* Iraqi forces clashed with a militia following a local Shia cleric in Karbala, south of Baghdad. Prime Minister Maliki seems to be losing support even from his Shia backers. * Meanwhile fighting against ISIL continued in the north in several contested areas of...
* France’s state-owned Nexter and Germany’s privately-owned Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) have announced [PDF] their intent to form a joint holding company. If this alliance (the word merger is studiously avoided) is completed as expected next year, the...
* Records gathered by the Pentagon and analyzed by RAND show how Iraqi extremists withstood U.S. anti-terror efforts. Sustained funding is a top predictor of a guerrilla/terrorist movement’s long-term viability. * Senator John McCain [R-AZ, SASC] may be...
* France’s foreign affairs minister Laurent Fabius is the first of a series of Western officials to meet with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and is #2 Arun Jaitley to discuss what some hope may be a new wave of defense acquisitions. Fabius is eager to...
* Germany’s defense minister Ursula von der Leyen might think that “Russia has destroyed a massive amount of trust” and claim that her country “wants to take on more responsibility”, echoing recent declarations from the Germans. But in...
