Russia seeks to revive its power-projection capabilities by establishing overseas naval facilities. Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times describes the experience of being a drone pilot. Apparently selling F-35s will "cement" US alliances (via a twitter source that I can't recall, but who was equally skeptical of the direction of causality). RPI relates views on whether or not China will have a soft landing. Dan Rodrik on manufacturing...

The battle for Aleppo continues. Barbara Walter doesn't think much of Syria's "chemical weapons bluff."David Axe explains how German Typhoons took on US F-22s.BJ Keefe calls attention to an hour-long talk by Richard Rhodes, nuclear-weapons historian extraordinaire.  Patrick Nielsen Hayden calls this piece on Machiavelli and Florence "one of the best pieces of historical writing I have read on a blog." It is awfully good, but there's something...

The battle for Aleppo continues. Al Jazeera interviews captive members of the Syrian secret police. Pankaj Mishra argues that the anglophone powers need to shake off their obsession with "neo-imperialist dogma," as Asia is having none of it (via). Richard Muller describes his abandonment of climate-change skepticism in a New York Times op-ed (via). Harvey Sapolsky reviews a new collection of essays on military innovation. Sarah Kehndzior helps...

 Syrian forces are massing in preparation for possible ground assault in Aleppo. Goldberg at the UN Dispatch argues that "'Aleppo' may soon become shorthand for mass atrocity in the 21st century'"Philip Coyle at the National Interest provides evidence that US missile defense systems don't actually work. The attitude in the Pentagon is precisely the opposite. Jennifer Earl on how technological change facilitates not just political repression by...

The fighting in Khorog is very serious. As Eurasianet notes, "The fighting in Gorno-Badakhshan province (GBAO) is being described as the worst in Tajikistan since the 1990s civil war and raises concerns of a protracted new conflict." The government has cut off communications into the region. The Wall Street Journal has an overview. Suzanne Levi-Sanchez reproduces a letter from a close friend of hers in Khorog. Reuters reports on the "Secret...