Putin’s Mercenaries Are Using Syria as a Training Ground

by Nicolai Due-Gundersen The year 2014 was a difficult one for the Middle East but an interesting one for Russia. While the Muslim world watched the rise of the Islamic State (IS or ISIS), Russian President Vladimir Putin was reversing… Continue Reading

Russia’s Three-Step Plan for Any Military Intervention

by Evgenia Sokolovskaya While Russia’s role in Syria and Venezuela captures the world’s attention, the Kremlin is quietly bonding with new allies in Africa using the same three-step intervention method it has already adopted to expand its influence elsewhere. The… Continue Reading

Extremism Spreads to Chad

by Alexander Hurst Chadian markets are a hectic blend of sun, sweating bodies, swatting flies, sandy red earth, the drone of different dialects, the exhaust from motorbikes, and the creative tension of bargaining in progress. Last weekend however, just such… Continue Reading

U.S. Military Aid to Presidential Guards a Risky Venture

by Alexis Kedo and Colby Goodman “We have seen what has happened, that the people were not in favor of it [coup d’état]. That is why we gave it up.” This was Gen. Gilbert Diendéré’s ad-libbed apology for the coup… Continue Reading