Rane, Soufan, Zeihan Analysis Plus Several News Articles
All,There are two well-written RANE docs I can recommend to you today: "How Will China Tackle Its Mounting Real Estate Woes?" and particularly "The Future of Jihadism in a Multipolar World."
This second on the future of Jihadism is an in-depth discussion of the impact of an ever-evolving international situation on jihadist terror groups, particularly al Qaeda and ISIS. The article sees the US and our Western allies pivoting from an almost exclusive counterterrorism focus to more traditional adversaries of the past, Russia, China, North Korea, et al, and concerns with the war in Ukraine, and disasters associated with climate change, particularly a global food crisis. The RANE analysis suggests that a return to a multipolar environment and the increased focus by the US and our Western allies on economic and diplomatic competition with adversaries like China and Russia could result in the West having less bandwidth over the long term to deal with the counterterrorism threat from Jihadist groups like al Qaeda, ISIS, and their like.
I have also included an excellent WSJ update on the Ukrainian offensive FYI.
Lastly, this blog will be “off the air” starting a week from today as I going on the Band of Brothers Tour in France, Belgium, and Germany for most of September with my two sons, Devon and Sean. I'll have comments and pictures once we return.
Best to you all, Rusty