Category Archives: Global Politics

Palestinian Vigilante Effort Marks Stark Change in West Bank – The New York Times

“Can we explode against the occupation, without exploding against the authority?” asked Mohammad Dawabsheh, 32 (most residents of the hamlet share the same family name). “No. You don’t fix your garden before fixing the house,” he said.

But this shift to lashing out, to vigilante patrols, to vociferously condemning Palestinian governance, it is a shift that is bleeding out across the West Bank amid rising frustration. Weary of conflict after the violence of their second intifada, Palestinians speak of deep unease over the future, and despair with their present.

Peace talks have been stalled for years, and Palestinian efforts to hold Israel to account in international forums — particularly the International Criminal Court — are unlikely to bring results in the near future. The Palestinian government, led by Mr. Abbas, 10 years into what was supposed to be a five-year term, is increasingly seen as neglectful and corrupt.

via Palestinian Vigilante Effort Marks Stark Change in West Bank – The New York Times.

Erdogan’s Cynical Game: Is Turkey Creeping Toward Civil War?

image-878791-thumbsmall-pjad.jpg

Turkish President Erdogan claims to be battling the terrorist Islamic State, but in reality he is mainly fighting against Kurds and the PKK. By doing so, he has shown that he is willing to derail the peace process in his country for the sake of clinging to power.

image-878791-thumbsmall-pjad.jpg

via Erdogan’s Cynical Game: Is Turkey Creeping Toward Civil War?.

Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Stabs 6 at a Gay Pride Parade for Second Time, Police Say – The New York Times

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man who had recently been released from prison after serving 10 years for stabbing participants in the annual Gay Pride Parade here in 2005 struck again Thursday, stabbing and wounding six marchers in this year’s parade, according to the police.

Two of the victims were in serious condition, according to the emergency services. The assailant, Yishai Schlissel, was pinned to the ground on a central Jerusalem street and arrested by police officers who were stationed along the route, the police said.

Mr. Schlissel wounded three marchers a decade ago and was convicted of attempted murder. He was said to have told the police that he had come “to kill in the name of God.” The Israeli news media reported that he was released from prison three weeks ago.

via Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Stabs 6 at a Gay Pride Parade for Second Time, Police Say – The New York Times.

Peter Van Buren: The Balance of Power in the Middle East Just Changed – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics

There are two crucial points to take away from all the angry chatter to come: first, none of this matters and second, the devil is not in the details, though he may indeed appear on those Sunday talk shows.

Here’s what actually matters most: at a crucial moment and without a shot being fired, the United States and Iran have come to a turning point away from an era of outright hostility. The nuclear accord binds the two nations to years of engagement and leaves the door open to a far fuller relationship.

via Peter Van Buren: The Balance of Power in the Middle East Just Changed – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.

The Iran agreement is a disaster for Isis | Federica Mogherini | Comment is free | The Guardian

this is not just about Isis. The whole Middle East is in turmoil. Sectarianism is on the rise. We need to restart political processes to end wars. We need to get all regional powers back to the negotiating table and stop the carnage. Cooperation between Iran, its neighbours and the whole international community could open unprecedented possibilities of peace for the region, starting from Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

The sceptics will argue this is very unlikely, or impossible. The pessimists will warn of the dangers. The negotiations in Vienna showed no brain-teaser is too hard to solve as long as there is the political will to overcome the difficulties. Travelling to Iran is an obvious choice for me; as years of negotiations have come to an end, our common work is definitely not over. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

via The Iran agreement is a disaster for Isis | Federica Mogherini | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Turkey, Germany, the Kurds, ISS – spin, twist, shout and bomb…

Ankara had, in fact, been sponsoring jihadists in Syria up until 2014, however, not single-handedly. It was done with western – including German – knowledge and approval. Recently, it has been pointed out repeatedly that “the locations in Turkey, where IS was recruiting were known to the local population.” The human rights activist Osman Süzen, for example, posed the question, “if the people know how these organizations work, where they meet and how they recruit, does the state not know it as well?”[2] The same rhetorical question could be raised to the German government, not only because, as revealed last year, Turkey is officially a “reconnaissance objective” of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND).[3] One can assume that, since Bundeswehr units are stationed in south eastern Turkey, in Kahramanmaraş, they would also be involved in the common practice of reconnaissance of their area of operations. For years, German police and intelligence services have had under surveillance German jihadists leaving for Syria, usually with the aid of networks in Turkey. Despite its detailed knowledge of the jihadists’ activities in Turkey, Berlin has never interfered in Ankara’s support for IS until it joined the war against IS. In August 2012, the US DIA military intelligence agency bluntly explained, why various western governments have generously approved the Turkish-Saudi aid to IS. A “Salafist principality” in eastern Syria could help isolate the government in Damascus.[4]

via www.german-foreign-policy.com.

We Are Rebels: Western Sahara

Western Sahara, bordering Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Atlantic Ocean, is the last remaining colony in Africa still waiting for its independence. Despite a rich history, the Sahrawi people today find themselves deprived of the fundamental right to have a land on which to live in peace and freedom. In one of the most hostile regions to human life across the planet, Western Sahara is also a rich country; its resources consist of large amounts of phosphates and abundant fish stocks among others.

After the withdrawal of Spain in 1975, neighboring Morocco illegally invaded the territory, forcing its indigenous population, the Sahrawi people, to live under occupation or face exile. Since then, the Sahrawi people have been divided between two lands. Those living in the “Occupied Zone,” endure an occupation violently imposed on them by the Moroccan government. Those who fled during Morocco’s initial attacks reside today in the refugee camps in the Algerian desert or within a narrow strip of barren land. This “Liberated Territory” of Western Sahara is flanked by a wall built by Morocco and armed with a standing military, electronic sensors, and buried landmines.

via We Are Rebels: Western Sahara.

“Serving in the army, you can say that I was a pawn in another…

tumblr_ns453nIWxE1qggwnvo1_500.jpg

“Serving in the army, you can say that I was a pawn in another person’s game. But you can say the same thing about someone that works at JP Morgan. Sometimes it seemed like the elites were playing chess with our lives. They trained me to jump out of planes and kill people. I didn’t have anything against the Iraqis. I wasn’t fighting against them. I was fighting to get home to my family. So was I a pawn? Maybe. But if it weren’t for the higher-ranking people in the military who saw potential in me, and encouraged me to get an education and become a leader, I’d never even have achieved broad enough horizons to ask these types of questions.”

via “Serving in the army, you can say that I was a pawn in another….

Turkish Jets Strike Kurds in Iraq, Islamic State in Syria – The New York Times

{With “friends” like this, America needs no more enemies!} Turkish jets struck camps belonging to Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, authorities said Saturday, the first strikes since a peace deal was announced in 2013, and again bombed Islamic State positions in Syria.

The strikes in Iraq targeted the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, whose affiliates have been effective in battling the Islamic State group. The strikes further complicate the U.S.-led war against the extremists, which has relied on Kurdish ground forces making gains in Iraq and Syria.

A spokesman in Iraq for the PKK, which has been fighting Turkey for autonomy since 1984 and is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and its allies, said the strikes likely spelled the end of the peace process.

“Turkey has basically ended the cease-fire,” Zagros Hiwa told The Associated Press. He said the first wave of strikes launched overnight didn’t appear to cause casualties.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, the People’s Democratic Party, said the strikes amounted to an end of the two-year-old truce. It called on the government to end the bombing campaign and resume a dialogue with the Kurds.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced later on Saturday that he had ordered “a third wave” of raids against the IS in Syria and a “second wave” of strikes against the PKK in northern Iraq, but didn’t provide details on areas hit. He said the operations would continue.

via Turkish Jets Strike Kurds in Iraq, Islamic State in Syria – The New York Times.