A former U.S. diplomat’s inexplicable defense of Kim Jong-Un

A former U.S. diplomat’s inexplicable defense of Kim Jong-Un

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com Donald Gregg, former U.S. ambassador to Korea, makes an astounding statement in a piece published after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test. Striking “a very positive note,” he praises “the performance of Kim Jong-Un in improving the North Korean economy and downplaying nuclear threats and nuclear weapons development.” It […]

New U.S. ISIL strategy: bomb the ‘Daesh cash’

New U.S. ISIL strategy: bomb the ‘Daesh cash’

Special to WorldTribune.com The United States has unleashed a new strategy against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL): bomb the “Daesh cash.” According to Col. Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, nine air strikes in Iraq and Syria in the past few months have destroyed “tens of millions” of dollars of […]

U.S. provides logistical support to French carrier in Gulf

U.S. provides logistical support to French carrier in Gulf

Special to WorldTribune.com The United States is providing critical support for France’s aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, resupplied France’s Charles De Gaulle carrier, which began operations in the Gulf last month as part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). “The […]

Two satellite phone SIM cards missing after Iran captured U.S. sailors

Two satellite phone SIM cards missing after Iran captured U.S. sailors

Special to WorldTribune.com Two SIM cards from satellite phones were missing from the boats of the 10 U.S. sailors who were detained by Iran. In its first official account of the incident, the United States military on Jan. 18 released a timeline of the events of Jan. 12. The sailors were headed from Kuwait to […]

Stalinist Cuba, mass graves, and a U.S. president’s legacy

Stalinist Cuba, mass graves, and a U.S. president’s legacy

Special to WorldTribune.com By Frank Calzon On Jan. 8, 1959, as Fidel Castro entered Havana in triumph and the dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba, Raul Castro opened up a mass grave in Santiago and immediately executed seventy one Cubans without due process. As the Obama Administration begins a final year of diplomatic appeasement of tyrants […]

Migration of ISIL jihadists: Out of Syria . . . and into Libya

Migration of ISIL jihadists: Out of Syria . . . and into Libya

Special to WorldTribune.com By Gregory R. Copley, Editor, GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs January 2016 saw an acceleration of the movement of Daesh (asad-Dawlah al-Islamiyah fi al-‘Iraq wash-Sham) — so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) — fighters out of Syria and into Libya. There were profound reasons for this “flight to safety” by Daesh, […]

The foreign policy ‘vision’ at Obama’s last State of the Union cries for an opthalmologist

The foreign policy ‘vision’ at Obama’s last State of the Union cries for an opthalmologist

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, the annual speech to a joint session of Congress, has emerged as more of a political pep rally than a clear overview of America’s standing in the world both domestic and foreign. The address was touted as […]

Carter says ‘navigational error’ caused sailors to enter Iranian waters

Carter says ‘navigational error’ caused sailors to enter Iranian waters

Special to WorldTribune.com The 10 sailors detained by Iran were on two U.S. vessels that entered Iranian waters due to a “navigational error,” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Jan. 14. “They did not report this navigational error at the time. It may be that they were trying to sort it out at the time […]

Iran: USS Truman was ‘within our range’ and made ‘unprofessional moves’ after seizure of U.S. boats

Iran: USS Truman was ‘within our range’ and made ‘unprofessional moves’ after seizure of U.S. boats

Special to WorldTribune.com The commander of Iran’s navy said that his forces were “awaiting orders” after Iran seized two U.S. patrol boats on Jan. 12 and that U.S. and French aircraft carriers “were within our range.” “The USS Truman Aircraft carrier showed unprofessional moves for 40 minutes after the detention of the trespassers, while we […]

Carter details plan to take ISIL strongholds but not ‘Americanize’ conflict

Carter details plan to take ISIL strongholds but not ‘Americanize’ conflict

Special to WorldTribune.com Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Jan. 13 said the U.S.-led coalition has a plan in place to drive Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) out of its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. “The specialized expeditionary targeting force I announced in December is now in place and is preparing to work with […]