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.
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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 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.