As China Rises, US Deploys Most Advanced Aircraft Carrier to Boost Japan

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The US Navy deployed one of its most advanced aircraft carriers to Japan to strengthen ties between Washington and Tokyo.

The USS Ronald Reagan, carrying a crew of 5,000 sailors and around 80 aircraft, docked at Yokosuka naval base on Thursday.

The nuclear-powered Reagan, which is equipped with the latest targeting and defense radars, integrated weapons systems and command and communications technology, marks an upgrade from the ship it is replacing, the USS George Washington.

Russia Approves Use of Armed Forces in Syria

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Russia’s Federation Council unanimously approved the use of the country’s armed forces abroad.
Russia’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday approved the country’s armed forces to be used abroad.

The decision includes only the use of the Air Force and does not foresee any ground troops operations, Kremlin Administration Aide Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday.

Speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the UN 70th General Assembly (Updated with transcript!)

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Transcript:

Mr. Secretary General,

Distinguished heads of state and government,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The 70th anniversary of the United Nations is a good occasion to both take stock of history and talk about our common future. In 1945, the countries that defeated Nazism joined their efforts to lay a solid foundation for the postwar world order. Let me remind you that key decisions on the principles defining interaction between states, as well as the decision to establish the UN, were made in our country, at the Yalta Conference of the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition.

We came, we saw, He Died: How will Washington react if Assad repeats fate of Gadafi ?

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Following the death of Muammar Gaddafi then-US State Secretary Hillary Clinton jokingly said: "We came, we saw, he died." However, now amid the massive migrant crisis in Europe, Washington would unlikely react the same way if Syrian President Bashar Assad repeats the Libyan leader's fate, author Brian Cloughley believes.

The US invasion in Iraq, as well as NATO-led airstrikes in Libya and support of the so-called Syrian moderate rebels have backfired. Not so much on Washington, but its ally Europe, which is suffering from the largest migrant crisis since World War II, with hundreds of thousands fleeing violence in war-torn regions in the Middle East and North Africa, author and expert in political and military affairs Brian Cloughley noted. According to Brian Cloughley, the US war in Iraq has displaced about 1 in 25 Iraqi citizens, while the violent expansion of the ISIL jihadist group contributed to more Iraqis fleeing their homes.

Interesting but ambiguous video

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This video was supposedly made near Homs and supposedly shows a “large Russian aircraft and 4 escorts”.  Maybe.  The large aircraft could be either Il-76 (transport) or Il-78 (refueling).  The four smaller aircraft are not escorts, but probably SU-24, and if that guess of mine is correct, then this is interesting.    Careful now!  Iran also has Il-76 and SU-24s, so we don’t know for sure that these are Russian.  But if these are, indeed, Russian SU-24s that would significant as the Syrian Air Forces does not have such aircraft.

Iceland Counters US Military Claims of 'Russian Flights'

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Iceland's foreign ministry countered US defense department claims that Russia has increased activity around the country and that it is interested in "military cooperation."

The US government attempted to convince Iceland to accept a higher US military presence over what it called increased Russian military flights in the region, Icelandic media reported.

Iceland's foreign ministry released figures showing that Russian military flights anywhere near the country's airspace have actually decreased more than five times compared to 2007. None of the flights breached Icelandic airspace.

Operation Unthinkable 2.0? Pentagon Updating War Plans Against Russia

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According to State and Defense Department sources speaking to Foreign Policy, the Pentagon is "dusting off," reevaluating and updating its contingency plans for war with Russia. The publication explains why all of this is Russia's fault, and where things may go from here.

The article, written by well-known Russian politics critic and self-confessed Russophobe Julia Ioffe, explains this is "the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union" that the Pentagon has decided to review and update its contingency plans for war with Russia, based on revised appraisals of the country as a potential threat, rather than a potential partner, to NATO.

Athens Denies US Request to Close Airspace for Russian Aid to Syria

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Moscow requested and received Athens' permission to conduct flights to transport humanitarian aid to Syria in the period from September 1 to September 24, according to a diplomatic source.

 Greece denied on Sunday US request to close Athens airspace (FIR Athens) for the flights of Russian aircraft with humanitarian aid to Syria, a diplomatic source in Athens said.

US Requests Greece Close Airspace for Russian Aid Flights to Syria

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Athens confirmed Greece has received a request from the United States to deny the country's airspace for Russian aid flights to Syria, Reuters reports.

A spokesman for the foreign ministry in Athens said on Monday that the request was being examined.
A source in the Greek Foreign Ministry confirmed media reports that Athens had received a US request to close down its airspace to Russian aid flights into Syria.

The Economist Slams Party of Mandela for Speaking Truth on US in Ukraine

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London-based weekly news magazine The Economist is outraged over a recent policy document from South Africa's ruling African National Congress party, labeling the party of anti-Apartheid hero Nelson Mandela "clueless and immoral."

Suggesting at the outset that its criticisms mark the fact that the ANC and South Africa have "strayed from Nelson Mandela's legacy," the magazine proceeds to bash the party, citing a recent paper on foreign policy drafted ahead of a key policy conference next month.