Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct Russia is using a broad repertoire of economic, diplomatic and military tools to expand its influence in the Middle East, taking advantage of the Obama administration’s broad disengagement there. Once described derisively by Barack Obama as a “local power,” Russia is demonstrating considerable interest and skill in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct Citing an estimate by the Russian Interior Ministry, the nation’s federal law enforcement arm, the pro-government newspaper Izvestiya claims the average bribe this year in Russia is almost double that of last year. Such estimates are subject to great uncertainty but the price of doing business in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct One of Europe’s most experienced and insightful diplomats visited Washington this week and shared concerns about the unmonitored traffic of nuclear material in the Black Sea region and cyber attacks from Russia. He also have informal insights on Iran based on recent trips there. Tedo Japaridze served […]
Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct Gen. Joseph Dunford, testifying at the confirmation hearing that almost certainly will lead to his Senate approval as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describes Russia as an “existential threat” and the greatest security challenge to the United States. “My assessment today, senator, is that Russia […]
Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct Senior drug enforcement officials in Washington and along the U.S. southwest border have spotted new technologies used by Mexican drug cartels to track their trackers in U.S. law. The concern grows out of the availability, capability and low cost of drones and unarmed aircraft systems (UAS), many […]
Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct Egypt’s already severe security plight has been exacerbated by an expanding jihadist tactic of assassinating not just security but judiciary officials. On June 29, Hisham Barakat, Egypt’s most senior prosecutor, was killed in an explosion as his car was traveling along a busy Cairo street. The jihadists […]
Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man and now an empassioned Kremlin critic living in exile in Switzerland, claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “manufacturing” the crisis in Ukraine as a way to distract the Russian public and media from the Russian government’s epic corruption. Khodorkovsky took […]
Special to WorldTribune.com by Dr. Jack Caravelli, Geostrategy-Direct The Sunday Times report that Britain was pulling its spies out of hostile nations because their identities may have been compromised by Russian and Chinese access to the Snowden files raised an immediate question: What actions have the CIA taken to protect its spies? Its case officers […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Backgrounder, Geostrategy-Direct.com Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S., Al Qaida and other jihadists have threatened to use a so-called “dirty” bomb. Also know as a radiological dispersion device (RDD), the dirty bomb uses conventional explosives along with radioactive material. Israel recently conducted a series of tests to […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Backgrounder, Geostrategy-Direct.com China’s claim of more than 90 percent of the entire South China Sea has awakened the United States to the implications and prompted tough talk. The discovery of China’s massive sand-pumping operation to create man-made islands in the middle of the South China Sea came as a major shock […]