Author Archives: calebsmith

Pompeo, in Central Asia, Seeks to Counter China

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Oil, trade and good governance all figured into talks Sunday and Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the foreign ministers of five Central Asian republics. But perhaps the most important country in the discussions was the one that wasn’t there — China. Pompeo, the most senior U.S. official to visit the region since then-Secretary of State John… Read more »

Donald Trump is ending endless war

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President Trump promised to end the reckless foreign intervention of the United States over the past two decades, and he is keeping that promise. Reports indicate that he is closer than ever to fulfilling this by bringing a satisfactory end to the longest war in American history. After years of negotiations, the Taliban appears on the verge of signing an accord… Read more »

Afghan Election Dispute Threatens Taliban Violence Reduction Agreement

19 Feb 2020Military.com | By Richard Sisk A dispute over who won the presidential election in Afghanistan is posing a threat to the just-concluded U.S. deal with the Taliban for a seven-day “reduction in violence,” a top U.S. negotiator with the insurgent group said Tuesday. “This could add to the many challenges Afghanistan faces” in implementing the deal, Molly Phee, the deputy special… Read more »

Analysis Post

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Caleb Smith Block 7 My analysis is that the chance of Iran actually starting a war with the US was close to zero. The media in general made a gigantic deal about how world war three was gonna start, but in actuality the Iranians wanted no part of a conflict with the US. What a war with the US would… Read more »

Wuhan Coronavirus: What About Central Asia?

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There are, so far, no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Central Asia. By Catherine PutzJanuary 29, 2020    ADVERTISEMENT As of writing, there have been no confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Central Asia. But like governments around the world, especially those bordering China and those with significant economic and travel ties to the country, Central Asia’s capitals have… Read more »

Iranian factory makes U.S. and Israeli flags to burn

KHOMEIN, Iran (Reuters) – Business is booming at Iran’s largest flag factory which makes U.S., British and Israeli flags for Iranian protesters to burn. At the factory in the town of Khomein, southwest of the capital Tehran, young men and women print the flags by hand then hang them up to dry. The factory produces about 2,000 U.S. and Israeli… Read more »

Pentagon identifies 2 US airmen killed in Afghanistan plane crash

The United States Pentagon has released the names of two US Air Force officers killed in a plane crash in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni earlier this week.  They were identified on Thursday as Lieutenant Colonel Paul K Voss, 46, of Yigo, Guam, and Captain Ryan S Phaneuf, 30, of Hudson, New Hampshire in the US. The cause of Monday’s crash is under investigation, but… Read more »

After Soleimani killing, U.S. braced for Iranian drone and missile strikes

After Soleimani killing, U.S. braced for Iranian drone and missile strike. An NBC News review of the events surrounding Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s killing shows that the U.S. and Iran were closer to war than was generally understood. Pakistani Shiite Muslims wear headbands with various religious sayings while they chant slogans during a rally to protest the U.S. attack in Iraq… Read more »

Analysis Report

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Caleb Smith Block 7 The Prime Minister of Pakistan is Imran Kahn and he has come out and said that an American, Iran conflict would be a disaster on the oil prices. Kahn uses Afghanistan as an example on why the US shouldn’t get involved, because a conflict in Iran would be significantly worse. I agree with Kahn to a… Read more »

Afghan conflict: Half a million people displaced in 2019

Conflict, poverty and natural disasters forced half a million Afghans, most of them children, out of their homes in the past year alone. For some families, internal displacement has become a part of life across generations. Desperation is sending many men into the ranks of armed groups and local authorities are struggling to deal with the crisis. Al Jazeera’s Zein… Read more »