made. Following its results, we are now making the necessary decision and work on its technical design will begin shortly and the construction will start after 2020,” Bursuk said in a statement on June 20, according to the state-run news agency TASS. According to the statement, the destroyey will be of the Lider-class, also known as Project 23560. The project is being worked out at the Severnoye Design Bureau in St. Petersburg. The destroyed will have the displacement of 10,000-15,000 tonnes.

Written by Manlio Dinucci; Submited via Global Research The politico-media projectors, focussed as they are on the migratory flow from South to North across the Mediterranean, are leaving other Mediterranean flows in the dark – those moving from North to South, comprised of military forces and weapons. Perhaps we should say the “Enlarged Mediterranean”, an area which, in the framework of USA / NATO strategy, stretches from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, and to the South, from the Persian Gulf as far as the Indian Ocean. During his meeting with NATO  Secretary Jens Stoltenberg , in Rome,  Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte  pointed out the “centrality of the Enlarged Mediterranean for European security”, now threatened by the “arc of instability stretching from the Mediterranean to the Middle East”. Which is why it is important for NATO, an alliance under US command, which Conte describes as the “pillar of interior and international security”. This is a complete inversion ...

On June 21, the Iranian Navy allegedly dispatched two warships to the Gulf of Aden, where a fierce battle is ongoing between the Ansar Allah movement (also known as the Houthis) and the Saudi-led coalition for the port city of al-Hudaydah. According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the Iranian naval group composed of the Kharg Helicopter Carrier and Sabalan Destroyer. The Iranian side publicy describes its move with a need to secure naval routes and protect merchant vessels and oil tankers against pirates. The deployment of Iranian warships in the area will likely further complicate relations between Riyadh and Teheran. However, two warships will not be enough to lift a naval blockade from al-Hudaydah.

File image On June 20, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies launched a limited military operation against ISIS in the eastern Homs countryside and secured 2,500km2 between the city of Palmyra and the town of Hamimah. A source in the SAA told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that the SAA secured the following areas in eastern Homs during the operation: Tell al-Kibd, Irtiwaziyat al-Akfan, Bir al-Akfan, Tulul al-Jabri, Tulul al-Habari, Bir al-Tayariyah, Bir al-Wurud, Bir Zuid, Bir al-Samadiyah, Bir Atshan, Bir Sijar, Bir al-Bathiyah, Saad al-Waer, Bir Makr al-Waer. The SAA also advanced in the southern and southwestern Deir Ezzor countryside securing 1,200km2 between the areas of Faydat ibn Muiny’a, the T-2 station, M’aizliyah and Dahrat Wadi al-Miyah, according to the SANA. A week earlier,  the SAA launched a similar military operation  during which its forces secured 2,000km2 in the western Deir Ezzor countryside, including Faydat ibn Muiny’a. These lim...