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Syria News - Feb 12, 2016
U.S. and Russia Announce Plan for Humanitarian Aid and a Cease-Fire in Syria - The New York Times
Statement of the International Syria Support Group - state.gov
VIDEO: Kerry, Lavrov and de Mistura holding a news conference on Syrian crisis (full) - YouTube
Syrian opposition says must see peace plan in action before political talks - Yahoo News
NATO 'exploring possibility' of joining anti-IS coalition: US - Yahoo News
Erdoğan says patience running out in Syria, Turkey could take action - todayszaman.com
Can Erdogan bully Turkey's armed forces into invading Syria? - Al-Monitor
Turkey threatens to open the gates and send refugees to Europe - Telegraph
US ignores Erdoğan’s call, insists on partnership with Syrian Kurds - todayszaman.com
Saudi Arabia says it has made a 'final' decision to send troops into Syria - Business Insider
New Saudi-led coalition against ‘terrorism’ to meet - nation.com.pk
Iraq appreciates Russia’s support in freeing its territory from terrorists: minister - TASS
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Focus: Syria News - Feb 11, 2016
Syrian government forces 25 kilometers from Turkey's border - VOA
Wounded Syrian rebels say Russia crippling their insurgency - Yahoo News
Russia, pressed to end Syria bombing, proposes March truce - Reuters
Backed by Russian airstrikes Syrian Kurds seize air base held by insurgents - Telegraph
Syrian Kurds to continue working with Russia to halt illegal oil to Turkey - sputniknews.com
Syrian Kurdistan mission opens in Moscow - RT News
Syrian Kurds plan opening missions in US, EU - TASS
Opposition group attacks funeral of Syrian President’s mother - Al Bawaba
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US Won't Intervene in Syrian-Russian Assault on Aleppo: Pentagon - Military.com
Pentagon Spy Chief: Russia’s Airstrikes ‘Change Syria Calculus Completely’ - Antiwar.com
United States has no desire to confront Russian air power in the skies above Syria - Stratfor
Syrian Opposition Groups Sense U.S. Support Fading - The New York Times
French Foreign Minister Quits, Lashes Out at Obama on Syria - VICE News
Turkey summons US envoy over comments on Kurdish PYD in Syria - todayszaman.com
Turkey's Syria strategy in ruins as Aleppo teeters - CNN.com
Syria invasion plan? Turkey will defend its ‘Aleppo brothers,’ says PM Davutoglu - RT News
Turkey Sees Russia's Syria Tactics as 'Ethnic Cleansing' - VOA
Turkish President Erdoğan hosts urgent security summit with top officials - hurriyetdailynews.com
Lavrov: US-led coalition will not allow Turkey’s invasion of Syria - todayszaman.com
Lavrov: ISIL, Turkey discussing new smuggling ways across Syrian-Turkish borders - almanar.com
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Focus: Russia, Turkey and Syria - Feb 5, 2016
Backed by Russian jets Syrian Army closes in on Aleppo, peace talks in Geneva put on hold because of the offensive - huffingtonpost.com
Kerry demands Russia halt Syria bombing after talks suspended - Yahoo News
The military and political significance of Aleppo: the insurgency and its backers who are stuck in a morass - atlanticcouncil.org
VIDEO: Syrian Army breaks 3-year siege of 2 Shiite villages in Aleppo - RT
VIDEO: Streams of Syrian refugees from Aleppo try to reach Turkey - LiveLeak.com
Iranian Colonel, 12 elite Guards killed in battle for Aleppo - THE DAILY STAR
Russian aviation attacks almost 900 targets in Syria since February 1: Defense Ministry - TASS
Russia’s advanced Su-35S fighter jet deployed to Syria sends a message to Turkey - TASS
Russia content with cooperation with Israel over military operation in Syria - TASS
Putin meets ‘old friend’ Kissinger visiting Russia - RT News
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Russia Accuses Turkey of Preparing to Invade Syria - The New York Times
Turkey’s problems in Aleppo: The loss of this territory directly impacts Ankara interests in northern Syria - atlanticcouncil.org
Kurdish YPG advances in N. Syria, Ankara’s red lines crossed - todayzaman.com
US envoy meets with allied Syrian Kurds to step up fight against IS - VOA
Number of ISIS Fighters in Iraq and Syria Drops, Increases in Libya: US Official - ABC News
How the Islamic State is still seeping through Syria-Turkey border - Al-Monitor
Turkey says Syria peace talks pointless while Russian attacks continue - todayszaman.com
Russia won't forget Turkey ‘aiding terrorists’: Lavrov - The Moscow Times
Turkey, Saudi deepen defense relations during Davutoğlu visit - todayszaman.com
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Overwhelmed: Syrian Refugee Crisis in Context
Video conference | Wednesday 27 January | 12 Noon (Eastern)
With Raed Jarrar, Giovanna Negretti, Layla Razavi
http://afsc.org/hangouts/overwhelmed-syrian-refugee-crisis-context
*****
Since 2011, more than 4 million people have fled Syria to escape war and violence, and millions more have been internally displaced.
The Syrian refugee crisis gained worldwide attention last year as European countries were forced to deal with the rising influx of refugees. In the United States, we’ve seen a rise in anti-refugee rhetoric in communities across the country, and many policymakers are still calling for xenophobic measures that would shut the door on Syrian refugees.
How did we get to this point, and what’s the way forward?
Join AFSC staff for a live-streamed conversation to learn about the root causes of the crisis, the people seeking refuge, and how we can work toward peaceful, inclusive solutions.
Panelists include:
Raed Jarrar, government relations manager at AFSC’s Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington, D.C. Raed has worked on political and cultural issues pertaining to U.S. engagement in the Arab and Muslim worlds and is widely recognized as an expert on political, social, and economic developments in the Middle East.
• Giovanna Negretti, AFSC’s Middle East regional director, based in Amman, Jordan. Giovanna has held leadership positions in a variety of U.S.-based NGOs and government commissions. In November, she joined a fact-finding mission led by the Nobel Women’s Initiative to learn about the experiences of women and families on the refugee trail from Syria to Germany.
• Layla Razavi, director of Human Migration and Mobility, who coordinates AFSC’s immigrant rights programs across the U.S. Prior to joining AFSC, she served as advocacy and policy counsel at the ACLU where she researched the constitutionality of legislative proposals and developed integrated strategies to protect immigrants’ rights.
Syria/Turkey News - Jan 21, 2016
U.N. Envoy Signals That Riyadh Is Obstructing Syria Peace Talks - Foreign Policy
US reportedly considering training base in northeast Syria - NOW
Russian bombs take toll in Syria as Islamic State under pressure - Yahoo News
Russian air force strikes Syrian city besieged by Islamic State, delivers aid - Yahoo News
Russia considering airbase in Syria’s Qamishli: monitor - NOW
ISIS cuts fighters’ salaries by half due to ‘exceptional circumstances’ (VIDEO) - NBC
British mother Tareena Shakil who fled with toddler to Syria to join ISIS breaks down, says Raqqa was hell (VIDEO) - Daily Mail Online
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Pro-Kurdish HDK accuses President Erdoğan of staging a coup in Turkey - todayszaman.com
Turkey bombs Kurdish headquarters in northern Syria - ARA News
Iraqi FM calls Turkey’s military presence in his country ‘unbearable’ - todayszaman.com
3 prominent journalists targeted in Erdoğan insult cases - todayszaman.com
Turkey jails woman for 'obscene hand gesture at Erdogan' - Yahoo News
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
Syria/Russia News - Dec 26, 2015
Syrian army narrows ring around militants in Damascus suburbs: Russia’s General Staff - TASS
Supply Cut Off: Syrian Army Cuts Damascus Smuggling Route - sputniknews.com
VIDEO: First Video of Zahran Alloush's Corpse - LiveLeak.com
PHOTO: Photo of Zahran Alloush Dead - twitter.com/sfean_alhmwi
Syrian minister says world powers must stop fighters entering from Turkey and Jordan - Yahoo News
Syria ready to take part in Geneva peace talks: minister - Reuters
Beijing and Damascus agree on 3 principles for peace process in Syria - TASS
Pope Francis pushes for UN-backed end to Syrian conflict - DW.COM
Hezbollah holds recruiting push for war in Syria - AP
US-Backed Fighters in Syria Capture Areas in North From IS - ABC News
Special Forces reportedly recover ISIS fatwa supporting organ harvesting - Fox News
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Russia says its strikes reduce oil smuggling to Turkey - Yahoo News
Militants in Syria change illegal oil trade routes: Russian Defense Ministry - TASS
VIDEO: Russian jets bomb ISIS oil tankers in Syria - RT News
Obama adviser: US develops plan to close oil trafficking corridor at Turkish-Syrian border - TASS
Russian Aviation in Syria Completed 5,240 Sorties Since Operation Beginning - sputniknews.com
Russia killed hundreds of civilians in Syria, Amnesty says - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Russia rejects Amnesty charges over Syria raids - BBC News
Russia, Qatar agree to encourage Syrian opposition to talk to govt - Yahoo News
No plans for establishing Islamic armed forces of anti-IS coalition: Qatari FM - TASS
Russia and India support Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity: joint statement - TASS
Pakistan Joins Russia, Condemns Any Attempts to Topple Assad in Syria - sputniknews.com
Russia, Taliban share intelligence in ISIS fight - CNN.com
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
It's Nobody's Business But the Turks -- NOT!
A Call for Proof on Syria-Sarin Attack
One reason why Official Washington continues to insist that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “must go” is that he supposedly “gassed his own people” with sarin on Aug. 21, 2013, but the truth of that allegation has never been established and is in growing doubt, U.S. intelligence veterans point out.
MEMORANDUM FOR: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov
FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
SUBJECT: Sarin Attack at Ghouta on Aug. 21, 2013
Syria News - Dec 16, 2015
Russia, US military chiefs discuss Syria air space cooperation: agencies - THE DAILY STAR
Obama: ISIS Has Lost 40 Percent of Iraq Territory, and More in Syria - WTXF
U.S. Bombing of ISIS Oil Facilities Showing Progress - TIME
US-backed Free Syrian Army groups on verge of collapse - Stripes
Russia Names Four Free Syrian Army Groups It Supports with Air Cover in Fight Against ISIS - Haaretz
Syrian opposition provides Russian Air Force with coordinates to target terrorists: MoD - RT News
Russia supplies weapons only to Syrian government army, not to Free Syrian Army: Kremlin - TASS
Russia is bringing its big guns to Syria. Literally. - theweek.com
Russian warplanes destroy 6 terrorists’ oil production facilities in Syria - TASS
Syrian troops liberate 9 settlements in Aleppo province: Russian General Staff - TASS
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Saudi Arabia creates 34 State Islamic military bloc to fight terror groups - Yahoo News
Saudi Arabia says sending special forces to Syria under discussion by Gulf States - Yahoo News
VIDEO (English): Saudi Arabia FM announces new military coalition to fight terrorism - YouTube
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Syria News - Dec 10, 2015
VIDEO: Carter Cautions US Ground Troops Would 'Americanize' ISIS Fight - defensenews.com
VIDEO: US-Enforced No-Fly Zone over Syria Risks Conflict with Russia: General - YouTube
IS Opens New Supply Route Between Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq - VOA
Syria′s fractious opposition meets in Saudi capital to unify stance ahead of peace talks - DW.COM
Major differences surface among the Syrian opposition in Riyadh - GulfNews.com
Assad must face justice, Ahrar Al Sham tells Syrian opposition in Riyadh - The National
Kurds, opposition summit in Syrian Kurdistan - ekurd.net
Demand for setting date of Assad’s resignation contradicts international law: Lavrov - TASS
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VIDEO: Watch Russian Sub Firing Cruise Missiles Against ISIS in Syria - NBC News
Kalibr sea-launched missiles prove their efficiency, accuracy: Russian Defense Ministry - TASS
Russian Submarine Notches Milestone With Syria Missile Strike - Fortune
US: Russia Gave Warning of Syria Cruise Missile Strikes - defensenews.com
Turkish PM accuses Russia of 'ethnic cleansing' in Syria - Reuters
Russia asks: Why is Turkey bombing Kurds in Syria who are US allies - Rudaw
Syrian rebels leave Homs as under truce deal with Assad (PHOTOS) - Daily Mail Online
VIDEO: Syria rebels start leaving Homs district under truce deal - YouTube
Evacuation of Homs district a boost for Syrian government - irishtimes.com
Pro-regime demonstration to demand release of kidnapped relatives in Homs deal - Syria Direct
Nusra fighters surrender to regime in south Syria province of Daraa - NOW
9 Nusra militants killed in Lebanon-Syria border clash with Hezbollah - THE DAILY STAR
Heavy clashes erupt between Kurdish and Nusra forces in Aleppo - Kurdpress News Aganecy
Syria's Assad admits sending weapons to PYD - aa.com
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
NATO Defending Turkey – ISIS Oil Trade
By reinforcing the Turkish military presence along the routes of ISIS oil to Turkey, NATO is protecting the illicit ISIS oil trade that supports the reviled terrorist organization.
(Washington, DC 12/02) NATO announced Tuesday that it would send patrol aircraft and missile defense systems to bolster Turkey’s air defenses at that nation’s border with Syria. This announcement was made on the same day that the Russian Defense Ministry produced satellite imagery and other evidence showing what has been claimed for months, namely that Turkey is receiving oil sent by truck from ISIS oil wells in Iraq and Syria. (Image)
The United States government dismissed the Russian evidence consisting of images of miles of oil trucks originating at ISIS oil wells then crossing the Turkish border. ISIS oil ends up at two primary destinations, the Batman oil refinery in southeastern Turkey and Mediterranean ports near Turkey’s Adana province. The value of the oil trade via Turkey is estimated between $50 and $100 million a month. Without this income, ISIS would face considerable obstacles to its ongoing military aggression, terrorist activities around the world, and subjugation of Syrians and Iraqis living under ISIS rule.
War with Russia or with ISIS: What ever happened to peace?
According to the Nation magazine and many others, there are two options available to the U.S. government. One is increased hostility perhaps leading to nuclear war with Russia. The other is a joint U.S.-Russia-and-others war on ISIS.
Many in the United States who generally oppose war and who look for information outside the U.S. corporate media manage to recognize the U.S. focus on overthrowing the Syrian government, with Iran next on the list. They notice the lack of U.S. concern over Saudi and Turkish assistance to ISIS. And at least in the backs of their minds they remember that the destruction of Iraq was the critical ingredient in the creation of ISIS. But they've been as frightened by the beheading videos as any Donald Trump fanatic screaming for the eradication of Muslims -- all right, maybe a bit less frightened, but still very frightened. So they find refuge in the idea that Russia really wants to destroy ISIS, and they urge the United States to help. The alternative of war with Russia is unthinkable. But why in the world should that be the only alternative?
A Russian media outlet, no doubt hoping I would advocate a unified war on ISIS, sent me these questions on Thursday. First they wanted me to comment on this remark by President Vladimir Putin: "Today we are again facing the destructive barbaric ideology and we do not have the right to allow that the newly found obscurantists reach their goals. We need to throw away all arguments and differences to create one powerful fist, a united antiterrorist front which would act on the basis of international law and under the UN auspices."
Second, they wanted me to comment on these statements by Putin: "Russia has many old, reliable friends in Turkey, who should know we don't put them on level with ruling top officials." and "Russia knows who in Turkey [is] making money on stolen oil, recruiting fighters."
I sent back these answers, asking them to use all or nothing, which I suspected meant they would use nothing:
1. What President Putin proposes and many even on the left in the United States support, a united front against terrorism sounds right until you examine the details. He means a united war, a united bombing of people's homes, a united counterproductive effort to make things better that will make things worse, using large scale terrorism to produce more small scale terrorism. This may be better than a disunited front. It's certainly better than a nuclear confrontation between Russia and the maniacs so respectably running Washington D.C. straight toward armageddon, but it's not a solution to the problem, it's not an alternative to destructive cycles of violence, it's just a different spin on the same wheel.
2. Washington would rather be wrong than agree with Russia. NATO would rather die than agree with Russia, for if it agrees with Russia it loses its reason to exist and dies anyway. What does bringing the world down with it matter? Yes, of course, the United States is less interested in destroying ISIS than in destroying Syria, but a big strong united focus on destroying ISIS will never destroy ISIS. It will only spread it across the globe. Imagine the a united front kills everyone in half of Syria and Iraq, as would have to be done to destroy ISIS. Muslim hatred of the United States would sweep the globe and Muslim hatred of Russia, and bombs in Russian airplanes, right along with it. Is that what Putin wants? Is that what Russians want? A united attempt to actually seriously reduce, rather than increase, terrorism would establish a ceasefire, an arms embargo, humanitarian aid, assistance to refugees, and the sort of intense investment in green energy that right now only goes into killing people.
To these comments I received the reply:
"I would use all, personally. Some of the things you wrote here, I’m afraid, are controversial for our editorial board as the main idea here in Russia is that it is 'better to fight IS in Syria and Iraq than on Russian territory.' Many Islamist volunteers from Northern Caucasus promise to come back to Russia and kill innocent people in terrorist acts. We have lost a full plane of civilians flying from Cairo and many people here are afraid. However, I promise to send your message (which I think was your main point) that 'a big strong united focus on destroying ISIS will never destroy ISIS.' This quote I will necessarily include. Thank you for your understanding!"
Sound familiar? Fight em there, not here. Use blowback to justify escalation. Where have we seen this movie before?
I failed to be understanding and asked them to use nothing of my quote rather than part of it. They agreed to use nothing, no hard feelings. I encouraged them to think about this:
Generating more terrorism is not a solution to terrorism, and the excuse of being scared and unable to think straight still leaves mistaken thinking. The United States has demonstrated these mistakes for years now. I remember when Russians pointed out that the United States had made all of Russia's earlier mistakes in Afghanistan and moved on to new ones; that was right, and the United States refused to listen. Don't, Russia, make all of the U.S. mistakes in Iraq and start inventing your own. This path leads to hell.
I sent that to my Russian journalist friend who was sounding identical to a war-supporting American of exactly the sort that peace activists usually disagree with. The next response I received only heightened the similarity with U.S. war advocates and U.S. media:
"I personally agree however I do not understand how could we stop Islamic State. What is your recipe?"
Sigh.
I sent back this:
I've been answering this for well over a year many dozens of times at http://davidswanson.org
Here's my latest.
Here's Johan Galtung's answer.
Here's an organizational answer from last October.
I got back: "Thanks, I'll read that."
I believe that was sincere. But I wonder what the "editorial board" will read. I suspect Russian and U.S. editorial boards could swap their reading lists and hardly notice, just like ISIS and anti-ISIS fighters swapping the U.S. bullets in their U.S. guns.
Focus: Syria News - Dec 2, 2015
VIDEO: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dunford: 'We have not contained ISIL' - YouTube
VIDEO: Ashton Carter, Joseph Dunford full testimony before the House Armed Services Committee - C-SPAN.org
Sen. Murphy critical of plan to send additional special ops forces to Syria, Iraq - Hartford Courant
VIDEO: Obama sets low expectations for Russian cooperation on Syria - Yahoo News
U.S. air campaign cripples ISIL oil industry in Syria - usatoday.com
U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces recapture new Hasakah areas from ISIS - ARA News
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Russia adding 2nd airbase in Syria, pursuing 'expansion' in military campaign - Fox News
More information on the new Russian military base in Syria - InformNapalm.org
Russian Su-34 fighters carrying air-to-air missiles in Syria for the first time (VIDEO) - UPI.com
Pentagon warns Russia’s against arming its warplanes in Syria with air-to-air missiles - TASS
Israel’s defence minister Ya'alon: Russian air defence missile system in Syria is not a threat - middleeastmonitor.com
Netanyahu, Putin Meet to Discuss Coordination of Air Forces in Syria - Washington Free Beacon
Exclusive: Russia may freeze Turkish Stream gas project: Gazprom sources - Reuters
Russian Su-24M Jet Attack: Moscow Accuses NATO Of ‘Politically’ Covering Turkey - ibtimes.com
NATO allies seek to strengthen Turkey's defences - Reuters
Xi, Putin to enhance anti-terrorism cooperation - Business Standard News
Starving residents leave Qudsiya as rebels mull deal to end blockade - Syria Direct
Syria's Assad says Russia's support changes balance on the ground - Jerusalem Post
TRANSCRIPT: President al-Assad Interview to Czech TV - Syrian Arab News Agency
In unexpected twist, Assad ally may be Lebanon's next president - Jerusalem Post
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
On reading Mumia in gaol: Torture and Other Abuses Make Turkey as American as Apple Pie
By Linn Washington, Jr.
On the topic of torture the nation of Turkey could teach some gruesome techniques to ISIS, the terrorist movement executing a savage reign across Syria and beyond (reportedly with Turkish government support).
The real reason for Turkey's shoot-down of the Russian jet
By Gareth Porter, Middle East Eye
The data supports Putin's assertion that the shoot-down was prepared in advance due to Russian bombing of Turkey-linked rebels in Syria.
The United States and its NATO allies offered a ritual of NATO unity after Turkish officials presented their case that the shoot-down of a Russian jet occurred after two planes had penetrated Turkish airspace.
The Turkish representive reportedly played a recording of a series warning the Turkish F16 pilots had issued to the Russian jets without a Russian response, and US and other NATO member states endorsed Turkey’s right to defend its airspace.
An invisible US hand leading to war?: Turkey’s Downing of a Russian Jet at the Turkish/Syrian Border was an Act of Madness
By Dave Lindorff
In considering the terrifying but also sadly predictable news of a Russian fighter jet being downed by two Turkish fighters, let’s start with one almost certain assumption -- an assumption that no doubt is also being made by the Russian government: Turkey’s action, using US-supplied F-16 planes, was taken with the full knowledge and advance support of the US. In fact, given Turkey’s vassal status as a member of US-dominated NATO, it could well be that Ankara was put up to this act of brinksmanship by the US.
Syria News - Nov 24, 2015
A new ABC/Washington Post poll shows that Hillary Clinton is the most trusted 2016 candidate on terrorism. Quoting the Washington Post: "Clinton’s position of strength in the new Post-ABC poll is perhaps more striking given it also found... 57 percent disapproved of his [Obama] handling of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.”
I think is urgent to respond to the recent Clinton national security and Islamic State speech and clarify to the public the dangerous implications of her foreign policy which will furtherly destabilize the Middle East and fuel more war.
On top I would put her anti-Russia and anti-Iran stance: by condemning continuously their actions and by refusing to recognize their legitimate interests and concerns, she makes the prospect of a political and diplomatic solution of the crisis difficult if not impossible to pursue.
Second, I would mention her plan to train and arm the so called “moderate” Syrian rebels who are fighting Assad. This policy has been a total failure with the result that US weapons ended up in the hand of Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front and Islamic state; also many CIA-trainees were fought and defeated or recruited by those terrorist groups. Right now remaining “moderate” Syrian rebels are allied with Nusra Front and other hardline Islamist groups in a coalition known as Army of Conquest.
Third, Clinton no-fly zone in northern Syria may cause a direct military confrontation with Russia, Iran and the Syrian army. The Pentagon assessed the no-fly zone as risky, costly and difficult to implement. Also the local populations, like the Syrian Kurds, oppose it.
Forth, Clinton says: "There is not going to be a successful military effort at this point to overturn Assad. That can only happen through the political process.” By setting the goal of overturning Assad, even if by a political process, she imperils the future peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition. Russia and Iran have repeatedly said that they will not accept Assad ouster as a precondition for the negotiations ending the war.
Fifth, Clinton plans a deployment in Syria of more U.S Special Operations troops "who can contribute to the fight on the ground” and military personnel advising the Iraqis "including embedding in local units.” This will put at risk more lives of American soldiers. The U.S. military shows sign of fatigue after so many wars; soldiers suffer from exhaustion, sleep disorders and mental health problems. No surprise that few Americans in the military have a good impression of Hillary Clinton: in a poll she is seen unfavorably by 81% by active and retired military personnel, including 69% who share a very unfavorable impression of her.
Below is my today’s news research on Syria.
Putin, Khamenei pledge to oppose 'external attempts' to overthrow Assad regime - UPI
Jordan's King Abdullah to discuss war on Syria militants with Putin - Reuters
Сhina considers Russia’s actions important part of international fight against terrorism - TASS
UN Chief Says Russia and U.S. Must Unite to Destroy Islamic State - Breitbart
Former defense chief Hagel: Russia, Iran must join fight against ISIS - Washington Examiner
Pentagon skeptical of claims Russia hit 1,000 ISIS tankers - Fox News
Backed by Russian airstrikes Syria troops advance in Homs province and Latakia - Daily Mail Online
Syrian army making advances since Russian airstrikes began: Assad - RT News
TRANSCRIPT: Assad interview to Chinese PHOENIX TV Channel - Syrian Arab News Agency
Russia said to deploy advanced missile system in Syria - The Times of Israel
Report: Russia Sends Ground Forces into Syria - Washington Free Beacon
VIDEO: Syrians take to the streets to praise Russian military support - BBC News
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VIDEO: Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk discusses the U.S. strategy in Syria against ISIS - CBS
France, Russia poised to pummel Islamic State ‘capital' Raqqa - THE DAILY STAR
15 opposition brigades in Idlib, Aleppo join the Syrian Democratic Forces - Syria Direct
Assyrian Christian Militia Joins Kurds against ISIS in Syria - National Review Online
Officials say US warplanes destroy 283 IS fuel trucks in Syria - Yahoo News
President Obama Returns to DC Amid ISIS Intelligence Report Investigation - ABC News
Syria oil map: the journey of a barrel of Isis oil - FT
Turkey buying oil from Isis? Syrian army releases photos of captured tanker - IBTimes
Financing Terror: Where Does the Islamic State Group Get Its Money? - US News
How the Islamic State makes its money - The Washington Post
US Envoy: Chemical Attacks 'Becoming Routine' in Syria - ABC News
Syria opposition chief urges Al-Nusra to break with Al-Qaeda - Yahoo News
VIDEO: Revealing Interviews of ISIS fighters captured by the Kurds - LiveLeak.com
Talk Nation Radio: Johan Galtung on ISIS and Alternative to War
https://soundcloud.com/davidcnswanson/talk-nation-radio-johan-galtung-on-isis-and-alternative-to-war
Johan Galtung is the founder of the discipline of peace studies. He founded the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo in 1959 and the Journal of Peace Research in 1964, and has helped found dozens of peace centers. He has taught peace studies at universities all over the world, and mediated hundreds of conflicts. He is author or coauthor of over 160 books, and is cited and discussed in many thousands. He is the founder of Transcend Peace University and Transcend International. See http://transcend.org
Total run time: 29:00
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Producer: David Swanson.
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Where’s the truth, and how can you find it?: The US Corporate Media are Essentially Propaganda Organs of the US Government
Are the American corporate media largely propaganda organs, or news organizations?
Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire Leads Delegation to Syria
Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire and 14 delegates from Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, Ireland, Poland, The Russian Federation, The United Kingdom and the United States, will begin a 6-day visit to Syria to promote peace and to express support for all Syrians who have been victims of war and terror since 20ll.
This will be Mairead Maguire’s third visit to Syria as head of a peace delegation. Maguire said: ‘People across the world are rightly expressing solidarity with the people of France after the recent terror attack. However, while there is talk of a war on terror and the focus of that war will be Syria, there is little awareness of how a war will impact on the lives of millions of people in Syria”.
In Syria, Christmas, Easter and the Eid festivals are all national holidays. So the group will acknowledge the unity of Syrians by taking part in an ecumenical service in the Grand Mosque in Damascus.
It will meet displaced Syrians and orphans, and will investigate the reconciliation initiative in Syria.
The group hopes to travel to Homs, a city that has been ravaged by fighting. It will report on how people are rebuilding their lives.
Ms. Maguire said, ‘Syrians are custodians of the two oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The members of the International peace group come from different political and religious backgrounds, but what unites us is a belief that the people of Syria have to be acknowledged and supported, and this is not just for their survival and their country’s survival, but for humankind’s’.
Ms.Maguire noted that when there is talk of war in the world, it seems appropriate that the international peace delegation will travel to Damascus, to listen to the voices of countless Syrians who call for peace, and to bear witness to the true reality of conflict in that country.
Focus: Hillary Clinton Plan to Combat Islamic State - Nov 20, 2015
Here is a summary of the Hillary Clinton plan to combat Islamic State and my suggestions for a Sanders counterproposal. This is the full transcript and video of Clinton National Security Address.
Hillary Clinton proposes:
Deployment in Syria of more U.S Special Operations troops "who can contribute to the fight on the ground” and military personnel advising and training the Iraqis "including embedding in local units and helping target airstrikes.”
Establishing no-fly zones together with the coalition and the neighbors to "stop Assad from slaughtering civilians and the opposition from the air.”
Support and arming Syrian opposition units hand in hand with Arab and European partners.
A political transition to end Assad’s rule which has "killed many more Syrians than the terrorists have…There is not going to be a successful military effort at this point to overturn Assad. That can only happen through the political process.”
"Counter Iranian influence across the region and its support for terrorist proxies such as Hezbollah….Raising the confidence of our Arab partners and raising the costs to Iran for bad behavior will contribute to a more effective fight against ISIS.”
Following are my suggested points for Sanders counterproposal:
No to U.S. troops on the ground in Syria and Iraq. Let’s spare the lives and limbs of the American soldiers! According to a Reuters poll, Americans want more action against ISIS, but oppose ground troops.
Oppose no-fly zone. This is a dangerous idea. A no-fly zone will fuel the civil war, antagonize Russia and Iran and may cause a direct military confrontation with them. The Pentagon opposes the no-fly zone as risky, costly and difficult to implement. Also the local populations, like the Syrian Kurds, oppose it.
No arming of the Syrian so called “moderate” rebels who are allied with Nusra Front and other hardline Islamist groups in a coalition known as Army of Conquest. As it has happened in the past they have been a conduit, either willing or unwilling, of U.S. weapons to terrorist groups.
Support the call of France President Hollande for a global coalition to defeat Islamic State, a truly international cooperation with the participation of Russia and all the Muslim nations including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran. Hollande will meet separately with Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin next week to "unite the forces”.
Support the Vienna Statement of the International Syria Support Group which set a plan for Syrian government and opposition talks, new constitution and UN supervised elections within 18 months. "The ISSG expressed willingness to take immediate steps... to pave the way for the nationwide ceasefire."
No mentioning of Assad which remains a sticking point in the diplomatic negotiations to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The Syrian government/opposition talks and the constitutional reform process can begin without addressing the fate and political future of Assad which can be discussed at a later stage when both the Syrian government and opposition have been given political and security guarantees.
It is important that Sen. Sanders address in a comprehensive manner the anti-terrorism campaign. The audience of the Iowa Democratic debate thought that Clinton was stronger than Sanders in national security, and the media noticed that he was too short addressing this issue.
Warmongers & Peacemongers: Learning How Not to Rule the World
By John Grant
[Al Qaeda’s] strategic objective has always been ... the overthrow of the House of Saud. In pursuing that regional goal, however, it has been drawn into a worldwide conflict with American power.
Syria News - Nov 12, 2015
Text of Russia's draft proposals on Syrian crisis - Daily Mail Online
Syrian opposition rejects Russian proposal to end conflict - The National
UN Syria envoy:'momentum' of Vienna talks must not be squandered - Yahoo News
The Reckless Proposal to Impose a No-Fly Zone in Syria - Cato @ Liberty
Syria solution should not only be about Assad: Rouhani - Yahoo News
U.S. fighter jets sent to Turkey to protect slow-flying attack planes hitting Islamic State targets in Syria and to deter Russian aggression in the region: Defense official - usatoday.com
U.S. to continue its support to Kurdish YPG forces in Syria: spokesman - ekurd.net
---------------------------------------------------
In a major breakthrough, Syrian army frees Aleppo's Kweires air base from ISIL siege - The National
Strategic Implications of Assad’s Victory at Kweires - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
VIDEO: Fighting erupts as Syrian govt. forces break siege of Kweires airbase - YouTube
VIDEO: Pro-Assad TV channel reports on Syrian forces recapturing Kweires key airbase - YouTube
VIDEO: Drone Footage of Kweires Airbase Taken After Lifting The Siege - LiveLeak.com
Palmyra will be flattened by ISIS within six months, warns antiquities director - The Independent
Hope for Palmyra? Syrian Army Comes Closer to Strategically Important City - sputniknews.com
Russia in Syria: 50 journalists from 12 countries visit Russian base in Latakia - ibtimes.co.in
VIDEO: BBC inside airbase where Russia carries out Syria airstrikes - BBC News
Russia's Syria force grows to 4,000, U.S. officials say - Reuters
Free Syrian Army decimated by desertions - Al Jazeera English
VIDEO: Inside the Battle: Al Nusra-Al Qaeda in Syria - VICE News
Hezbollah Expands Military Presence in Syrian War - VOA
Netanyahu ‘not sure’ how to intervene in Syria - The Times of Israel
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
U.S. and Russian Militaries Compete for Darwin Award
Which world power can damage its own interests with the dumbest move? The contest will have you on the edge of your seats.
Here's the latest U.S. entry:
Last month, a raid by Kurdish forces supposedly freed ISIS prisoners, and those Kurdish forces posted a video of prisoners rushing out of a prison while gunfire sounded in the background. One U.S. troop was killed in the raid. U.S. media rushed to cover the story as a heroic act of benevolence. Non-U.S. media rushed to cover the fact that the "non-combat" troops, the so-called "advisors" whom the U.S. has in Iraq by the thousands were in fact engaged in combat.
It escaped my attention and perhaps most people's that the "advisors" may also have been providing extraordinarily bad advice. NPR -- which often functions no differently than an official Pentagon news service -- reported an interesting contradiction to the central claim of the prisoner-rescue story.
NPRer Kelly McEvers said, "The province of Kirkuk is the crossroads of Iraq. To the north are the majority of the country's Kurds, to the south - Arabs. And now Kirkuk is on the frontlines of the battle with ISIS. Last month, Kirkuk province was the site of a prison raid by U.S. and Kurdish forces. One American soldier was killed. Earlier today, I spoke with the governor of Kirkuk, Najmaldin Karim, from our studios in Washington. And he said the raid was meant to rescue Kurds who'd been captured by ISIS. And instead, it freed ISIS fighters who'd been imprisoned by their own leaders."
Instead of freeing Kurds captured by ISIS, the U.S.-advised Kurds (together with U.S. "non-combat" troops doing their "advising") actually freed ISIS fighters?
The governor of Kirkuk, Najmaldin Karim, replied, "Among these were two who are considered somewhat senior locally in the region. One of them was the prison administrator, and the other one was some guy who used the last name of Shishani. And Shishani is a village in that area, so he's probably from - they were local."
Senior ISIS fighters were freed? Including a prison administrator who was locked up in prison? This is very unclear and may be nonsense or only part of the story, but this is an account via a U.S.-military friendly outlet from a U.S.-educated, U.S.-citizen colonial governor visiting Washington, D.C., to ask for more weapons and "trainers" and "advisors" on behalf of multicultural Kurdish heroes who he says are willing to do U.S. dirty work. The interviewer is blatantly and openly on his side, asking oh-so-"objective" questions like this one: "You make a very compelling case, and it sounds like it's a case you've made many times. Give me your honest answer. Are you getting a sense in Washington that more help is on the way?"
Freeing ISIS prisoners would be in line with other steps the U.S. has taken in support of ISIS, from overthrowing secular governments and arming Muslim radicals in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and much of Syria, to brutalizing prisoners, to throwing Iraq into utter chaos, to providing arms to the Iraqi government that are used on civilians and taken by ISIS, providing arms to "moderates" in Syria that are given to ISIS, and providing arms directly to ISIS. But the biggest boost for ISIS has come from what it asked the U.S. to do in its propaganda films: attack it. By becoming the leading opponent of the distant foreign nation that has made itself so hated for so many years, ISIS was able to make its recruitment soar. The U.S. response is always the same: declare that there is no military solution, and attempt another larger military solution.
Don't look now, but here comes Russia:
The December 2013 Gallup poll in which most of the 65 nations surveyed named the United States as the greatest threat to peace on earth, the flourishing of anti-U.S. terrorist groups around the world, the bitter hatred of the flyers of killer drones, the resentment of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib -- all of this seems to have infected the Russian government with the seeds of jealousy.
How can Russia make itself properly hated, put its people in proper jeopardy, show itself a vicious world power worthy of equal or greater scorn?
Brilliant 12-dimensional chessman Vladimir Putin found an answer, beloved even on the left in the United States as a means of finally more-efficiently murdering just the right terrorists and only the right terrorists, so help me Tolstoy. Russia began bombing Syria.
Before long, Russia had generated its very own anti-Russian terrorist attack, with a plane blown up over Egypt and 224 people killed. Vladimir couldn't have been prouder. According to the New York Times,
"analysts and other experts expect that it will only strengthen Mr. Putin's resolve to become more deeply involved in the Middle East. . . . and might cause Russia to begin targeting the Islamic State more aggressively. . . . 'The Kremlin will have to reverse cause and effect here so that its strategy is not seen as leading to civilian deaths,' said Maxim Trudolyubov, an editor at large for the newspaper Vedomosti. . . . 'A terrorist attack against Russian citizens means a declaration of war against all Russians,' wrote Tatiana Stanovaya, an analyst, on Slon.ru, a current events website. 'The Syria campaign will thus become not a matter of Putin's ambitions, but of national revenge.'
Despite the Russian quotes, this could be just the New York Times reflexively promoting more violence as what anyone would do because it's what friends of the New York Times would do. If Russia were truly following the U.S. course, it would have occupied Egypt by now. But the Russian TV network RT has posted speculation that "the West" was behind the bomb on the plane and that supposedly the West, in a departure from its every past understanding of how a government responds to violence, intends to thereby drive Russia out of Syria rather than sucking it further in, as was done so many years ago in Afghanistan. Meanwhile Sputnik News warns that the United States has launched a proxy war on Russia in Syria, and celebrates the increased sales abroad of Russian weapons that it says has resulted from the Russian bombing of Syria.
These don't sound like the noises of a society coming to its senses. They sound like hunger pangs of a political class in the chase for a Darwin award.
##
Thanks to Evan Knappenberger for pointing the NPR story out to me.
Tomgram: Greg Grandin, Waging Endless War From Vietnam to Syria
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The proof is in the proofs: US Spy Sats See Everything, Except when the Government Says They Didn’t
By Dave Lindorff
There is something fishy going on in the way the US is talking about civilian plane crashes that are in some way linked, or said to be linked to Russia.
