Washington’s “Second Coming” to Asia: Militants, Ports, and Pressure Points

Source

President Trump’s renewed focus on regaining the Bagram Air Base and developing Pakistan’s Pasni Port signals Washington’s attempt to reassert strategic influence in a region increasingly dominated by China, Russia, and Iran.

Washington’s “second coming” to Asia

Pakistan’s Pasni Port, located in Balochistan province, sits at the crossroads of strategic infrastructure and insurgent resistance. The Western-backed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), active in the region, has long targeted Chinese-financed projects. The BLA maintains ties with both the Pakistan Taliban and ISIS-K—a faction recently linked to recruiting Uygur militants. Separately, U.S. support for Uygur militants predates this trend, with allegations tracing back to the 1970s/1980s. Rep. Perry has claimed that ISIS-K received backing from USAID, adding another layer to the region’s militant entanglements. 

This only deepens my suspicion that recapturing Bagram Air Base could serve as a launchpad—not merely for tactical leverage, but to stir Uygur militant resistance against Beijing or pressure China with a second front in the event of a future Pacific conflict.

Sources:

BLA: U.S. Proxies in Balochistan document

ISIS-K & Uygur militants: ISIS has its sights set on a new potential ally—Uyghur jihadi groups

CIA & Uygur militants: US & TERRORISM IN XINJIANG

Uygur militants: *Xinjiang*

USAID & ISIS-K: Rep. Perry reveals what some of us already knew about USAID

Bagram Air Base: Why Does Trump Want U.S. Troops Back in Afghanistan?

Bonus: Chokepoints Are The Focus Of A New Cold War

[2005] The Tulip Revolution takes root

It all went down at the speed of light. In only a few hours on Thursday in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, the palace was stormed, the tyrant fled and a new order was starting to take shape. Or was it?

The Tulip Revolution takes root

Related:

[2005] GEORGIAN ADVISORS STEPPING FORWARD IN BISHKEK

Although Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution has already turned out to be far more violent than similar uprisings in Georgia and Ukraine, the scenarios have a striking similarity. They suggest the presence of a strong network of human, material, and financial resources in the post-Soviet space, which is able to fight successfully with the authoritarian and mostly Russia-leaning regimes.

U.S. Wars and Hostile Actions (WW2 – 2014)

Euromaidan 2014 – Orange Revolution – War in Donbass

[2008] Yes, Joe Biden’s Helicopter Really Was “Forced Down” in Afghanistan

One of the narratives the blogs are talking about this week is that Joe Biden is—gasp!—”gaffe-prone.” Nevermind the fact that this has been the story about Biden for 30 years: now journalists are even finding gaffes where none exist. In a post on The Stump exploring Biden’s unfortunate attack on his own campaign’s ad, Michael Crowley claims that this Joe Biden anecdote is a “gaffe”:

Yes, Joe Biden’s Helicopter Really Was “Forced Down” in Afghanistan

Related:

The Story Behind Biden’s Emergency Helicopter Landing in Afghanistan

U.S. senators in emergency Afghan landing

The gaffe-o-meter

Biden made the claim, again, last Friday. So-called fact-checkers are saying that the first time he made the claim was in 2015. The first time was actually during his 2008 presidential campaign. The argument, I guess, is between whether his helicopter was forced down or made an emergency landing?! Sure, he makes quite a few gaffes, but this one seems like a nothingburger compared to his Fallujah one (or other numerous gaffes).