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Al-Monitor Almost a month after Turkey’s launch of Operation Olive Branch in the northern Syrian district of Afrin, there is no clear outcome. Since the beginning of the campaign, Turkey’s post-Afrin objectives remained a matter of serious concern to other players mainly Iran whose reaction was to distance itself from supporting the Turkish assault while simultaneously refraining from supporting the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the area.To Iran, Turkey’s intervention will only complicate the already-complicated situation in Syria and weaken the Sochi peace process that already… Read More

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AP A Navy officer aboard a mammoth U.S. aircraft carrier brimming with F18 fighter jets said Saturday that American forces would continue to patrol the South China Sea wherever “international law allows us” when asked if China’s newly built islands could restrain them in the disputed waters. Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins told The Associated Press on board the USS Carl Vinson that the Navy has carried out routine patrols at sea and on air in the strategic waters for 70 years to promote regional security and guarantee the unimpeded flow of trade that’s crucial for Asian and U.S. economies. Read More

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Lee Ferran, RealClearLife In all fairness, Sen. Angus King warned them out front he was steaming mad.The first statement I want to make is more in sorrow than in anger. I’ll get to the anger part in a minute, the independent senator from Maine said.King was addressing some of the most powerful men in the country, from the Director of National Intelligence to the chiefs of the CIA, NSA, FBI, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency at Tuesday’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Worldwide Threats an annual face-to-face discussion about what keeps the top U.S. national… http://bit.ly/2FekHCN

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Jack Detsch, Al-Monitor The Donald Trump administration is seeking to more than double the number of assault rifles it provides to Syrian Kurds and other US-backed fighters despite rising anger from NATO ally Turkey.Budget figures released Feb. 15 reveal that the Pentagon plans to give its Syrian partners including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) more than 25,000 AK-47s, the gas-powered Soviet-era gun that has become a fixture in Syria’s seven-year civil war. The low cost and accessibility of the Kalashnikovs make them easy for US-backed troops to sustain as the Pentagon looks to hold territory won… http://bit.ly/2ExpM7Q