Matthew Crosston
-
07.10.2015
Putin: Cleaning Up an American Mess in Syria
The recent appearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin before the UN was a command performance for any Western analyst who wants a deeper and more brazen access to Russian global affairs thinking. The traditional mistake made, by Americans most certainly, is to dismiss Russian argument as nothing but crying over spilt geostrategic milk: in short, […]
-
20.09.2015
An Anti-Theory of Sanctions: Why an Iranian New Deal was Necessary
While the debate over the wisdom of concluding the Iran nuclear deal continues, this article takes a slightly more involved intellectual approach to explain why an alternative to the long-standing sanctions was likely inevitable. This is especially the case if there is a sincere desire to see Iran incorporated long-term into the global community and […]
-
28.08.2015
KHORASAN: Where ISIS, Caspian Energy, and Great Power Politics Meet
The word on the street in Afghanistan is that the United States created ISIS to be a problem for Russia, China, and Iran. While it would not be the first time the US funded, trained, or invented militarized extremism in the name of great power politics, the whole truth of this statement is far-fetched. What it […]
-
20.08.2015
The Irony of Revolution: JCPOA as Youth Coercion Tool in Iran
The recently signed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and China was barely completed and announced to the world when debates about its impact began. As can be expected, much of the conversation since the announcement has been focused on Iran’s nuclear program and whether […]
-
28.07.2015
The Hydra of the Caspian Sea: Iran’s Naval Strategy
The Iranian military is predominately thought of for its capabilities and strategy in the Gulf. Though the competitors differ in the Caspian Sea, the Iranian Military has a similar composition and strategy in this theater. The Strait of Hormuz is a global chokepoint for the flow of oil in which Iran is able to leverage […]
-
17.07.2015
Enemy of My Enemy: Keeping Iran Cornered through Saudi-Israeli Strategy
The endlessly fickle oscillation of global affairs is being witnessed today by the waxing and waning of American enthusiasm for an Iranian nuclear deal, now supposedly concluded with a brokered agreement on July 14. But that supposition is in error. The debate between the initial liberal excitement of rapprochement with the long-time adversary that was […]
-
06.07.2015
The Silk Road Superhighway: Kazakh Transportation as Geopolitics
It is entirely common for a federal government to make budgetary promises to improve infrastructure. Indeed, every country around the world is full with both promises and jokes lampooning said promises to ‘fix roads, fill potholes, and make it easier to get around and do business.’ Kazakhstan in 2015 is no different in that case […]
-
04.06.2015
Hammer and Nail: Spinning War from Peace in Iran’s Nuke Deal
Here is the ultimate axiom for all aspiring diplomats and foreign policy experts to know: there is no such thing as a simple quest for peace. Before anyone goes apoplectic with disgust and disdain at such cynicism, allow me to explain. I am not saying diplomats and foreign policy analysts do not have the best […]
-
05.05.2015
EU vs. Google: When Two Goliaths Meet
The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Google to ascertain whether or not the company’s operating system, applications, and services have breached EU anti-trust rules. The Commission is seeking to figure out if Google has engaged in anti-competitive activities in its business philosophy and has tried to abuse what is a dominant commercial […]
-
18.04.2015
American Jihadi: Why Westerners Fight for the Islamic State
Media outlets and government circles both cringe and squirm when the subject of Westerners leaving the West to go fight in Syria and Iraq with the Islamic State arises. While acquiring data and calculating accurate numbers wildly diverges from source to source, there is no doubt that ANY number simply makes countries like the United […]
-
03.04.2015
American UAV Apartheid and the ‘Blowback’ of New Drone Armies
It is perhaps a misnomer to discuss future ‘blowback:’ there have been groups actively pursuing technological attacks on American targets simultaneously alongside the development of the U.S. drone fleet. Keep in mind blowback comes in forms other than just anger over actual attacks. There is growing dissent across the Middle East at what is perceived […]
-
15.03.2015
Ethics, Law, and the Changing Drone Landscape
Perhaps the most striking thing when reviewing the impressive literature that examines drone conflict and international law is just how easy it is to find an opinion for all perspectives. Many of these divergent opinions are rational, well-argued, and thoughtful. The legal discussions explain how American drone usage is both in line with the United […]