John Sjoholm

Iran’s response to Islamic State terrorism

June 9, 2017

Two teams of Islamic State fighters struck civilian targets throughout Tehran early June 7. The teams attacked the Iranian Parliament and the

Battle against ISIS: the walls of Raqqa are falling

June 9, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·WORLD NEWS

Across the region, the Islamic State is being driven back. In Iraq, the Iraqi military is pushing the Salafist Jihadist group out

Terror strikes Tehran

June 7, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·News·WORLD NEWS

Early Wednesday morning two teams consisting of 8 Islamic State fighters carried out a series of coordinated attacks against the parliament building

Review: Brad Pitt’s ‘War Machine’ goes to war, and gets lost

June 2, 2017

Culture·FILM·Headlines·HUMOR·Op-Ed

Netflix’s latest film “War Machine” stars Brad Pitt as General Glen McMahon. McMahon’s character is based on General Stanley McChrystal, who attempted

Ramadan of Violence

June 2, 2017

AFRICA·Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·WORLD NEWS

Amidst the call for peace during the holiest month of Islam, Ramadan, the Islamic State has called upon its followers to commit

U.S. signs multi-billion trade deal with Saudi Arabia during Trump visit

May 21, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY·Politics·WORLD NEWS

US President Donald Trump was greeted by King Salman of Saudi Arabia at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, on May 20th.

Iran’s election – what does it mean?

May 13, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis

Being political is an integral part of being Iranian. Our lives are defined by politics. – Shirin Neshat (Iranian artist) On May

Turks and Kurds, an endless cycle

May 7, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis·WORLD NEWS

Syria’s Civil War has raged for six years, causing a vastly different regional political, ethnic, and security landscape to emerge. In recent

Erdogan’s referendum, the end of Turkey’s democracy?

April 23, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis

Turkey is a valid example of what I spoke of in my Shifting Sands of the Dictator opinion piece last Sunday. For decades,

Syria offensive against ISIS stumbles

April 23, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY

Tabqa, Northern Syria – Tabqa, one of the premier strongholds of the Islamic State outside of its de facto capital in al

The Shifting Sands of the Dictator

April 16, 2017

Featured·Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis

John Sjoholm examines the West’s historic support of dictatorships in the Middle East, and asks whether the region is ready for true

OpEd: Welcome to Syria, why don’t you stay for awhile?

April 9, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis

On April 4th the Syrian government, from its seat in Damascus, seemingly ordered a gas attack on the rebel-held, but predominantly civilian,

Syrian government attacks Idlib with gas, 58 reported dead, 11 children

April 4, 2017

MENA·MIDDLE EAST·News Wire

Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib Province, Syria – Air strikes began just after dawn at 06:40, with Syrian Air Force SU-22 military jet fighters deploying

UPDATED: VICTORY – Mission Tabqa Dam Complete, joint US SpecOps retake vital dam from ISIS

April 1, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY

| UPDATED from a story that ran March 26, 2017 Tabqa, Syria – It began mere minutes before the stroke of midnight, March

VICTORY – Mission Tabqa Dam Complete, joint US SpecOps retake vital dam from ISIS

March 26, 2017

Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY

Tabqa, Syria – It began mere minutes before the stroke of midnight, March 21st. Under cover of darkness, parachutes descended silently onto

OpEd: Secretary of Defense James Mattis: Moderate? Liberal? American

March 25, 2017

Headlines·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis

Recently, the newly appointed Secretary of Defense James Mattis, has been accused of being too moderate, even “too liberal.” Some have used

John Sjoholm

Iran’s response to Islamic State terrorism

Battle against ISIS: the walls of Raqqa are falling

Terror strikes Tehran

Review: Brad Pitt’s ‘War Machine’ goes to war, and gets lost

Ramadan of Violence

U.S. signs multi-billion trade deal with Saudi Arabia during Trump visit

Iran’s election – what does it mean?

Turks and Kurds, an endless cycle

Erdogan’s referendum, the end of Turkey’s democracy?

Syria offensive against ISIS stumbles

The Shifting Sands of the Dictator

OpEd: Welcome to Syria, why don’t you stay for awhile?

Syrian government attacks Idlib with gas, 58 reported dead, 11 children

UPDATED: VICTORY – Mission Tabqa Dam Complete, joint US SpecOps retake vital dam from ISIS

VICTORY – Mission Tabqa Dam Complete, joint US SpecOps retake vital dam from ISIS

OpEd: Secretary of Defense James Mattis: Moderate? Liberal? American

News Wire

The Currency War Nobody Wants to Name

Europe will survive only if it pays someone else to die in its place

Can the U.S. Counter China’s Growing Soft and Sharp Power Influence Through Sanctions?

Lebanon: Beirut and the Polycentric Reality

Working Hypothesis: Europe Seeks Relative Advantage from US Overextension

Mission Profile: Soft Power as the New Dominion

Cyber Warfare Now – Tales from the Digital Battlefield

Israel-Hamas Cyberwar, when old warfare meets new

Huawei – China’s telecom giant hits a giant wall

Strike a deal with which devil? The many faces of the Taliban

The fate of Afghanistan’s NATO Generation

Afghanistan – A Bold Solution