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FLASHPOINTS! – The Most Critical National Security Issues Facing the United States Today

Flashpoints is a bi-monthly update on the most critical national security issues facing the United States. Author and military expert, U.S. Army Colonel (Retired) John Antal (7 Leadership Lessons of the American Revolution) will provide you with insights and a quick synopsis of the top three flashpoints in the world at the time of each report.

Flashpoints will list the greatest danger to the USA, and then list risks of medium and serious danger. Keep abreast of the latest impending international crisis by reviewing Flashpoints. You can sign up for all Armchair General RSS alerts at the bottom of this page.

Click on a headline below to download a pdf of that article.

July 15, 2013: Iran’s nuclear weapons development; Egypt’s unrest; Syria’s civil war

August 4, 2013: Al-Qaeda resurgent; mass prison escapes by terrorists; Syrian Civil War creates a “new” Al-Qaeda stronghold

August 20, 2013: Missing SAMs in Libya; the Egyptian military vs. the Muslim brotherhood; the three areas of Syria and who controls them

 August 25, 2013: SPECIAL – Intervention in Syria? An analysis of options and likely outcomes.

September 18, 2013: Syria’s chemical weapons; Russia rising; Iran’s nuclear progress. (For more information on Russia and the Syrian crisis, see “Putin vs. Obama: The ‘New Cold War’ Roots of the Clash Over Syria,” by Armchair General‘s editor in chief, Jerry Morelock.)

October 1, 2013: Nukes, Terrorism in East Africa and Syria and the Obama Doctrine

October 21, 2013: Uncertain US leadership, crippling national debt, and a desire for superficial diplomatic victories

November 5, 2013: Uncertain leadership, a nuclear Iran, and a drone strike’s fallout

November 18, 2013: Iranian detente, collapse of Libya, fragmentation of Syria

December 2, 2013: Iran legitimized, North Korea encouraged, China flexing its military muscle

December 12, 2013: Crises in US leadership, debt and the economy

 January 20, 2014: Egypt’s new constitution, mounting chaos in Libya, problems in South Sudan

February 4, 2014: Focus on Russia—tensions in the Ukraine; terrorist threats against the Winter Olympics at Sochi; and the 4,650 active nuclear warheads that still sit in Russian arsenals

February 18, 2014: Chaos in Syria, Egypt’s increasing ties to Russia, and political turmoil im the Ukraine.

March 4, 2014: Focus on Ukraine: What Will Happen Next?

March 17, 2014: Crisis: Crimea and Ukraine – The Limits of ‘Soft Power’

April 2, 2014: Ukraine, the Currency Reserve, and Israel-Iran Tensions

April 17, 2014: Ukraine on the Brink of Civil War

May 15, 2014: The Stealth Takeover of the Ukraine Continues; Putin’s Next Steps

June 17, 2014: Crises in Iraq, Ukraine and Pakistan

July 17, 2014: Airliner Shot Down Over Ukraine, Israel Invades Gaza, and a Call for Renewed Jihad from Iraq

Get your alert as each new FLASHPOINTS is published on Armchair General! Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Get our RSS (the orange-colored icon on the left side of the page). In addition to Col. Antal’s FLASHPOINTS, you’ll receive notice when we post monthly articles by Carlo D’Este and Peter Suciu and our Tactics 101 series, as well as articles by other writers including Ralph Peters and Lt. Col. (ret) Jeffrey Paulding.