History, Religion, Politics, Culture, and Travels in the Islamic World
A tribute to Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died twenty years ago today, and a requiem for America. Reagan revitalized America after Vietnam. However, Reagan’s America that we loved; the America that we were proud to belong to; the America that we proudly served in uniform; the America that we would have sacrificed our lives for, is dead. Since he left office, America has slid inexorably toward the dustbin of history
I am not a combat helicopter man, being from the “boom, boom, boom, artillery” school; hence my focus on artillery and missile systems. However, I have fallen in love with Russia’s Ka-52 “Alligator.” It is clearly the finest attack helicopter in the business; far superior to the Cobra and Apache attack helicopters that witnessed action in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Zayn al-Din Taybadi (d. 791/1389) is a captivating mystic of Mongol Iran. He was an irascible man, remembered by historians for his rudeness to Tamerlane (Temür; d. 807/1405). He in effect told Tamerlane (as New Yorkers like to say), to “take a long walk on a short pier.” This is the story.
My analysis of Ayatollah Khamenei’s 29 May 2024 letter to US students was just published by PressTV. The essay is, “Ayatollah Khamenei’s letter to US students shaped by insightful reading of history, politics.” I concur with his assessment that “As the page of history is turning, you are standing on the right side of it.” Americans students, especially students at my alma mater, Columbia University, will be squarely on the right side of history, just as they were with the Vietnam War protests in the 1960s and anti-apartheid protests in the 1980s.
On the anniversary of the German surrender at Karlshorst, east Berlin, in the presence of Marshal Georgy Zhukov, a bit of history—and lots of photos and videos, including by me—about the vicinity, which was used for administration of the Soviet Zone (1945–49); and housed the biggest KGB station in the world (1954–1991).
NATO Sec.-Gen. has hissy fit over Russian exhibition of captured NATO, UK, UK, EU Wunderwaffen. Video of the exhibits is in the post.
Christian Bleuer has been maintaining the massive “Afghanistan Analyst Bibliography” since 2004. Bleuer just published the final edition (29 April 2024), accompanied by an essay titled, “The State of Research on Afghanistan: Too many poor quality publications and some real gems.” Links included at post.
China, Russia, and Iran, a coalition of countries targeted by the collective west, know they have a common enemy and are cooperating militarily, politically, and economically to neutralize it. Recent meetings of Iranian, Russia, and Chinese defense ministers in Astana (Kazakhstan); and China’s reaction to threats by Antony Blinken, are addressed.
Nobody likes a bully; and USA is a loud-mouthed bully. Iranians resent 125+ years of foreign interference in their affairs. Tehran has responded to USA’s ‘maximum pressure’ and ‘bomb Iran’ threats by enhancing Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capacities. IRGC can ‘kill’ US aircraft carriers outside Persian Gulf. Iran is prepared for an ‘inevitable war.’ Washington underestimates Iranian tenacity and military technologies
Note on the term ‘Afghan’ as an ethnonym and ‘Afghanistan’ as a toponym based on pre-modern histories and geographies.
Perspectives 
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