West Asia News and Discussions

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Jun 2018 08:14

Houthis are fighting for survival

Their sole remaining port hudaydah on red sea is under attack from the south coast road by gcc paid merceneries

An attempt to land mercs by sea yesterday was repelled by firing two al mandab missiles which set the transport ship on fire

The UN is powerless to stop the starvation and rape of yemen

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 14 Jun 2018 17:50

yes Singha ji

Houthis are on verge of getting defeated, made possible by vastly superior airpower of Saudi & allied aided by UK. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/ ... 17220.html

kit · Post by **kit** » 14 Jun 2018 18:19

.... and the US special forces including the Green Berets

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 14 Jun 2018 21:13

Now that the world cup is underway has anybody spotted MBS in moscow?

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 14 Jun 2018 21:28

I just saw him sitting with Putin watching the match! It has been a lie that he is dead!

habal · Post by **habal** » 14 Jun 2018 21:48

MBS is alive

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Jun 2018 21:51

the black pantha lives!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Jun 2018 21:52

IndraD wrote:yes Singha ji

Houthis are on verge of getting defeated, made possible by vastly superior airpower of Saudi & allied aided by UK. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/ ... 17220.html

in that region defeat is just the start of a insurgency.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 14 Jun 2018 23:01

^^why is no ne creditng the khadim sharif

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 15 Jun 2018 00:22

MBS Rumoured DEAD Now Alive !

Mohammed bin Salman looks on as Saudis flop in World Cup opener

Crown Prince attends opening match in Moscow, shaking hands with Vladimir Putin as Saudis concede five goals against hosts Russia

Unless it is a "double"

Mystery still remains as to why he "disappeared" . Is he still sitting in the corridors of Saudi power

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 15 Jun 2018 00:24

Saudi Ayeshas watching their team. Why the face mask ? Islamic etiquette or Moscow pollution

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Jun 2018 08:40

putin raised his palms and shrugged apologetically after the first goal, shaking hands with the black pantha.

he was embarassed by the 4th and 5th goal in the last minutes and looked away.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Jun 2018 17:48

Falijee wrote:Saudi Ayeshas watching their team. Why the face mask ? Islamic etiquette or Moscow pollution

SAme reason why the motorcycle pakis in Srinagar were wearing face-masks. CCTV.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 18 Jun 2018 02:21

IndraD wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... mailonline

Palestinians are torching Israel with fire kites.

Israel has killed the mastermind behind kite arson and motolov flown deep inside to torch Israel. He was killed in a drone strike.

in the other news Israel is making it illegal to film their soldiers.

ricky_v · Post by **ricky_v** » 19 Jun 2018 08:57

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... rd%20Brief

Talks are at an advanced stage for the United Nations to take over the administration of the vital port of Hodeidah under siege from a Saudi-led coalition, the UN humanitarian coordinator Lise Grande said on Sunday.

Both Britain and France failed to persuade the Saudi-led coalition not to mount the offensive last week, fearing the military attacks risk interrupting the supply of vital aid into a deeply fragile state.

Grande said a political solution to the crisis was required and that Griffiths’ talks to negotiate the handing over of the port by the Houthis and the United Arab Emirates to the UN had reached an advanced stage. In theory UN inspectors have boarded all ships entering Hodeidah to check commercial and humanitarian supplies do not contain weapons bound for the Houthis. The UAE claims the Houthi’s raise as much as $30-40m a year in taxes through their control of the port.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 21 Jun 2018 01:02

MBS ( AKA Black Pantha) Cut To Size In The Attempted Coup And His "Reforming Powers" Diluted

Saudi Arabia arrests more women’s rights activists: HRW

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia detained two more women’s rights advocates earlier this month and imposed a travel ban on several others in an ongoing crackdown in the conservative Muslim kingdom, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.

The arrests, just weeks before the much-hyped lifting of a decades-old ban on women driving, have revived criticism of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s approach to ambitious reforms as part of his push to diversify the world’s top oil exporter’s economy.

IMO, there has been a backlash to his "Saudi spring" reforms and he has been forced to back off !

The powerful young heir apparent is trying to open up the kingdom by easing strict social rules, but reforms hailed as proof of a new progressive trend have been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, souring that image.

Activists and diplomats have speculated that the new wave of arrests may be aimed at appeasing conservative elements opposed to reforms and that it may be a message to activists not to push demands out of sync with the government’s own agenda

As the Shah Of Iran discovered much later, it is not easy to change a conservative society overnight !

Prince Mohammed has won praise at home and abroad for his modernisation efforts, but he has also provoked unease with shock moves including an anti-corruption purge last year, when scores of royals and top businessmen were detained at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. Most were freed after reaching settlements with the government.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 30 Jun 2018 05:15

Another Report Which Suggests That MBS Wings Have Been Clipped After The Attempted Coup

Saudi prince: Only a matter of time before Bin Salman is toppled
June 27, 2018
Middle East Monitor

Saudi Crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s effort to ensure America’s “deal of the century” comes in to affect quickly is an effort to improve his relations with Israel, a dissident Saudi prince who has taken refuge in Germany said.

Conservative Saudi society is not yet ready for this drastic step

Khaled Bin Farhan Al-Saud said Bin Salman has been working to ensure a concept of absolute obedience in order to facilitate his arrival to power.

In an exclusive interview with Alkhaleej Online Bin Farhan revealed that “Bin Salman chose one of the sons of Prince Faisal bin Bandar in Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the current Prince of Riyadh, as the next crown prince in preparation for his crowning as king as a successor to his father.” He noted: “The new crown prince’s personality is weak and blind reliance on Bin Salman.”

“There is great anger amongst the ruling family at Bin Salman’s actions,” said Bin Farhan, adding, “it is only a matter of time before he is removed from power.”

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 30 Jun 2018 05:32

Hajj Money Pays For Saudis Wars - Tunisian Imams

June 22, 2018

The Union of Tunisian Imams called on the Grand Mufti of the Republic to discourage pilgrims from travelling to complete the Hajj this year because of the high costs of the trip and the fact that the money is used by Saudi Arabia to pay for its wars in other Muslim countries.

Local media reported General-Secretary of the Union of Tunisian Imams, Fadhel Ashour, saying: “It is better to spend this money to improve the conditions of the Tunisian people.”

Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs, Ahmed Adhoum, had earlier announced that there have been 236,000 Hajj applications this year. He explained that the number of Tunisian pilgrims is 10,892 compared to 10,374 in 2017.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 02 Jul 2018 21:23

India on Gulf outreach as injured Yemeni soldiers ready to fly in

June 30, 2018

India has teamed up with the United Arab Emirates in providing major humanitarian and post-traumatic medical support to the soldiers of Yemen who were injured in the ongoing war against the rebels of that country, a source familiar with the ongoing effort told The Hindu.

The operation has been intensified in the backdrop of this week’s visit by Foreign Minister of UAE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed.

“In the coming week, we are scheduled to receive the largest contingent of injured soldiers and civilians, including children, from Yemen,” said the person in charge of logistics on the Indian side. Sheikh Abdullah’s visit ended on Saturday and an aircraft from the UAE is expected to fly in 63 injured Yemenis and 27 caregivers and support staff early next week.

Strange that Ummah nation Pakiland "did not come and offer this help"

“This is an initiative to showcase medical diplomacy of India and humanitarian work by the government of UAE and Red Crescent. This major service is possible because of the full coordination between India and the UAE,” said the source.

Pakistan is presently not in the "good books" of the UAE, these days , what with illegal Pakis overstaying the "hospitality" of the UAE in places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi

The civil war in Yemen between the government of the country and the rebels of the Houthi community has become a major international conflict. India evacuated its citizens from Yemen under an evacuation move titled ‘Operation Rahat’ in 2015 after an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and UAE intervened in Yemen.

In June, UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna had conveyed that his country hoped that India would support the military campaign with diplomatic outreach in major global platforms. The official involved in the humanitarian support from India said that following a formal request from the UAE, India had hosted hundreds of Yemeni soldiers and civilians in 2017.

“The last major contingent of patients came in September 2017 in a UAE military aircraft that evacuated 45 soldiers for urgent medical treatment in India,” he said. “The upcoming medical contingent of patients will be supported by 10 medical professionals including paramedics, doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists,” said a press release from VPS Rockland.The youngest patient in the team is nine years old and several comatose patients with gun shot wounds and paralysis are being flown in this time. Most of them are expected to undergo orthopaedic, plastic, general and neurosurgery in order to make a full recovery.The quiet UAE-India initiative has already created a record of sorts because of the complex third party coordination required, the source said. So far, India has treated victims from Iraq and Syria on a bilateral basis.However this is the first time that such an operation is being conducted through support from a third country – the UAE.

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 09 Jul 2018 11:23

A fascinating piece of history.... Enjoy

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/maga ... ion=Footer

Vips · Post by **Vips** » 10 Nov 2018 19:09

The sepoys in Istanbul: During World War I, Indian troops spread across the Ottoman empire, helped lay the foundations of West Asia as we know it.

“The Turkish Empire has committed suicide, and dug with its own hands its grave”, the British prime minister Herbert Asquith, proclaimed in early November 1914. He was responding to the Ottoman naval bombardment of Ukraine, bringing Turkey into the First World War in alliance with Germany against the Allies.

“It is the Ottoman Government that has drawn the sword, and which, I venture to predict, will perish by the sword”, Asquith added of Britain’s war with the Turks. “It is they and not we who have rung the death-knell of Ottoman dominion, not only in Europe, but in Asia.”

The Indian army’s pivotal part in making Asquith’s prophecy come true has often been overlooked. By 1918, it was the principal military force of Allied conquest in the Middle East, making Britain the regional superpower when the First World War was won — and doing much to lay the foundations of the region as it is today.

When the Turks entered the war in 1914, their primary concern was fighting the Russians in the Caucasus. But they also had active plans against the British empire. They promptly gathered forces in Syria and Palestine to march across the Sinai Desert to invade British-occupied Egypt, and they launched a much broader strategic initiative: A holy war or jihad.

The jihad was declared at Istanbul by the sultan of Turkey, and it called on most of the world’s Muslims to rise up against the Allies. The intention was to multiply anti-Allied fighters in Caucasus, Egypt and elsewhere, whether among enemy ranks on the battlefield or local populations of the Allied empires.

The British decided on immediate military steps against the Ottoman threat, deemed essential to secure India as their British Empire’s prize possession. By the close of 1914, therefore, three Indian Expeditionary Forces had sailed from Mumbai to Egypt and Ottoman Iraq.

These initial Indian interventions in the Middle East dramatically escalated over the next four years at London’s behest, in the interests of British imperial defence and aggrandisement, and in combination with other Allied forces from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy.

In the process, the Indian army with its British-made rifles, machine guns and artillery advanced against the Turks in an extraordinary range of operations great and small, blasting, bayoneting and bounding its way forward over beaches, deserts, rivers and mountains almost all around the Ottoman fringe.

To illustrate — in north-west Iran and the Caucasus, Indian regiments helped to block Turkish movements towards Central Asia. In central and southern Iran, they attacked suspected anti-Allied jihadists, and countered Turkish and German agents seeking to infiltrate sensitive Indian border zones. From the Arabian Gulf, Indian troops attacked hundreds of miles into Iraq, reaching its northernmost Ottoman province to seize the oil fields. On the Arabian Peninsula, they contained the Ottoman garrisons of Yemen, assisted Lawrence of Arabia and embedded like him in local Arab rebel forces, and raided Ottoman outposts on Red Sea islands. Then out of Egypt Indian units made multiple attacks, both westwards in the Western Desert against Libyan jihadists, and eastwards into the Sinai, Palestine and Syria. From Egypt they also took part in the Allies’ amphibious assault on European Turkey: The Gallipoli campaign.

By November 1918, the Indian army’s immense grip on formerly Ottoman-controlled soil, where it had defeated the Turks, was reflected in the sheer size and breadth of its occupation. It was the single-largest Allied force in the Turkish theatres, having deployed a total of approximately 7,60,000 Indian troops to them. Its men stood guard from Basra, Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi and Mosul to Cairo, Suez, Gaza, Jerusalem, Amman, Haifa, Damascus, Gallipoli and Istanbul. At the time, the British empire, in fact, approached its territorial zenith.

The Allied peace negotiations with the Turks were to last longer than the First World War itself. Their protraction was proof of their complexity. The Allies hotly competed for the spoils of Ottoman defeat: The British angled for new British-influenced Middle Eastern buffer states from Iraq to Palestine in order to cushion the Indian imperial sphere, while the French, Greeks and Italians looked to partition the Ottoman empire for new imperial possessions of their own. The Turks wanted Turkey for themselves and fought for it, above all against the Greeks.

Eventually, the Allies and the Turks signed the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923. In conjunction with other international agreements applying more widely to the Ottoman lands of 1914-18, the borders were drawn of the Turkish Republic and other post-war Middle Eastern states and European-administered mandates including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq. The map of the modern Middle East had taken shape.

The Indian army gradually evacuated the Middle East up to the late 1920s as the post-war settlements took effect. Having been a wrecking ball to knock down the Ottoman empire during the war, its place between the old and the new Middle East had ultimately been destructive — on behalf, of course, of the British empire.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Nov 2018 21:12

Not only there the british induan army was the key in every british venture in east asia too

Thst is why post ww2 when army and navy were on verge of mutiny and feeling nationalist winds , angrez left quietly.
A 1857 type mutiny in 1947 would have led to the death of every english in india and pakistan

Vips · Post by **Vips** » 11 Nov 2018 21:21

World War I: The Indian soldier in foreign battlefields.

France, Flanders, East Africa, Gallipoli, Aden, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Transcaspia and even Persia. 104 years ago, when crossing a sea was still a taboo for many in the subcontinent, thousands of untrained soldiers from undivided India boarded ships and set out for these foreign shores , and from there to the battlefields of what’s today called the Great War.

Today, November 11, is the centenary of Armistice Day+ – a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the war – and the UK says it has not forgotten the contribution of Indians. Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May, said: “We must never forget that over 74,000 soldiers came from undivided India and lost their lives, 11 of them won the Victoria Cross for their outstanding bravery.”

More than 13 lakh men and 1.7 lakh animals left India. At least 74,000 soldiers lost their lives. More than $20 billion in today’s money, including 3.7 million tonnes of supplies went from India.

The worry that a majority of these men being drafted into its army were untrained notwithstanding, the British seized on the opportunity that they were willing to fight and took advantage. However, not all the men who went out from India were untrained, although most were underequipped compared to the armies of Germany and other Axis members.

The Mysore Lancers and the Jodhpur Lancers, for example, are still remembered for their contribution and the Israelis still say they owe them for the Battle of Haifa. Although there isn’t much dispute about India’s contribution in the war, the achievement of the Indian Corps in the Western Front has been the subject of intense debate.

Santanu Das, who has authored Touch and Intimacy in First World War Literature and edited many books on the war writes for the British Library: “Military historians such as Jeffrey Greenhut had pointed out their uneven performance, noting the unsuitability of a colonial army raised primarily for internal and frontier defence for industrial warfare or the long European winters, without adequate training or winter clothing.” But, he says, some of these ideas have been challenged by a younger generation of scholars such as George Morton-Jack who have argued for the professionalism and competence of the Indian Corps on the Wester n Front.

The Indian contingent was a multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious force consisting semi-or-nonliterate people. This means that there aren’t many diaries, poems and memoirs, but traces of their war experience is scattered across the libraries, archives and private collections.

The British Library, for one, has a good collection, and just last week, it made public a host of letters and photographs relating to Indians during the war. If one letter from an unnamed sepoy likens the war to Mahabharata another letter from Maulvi Sard-Ud-Din demands that all Mohammedan soldiers be given a proper burial as per customs.

There is enough material to show how important India’s contribution was – from operating telephones in the signals corps, to fighting gas attacks in theatres of the war, Indians were everywhere – but somehow, it was largely ignored soon after the war.

But things are changing.

Sqn Leader Rana Chhinna, Secretary, United Service Institution (USI) of India said: “It is a matter of great pride that the very significant Indian contribution to the war that changed the course of modern history is finally getting the recognition that it so richly deserves. The Indian soldier deserves an acknowledgement of his contribution, and a commemoration of his sacrifice, making clear his central place in history.”

So, why did these men participate in the Great War? Historians have noted that initially, it was a means of proving India’s loyalty to Britain and that the mainstream political opinion’ was also in favour of the war effort with an intensity that took even the colonial administrators by surprise. Even-Gandhi said, after his return in 1915, that if India were to obtain greater political responsibility, it must offer its unconditional support to Britain in her hour of need.

Marking 100 years since Armistice Day, the USI of India, supported by the British High Commission, is hosting a series of events here, over the weekend to commemorate the contribution of the Indian Army to World War I.

UK Member of Parliament and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said in a statement shared with STOI: “I’m privileged to have the opportunity to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the cause of freedom – including more than 74,000 men who did not return home to India. India’s remarkable contribution to the war effort must be recognized, because it changed the course of history.” His statement comes at a time the UK is in the middle of centenary commemorations that have a three-fold agenda: To revive the memory of a forgotten legion and to honour its sacrifice; to build bridges with partner nations through the acknowledgement of a shared past; and to highlight the futility of war and the urgent need to work towards its eradication as a means of settling disputes among nations.

India and the UK share amicable relations today, 70 years after the former gained Independence. But the Great War had its impact on India’s freedom struggle too. The stresses and strains imposed by the wartime economy strengthened the cracks that had already begun to appear in the structure of imperial solidarity.

By the time the war ended, Britain’s relationship with India had changed. The contiguous social and political effects then hastened the process that would lead to the end of the British Raj.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 14 Nov 2018 19:32

May be a big deal. Israel Raksha Mantri quits, govt may collapse.

Point is, Israel has for the first time chosen not to do the eye and hands and legs for an eye response. Instead signed a ceasefire and allowed $15M from ****QUATAR*****

to come into Gaza!! Hamas gloating after suffering only 160 air strikes.

Now collate this with the neuj about Eyeranian mijjiles getting much better, and their having dumped 460 mijjiles/mortars into Israel side, and innovated burning / incendiary kites to burn Israeli farms/crops, and you start wondering whether it is Hamas that has Won the Heart and Mind of Nut&Yahoo.

And any implications to yellow sea?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Nov 2018 18:06

SAudis have charged 11 for khashoggi murder and prosecution demands death for 5

So mbs is throwing his gang under the bus to repair relations with usa and turkey

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Nov 2018 21:11

Compare fates of Deputy Chief of National Intelligence: US bibi was fired on orders from Boss's Boss's Boss. Loss of face. No way to silence from publishing Memoris. Saudi is facing loss of head. No Memoir danger or danger of appearing as witness in ICJ etc. Permanent.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Nov 2018 02:47

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46288510
British PhD student jailed for life in UAE for spying.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Nov 2018 10:15

are details known of the charges against him?
does not seem like a great place to spy on - just a city state with all manner of shady people running around cutting deals

ok i see now "war in yemen"

The Guardian:
He was arrested after an Emirati man apparently reported him to the authorities for “asking sensitive questions about some sensitive departments” and “seeking to gather classified information on the UAE”.

Hedges’ family said he had all the correct documentation in order to enter the UAE and was researching aspects of the UAE’s foreign and domestic security strategy, including the war in Yemen.

https://www.dur.ac.uk/directory/profile/?id=15865

Mr Matthew Hedges
Doctoral Research Student in the School of Government and International Affairs
(email at matthew.j.hedges@durham.ac.uk)
Research Interests
Changing Nature of War
Civil-military relations
Defence industrialisation
Middle Eastern Politics
Political Economy
Security Studies
Strategy
Tribalism
Weak and failing states

Selected Publications
Journal Article
Hedges, M.J. & Cafiero, G. (2017). The GCC and the Muslim Brotherhood: What Does the Future Hold? Middle East Policy 24(1): 129-153.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 01 Dec 2018 01:48

Is there another side to the Khashoggi halalization? With all the ppl spying on each other, it is 399% certain that Kay Jee Bee also was perched on the wall.
It really IS a High-Five. Maybe BS flight plan to Moscow is all set?

Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince share an enthusiastic high five
Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman with a wide smile and an enthusiastic high five Friday morning as the G20 session officially began.

I wonder about the Ukraine/Mariupol connection.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Dec 2018 18:30

Who sold Khashoggi down the river? Lawsuit filed.

Interesting place to file the lawsuit...

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 01 Mar 2019 01:36

What I was told this morning:
Pak will use Wing Commander as leverage for negotiations
They want Modi to come up with concessions. PRC signalling to Pak to cool it down due to CPEC Investments.
US busy dealing with Kim so no full attention here.
GCC saying next step is naval blockage and naval warfare which will drive up their air and sea freight insurance costs .
GoI will not allow Wg Commander to be used as leverage as some posts have alluded to above

India and Iran are reaching agreement on how to fill AfPak vacuum post trump pull out

GCC Conducting emergency preventative diplomacy
Saudi FM 'carrying important message from crown prince' to arrive in Pakistan today
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1920164/1- ... tan-today/

Saudi Arabia ambassador meets PM
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ind ... 199477.cms

Abhinandan Varthaman release: World leaders work behind the scenes to avert India-Pakistan conflict

A series of visits, phone calls and backroom diplomacy by the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the UAE may have been behind Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to announce the unilateral release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, a move that appears to have averted an escalation in the situation between India and Pakistan for the moment.

In addition to the announcement, the statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that they will study the dossier on Jaish-e-Mohammad’s link to the Pulwama bombing, as well as the listing request of JeM chief Masood Azhar which was filed late on Wednesday night by the U.S., U.K. and France at the U.N. Security Council had the desired effect on New Delhi, sources told The Hindu.

Diplomats said that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who visited both countries last week, and the Crown Prince of UAE had a keen interest in the situation. “Given the huge investment from UAE and Saudi Arabia in the Indian and Pakistani economies, these two countries that are both close to the Gulf region will not be allowed to go to war,” a diplomatic source told The Hindu.

On Friday, both External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan’s Mr. Qureshi will be in Abu Dhabi for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting. But officials say they are not expected to meet as Mr. Qureshi is boycotting the inaugural plenary that Ms. Swaraj will address, and she will leave UAE shortly after her speech.

EU, US, GCC used money, oil & gas, armaments and jobs on both India and TSP.

$500m investment specialising in NPAs announced after PM call with MbZ
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Kotak to launch Special Situations Fund in India

chanakyaa · Post by **chanakyaa** » 04 Apr 2019 07:38

Aiyyo!! Looks like whatever needed to be transferred to Smoothie Barbaria has been completed. Time for dog'n pony show?

Nuclear regulators were unaware of transfer of sensitive technical information to Saudi Arabia

chanakyaa · Post by **chanakyaa** » 06 Apr 2019 23:00

Another favorite global hotspot for energy related geopolitics is heating up again.

U.N. Security Council calls on eastern Libyan troops to halt military movement

Ruskies made a clever move by supporting Haftar.
Russia Has a Plan for Libya—Another Qaddafi

The Haftar-Russia link and the Military Plan of the LNA

PDF has some good information was how Libyan oil loot was distributed post Gadda-fi
Libya Oil Almanac

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 07 Apr 2019 02:39

UlanBatori wrote:Who sold Khashoggi down the river? Lawsuit filed.

Interesting place to file the lawsuit...

More interesting: The link is now 404......

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 02 May 2019 13:59

Today the first bullet has been fired by Trump against Tehran. This will result in a dangerous escalation in the region including direct military confrontation. Later today, Trump is expected to announce a halt to the export of Iranian oil COMPLETELY (i.e. no exemptions and no oil will be exported at all!).

Mukesh.Kumar · Post by **Mukesh.Kumar** » 02 May 2019 14:20

shyamd wrote:Today the first bullet has been fired by Trump against Tehran. This will result in a dangerous escalation in the region including direct military confrontation. Later today, Trump is expected to announce a halt to the export of Iranian oil COMPLETELY (i.e. no exemptions and no oil will be exported at all!).

Welcome back Shyamd. Your absence was noticed very much. Hoping to see you more frequently back on BRF

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 02 May 2019 15:44

if a nustshell summary could be posted by someone please
-why Obama didn't think of Iran as adversary and lifted sanctions
-why Trump wants Saudi umpire run amok ME (any political goal or business purely?)
-In the event of confrontation, will Iran get steam rolled ?
-Emerging Gulf-Israel axis (minus Iran, Turkey , Qatar) how is it likely to pan out? What happens to cause of Palestine?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 02 May 2019 21:07

Turning out Yemen is an Indian interest.
Its the gateway for Kerala Muslims to join ISIS.

India needs to get active in restoring stability to Yemen right after the election results are out.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 02 May 2019 21:15

IndraD wrote:if a nustshell summary could be posted by someone please
-why Obama didn't think of Iran as adversary and lifted sanctions
-why Trump wants Saudi umpire run amok ME (any political goal or business purely?)
-In the event of confrontation, will Iran get steam rolled ?
-Emerging Gulf-Israel axis (minus Iran, Turkey , Qatar) how is it likely to pan out? What happens to cause of Palestine?

1) Obama wanted to create a Shia alternative in West Asia and lifted sanctions on Iran.
The KSA run Sunni Arabs with Whabi induced Muslims were running amok.
2) Trump wants to restore Sunni primacy as SD Arabists are familiar with that play. Its not just him alone.
Political goal, Business is secondary but important.
3) Iran wont be steam rolled. May be hit. Idea is to bring economic collapse via oil trade ban.
There is absolutely no will to fight nor strength. Only to fire long range cruise missiles.
4) Palestine is in the desert. West Asia is forming two axes: GCC+ Israel vs Turkey+Iran+Qatar.
Historically the balance in West Asia was due to Ottoman Turkey vs Persia. Arabs did not have the demographics. They don't even now.
Now both Turkey and Iran are on same side.
Think of the tectonic change over the millennia.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 May 2019 23:41

Wonder if Venezuela will ask for Hezbollah.