Wars of 2023 #2 - May, June, and July

Spy & Spirit #9

1. My most hated despot was welcomed back into the Arab league. Vindicated, he is. There are few people as sure as Bashar Al Asad that God does not exist. 

2. Ukraine’s counteroffensive has begun. There were high expectations that the plucky underdog would throw the Russian frontline back tens of miles east. Their resolve, enabled by Western arms and advice, is their advantage. We hoped for a rout like some Hollywood movie where the good guys win. There was a lot of breathholding, but the fanfare wore off when there were no lightning attacks recapturing vast swathes of invaded territory. 

3. Fists up for The Islamic Republic’s regional proxies - The Sons of Soleimani. They are constantly hampered by privation and advanced enemies who visit death on them. They’re also more resilient than I can imagine. 

4. Fears that Iran is about to announce it has gone nuclear. A bomb test may be on the horizon. Its allies across the region might celebrate. 

5. Small mention of Sudan’s descent into civil war, genocide, and biblical atrocities that seem almost completely ignored. 

6. The Sino-American Cold War in Cuba and Japan. It is truly global. Cancel all your future plans if it ever goes hot. 

7. Myanmar: Southeast Asia’s frozen flashpoint has become as obscure and hidden as the men and women waging it in the northern mountains and forests. 

This is Spy - 

Comfort in ignorance.

And this is Spirit -

Time heals all wounds.