Afghanistan

If the end justifies the means, and we make sure there never is an end to this, then arms will continue to be traded, profits will continue to be made, and lies will be told till no-one can tell up from down, since all means are justified until the end of time. That this leaves us morally utterly rudderless then becomes just another one of those justified means. Anything goes.

As the US struggles to contain the Taliban, Kabul is set to receive a shipment of 10,000 Kalashnikovs from Moscow. Afghan lawmakers have also requested helicopter gunships and are now considering allowing Russia to participate directly in anti-terror ops. However, with Iran (The Kremlin's staunchest regional ally) having forged an unlikely alliance with the Taliban in an effort to subvert US influence and counter ISIS, questions abound regarding just who Russia would be targeting and who will be on the receiving end of the new AK-47s.

When I was a boy, a carnival would come through town annually, with a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and, of course, a midway

How Uncle Sam seeded global Jihad... and cultivates it to this day.

The people of Europe have been the patsies in this grand scheme and are, at this point, experiencing decided buyer’s remorse.

With many suggesting the world, already gripped in a global terrorism frenzy courtesy of the CIA-created "Islamic State", is on the verge of World War III (and with a NATO power bringing down a Russian fighter jet for the first time in over 60 years one can see where they get that idea) the result has been an unprecedented surge in demand for mode n weapons of all shapes and sizes... made in the US. Demand so high, in fact, that the US simply can't keep up: "It's worldwide. The demand signal is coming in Europe, in the Pacific and in Centcom." 

U.S. drone operators are inflicting heavy civilian casualties and have developed an institutional culture callous to the death of children and other innocents, four former operators said at a press briefing today in New York. “We have seen the abuse firsthand... and we are horrified.”

Why Now?

The world is changing in so many ways which is ignored by markets and commentators. The Paris event is yet another wake up call for the markets on geopolitical risk, for the under-investment in education and basic research, but most importantly for how we continue to ignore facts. First it will get worse... we are simply not prepared for geopolitical risk to matter for markets neither are we yet willing.

Following yesterday's dramatic geopolitical shock, U.S. equity index futures rise as Russia has not escalated the confrontation with Turkey as some had feared, while Asian shares fall, reversing earlier gains. European stocks are rallying and the euro is falling on the back of a Reuters report that the ECB is mulling new measures to prop up lending, although it’s not clear at this point what the real impact from these measures would be.

Brooks, who wanted to turn Syria into Iran's Vietnam, has changed to turning it into America's Second Vietnam! Brooks wants American troops in there fighting both ISIS and Assad. He's come to the conclusion that it is America that should "waste money and effort"! But wait! There's more: The grand strategy of American policy in the Middle East, therefore, should be to do what we can to revive and reform Arab nations, to help them become functioning governing units. The "grand strategy"?

If it doesn’t start a war in the short run, it’s going to guarantee a U.S. bankruptcy in the slightly longer run. All the “hawks” running for president this year (which is to say, almost every candidate) seem oblivious to the fact that, in anything but the briefest conflict, economic power completely trumps military hardware. Simply put, whenever you see a mention of the U.S. Navy and the Spratlys in the same paragraph, you’re seeing a reminder of an open vein helping to bleed America dry. And that’s the best case.

Painful as it is to admit, the West, especially the United States, bears significant responsibility for creating the conditions in which ISIS has flourished. The recent attacks should be understood as “blowback terrorism”: a dreadful unintended result of repeated US and European covert and overt military actions throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia that aimed to overthrow governments and install regimes compliant with Western interests. These operations have not only destabilized the targeted regions, causing great suffering; they have also put populations in the US, the European Union, Russia, and the Middle East at significant risk of terror.