Datasets:

textminr

/

mn-ds

like 0

crooksandliars--2019-05-15--Its All So Familiar US Building Up To Armed Conflict With Iran

crooksandliars

It's All So Familiar: U.S. Building Up To Armed Conflict With Iran

Why, it's as if I'd fallen asleep and woke up back in 2002! U.S. Military Says It's on 'High Level of Alert' with Iran, Contradicting Its Own Coalition Skeptical U.S. Allies Resist Trump’s New Claims of Threats From Iran British General Contradicts U.S. Claim of Increased Threat From Iran-Backed Militias Key Commander in ISIS Fight Sees No Increased Threat from Iran-Backed Troops Remember when George Tenet, head of the CIA, did his National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and Congress used it as the basis for supporting the war? And then, after the war was underway, the Senate Intelligence Committee found the key findings were either exaggerated or unsupported by the actual evidence? The only thing that will stop this is a massive public outcry. Pick up the phone today and call your elected officials. Tell their staffers you are absolutely opposed to a replay of the disastrous Iraq war and you will be certain to vote against anyone who accepts this flimsy rationale for another war.

Susie Madrak

https://crooksandliars.com/2019/05/its-all-so-familiar-us-building-armed

2019-05-15 11:39:07+00:00

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

therealnews--2019-12-11--The Washington Post’s ‘Afghanistan Papers’ Examines the Root Failures of the Longest Armed Conflict

therealnews

The Washington Post’s ‘Afghanistan Papers’ Examines the Root Failures of the Longest Armed Conflict in US History

Reporting from the Washington Post confirms what many have known for years: Much of what top officials told the public about the United States’ 18-year war in Afghanistan was false, wildly exaggerated to portray success, and concealed a very different reality than what Afghan civilians and U.S. troops experienced on the ground. The multi-part report is titled “The Afghanistan Papers,” and was written by Craig Whitlock. Released Monday, it is based on 2,000 unpublished pages of notes from interviews conducted by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which was tasked with looking into the reasons for this country’s failures surrounding the Afghanistan War. The U.S. government sought to keep secret the names of officials interviewed for the investigation, but the Washington Post won a three-year legal battle allowing their publication. The legal battle isn’t quite over, but the Post decided to publish the story now anyway. “The Post is publishing the documents now, instead of waiting for a final ruling, to inform the public while the Trump administration is negotiating with the Taliban and considering whether to withdraw the 13,000 U.S. troops who remain in Afghanistan,” Whitlock wrote. “The American people have been lied to,” John Sopko, head of SIGAR, told the Washington Post. The report places blame on both sides of the aisle, citing efforts to conceal the reality of the unwinnable war that continued across the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. “In news conferences and other public appearances, those in charge of the war have followed the same talking points for 18 years. No matter how the war is going—and especially when it is going badly—they emphasize how they are making progress,” writes Whitlock. The documents also portray U.S. government officials as disorganized and unsure of what the goals in Afghanistan were even supposed to be. “Some U.S. officials wanted to use the war to turn Afghanistan into a democracy. Others wanted to transform Afghan culture and elevate women’s rights. Still others wanted to reshape the regional balance of power among Pakistan, India, Iran and Russia,” Whitlock reports. The report cites the work of Neta Crawford, a political science professor and co-director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University. That project found that “since 2001, the Defense Department, State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development have spent or appropriated between $934 billion and $978 billion, according to an inflation-adjusted estimate.” Crawford appeared on The Real News Network this past November to talk about her work on the Costs of War Project and whether U.S. military spending is keeping us safer. “Is the United States safer because of the wars?” she said. “One might ask it this way. Following the 9/11 attacks, there were estimates of the numbers of Al Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan and there were estimates later in the other war zones of the number of militants and ISIS and other organizations that have followed on from Al Qaeda. In no war zone is that the case that we have fewer militants. In fact, we’ve killed many tens of thousands of militants, that is, enemy combatants. Yet those organizations are roughly the same size today as they were when they started — as when we started these wars. It’s unclear that these wars are effective at killing militants. What they may be doing is making more militancy in the sense that people are defending themselves from U.S. and other countries’ aggression.”

Jocelyn Dombroski

https://therealnews.com/columns/the-washington-posts-afghanistan-papers-examines-the-root-failures-of-the-longest-armed-conflict-in-us-history

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 16:35:10 +0000

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

fortruss--2019-02-18--CHUTZPAH Intensifying attacks on Donbass Poroshenko requested help compiling evidence of Russian A

fortruss

CHUTZPAH: Intensifying attacks on Donbass, Poroshenko requested help compiling evidence of Russian Aggression for his Munich speech

Novorosinform reports this: President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko ordered to prepare “evidence” of shelling from the Donbass and Russian side for an accusation against Moscow during his speech at the Munich Security Conference. This was announced by the head of the press service of the People’s Police of the DPR, Daniel Bezsonov. “According to the information we have, Poroshenko ordered the command of the occupying forces to prepare for him a false evidence base, which he could use to initiate new sanctions against the Russian Federation during his speech at the Munich Security Conference. As conceived by puppeteers from Washington, Poroshenko should appear before the world community in the form of an “innocent lamb,” he said. “We express our sincere hope that the leadership of the OSCE will not go in the wake of Poroshenko and his owners, but will strictly follow the unshakable European principles and impartially fulfill their functional duties,” the head of the press service of the DPR army added. Recall that as a result of today’s shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the DPR, three houses, a gas pipeline and a car are damaged.Yesterday in Donbass, two Right Sector and Azov platoons   arrived. The day before Poroshenko’s Munich speech FRN got this report: Today, the People’s Militia of the DPR reports a sharp increase in the intensity of the attacks on the DPR. The situation at the front in the Donbass continues to deteriorate. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are increasing the number and intensity of shelling. During the day there were several demolitions of residential buildings. Also a number of districts remain without light.The Ukrainian armed forces over the past week violated the cease-fire 173 times violated the cease-fire, firing on districts in 23 settlements of the DPR. This was announced today by the Deputy Head of the People’s Militia of the DPR, Eduard Basurin.“ The intensity of shelling from the side of the Volga Federal University has increased dramatically. A total of 173 blasts were recorded in the districts of 23 populated areas of the Republic over the past week,” Basurin noted. According to him, shelling was carried out from mortars with a caliber of 120 and 82 mm, weapons of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. At the same time, during the previous week, the Armed Forces of Ukraine violated the cease-fire regime 120 times by bombarding areas of 19 settlements. Earlier today, Ukrainian militants shot at the checkpoint in the Donbas. On the 14th, the mayor of Gorlovka, Ivan Prikhodko, said that the Ukrainian militants had directly hit the roof of a residential apartment building in the DPR. Recall that on February 13 during the day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine 8 times violated the “silence mode” in the DPR.

Tom Winter

https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/02/intensifying-attacks-on-donbass-poroshenko-called-for-evidence-of-russian-aggression-for-his-munich-speech/

2019-02-18 16:51:14+00:00

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

sputnik--2019-11-24--Ukrainian Forces in Donbass Claim Being Attacked 3 Times During Day

sputnik

Ukrainian Forces in Donbass Claim Being Attacked 3 Times During Day

According to the Joint Forces Operation's command, the positions were fired at with heavy machine guns, mortars, and anti-tank grenade launchers. On 9 November, both the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) militants and the Ukrainian security forces began the withdrawal of troops near Petrivske, with the process monitored by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The same day, the DPR announced that it had fully withdrawn its forces from the area. On 11 November, the Ukrainian military said that it had also completed the practical phase of the troop pullout. On 21 July, an indefinite ceasefire between Ukraine, and the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk entered into force. In April 2014, the Ukrainian government launched an offensive against the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics, which claimed independence after what they considered to be a coup in Ukraine two months earlier.

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201911241077390891-ukrainian-forces-in-donbass-claim-being-attacked-3-times-during-day/

Sun, 24 Nov 2019 21:57:17 +0300

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

unian--2019-01-03--Donbas warzone update Five enemy attacks no Ukrainian army casualties in past day

unian

Donbas warzone update: Five enemy attacks, no Ukrainian army casualties in past day

The Russian-led forces did not use proscribed weapons. Russian-led military forces mounted five attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past day; no Ukrainian army casualties were reported. "There were no Joint Forces casualties in the past day," Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) press service said in its morning update on Facebook on January 3. The enemy shelled Ukrainian positions near the village of Khutir Vilny close to the village of Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk sector, using grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Attacks were also reported near the village of Opytne in the Donetsk sector and the village of Vodiane in the Mariupol sector. Pisky in the Donetsk sector was under enemy sniper fire. The Russian-led forces did not use proscribed weapons. According to intelligence reports, one enemy troop was killed and three were injured on January 2 over careless handling of weapons. Since Thursday midnight, Russian-led forces have not opened fire.

https://www.unian.info/war/10397907-donbas-warzone-update-five-enemy-attacks-no-ukrainian-army-casualties-in-past-day.html

2019-01-03 07:29:00+00:00

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

unian--2019-01-19--JFO Ukraine reports four enemy attacks in Donbas Jan 19

unian

JFO: Ukraine reports four enemy attacks in Donbas Jan 19

The situation in the area of the Joint Forces Operation remains under control of Ukrainian troops. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted four attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas on January 19. Read alsoUkraine forces in Donbas shoot down enemy drone equipped with fragmentation explosives (Video) "No Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded from 00:00 to 18:00 Kyiv time," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook. The enemy opened fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms at the Ukrainian positions near the villages of Stanytsia Luhanska, Vilniy, Pisky, and Shyrokyne. The situation in the area of the Joint Forces Operation remains under control of Ukrainian troops.

https://www.unian.info/war/10414563-jfo-ukraine-reports-four-enemy-attacks-in-donbas-jan-19.html

2019-01-19 18:25:00+00:00

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

unian--2019-01-19--Ukraine reports nine enemy attacks in Donbas in past day

unian

Ukraine reports nine enemy attacks in Donbas in past day

There were no Ukrainian army casualties in the past day. Russian-led forces mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the last 24 hours. Read alsoPoroshenko: Ukraine's army hasn't used Javelins in combat yet "No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported in the past day. According to intelligence reports, one occupier was killed," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 19, 2019. Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms as they attacked the defenders of the town of Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Vilniy, Hnutove, and Vodiane. The enemy also employed 82mm mortars near the villages of Pisky and Vodiane, as well as heavy machine guns and small arms near the town of Maryinka and the village of Chermalyk. In addition, a sniper was active near Hnutove. "Since Saturday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked the Ukrainian positions yet," the report said.

https://www.unian.info/war/10414224-ukraine-reports-nine-enemy-attacks-in-donbas-in-past-day.html

2019-01-19 08:21:00+00:00

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

unian--2019-01-20--JFO Ukraine reports 16 enemy attacks in Donbas in past day

unian

JFO: Ukraine reports 16 enemy attacks in Donbas in past day

There were no Ukrainian army casualties in the past day. Russian-led forces mounted 16 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past 24 hours. Read alsoUkraine forces in Donbas shoot down enemy drone equipped with fragmentation explosives (Video) "No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported in the past day. According to intelligence reports, one occupier was killed and another one was wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 20, 2019. The enemy opened fire from grenade launchers of various systems and heavy machine guns (twice) near the village of Shyrokyne, from grenade launchers – near the village of Pisky, from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms (twice) – near the town of Maryinka, from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms (twice) – outside the village of Lebedynske, from grenade launches, heavy machine guns and small arms (thrice) – in the area of the village of Pavlopil, from automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and 120mm mortars (twice) – near the town of Krasnohorivka, and from grenade launchers and heavy machine guns near the village of Vodiane, the report said. Russian occupation forces also employed large-caliber machine guns outside the village of Vilne, as well as small arms and heavy machine guns (twice) near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska. According to intelligence reports, one occupier was killed, and another one was wounded on January 19. Since Sunday midnight, Russian-led forces have attacked the Ukrainian positions near Hnutove, using automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Ukrainian forces in Donbas had shot down an enemy drone equipped with fragmentation explosives.

https://www.unian.info/war/10414707-jfo-ukraine-reports-16-enemy-attacks-in-donbas-in-past-day.html

2019-01-20 07:58:00+00:00

conflict, war and peace

armed conflict

21stcenturywire--2019-09-10--BREAKING US Behind Hong Kong Protests Admits US Policymaker

21stcenturywire

BREAKING: US Behind Hong Kong Protests – Admits US Policymaker

The US continues to deny any involvement in ongoing unrest in China’s special administrative region of Hong Kong. However, even a casual look at US headlines or comments made by US officials and policymakers – makes it clear the unrest not only suits US interests, but is spurred-on almost exclusively by them. The paradoxical duality of nearly open support of the unrest and denial of that support has led to headlines like the South China Morning Post’s, “Mike Pompeo rebukes China’s ‘ludicrous’ claim US is behind Hong Kong protests.” The article claims: However, even US policymakers have all but admitted that the US is funneling millions of dollars into Hong Kong specifically to support “programs” there. The Hudson Institute in an article titled, “China Tries to Blame US for Hong Kong Protests,” would admit: The article would then quote Pillsbury as saying: A visit to the NED’s website reveals an entire section of declared funding for Hong Kong specifically. The wording for program titles and their descriptions is intentionally ambiguous to give those like US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plausible deniability. However, deeper research reveals NED recipients are literally leading the protests. The South China Morning Post in its article, “Hong Kong protests: heavy jail sentences for rioting will not solve city’s political crisis, former Civil Human Rights Front convenor says,” would report: The article would omit mention of Johnson Yeung Ching-yin’s status as an NED fellow. His profile is – at the time of this writing – still accessible on the NED’s official website, and the supposed NGO he works for in turn works hand-in-hand with US and UK-based fronts involved in supporting Hong Kong’s current unrest and a much wider anti-Beijing political agenda. Johnson Yeung Ching-yin also co-authored an op-ed in the Washington Post with Joshua Wong titled, “As you read this, Hong Kong has locked one of us away.” Wong has travelled to Washington DC multiple times, including to receive “honors” from NED-subsidiary Freedom House for his role in leading unrest in 2014 and to meet with serial regime-change advocate Senator Marco Rubio. It should also be noted that the Washington Post’s Anne Applebaum also sits on the NED board of directors. This evidence, along with extensively documented ties between the United States government and other prominent leaders of the Hong Kong unrest reveals US denial of involvement in Hong Kong as yet another willful lie told upon the international stage – a lie told even as the remnants of other victims of US interference and intervention smolder in the background. The direct ties and extreme conflicts of interest found under virtually every rock overturned when critically examining the leadership of Hong Kong’s ongoing unrest all lead to Washington. They also once again reveal the Western media as involved in a coordinated campaign of disinformation – where proper investigative journalism is purposefully side-stepped and narratives shamelessly spun instead to frame Hong Kong’s ongoing conflict in whatever light best suits US interests. What’s worse is big-tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google purging thousands of accounts attempting to reveal the truth behind Hong Kong’s unrest and the true nature of those leading it. If this is the level of lying, censorship, and authoritarianism Washington is willing to resort to in order for Hong Kong’s opposition to succeed, it begs one to wonder what this so-called opposition is even fighting for. Certainly not “democracy” or “freedom.” *** Author Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher, writer and special contributor to 21st Century Wire. Over the last decade, his work has been published on a number of popular news and analysis websites, and also on the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”. See Tony’s work at his 21WIRE archive.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/09/10/breaking-us-behind-hong-kong-protests-admits-us-policymaker/

2019-09-10 10:21:35+00:00

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

21stcenturywire--2019-09-27--Hong Kong Protests Fading Foreign Tantrum Not Genuine Revolution

21stcenturywire

Hong Kong Protests Fading: Foreign Tantrum, Not Genuine Revolution

Just as unfolded in 2014 during the so-called “Umbrella protests” or “Occupy Central” movement, a growing backlash has begun across Hong Kong against US-funded protests that have attempted to disrupt governance and commerce as part of a floundering movement to maintain Western influence in the region. The Sydney Morning Herald in its article, “Triads linked to violent pro-China gangs as Hong Kong protests enter dangerous new phase,” ignored weeks of violence carried out by US-backed protests in Hong Kong, and portrayed locals retaliating as “violent pro-China gangs.” It should be pointed out that Hong Kong is in China. Having failed to attract wider public support, US-backed protesters have begun resorting to increasingly disruptive activities including raiding government buildings, storming commercial districts to intimidate visitors from mainland China and even targeting public transportation. Backlash Follows Weeks of Violence and Vandalism by Pro-Western Protests Before the SMH’s “violent pro-China gangs” showed up, US-backed protesters had admittedly stormed Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) building. The BBC in its article, “Hong Kong police evict protesters who stormed parliament,” admitted: The BBC also admitted the protesters carried out vandalism inside the building: The Financial Times in their article, “Hong Kong protesters target Chinese government office,” mentioned another government building targeted by the protesters, the Liaison Office for Hong Kong representing Beijing. The article reported: The Guardian attempted to conceal the nature of the protests in its article, “Hong Kong protest ends in chaotic clashes between police and demonstrators,” which was ultimately about protesters targeting a shopping centre popular with mainland visitors. However, the Financial Times in its article, “Hong Kong protesters try to woo Chinese tourists to their cause,” admitted the protesters intentionally targeted the shopping centre rather than merely being “chased into it.” The article admits: A recently built high-speed train station connecting Hong Kong with mainland China was also targeted. AFP-JIJI in its article, “Hong Kong protesters march on station to get message across to visiting Chinese mainlanders,” would admit: The US-backed protesters have also targeted journalists. The New York Times in its article, “Hong Kong Protesters’ New Target: A News Station Seen as China’s Friend,” attempted to defend the targeting of journalists perceived as being “pro-Beijing” claiming: The New York Times fails to mention that opposition media is almost exclusively funded and supported from abroad, particularly out of Washington DC. If Beijing has no say or influence in Hong Kong, territory literally within its own borders, what say does Washington have so many thousands of miles away? Together, the increasingly disruptive behaviour of the protesters coupled with growing violence and overt endorsement and even support being provided by the United States and other foreign interests, are attempting to target and impact virtually every aspect of life in Hong Kong linked to stability, peace and prosperity. If the United States cannot maintain Hong Kong as its foothold inside Chinese territory and enjoy the benefits of its prosperity, no one else will either. The government of Hong Kong is elected by both the people and organisations representing influential business communities there. The government is overwhelmingly pro-Beijing because Hong Kong is now firmly part of China. It was handed back to China in 1997 by the UK after over 170 years of British subjugation. An influx of mainlanders, major infrastructure projects and flourishing business between the former British colony and China’s mainland has begun the irreversible re-integration of Hong Kong back into China. Notions including “Basic Law” and “one country, two systems” were imposed on Beijing which at the time still lacked the political, economic and military power it now possesses. Both Basic Law and the “one country, two systems” arrangement were imposed on Beijing by London specifically as a means of technically handing Hong Kong over, but in practice, maintaining Western influence and the region’s role as Anglo-American foothold within Chinese territory. As British influence across Asia-Pacific waned over time, Washington took over. Core leaders of Hong Kong’s ongoing protests against Beijing are funded and directed by Washington with many of these leaders, including Martin Lee, Joshua Wong and Benny Tai having literally traveled to Washington to receive support and even awards for their continuously disruptive behaviour. Beijing has patiently weathered the West’s disruptive activities within its territory. In addition to Hong Kong, the US has nurtured separatism and terrorism in China’s Xinjiang region as well as armed insurrection and separatism in Tibet that has spanned more than half a century. All of this is part of an admittedly decades-long strategy of encircling and containing China’s rise as a global power in order to preserve American primacy. China’s answer has been meeting US-backed identity politics designed to divide and destroy, with massive infrastructure, education and economic programmes that have clearly gained the upper-hand even in places like Hong Kong where Western influence has been so deeply entrenched. When faced with the choice of political instability or infrastructure and economic prosperity, the choice is very simple for the people of not only Hong Kong, but also Xinjiang and Tibet. It is no wonder residents in Hong Kong have responded negatively to the violence and disruption perpetrated by US-backed protesters. The majority of Hong Kong has nothing to gain from disrupting commerce, targeting infrastructure, blocking roads and the vandalism of public property especially considering why it is really being done. It is not being done for the people of Hong Kong or the nation of China of which Hong Kong once again now belongs. It is being done for Washington and is just one small part of a much wider, global slash-and-burn foreign policy. The protests in Hong Kong are also part of that policy failing. As US primacy fades across the globe, Washington has resorted to increasingly desperate and spiteful acts of destabilisation, as seen in Hong Kong. The protests have no future in Hong Kong. They are led by an increasingly unpopular minority backed by a fading global power, and fighting against a growing global colossus within its own borders. The only real question is; how much damage will Washington and its proxies do as they throw this final tantrum? Joseph Thomas is chief editor of Thailand-based geopolitical journal, The New Atlas and contributor to the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/09/27/hong-kong-protests-fading-foreign-tantrum-not-genuine-revolution/

2019-09-27 07:50:48+00:00

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

21stcenturywire--2019-10-08--ECUADOR: Protests Heat Up in Quito, Moreno Government Leaves Capital City

21stcenturywire

ECUADOR: Protests Heat Up in Quito, Moreno Government Leaves Capital City

Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno has announced his administration is leaving the capital city of Quito amid new protests. Protesters have been met with tear gas from police on the streets of Quito, as they came out against the Moreno government and “austerity cuts tied to a recently implemented IMF deal,” RT reports. Mass protests were also cracked down on by police last April, after the US-backed Moreno regime allowed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be illegally rendered by British abductors from its embassy. Those demonstrations were also met with violence from the Ecuadorian police including beatings, tear gas attacks, and the use of trained attack dogs against peaceful demonstrators. A central focus of the protests for Ecuadorians has been the role of what critics have dubbed the “International Misery Fund,” or, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the austerity measures tied to its loan guarantees. It has also been reported that Moreno has since relocated his administration to the city of Guayaquil, about 400 kilometers southwest of Quito.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/10/08/ecuador-protests-heat-up-in-quito-moreno-government-leaves-capital-city/

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 15:03:16 +0000

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

21stcenturywire--2019-10-10--‘Egyptian Spring’ Reboot: US Fueling Latest Wave of Protests

21stcenturywire

‘Egyptian Spring’ Reboot: US Fueling Latest Wave of Protests

When the West’s leading media organizations attempt to convince audiences they know nothing about where Mohammed Aly – a Spanish-based Egyptian protest leader – came from, the first thing one can be sure of is they are being lied to. Protests have begun to spread again in Egypt after nearly a decade of frustration in Washington over its inability to coerce Cairo into serving its regional and global designs. Protesters have allegedly been stirred up by economic turmoil still plaguing Egypt, however familiar US-backed organizations used in the past to destabilize Egypt are turning up at the center of protest venues including the Muslim Brotherhood which has served a pivotal role in other regional US projects including filling the ranks of militant forces fighting the government in Syria. The Western media’s feigned ignorance over self-proclaimed protest leader Mohammed Aly is meant to obfuscate his political ties and those of the organizations and enterprises he is associated with. The New York Times in its article, “Egypt Protests Came as a Total Shock. The Man Behind Them Is Just as Surprising,” claims: The New York Times also claims: No mention is made by the New York Times regarding the Project on Middle Eastern Democracy (POMED) – a Washington DC-based front funded by the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) which served as a propaganda nexus during the 2011 US-fuelled “Arab Spring” and is again promoting rhetoric to support ongoing protests in Egypt today. POMED fails to disclose its funding and associations on its own website, but NED in a 2017 “Grantee Spotlight” titled, “BRAINSTORMING FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE MENA REGION,” reveals: That the deputy director of POMED – funded by NED – is unaware of who Mohammed Aly is and the US government-funded networks he is associated with is difficult to believe. Aly claims to be an Egyptian contractor turned ‘whistleblower’ after witnessing government corruption – but reports indicate he was only part of a family-owned contracting firm led by his father who has denounced him and his “activism.” The BBC in its article, “Mohamed Ali: The self-exiled Egyptian sparking protests at home,” would report: Of Aly himself – the BBC would note: Not mentioned is that “The Other Land” was jointly-produced and filmed in Spain. Involved in marketing the film was MAD Solutions – a firm linked to USAID, US-European government-funded nongovernmental organizations, Western media such as Forbes, as well as Arab production companies across the MENA region. Among MAD’s partners includes the Ana Hunna Network – a German-based front posing as women’s rights advocates. The network is in turn made up of various US-European funded fronts including USAID-funded International Development Support and Consulting (IDSC). MAD is also partnered with the Arab language satellite TV channel Alhurra which is based in the US and is funded directly by the US government (Arabic) via the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), formerly the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). USAGM/BBG is also responsible for the US State Department’s global-spanning propaganda network including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. While documented evidence of Mohammed Aly working directly for the US government or its allies in the Middle East is still forthcoming – it surely is no coincidence that he has become a “sudden” and “unexpected leader” of protests aimed at coercing Egypt back on a pro-Western footing, promoted by the Western media all while his obvious ties to agents of US influence are being covered up by those very agents themselves. Aly’s role in a politically-charged film produced and promoted by pro-Western fronts – and a film jointly produced and filmed in Spain – is also no coincidence. The ties and networks that led him through that process are now hosting him as he begins his next performance as an influential protest leader. While it is clear he is but the public face of a much more sinister effort by the militant and extremist Muslim Brotherhood to fill Egypt’s streets with growing chaos – the Western media has gone through great efforts to deny this. DW – for example – in its article, “Muslim Brotherhood or el-Sissi rivals: Who is behind Egypt’s protests?,” would attempt to claim: The Muslim Brotherhood is a massive region-wide organization complete with political parties, armed wings, and of course immense state-sponsorship including from the United States, Western Europe, and the West’s partners particularly in the Persian Gulf and Turkey. If the Muslim Brotherhood lacks “any sort of capability to organize on such a scale” inside of Egypt, who has more capability to do so? The DW article suggests there may be a rift within Egypt’s ruling elite – but no evidence, names or even a theory is put forth as to who among Egypt’s elite might be involved or why. Conversely, the substantial evidence indicating US interference and the Muslim Brotherhood’s role – together with the fact the US and its allies have not only repeatedly destabilized other nations around the globe through similar tactics – but have destabilized Egypt itself in 2011 through similar tactics – points the finger squarely at Washington and its allies. US-funded protests overthrew the Egyptian government led by Hosni Mubarak in 2011. US-Turkish-Saudi nominee – Mohamed Morsi – rose to power and immediately set out to transform the large North African nation into an obedient servant of Western interests. This included severing ties between Egypt and the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad while arming, funding, and recruiting militants being funnelled onto the battlefield within Syria itself. Later in 2013, Egypt’s powerful military regrouped, managing to oust Morsi from office. The subsequent government headed by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi incarcerated Morsi, restored ties with Syria, and began steering Egypt back toward a more neutral foreign policy. Commentators have cited Egypt’s role in the US-led war in Yemen as evidence that el-Sisi’s government also serves US interests – but it should be noted that Egypt’s commitments were symbolic, short-lived, and a result of paying back Persian Gulf monarchies who financially bailed out Egypt’s flagging economy in the wake of 2011’s instability. For a nation like Egypt whose foreign policy, economic ties, and relations have straddled East and West for decades, “choosing sides” is not a simple matter. Egypt’s fragile economic, social, and political balance has been repeatedly targeted by Western interests both directly and through militant proxies armed and backed by Persian Gulf states following attempts by Cairo to rebuild ties with Russia or to build closer ties with China. The presence of the so-called “Islamic State” – the same militant force serving as proxies in Washington’s war on Syria – in Egypt’s Sinai region serves as a constant source of pressure attempting to coerce Cairo to pivot Westward. Recent protests are also aimed at adding to this pressure. As to why Egypt is facing such pressure now – we need only look at Washington’s recent escalation with Iran. Egypt under Morsi sought to weaken Syria as part of Washington’s wider conflict with Iran. Efforts to coerce Egypt into joining the US-led war in Yemen was also aimed at eliminating Iranian allies and further isolating Iran itself. Key to any US foreign policy victory over Iran will be the creation of a regional, united front against Tehran – with nations – willingly or not – enlisted to play a role however small in isolating and undermining Iranian stability internally, regionally, and globally. Should protests pick up sufficient momentum in Egypt – the prospect of Washington introducing demands in exchange for momentary relief from street violence will undoubtedly follow. In the days and weeks ahead – Egypt’s ability or inability to contain the protests and resist US efforts to drag Cairo into another round of regional violence and instability – will in turn help indicate the wider prospects of peace or war in the region as Washington struggles to reassert itself at any cost. *** Author Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher, writer and special contributor to 21st Century Wire. Over the last decade, his work has been published on a number of popular news and analysis websites, and also on the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/10/10/egyptian-spring-reboot-us-fueling-latest-wave-of-protests/

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 08:40:29 +0000

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

activistpost--2019-01-09--Belgrade Protests Against Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic Escalate to Nationwide Demos

activistpost

Belgrade Protests Against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić Escalate to Nationwide Demos

Mass protests against human rights violations by the government of Aleksandar Vučić have entered a fifth consecutive week, with thousands joining in from five Serbian cities beyond the capital Belgrade. Demonstrations began after Borko Stefanović, president of the political party Serbian Left and a founder of opposition coalition Alliance for Serbia, survived an assassination attempt on November 23, when thugs wielding metal bars beat him and two other Serbian Left party activists in the city of Kruševac in Central Serbia. Protests intensified following another assassination attempt against journalist Milan Jovanović on December 11. Every Saturday since late November, thousands of people have braved sub-zero temperatures and taken to the streets of Belgrade under the slogan “stop bloodying shirts” ( STOPkrvavimkošuljama). The slogan came about following a press conference in which Sefanović displayed his bloodied shirt at a rally following the November 23 attack. January 5 was the first time large demonstrations were held in Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac, three major cities in Serbia, as well as in smaller Kuršumlija and Požega. Another protest slogan, “one in five million” ( 1od5miliona), refers to Vučić’s recent declaration that he won’t fulfill any demands even if five million people show up on the streets. Serbia has a population of around six million. For the first time since the 1990s, protests have united both left-leaning and right-leaning opponents of the ruling government under shared fears that it is descending into dictatorship and fascism. The events’ resemblance to those that ousted the government of Slobodan Milošević (whose cabinet included Vučić, then a right-wing radical, as minister of information) in 2000 wasn’t lost on many people, among them journalist Biljana Stepanović, who tweeted this set of photos: Another slogan spotted both in the streets and on social media says “it has begun” ( počeloJe), a cry of hope that the protests would grow into a country-wide movement similar to that of the late 1990s. In the past decade, Aleksandar Vučić has re-branded himself as a moderate centrist by paying lip service to Serbian integration into the European Union, something his opponents claim is mere camouflage of both his growing authoritarian tendencies at home and his servility to the Kremlin. So far, he has shrugged off the protests. While government-controlled media has attempted to minimize their size and importance, Vučić himself has dared his opponents with talks of a snap election which near-total party control over state institutions and media would likely hand him victory. Opposition leaders have said they would boycott such a move. Speaking with Balkan Insight, protests’ organizers say their biggest gain is to have “awakened the Serbian youth from apathy” while not directly campaigning for the opposition as a replacement for the current government. The opposition has been markedly low-key in the protests for fear of alienating party-neutral citizens or civil society activists. Meanwhile, the public has ridiculed official attempts at disinformation. With internet access, people can see what is happening for themselves through live videos and photos taken on site.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/01/belgrade-protests-against-serbian-president-aleksandar-vucic-escalate-to-nationwide-demos.html

2019-01-09 16:13:07+00:00

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

activistpost--2019-07-25--After Two Straight Weeks of Protests Puerto Ricans Force Governor to Resign

activistpost

After Two Straight Weeks of Protests, Puerto Ricans Force Governor to Resign

The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, has resigned after two weeks of massive protests and intergenerational civil unrest. In the absence of a secretary of state, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez will become governor. Rosselló’s resignation is effective as of 5:00 p.m. on August 2. This self-convened and growing national movement erupted as a result of an intricate corruption scheme and a leaked Telegram chat containing sexist, misogynistic, homophobic and body-shaming language, along with the discussion of public policy among members and non-members of Rosselló’s cabinet. The leaked Telegram chat was preceded by the federal arrests of high-ranking members of Rosselló’s administration, including the former Secretary of Education, Julia Keleher, on charges which include money laundering, wire fraud and theft, among others. The 14 consecutive days of demonstrations included daily protests at the governor’s mansion. The protests soon spread to many other municipalities of Puerto Rico. The largest was held on July 22, estimated to have attracted as many as 600,000 people in San Juan alone. But the activity wasn’t limited to Puerto Rico. Several protests were convened in countries where Puerto Ricans are residents, including Spain, Argentina, Slovenia, France, The Netherlands and the United States. The protests also included cultural and artistic interventions. Journalist Victoria Leandra created a Twitter thread that highlights some of the creative ways Puerto Ricans found to protest: The police have been accused of using excessive force, violating the police reforms ordered by Federal Courts. It must be said that the protests in Puerto Rico have been exceptionally peaceful, as pointed out by cultural anthropologist and essayist Rima Brusi on Twitter: Protesters also returned the following day to areas where protests were held to help clean up: But several days before the news broke of Rosselló’s resignation, Xiomara Torres Rivera, a columnist writing for the jounalism project Todas, reminded readers that the real work would start once the governor left office: Today we are the focus of the world’s attention because we dared to turn words into action, to transform our anger into mobility. To demand [the governor’s] resignation is only the beginning. We have before us a lot of reflecting to do to be able to take other decisions and not look back. To dare to demand the country that we deserve. A citizen audit, a cancellation of the [public] debt, an education with gender perspective, decent healthcare and retirement and a government with individuals who put the needs of the people first. Global Voices will continue to cover this developing story. Ángel Carrión — Musician and blogger from Caguas, Puerto Rico. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and a Master’s Degree in the History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean from the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe. He is passionate about music, books, and the right to free speech. Once upon a time, Ángel blogged at dialogolibre.blogspot.com. This article was sourced from GlobalVoices.org Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Follow us on Minds, Twitter, Steemit, and SoMee. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/07/after-two-straight-weeks-of-protests-puerto-ricans-force-governor-to-resign.html

2019-07-25 15:14:34+00:00

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

activistpost--2019-10-09--Ecuador’s President Moves Government Operations From Capital to Escape Protests

activistpost

Ecuador’s President Moves Government Operations From Capital to Escape Protests

Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno announced late Monday that he had temporarily moved government operations out of the capital of Quito following days of nationwide protests led by unions and Indigenous groups against austerity measures unveiled last week, including the end of decades-old fuel subsidies. The gas and diesel subsidies, which cost the government close to $1.4 billion per year, were scrapped as part of Moreno’s effort to honor a $4.2 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) finalized earlier this year. Moreno’s moves to slash government spending have caused a spike in fuel prices and provoked six days of protests thus far, with a national strike planned for Wednesday. Jaime Vargas, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nations in Ecuador (CONAIE), an umbrella organization for local Indigenous groups, said Monday that 20,000 protesters marching toward Quito would be in the capital for the strike. Reuters noted Monday that “Indigenous-led protests brought down three presidents” before Moreno’s predecessor and one-time mentor, Rafael Correa, who now lives in self-imposed exile in Belgium. Correa, an outspoken critic of the current president’s political shift to the right on economic policy, tweeted Monday night that “Moreno is finished” and called for elections. [In] a defiant national television address on Monday evening, after protesters reached Quito’s historic center, Moreno said he would not back down on the fuel price hike in the face of what he called a “destabilization plan” orchestrated by Correa and leftist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “They are behind this coup attempt, and they are using and instrumentalizing some Indigenous sectors,” Moreno said, flanked by military officials and Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner. He added that he had temporarily moved government operations to the southern city of Guayaquil, the financial capital. “What has happened is not a manifestation of social discontent in protest of a government decision. The lootings, vandalism, and violence show there is an organized political motive to destabilize the government.” Correa responded on Tuesday by denying the coup charges, for which Moreno did not provide any evidence. “They are such liars,” said Correa. “They say I am so powerful that with an iPhone from Brussels I could lead the protests.” Referring to the austerity measures, the former president added, “People couldn’t take it anymore, that’s the reality.” Moreno has declared a two-month national emergency in response to the protests—some of which have turned violent. “Images from Quito showed protesters hurling petrol bombs and stones, ransacking and vandalizing public buildings as well as clashing with the police in running battles late into the night,” reported The Guardian. “Rioters in Quito forced their way into the comptroller general’s office and vandalized the assembly building on Monday. It followed days of violence in which protesters burned military vehicles, destroyed dozens of rose farms, a dairy, and an oil production facility. The outnumbered security forces have been unable to prevent much of the destruction.” Over the past six days of demonstrations, two dozen police officers have been injured and 570 protesters have been detained, according to Moreno’s government. Additionally, a man in the Andean province died after he was hit by a car and roadblocks in the area prevented an ambulance from reaching him. “About 50 police officers have been taken hostage in various locations,” BBC News reported Monday. Police have responded to protests with tear gas and armored vehicles. CONAIE, on Saturday, declared a “state of exception in Indigenous territory of Ecuador before the brutality of military forces,” warning that “military and police who approach our territories will be held and subjected to Indigenous justice.” Indigenous groups—who took the lead in the protests after a two-day strike by transport unions—promised to maintain pressure on the Moreno government in statements to the media this week.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/10/ecuadors-president-moves-government-operations-from-capital-to-escape-protests.html

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 11:36:54 +0000

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

activistpost--2019-12-08--Hong Kong Protests Attract Massive Crowds, Estimated 800k March In Financial District

activistpost

Hong Kong Protests Attract Massive Crowds, Estimated 800k March In Financial District

With zero signs of abating, hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters lined the streets around Hong Kong’s financial and shopping districts on Sunday, demanding the Beijing-backed Hong Kong government fulfill their demands, reported Reuters. The semi-peaceful protest, a drastic change from violent ones in the last several weeks that have been raging for at least six months, plunged the city into a dangerous recession in Nov., attracted at least 800,000 participants on Sunday, according to protest organizer Civil Human Rights Front. Though Hong Kong police said that approximately 200,000 showed up. Reuters quoted protest chants as some said, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!,” while they marched across Victoria Park in the city’s shopping district and financial area. A protester, by the name of Lawrence,23, told Reuters that, “It’s Christmas time soon, but we’re not in the mood to celebrate anymore.” The Wall Street Journal spoke with Johnny Tung, 41, who joined the march with his two sons. He said, “as a Hong Konger, it’s my duty to be here today. Our people have tried protesting peacefully, we’ve done it more violently, but again and again, we’ve been ignored. I just want the government to please just respond to the people so society can return to peace.” China has become more vocal about Western powers interfering in the Hong Kong protests since the US signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act HKHRDA) into law last month. This allows Washington to impose sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong leaders responsible for human rights violations during the protests. Beijing was furious when the US lawmakers passed HKHRDA, which they have vowed to retaliate with a no-entry list for US lawmakers behind drafting the bill, along with other government officials, though the true extent of the retaliation remains a mystery. On Saturday, we noted that the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong was detained and then denied access to the neighboring Chinese city of Macau. Protesters on Sunday had five demands for the unpopular Beijing-backed Carrie Lam government. Some of the requests include a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill from the legislative process, release and pardon of arrested protesters, and resignation of Lam. Thousands on social media accounts documented the massive march with tons of video showing hundreds of thousands of protesters walking the streets. The latest acceleration in social-economic turmoil in Hong Kong suggests that more unrest is coming for 1Q20. If China starts losing control of the city, then Beijing could be inclined to deploy PLA troops. It seems that this worst-case scenario might be realized sometime in 2020 if the escalation continues. The question everyone is asking: With the Hong Kong bill passed into law — when do US lawmakers start sanctioning China and Hong Kong leaders over human rights violations? This article was sourced from ZeroHedge.com Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/hong-kong-protests-attract-massive-crowds-estimated-800k-march-in-financial-district.html

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 18:56:54 +0000

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

activistpost--2019-12-16--Internet Blocked as Protests Intensify in Northeast India against the Citizenship Amendment Act

activistpost

Internet Blocked as Protests Intensify in Northeast India against the Citizenship Amendment Act

Soon after India finalized the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on 12 December 2019 to allow refugees of six different faiths from the neighbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, violent protests opposing the Act erupted in the northeastern states of Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya. While the Act has been criticized for anti-Muslim bias, most in Assam have been protesting it for fear that it will open the door to Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, and affect the local language and culture. At least three protesters have died in suspected police firing. Protesters in major cities of Assam and Tripura have been flaming torches and setting car tires and cardboards ablaze. The internet has been blocked since 11 December in Assam and Meghalaya. The amended Act segregates the identification of refugees on the basis of their faith. It adds new clauses to the 1955 Citizenship Act allowing the Indian State to provide citizenship to six communities — Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs — who are fleeing from religious and minority persecution from India’s three neighboring countries. Assam is a province with 33 million people with multiple ethnicities — including many indigenous ones — and religions. Among many other complexities and historical incidents that have led to this protest is Assam Accord, a 1985 Memorandum of Settlement that provided a framework on how to deal with immigrants from Bangladesh. What is the Assam Accord? Assam saw a massive influx of refugees from Bangladesh since its formation in 1947 through the 1950s until the 1980s. From 1980–1984, the then Indian government led by Indira Gandhi of the Indian National Congress (INC) party engaged with those who were protesting against this influx. After the assassination of Gandhi in 1984, the Indian government led by Rajeev Gandhi initiated a Memorandum of Settlement that was signed in the presence of parties from both the federal and provincial governments and representatives from the protesting unions. The Accord brought the six-year-long Assam Movement to an end which arose with a goal to identify and expel refugees from Bangladesh. The Accord made it clear that any refugee irrespective of their religious faiths who entered India before 31 December 1965 would be given citizenship and the ones who entered after this date would be illegal. The ongoing protests in Assam also highlight the alleged violation of this Accord since the recently passed Citizenship (Amendment) Act now legalizes the aforementioned refugees who entered India before 31 December 2014. What is the National Register of Citizens (NRC)? Tensions and emotions are already running high as Assam is in the process of updating 33 million citizen records to detect and deport undocumented immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. Approximately 1.9 million people are now facing the possibility of becoming stateless in the northeastern Indian state of Assam after being excluded from the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NRC is a government register containing the names and relevant information for the identification of all Indian citizens. After the protests became violent on 11 December, local authorities ordered the shut down of the internet in Assam and Meghalaya to stop the spread of rumors. This also affected online mobile transactions and mobile internet connections. The shutdown in Assam is reported to be in effect until 16 December. The NetBlocks Internet Shutdown Observatory that monitors internet shutdowns worldwide has reported that both mobile and fixed line connections are cut off leading to an information blackout and taking down of media coverage and free expression. It is important to note that access to the internet is officially banned in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (formerly an Indian state) since 5 August after the abrogation of the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that provided the region with a special provincial status. The Press Information Bureau of India is tweeting about the implications of the Citizenship Amendment Bill focusing on the Indian northeast: Amid this conflict, the Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has appealed to the people of Assam to maintain peace and harmony. Meanwhile, the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has shared a video on Twitter promising that the languages and indigenous cultures of northeast India will be respected after the Citizen (Amendment) Act takes effect. This article was sourced from Global Voices. Subhashish Panigrahi — Long time community manager and documentary filmmaker. Worked at Internet Society, Mozilla, Wikimedia Foundation and Centre for Internet and Society. Digitally-documenting endangered languages with a National Geographic Explorer hat. Online News Association’s 2017 MJ Bear Fellow under 30. Views expressed in my Global Voices articles are my own and do not necessarily reflect the organizations I work for or am affiliated to. Connect on Twitter @subhapa. Top image: Protest against Citizenship Amendment Act in Assam. Screenshot from YouTube video by DW News. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/internet-blocked-as-protests-intensify-in-northeast-india-against-the-citizenship-amendment-act.html

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 18:46:29 +0000

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

activistpost--2019-12-20--Protests Banned Across India After All Hell Breaks Loose

activistpost

Protests Banned Across India After All Hell Breaks Loose

Tens of thousands of people in at least 15 cities across India Thursday defied a government ban on protests after violent demonstrations last week sent the country into chaos following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), reported Bloomberg. CAA is a measure that the Modi government passed into law last Wednesday that allows amnesty to only non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The result of the controversial new citizenship law considered by many to be discriminatory against Muslims led to violent protest late last week and through the weekend. Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and Parsis from the three eligible countries can now receive citizenship if they have illegally entered India though Muslims from the same countries cannot. The protest ban is a police order that prohibits more than four people from assembling. Still, tens of thousands of people ignored the government’s call to stand down and have been demonstrating this week, especially in regions of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Patna, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Telecom companies and internet service providers in high protest regions shut down data service this week, likely on government orders, to squash coordination efforts of organizers who were responsible for assembling thousands of people into the streets via social media. While Thursday’s protests have been relatively calm—here’s what happened last weekend: Indian markets have ignored the social unrest as equities hit record highs for a third straight day. Sovereign bond yields have inched lower since the start of the uprising, while the rupee was calm. Bloomberg notes that CAA “is seen as a precursor to the government’s plan to implement nationwide citizens register to weed out illegal migrants.” Last Sunday, we noted the epicenter of the unrest was in Assam, a region of 1.9 million, with most of them Muslim — and some of them risk losing Indian citizenship after the state-enforced new citizens register in August. “Our paranoid rulers in Delhi are fearful. Our Home Minister would not dare allow a peaceful protest,” Modi critic Ramachandra Guha said after police detained him at a protest in Bangalore. “Everyone should stand up; the entrepreneurs of Bangalore should stand up. Do they want this image to go around, that we are a quasi-dictatorship? We are here to assert our democratic rights.” With the Indian economy quickly decelerating – the passage of CAA triggering social unrest can now allow the Modi government to scapegoat protesters as the reason why the economy is faltering. Saxo Bank’s Christopher Dembik, global head of macro research, provides some color on the slowdown that is expected to roll well into 2020. Dembik warns: “All the leading indicators point out it will get worse.” This article was sourced from The Mind Unleashed. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/protests-banned-across-india-after-all-hell-breaks-loose.html

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 01:23:55 +0000

conflict, war and peace

civil unrest

21stcenturywire--2019-02-12--SYRIA 70 Civilians Killed and Injured in Latest Coalition Massacre Near Deir Ezzor

21stcenturywire

SYRIA: 70 Civilians Killed and Injured in Latest Coalition Massacre Near Deir Ezzor

Despite repeated announcements by Donald Trump that the US would be withdrawing its military assets from their illegal occupation in northeastern Syria, the civilian death toll at the hands of US-led Coalition continues to mount.  This week, it has been revealed that a further 70 civilians, many of them women and children, have been killed and injured by another Coalition bombing raid. One of the regular techniques employed by western governments and their media functionaries to successfully deflect any public criticism for illegal operations in Syria – has been to frame Coalition bombing campaigns as “targeting ISIS controlled areas.” This especially includes the framing of the US-led Coalition’s relentless firebombing of Raqqa in northeastern Syria in 2017. Far from destroying ISIS in Raqqa, the US and its proxy militias, the Kurdish SDF forces – had already allowed hundreds of the top ISIS terrorist militants and officers to escape the city – even allowing them to take their arms with them. This was even admitted by the BBC. After this operation was complete, the US Coalition waged the bulk of their bombing campaign on the city, proceeding to slaughter at least 3,000 Syrian civilians in the process, including entire families who were wiped out by Coalition carpet munitions. The media turned a convenient blind eye at the time by following the US State Dept dictates that the US was simply “bombing ISIS.”  To this day, the US are still in denial about their reckless operation and mass civilian slaughter in Raqqa. The pattern continued this week, as Coalition continue to claim it’s sole mandate is ‘eliminating ISIS.’ In reality, they are attempting to bait Damascus and Moscow into a fight, as any retaliation by the Syrian or Russian armed forces in Syria against the US would give Washington and Tel Aviv the pretext they so desperately need to escalate tensions and war in the region. Deir Ezzor, SANA- Warplanes of the US-led “International Coalition” on Tuesday continued aggression on the Syrian territories through shelling al-Baghouz town in Deir Ezzor countryside claiming the lives of scores of civilians and injuring others, mostly women and children. Local sources in Deir Ezzor told SANA that at least 70 civilians were martyred or injured, mostly women and children on the outskirts of al-Baghouz town in airstrikes launched by warplanes of the “International Coalition”. SEE ALSO: Details of ‘Preliminary Agreement’ Between ISIS and US-led Coalition The sources indicated that the coalition’s airstrikes targeted a camp that embraces hundreds of civilians who fled the shelling by the coalition and the terrorism of Daesh (ISIS), indicating that the number of martyrs is more likely to rise due to the critical conditions of some of the injured and the difficulty of hospitalizing them due to the continued shelling. This massacres comes just hours after warplanes of the “International Coalition” committed another massacre in al-Baghouz village as 24 civilians were martyred mostly women and children.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/02/12/syria-70-civilians-killed-and-injured-in-latest-coalition-massacre-near-deir-ezzor/

2019-02-12 13:53:52+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

activistpost--2019-08-07--Wars and Domestic Massacres

activistpost

Wars and Domestic Massacres

This past weekend, 22 people were killed in El Paso, Texas and 9 in Dayton, Ohio. There have been a number of other mass shootings in the past two decades or so; the largest was in Las Vegas in 2017, with 58 killed. This is sad, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to the real perpetrators of death in America—-the US military. It is been well-said that “it’s time for America to reckon with the staggering death toll of the post 9-11 wars.” “Brown University’s Costs of War Project this month released a new estimate of the total death toll from the U.S. wars in three countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The numbers, while conservatively estimated, are staggering. Brown’s researchers estimate that at least 480,000 people have been directly killed by violence over the course of these conflicts, more than 244,000 of them civilians. In addition to those killed by direct acts violence, the number of indirect deaths — those resulting from disease, displacement, and the loss of critical infrastructure — is believed to be several times higher, running into the millions. The report, which uses data spanning from October 2001 to October 2018, compiles previous analysis from nongovernmental organizations, U.S. and foreign government data, and media reports. In a statement, the report authors said the figures still just ‘scratches the surface of the human consequences of 17 years of war.’ Due to challenges human consequences of 17 years of war.” Due to challenges in data collection, their total estimate is an undercount, they added.” If we want to end mass killing, this is what we should be trying to stop. Instead, the military is glorified. Deaths in war are downplayed, but when a mass shooting happens in an American city, the media saturates us with propaganda calling for gun control. This is ironic not only because of the enormous disparity between the numbers killed by the military and those killed in mass shootings. It is also ironic because many of the mass shooters are people the military has trained to become mass killers. In the aftermath of yet another mass shooting in the United States, the internet and broadcast news alike are inundated with commentary about why this keeps happening in America. But one commonality among numerous mass killings in the United States remains absent from these conversations. It is always reported when details of the shooter are published, but the widespread connection is rarely acknowledged: A mounting number of mass shooters have ties to the military. The United States has indulged in a culture of ‘patriotic’ militarism for decades, glorifying this institutionalized violence as a sign of strength and morality. Indeed, this glorification of violence bleeds over into the United States’ unique problem of individuals committing acts of mass violence. Here is a brief sampling of perpetrators of some of the most high-profile mass shootings in recent years. Many were either members of the military at some point, were rejected by the military (but clearly wanted to join), or came from a military family: Other shooters, like Paul Ciancia, Adam Lanza, and James Holmes showed up to their shootings donning battle gear, and while this does not implicate a direct tie to the military, their decision to show up to a massacre of innocent people in tactical outfits (most commonly associated with the military and police) arguably demonstrates their mentality: one of battle, which is constantly glorified in American culture. Ii is hardly surprising that Connor Betts, the shooter in Dayton, Ohio, showed up in body armor. Instead of ending foreign wars, the greatest single contribution we could make to ending killing and violence, the power elite plays up mass shootings as part of its dual campaign to take away our guns and impose cultural Marxist mind control on us, in the guise of opposing “racism”. As part of this agenda, the FBI and CIA spy on us and plan to ship dissenters to concentration camps.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/08/wars-and-domestic-massacres.html

2019-08-07 18:04:47+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

activistpost--2019-09-19--The Price of Freedom US Drone Massacres Dozens of Afghan Farmers as They Slept

activistpost

The Price of “Freedom”? US Drone Massacres Dozens of Afghan Farmers as They Slept

Jalalabad, Afghanistan — Imagine for a moment that you had just finished a long day’s work with two hundred other farmers. You were settling down to relax for the night, when out of nowhere, Hellfire missiles rain down from drones in the sky and blow up dozens of your coworkers, maiming and tearing limbs from dozens more. Imagine if this happened inside the United States. Imagine the reaction from politicians and the US war machine looking to right this wrong. Would you, as an American citizen sit idly back and accept the excuse given by the country who carried out that attack? Would you accept the wholesale slaughter of your fellow citizens by the dozen if the country who led the attack said it was a mistake and we did it to “help” you? What if it was one of your children killed in the attack? Or your brother, sister, father, mother, or grand parent? Would you simply accept that this slaughter was a mistake and the “help” you are receiving from this country is worth it? Well, that is exactly what the United States is asking Afghanistan to do right now after a drone strike Wednesday night slaughtered 30 innocent civilian farmers as they rested from a long day’s work picking pine nuts. The attack also left 40 others maimed and mangled. “The workers had lit a bonfire and were sitting together when a drone targeted them,” tribal elder Malik Rahat Gul told Reuters by telephone from Wazir Tangi. According to Reuters, a survivor of the drone strike said about 200 laborers were sleeping in five tents pitched near the farm when the attack happened. “Some of us managed to escape, some were injured but many were killed,” said Juma Gul, a resident of northeastern Kunar province who had traveled along with laborers to harvest and shell pine nuts this week. Naturally, the US is responding to the situation with a canned response and refusing to accept responsibility. “U.S. forces conducted a drone strike against Da’esh (IS) terrorists in Nangarhar,” said Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. “We are aware of allegations of the death of non-combatants and are working with local officials to determine the facts.” Residents of the Nangarhar province spoke publicly Thursday and demanded the U.S. take responsibility for this murder. “Such mistakes cannot be justified. American forces must realize (they) will never win the war by killing innocent civilians,” said Javed Mansur, a resident of Jalalabad city. This slaughter comes on the heels of a rather disturbing report released by the United Nations in April detailing how in the first part of 2019, US forces and their allies killed more civilians than the Taliban and other terrorist groups. According to the most recent UN data, Afghan civilians were killed in greater numbers by NATO and pro-government security forces in the first three months of 2019 than by armed militants. Half of those slaughtered by allied troops were women and children. In spite of countless drone bombs raining down from the skies, Hellfire and Tomahawk missiles flattening buildings, and mass graves filled with collateral damage, the US has absolutely nothing to show for it except physically and psychologically damaged veterans and a massive trillion dollar debt. The Congressional Research Service, for example, concluded in 2015 that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost U.S. taxpayers $1.6 trillion. However, according to a report from TIME magazine last year, that number is a gross underestimate. As TFTP previously reported, according to an analysis from the “Costs of War Project” from Brown University’s Watson Institute, by the end of 2018, the U.S. War on Terror cost America taxpayers more than $5.6 trillion, which is an average of $23,386 per taxpayer. As The Nation noted, that estimate does not include several factors such as “the psychic costs to the Americans mangled in one way or another in those never-ending conflicts. They don’t include the costs to this country’s infrastructure, which has been crumbling while taxpayer dollars flow copiously and in a remarkably—in these years, almost uniquely—bipartisan fashion into what’s still laughably called ‘national security.’” After 18 years, there is no sign that the War on Terror is ending anytime soon, but surely the United States is finally close to defeating Al Qaeda—right? Unfortunately, the opposite is true. A report from the Los Angeles Times noted that in 2018, “Al Qaeda may be stronger than ever,” and instead of destroying the group, “U.S. policies in the Mideast appear to have encouraged its spread.”

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/09/the-price-of-freedom-us-drone-massacres-dozens-of-afghan-farmers-as-they-slept.html

2019-09-19 17:23:58+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

bbc--2019-02-19--Viewpoint Should Britain apologise for Amritsar massacre

bbc

Viewpoint: Should Britain apologise for Amritsar massacre?

Hundreds of Indians attending a public meeting were shot dead by British troops in the northern Indian city of Amritsar in 1919. Historian Kim Wagner sifts fact from fiction as the UK House of Lords prepares to debate the massacre, including if Britain should apologise. On 13 April 1919, Sergeant WJ Anderson witnessed first-hand the brutal massacre of hundreds of Indian civilians at Jallianwala Bagh, a public garden in Amritsar city. "When fire was opened the whole crowd seemed to sink to the ground, a whole flutter of white garments, with however a spreading out towards the main gateway, and some individuals could be seen climbing the high wall," Anderson later recalled. "There was little movement, except for the climbers. The gateway would soon be jammed. I saw no sign of a rush towards the troops." He had served as the bodyguard of Brigadier General RH Dyer, who had rushed to Amritsar a few days earlier to quell what he believed to be a major uprising. The crowd of more than 20,000 people, however, were not armed rebels. They were local residents and villagers from the surrounding countryside who had come to listen to political speeches or simply to spend a few hours in the gardens. It was also the day of the Baisakhi festival, which marked the anniversary of the creation of the Khalsa, or Sikh community, and annually attracted thousands of visitors and pilgrims. The crowd comprised Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Most were men and young boys, including some infants; only a few women were present. When Gen Dyer ordered his troops to cease firing, Jallianwala Bagh resembled a battlefield strewn with corpses. Between 500 and 600 people were killed, and probably three times as many wounded. The exact numbers will never be known for certain but the official death count, reached months later, was just 379. In recent years, much of the public debate has focused on calls for a formal British apology - the demand has been led by, among others, Indian politician and author Shashi Tharoor. Queen Elizabeth II visited the memorial at Jallianwala Bagh in 1997 and then Prime Minister David Cameron visited in 2013 - both showed their respect yet carefully avoided making an actual apology. In December 2017, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, nevertheless urged the British government to make just such a gesture during his own visit to Amritsar. "I am clear that the government should now apologise, especially as we reach the centenary of the massacre. This is about properly acknowledging what happened here and giving the people of Amritsar and India the closure they need through a formal apology," he said. Exactly what happened at Jallianwala Bagh, however, remains unclear, and a century later, the actual circumstances of the massacre are still shrouded in myth and misconceptions. There are, for instance, people, often with a nostalgic attachment to the Empire, who still insist that Gen Dyer only opened fire as a final resort when the crowd ignored his warning to disperse - even though the general himself was quite clear that he gave no such warning. Similarly, the idea that the shooting was necessary and prevented much worse violence conveniently ignores the fact that Indian riots in April 1919 were in each and every case precipitated by British actions. Factual inaccuracies are also to be found at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial today. Among other things, a sign claims that 120 bodies of the victims of the massacre were recovered from what has become known as the Martyrs' Well. It's believed that many people jumped into the well to escape the bullets. But there is no evidence for this story, which appears to be based on a mix-up with the infamous well at Kanpur city, where the bodies of British women and children were disposed after a massacre in 1857. Visual depictions of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre also show machine guns being used, when the historical record is quite clear that the shooting was carried out by 50 Gurkha and Baluchi troops armed with rifles. Gen Dyer also did not orchestrate the massacre, and deliberately trap the crowd inside the gardens, as some popular accounts have it. In fact, it was British panic and misreading of the political turmoil in India that was at the root of the violence. While Indian nationalists were looking forward to political reforms and greater self-determination after the end of World War One, the British were still haunted by the spectre of the 1857 "mutiny", an uprising that is often referred to as India's first war of independence. So, when riots broke out in Amritsar on 10 April - and five Europeans and dozens of Indians were killed - the authorities responded with immediate and indiscriminate force. Three days later, Gen Dyer entered what he mistakenly perceived to be a war zone. Where popular depictions show a peaceful crowd of locals quietly listening to a political speech, Gen Dyer instead perceived a defiant and murderous mob, which had only days before run rampant through Amritsar. When he ordered his troops to open fire, it was an act of fear, spurred on by a disastrously flawed threat assessment. None of this exonerates Gen Dyer or detracts from the sheer brutality of the massacre - nor does it justify the subsequent torture and humiliation of Indians under martial law. The indisputable violence of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre hardly requires any embellishment. Nevertheless, facts matter if we are to pay our respect to those who died rather than simply perpetuate politically convenient fiction. And to understand is not the same as to condone. Apologies and centenaries, which are essentially about the present rather than the past, are rarely conducive to an honest and nuanced reckoning with history. An apology from a British government in the throes of Brexit, at the moment, seems highly unlikely. It it indeed doubtful whether an official acknowledgement of the massacre would be construed as more than an act of political expediency. The question thus remains whether an apology without a genuine understanding of the past can ever provide the "closure" that so many seek. Kim Wagner is the author, most recently, of Amritsar 1919: An Empire of Fear and the Making of a Massacre (Yale University Press) and Jallianwala Bagh: An Empire of Fear and the Making of the Amritsar Massacre (Penguin India).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-47070534

2019-02-19 00:41:31+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

bbc--2019-04-18--Bangka Island The WW2 massacre and a truth too awful to speak

bbc

Bangka Island: The WW2 massacre and a 'truth too awful to speak'

In 1942, a group of Australian nurses were murdered by Japanese soldiers in what came to be known as the Bangka Island massacre. Now, a historian has collated evidence indicating they were sexually assaulted beforehand - and that Australian authorities allegedly hushed it up. "It took a group of women to uncover this truth - and to finally speak it." Military historian Lynette Silver is discussing what happened to 22 Australian nurses who were marched into the sea at Bangka Island, Indonesia, and shot with machine guns in February 1942. All except one were killed. "That was a jolt to the senses enough. But to have been raped beforehand was just too awful a truth to speak," Ms Silver says, speaking of claims she details in a new book. "Senior Australian army officers wanted to protect grieving families from the stigma of rape. It was seen as shameful. Rape was known as a fate worse than death, and was still a hangable offence [for perpetrators] in New South Wales until 1955." Nurse Vivian Bullwinkel was shot in the massacre but survived by playing dead. She hid in the jungle and was taken as a prisoner of war, before eventually returning to Australia. She was "gagged" from speaking about the rapes at the Tokyo war crimes tribunal in the aftermath of World War Two, according to Ms Silver, who researched an account Ms Bullwinkel gave to a broadcaster before she died in 2000. "She was following orders," Ms Silver says. "In addition to the taboo, there was probably some guilt from the Australian government - senior officers knew Japanese troops had raped and murdered British nurses when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong in 1942, but were tardy in calls to evacuate the Australian nurses from Singapore." According to the Australian government, the perpetrators of the massacre remain unknown and "escaped any punishment for their crime". An Australian Defence Force spokesperson says a decision on whether a new investigation into these sexual assault claims will commence is up to the government, but that "new historic allegations can be reported by family" to a unit which investigates such crimes. The other women whose work has revealed evidence of these alleged sexual assaults are broadcaster Tess Lawrence and biographer Barbara Angell. Ms Angell did forensic work into the mismatching thread and bullet holes in Ms Bullwinkel's nurse's uniform. It indicated that buttons had been ripped off her bodice and sewn on in a different colour thread (after her death, when it was put on display), and the only way the bullet entry and exit holes lined up was if her bodice was open at the waist and down at the front. Ms Lawrence reported in 2017 that, before she died, Ms Bullwinkel confided in her that "most of" the nurses were "violated" before being shot, and that she'd wanted to reveal this but couldn't - a secret, she said, that "tortured" her. The Australian historian also cites an account of a Japanese soldier who was being treated for malaria nearby on Bangka Island, which is off Sumatra. He told an Australian investigating officer that he heard screams and was told soldiers were "pleasuring themselves on the beach and it'd be the turn of platoon next". In addition, Ms Silver discovered that part of a page detailing what happened to the nurses in a key account had been ripped out, in what she believes was an act of censorship. The account was by Jean Williams, wife of Major Harold Williams, about investigations he conducted for the Australian War Crimes Section. Peter Stanley, a military history professor at University of New South Wales, says Ms Silver's account doesn't surprise him: "I've been waiting for this story to come out - it has been alleged for years, including by ex-servicewomen who knew Vivian Bullwinkel and told me. It correlates with on-the-record sexual assaults by Japanese WW2 soldiers in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Singapore." Before the massacre, Ms Silver says the Australian nurses had "a carefree, happy life" in Singapore until the end of 1941. "They were wined and dined - the darlings of the army," she says. "They were just dealing with the usual complaints you get in army peacetime - accidents in training, car accidents, malaria." When the Japanese attacked on 8 December 1941 - a few hours before Pearl Harbor - their lives changed, she says: "They were overwhelmed with battle casualties. Even houses in Singapore were transformed into hospitals." Ms Silver says she sees it as important to speak the "unsanitised truth" that Vivian Bullwinkel had wanted to tell in 1945 and 1946. "If I didn't tell this secret, I'd be part of the culture of silence and the government clampdown, and protecting the perpetrators," she says. "These nurses deserve to have their story told - that's their justice." She has recently received emails from people who personally knew the nurses. "I was slightly concerned people might say I should let sleeping dogs lie, but I haven't received a single derogatory remark," she says. Ms Silver now wants the Australian War Memorial (AWM), which already includes the story of the massacre, to tailor its tours to include this account of the alleged sexual assaults. AWM director Dr Brendan Nelson tells the BBC: "We don't deny or downplay these allegations; indeed, it's known rape and sexual assault are used as weapons in war. Nevertheless, as the sole survivor the incident, Lt Col Bullwinkel, passed away nearly 20 years ago, we do not, nor can ever categorically know what took place." Ms Silver draws parallels with the #MeToo movement: "The same social mores are at play - whereby women felt compelled to wait before they could say anything. As victims, they're made to feel responsible. I think #MeToo would've given Vivian Bullwinkel the confidence to finally speak up." "Female history writers are generally more interested in the human element than how many guns there were. As a female, you have empathy." She said it was revealing that it was three female historians who uncovered the evidence for this story: "I've heard of history being told as 'his-story'. This was the opposite of that."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-47796046

2019-04-18 16:03:42+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

21stcenturywire--2019-04-26--Intl Monitors US Coalition Killed Over 1600 Civilians During Bombing of Raqqa Syria

21stcenturywire

Int’l Monitors: US Coalition Killed Over 1,600 Civilians During Bombing of Raqqa, Syria

According to a new report issued by an independent conflict monitoring group, the US-led bombing campaign waged in 2017 to ‘liberate’ the Syrian city of Raqqa from the Islamic State (ISIS), ended up killing more than 1,600 civilians – a figure that is 10 times as high as the number of dead claimed by the US-led coalition. These numbers are according to reports submitted by Amnesty International, and Airwars, a London-based conflict monitoring group formed in 2014 to study the impact of the US-led air campaigns against target nations. After 18 months of researching civilian deaths, including two months on the ground in Raqqa, the group have finally released their findings, and are urging that the US-led coalition “end almost two years of denial” about the true death tolls resulting from their bombing runs in Syria, and Iraq. “Our conclusive finding after all this is that the US-led coalition’s military offensive [US, UK and French forces] directly caused more than 1,600 civilian deaths in Raqqa,” said researchers. Previously, US officials downplayed, and were likely lying – about having taken “great care to avoid civilian casualties” and also made the erroneous claims that they investigate any accusations regarding their lack of precision when seeking out their alleged “ISIS targets.” Back in 2017, a spokesperson for U.S. CENTCOM told UK newspaper The Independent, “The Coalition takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and assesses all credible allegations of possible civilian casualties. Coalition forces work diligently and deliberately to be precise in our airstrikes.” They added, “Coalition forces comply with the law of armed conflict and take all reasonable precautions during the planning and execution of airstrikes to reduce the risk of harm to civilians.” “The Coalition respects human life and is assisting partner forces in their effort to liberate their land from Isis while safeguarding civilians. Our goal is always for zero civilian casualties.” Those statements now appear to be patently false, based on the review of the new data and a lack of any visible due diligence by the Pentagon. More crucially, for the last 2 years, the western mainstream media never seriously challenged any of the US military’s spotty claims, nor were the media interested in mounting any investigation into what now appears to be bona fide international war crimes. Since 2014, an international coalition led by the US has been giving military support to both the Iraqi government and their own illegal paramilitary creation a Syrian, a Kurdish-led confab called the “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF), who managed to re-captured Raqqa in late 2017 after a five-month air bombing campaign led by the US. It was known by Amnesty last year that evidence existed that the US-led coalition’s air and artillery strikes in Raqqa had violated international law by killing civilians in large numbers, but no major estimate was given until now.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/04/26/intl-monitors-us-coalition-killed-over-1600-civilians-during-bombing-of-raqqa-syria/

2019-04-26 11:43:54+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

airwars--2019-12-24--More than 220 civilians likely killed in Turkish invasion of northern Syria

airwars

More than 220 civilians likely killed in Turkish invasion of northern Syria

Despite October ceasefires, the violence has continued with atrocities alleged on both sides. Eleven weeks on from the October 9th launch of a Turkish-led offensive against Kurds in northern Syria, known as ‘Operation Peace Spring’, fighting continues to rage with civilians still encountering significant violence. Since the beginning of the latest clashes, Airwars researchers have overall monitored between 244 and 312 reported civilian deaths resulting from air, artillery and ground action by both sides, as well as the wounding of between 705 and 924 civilians. See our searchable database of reported Turkish civilian harm events in Syria The recent conflict between Turkish-led forces and the Kurds has also seen a sharp rise in reported atrocities from both sides, which could be considered war crimes according to international law. While the majority of civilian deaths tracked by Airwars resulted from actions by Turkey and its proxies, around one in four fatalities were however reportedly caused by Kurdish strikes – a significant change from Afrin. Between 172 and 225 civilian fatalities and between 419 and 553 civilian injuries were attributed by local sources to Turkey and its proxy forces in Syria across 117 incidents, which are presently graded as fairly reported by Airwars. This means that two or more credible, uncontested sources have reported civilian harm blamed on a specific belligerent. Meanwhile, between 55 and 64 civilian fatalities and between 208 and 260 injuries were attributed to Kurdish armed groups in 35 civilian harm incidents for which Airwars has assessed the reporting as fair. The offensive, which Turkey had been preparing for since July 2019, followed the chaotic initial withdrawal of US forces from Syria in a bid by President Trump to deflate US-Turkish tensions. The assault by Ankara is the latest in a long history of hostilities between the Turkish state, and Kurdish separatists affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). However, more recent tensions began after the PKK-affiliated Syrian Kurdish Protection Units (YPG), operating under the broader umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), began to grow in prominence in northern Syria during their successful campaign against ISIS, with the support of the United States and the international Coalition. The SDF’s growing strength despite thousands of losses in the war against ISIS – and the significant territory it now controlled in northern Syria – reportedly elevated fears in Ankara that an autonomous administration dominated by the YPG on its restive border could inspire separatist sentiments amongst Kurds in southern Turkey. The apparent purpose of this incursion, therefore, was both to weaken the YPG, and to create a buffer zone along the Syria-Turkey border, by driving out the local Kurdish population and replacing it with forcibly returned Syrian refugees, a policy which some academics and commentators have described as displaying the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing. The beginning of the recent campaign saw Turkish forces and their proxy allies on the ground bombard key towns and urban settlements under the control of the SDF. such as Ras al-Ain in Hasakah province; Tal Abyad in Raqqa province; and Kobani in Aleppo province, as well as numerous other civilian-populated areas of northern Syria. The SDF in turn hit back, targeting Turkish forces and affiliated groups’ positions in Syria as well as towns in southern Turkey. In stark contrast to Turkey’s Afrin campaign in January 2018 – when the SDF had also been embroiled in their major campaign against ISIS in northeastern Syria, leaving them vulnerable to Turkey’s offensive – Kurdish forces appeared more prepared this time. The proportion of Kurdish counterstrikes to Turkish attacks in this campaign are significantly higher than previous campaigns, as evidenced by Airwars monitoring. In the Afrin campaign, there were 4.75 Turkish incidents for every Kurdish incident, while in comparison during this latest confrontation, there have been three Turkish incidents for every Kurdish incident. While supposed ceasefires between the warring parties were reached on October 17th and October 22nd, mediated by Washington and Moscow respectively, the violence did not cease and civilians continued to be caught in attacks. Since October 18th, following the implementation of the ceasefire, 57 additional civilian harm event allegations have been levelled against Turkey and 25 such allegations against Kurdish forces. The worst reported event since October 17th occurred just one day after the ceasefire was announced in the village of Zirgan, close to the city of Ras al-Ain, where between 12 and 19 civilians were killed, including four children, in what Kurdish media sources described as a massacre. The ineffectual ceasefire also failed to protect humanitarian workers from harm. On November 3rd, a Doctors Without Borders convoy was targeted by an alleged Turkish mortar strike, killing Zau Seng, a member of the Free Burma Rangers and injuring three others. Diplomatic negotiations between Ankara, Moscow and Washington gave the Kurds time to withdraw their forces 30km back from a 120km long strip along the Turkey-Syria border – at least partially granting Turkey its ‘safe zone’. However, this was achieved at the expense of a humanitarian crisis in northern Syria. Beyond the disastrous loss of life, hundreds of thousands have been forcefully displaced as a result of the fighting. According to Refugee International, over 215,000 people have so far been driven from their homes as a result of the offensive, compounding an already bleak humanitarian situation in northeast Syria, where, according to the United Nations, 1.3 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance. Civil society activists, human rights groups, medical personnel and journalists have all accused the Turkish military and Turkish-backed groups of committing war crimes and human rights violations over the course of the offensive. These abuses have taken various forms. Local sources have for example reported numerous cases of summary execution of civilians and public officials. The most notorious case was the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army’s (SNA) execution of Hevrin Khalaf of the Syria Future Party and the mutilation of her body, which was captured on camera. Numerous other cases have emerged of Turkish-backed forces summarily executing civilians and combatants alike. The M4 highway, which runs parallel with Syria’s northern border with Turkey has become synonymous with summary executions and extrajudicial killings. A plethora of videos have emerged showing Turkish-backed forces taunting victims before killing them and mutilating their bodies. However, there is also ample evidence to indicate that atrocities have been carried out by both sides of the conflict. In one case, on October 20th, YPG forces reportedly handcuffed and executed seven civilians, including three from the same family in Ras al-Ain on charges of conspiring with Turkish-backed forces in the region. The fact that these atrocities have been so widespread from both sides points to an unprecedented level of brutality in this campaign, that was absent even from the Afrin offensive in 2018. Additionally, reports have emerged of indiscriminate shelling by Turkey of medical facilities in Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad, as well as civilian-populated neighbourhoods of major cities such as Qamishli. Turkish backed forces have also been accused of looting and pillaging the property of civilians, with numerous reports emerging over the course of the conflict suggesting that the SNA had allegedly ransacked homes, shops, businesses and farms belonging to civilians in northern Syria. Finally, the suspected use of prohibited weapons, allegedly by Turkey, has been well documented by journalists and medical personnel. According to a report by Dr Abbas Mansouran, a senior member of the medical staff at the main hospital of Hasakah, approximately 30 victims, mostly civilians were admitted to the hospital with severe and unusual burns and injuries, which he believes were caused by chemical weapons use, specifically the use of white phosphorus munitions. According to Dr Mansouran, Turkish forces may have used dense inert metal explosive (DIME) bombs, which have similar chemical properties to white phosphorus. • Airwars reached out for comment from both Turkish and YPG military authorities for this article, though had received no response at time of publication.

Mohammed al Jumaily

https://airwars.org/news-and-investigations/more-than-200-civilians-likely-killed-in-turkish-invasion-of-northern-syria/

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 09:00:16 +0000

conflict, war and peace

massacre

bbc--2019-07-26--Syria war World shrugs as 103 civilians killed in 10 days

bbc

Syria war: 'World shrugs' as 103 civilians killed in 10 days

More than 100 people, including 26 children, have died in air strikes on hospitals, schools, markets and bakeries in north-west Syria in the past 10 days, a top UN official says. Human rights chief Michelle Bachelet blamed the attacks in rebel-held areas on the government and its allies. But the attacks were met with "apparent international indifference", she said. Syria and its ally Russia have both denied targeting civilians in air strikes in the Idlib region. Speaking to reporters, Ms Bachelet criticised the "failure of leadership by the world's most powerful nations". The rising death toll in Idlib had been met with a "collective shrug" and the conflict had fallen off the international radar, while the UN Security Council was paralysed, she said. She said the civilian targets were unlikely to have been accidental and warned that those carrying out the attacks could be charged with war crimes. "Intentional attacks against civilians are war crimes, and those who have ordered them or carried them out are criminally responsible for their actions," Ms Bachelet said. Idlib province, along with the north of Hama province and western Aleppo province, is one of the last opposition strongholds in Syria after eight years of civil war. It is supposedly covered by a truce brokered in September by Russia and opposition-backer Turkey that spared the 2.7 million civilians living there from a major government offensive. Last week, the UN said more than 350 civilians had been killed and 330,000 forced to flee their homes since fighting escalated on 29 April. But that figure has now been revised, adding 103 extra deaths in the past 10 days alone. The estimate for the number displaced stands at more than 400,000. The government - which is backed by the Russian air force - said the increase in attacks was due to repeated truce violations by jihadists linked to al-Qaeda who dominate the opposition stronghold. Russia has denied reports earlier this week that it carried out airstrikes on a market and residential areas which left at least 31 civilians dead. Even before the conflict began, many Syrians were complaining about high unemployment, corruption and a lack of political freedom under President Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his father, Hafez, after he died in 2000. In March 2011, pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in the southern city of Deraa, inspired by the "Arab Spring" in neighbouring countries. When the government used deadly force to crush the dissent, protests demanding the president's resignation erupted nationwide. The unrest spread and the crackdown intensified. Opposition supporters took up arms, first to defend themselves and later to rid their areas of security forces. Mr Assad vowed to crush what he called "foreign-backed terrorism". The violence rapidly escalated and the country descended into civil war. Read more: Why is there a war in Syria?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-49126523

2019-07-26 14:48:57+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

fortruss--2019-05-31--Washington ADMITS to killing more than 1300 civilians in Syria and Iraq figure likely much higher

fortruss

Washington ADMITS to killing more than 1,300 civilians in Syria and Iraq – figure likely much higher

U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles taxi the runway after landing at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, November 12, 2015. Six F-15Es are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and counter-ISIL missions in Iraq and Syria. Picture taken November 12, 2015. REUTERS/USAF/Tech. Sgt. Taylor Worley/Handout via Reuters THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - RTS6UJ3 Washington ADMITS to killing more than 1,300 civilians in Syria and Iraq – figure likely much higher WASHINGTON DC – May 31, 2019 – US-led forces killed at least 1,300 civilians as a result of fighting terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, the military said. Joint Task Force Combined – Operation Inherent Resolution ( CJTF-OIR ) published on Friday the monthly assessment of casualties. According to the report, during the operation against the Daesh [ISIS], Syria and Iraq were killed 1,302 civilians. “The Coalition conducted 34,502 strikes between August 2014 and the end of April 2019. During this period, based on information available, CJTF-OIR assesses at least 1,302 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes since the beginning of Operation Inherent Resolve. This report includes three credible reports that had not been previously reported in monthly CIVCAS releases,” the report says. “In the month of April, CJTF-OIR carried over 122 open reports from previous months and received seven new reports. CJTF-OIR completed 18 civilian-casualty allegation assessment reports. Out of the 18 completed casualty allegation reports, three reports were determined to be credible and resulted in five unintentional civilian deaths. The remaining 15 reports were assessed to be non-credible. One hundred and eleven reports are still open, including three that had been previously closed but were reopened due to the availability of new information,” the report continues. Last month, the coalition published comparable figures, according to which 1,291 people were killed unintentionally as a result of the operation against terrorist groups. At the same time, the human rights organization Amnesty International has reported over 1,600 civilians killed by coalition forces from June to October 2017 as a result of the Raqqa offensive. Based on the history of such reporting, it would stand to reason that the actual civilian death toll inflicted by the U.S is substantially higher. The United States and its allies have been involved in the military operation against terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq since 2014. While the Iraqi government has approved the presence of foreign units, the Syrian authorities have not given permission for the coalition to carry out military activities in its territory, the UN Security Council did not authorize it either.

Paul Antonopoulos

https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/05/washington-admits-to-killing-more-than-1300-civilians-in-syria-and-iraq-figure-likely-much-higher/

2019-05-31 19:15:13+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

nationalreview--2019-05-02--Pentagon US Military Operations Killed 120 Civilians in 2018

nationalreview

Pentagon: U.S. Military Operations Killed 120 Civilians in 2018

The Pentagon has revealed that 120 civilians lost their lives as a result of American military operations in 2018. In a report released Thursday, the Defense Department said that 42 civilians had been killed in Iraq and Syria, 76 had been killed in Afghanistan, and two had been killed in Somalia. The report said that there had been no “credible” claims of civilian casualties caused by U.S. operations in Libya and Yemen. “All DoD operations in 2018 were conducted in accordance with law of war requirements, including law of war protections for civilians, such as the fundamental principles of distinction and proportionality and the requirement to take feasible precautions in planning and conducting attacks to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and other persons and objects protected from being made the object of an attack,” said the annual report, which is required by Congress. Watchdog groups say the Pentagon vastly underestimates the number of civilian deaths its operations cause each year. A report by Amnesty International and Airwars last month claimed that 805 such deaths had occurred in Iraq and Syria alone in 2018. The Trump administration was criticized in March for scrapping an Obama-era requirement that intelligence officials release an “unclassified summary of the number of strikes” and “assessments of combatant and non combatant deaths resulting from those strikes.” Administration officials said the requirement was redundant because of the annual Defense Department report. “Although CIVCAS [civilian casualties] are a tragic and unavoidable part of war, no force in history is more committed to limiting harm to civilians,” the DoD report said.

Mairead McArdle

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/pentagon-u-s-military-operations-killed-120-civilians-in-2018/

2019-05-02 17:42:33+00:00

conflict, war and peace

massacre

bbc--2019-01-27--Taliban talks Will negotiations lead to peace in Afghanistan

bbc

Taliban talks: Will negotiations lead to peace in Afghanistan?

The "significant progress" said to have been made during six days of talks between US officials and the Afghan Taliban suggests that both sides are serious about trying to find a peaceful solution to a 17-year conflict that has scarred Afghanistan. But with the Taliban currently refusing to hold direct talks with Afghan officials, and negotiations relating to "unsolved matters" still to continue, what has actually been agreed during the meetings in Qatar? Secunder Kermani, the BBC's Afghanistan correspondent, and senior Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai, look at what we know so far about the talks, and what it could mean for the future of the country and the foreign forces operating there. Both the Taliban and US officials have said "progress" was made in the latest set of talks in Qatar, and despite continuing violence on the ground in Afghanistan, there seems to be a growing momentum to the peace negotiations. Leading analyst Ahmed Rashid told the BBC the talks were "enormously significant" and that "we've never been as close… to an end to the civil war in Afghanistan". The talks lasted for six days - longer than any of the other previous set of discussions that have been held during recent months. In the middle of the talks last week, the Taliban announced one of the group's founding members, Mullah Abdul Ghani Barader, would be appointed the new head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, after recently being released from detention by Pakistani authorities. Mr Rashid said Mullah Barader "had a record of wanting peace and stability" and could help persuade grassroots members to accept any deal that is reached. The "progress" made seems to relate to two key issues: A senior Taliban official who attended the talks told the BBC that both sides had agreed to form two committees to draw up detailed plans on how to implement agreements in principle on these topics. The Taliban leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the committees would "identify routes for the withdrawal, and how much time is needed. We suggested six months, but are flexible". He said the committees would also produce concrete proposals on how the Taliban can sever any links to al-Qaeda, and would start work within the next week. The Taliban source added that another meeting with the US would likely take place in early February. Another source in the Taliban told the BBC that once an agreement had been drawn up, they would attempt to get other countries or international organisations to act as guarantors for it. Both sides have said further talks are necessary to resolve outstanding issues. What remains unclear is how a ceasefire fits into current discussions. The Taliban position seems to be one that can only be declared once a withdrawal date for international forces has been agreed. A separate high ranking Taliban official suggested that the group was nervous about agreeing to a ceasefire before having established a firm settlement, as it could be difficult to convince grassroots fighters to take up arms again, after having laid them down. The other crucial issue is when the Taliban will agree to begin talking directly to the Afghan government. The Taliban official said the "committees" due to be established would also produce recommendations on this. So far, the insurgents have only engaged with the US, dismissing the administration of President Ashraf Ghani as "puppets." In pointed comments at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland earlier this week, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces had lost their lives since he took office in 2014. "It shows who is doing the fighting," he said. When asked about the progress of talks in Qatar, President Ghani responded tersely that the aim of the meetings was "to bring the Afghan government and the Taliban into face-to-face discussions and negotiations... then, the larger issues of the US presence and other international issues will be addressed". Many analysts have interpreted those comments as revealing a concern amongst Afghan authorities that they are being excluded from the discussions amidst the rush to bring the conflict to an end. US President Donald Trump is believed to be growing increasingly frustrated by the continued US presence in the country. Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation who has led talks for the American side, seemed aware of these concerns when he tweeted he was travelling to Kabul to brief President Ghani and said that any deal "must include an intra-Afghan dialogue." The discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban are likely to be even more complicated and delicate than the discussions that have been held so far. They would have to include agreements on the role of women's rights and democracy in an Afghanistan where the ultra-conservative Taliban are a significant part of the political mainstream. Previous attempts at peace have failed in their early stages. In 2015, talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban in Pakistan broke down after news emerged of the death of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar - with whose authority the Taliban team was supposedly meeting. Whilst in 2013, talks in Qatar were cancelled when the then Afghan President Hamid Karzai was angered by the presence of a Taliban flag at the group's offices in Qatar, and felt his authority was being undermined.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47021424

2019-01-27 14:22:40+00:00

conflict, war and peace

peace process

osce--2019-03-13--OSCE Chairperson-in-Office offers further support to ongoing reforms discusses current issues in pe

osce

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office offers further support to ongoing reforms, discusses current issues in peace negotiations during visit to Armenia

YEREVAN, 13 March 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák emphasized the importance of creating perspectives for peace during his visit to Armenia today. He welcomed the commitment to reforms and discussed the ongoing work and next steps in the negotiations for a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the OSCE’s longstanding engagement with and in Armenia. “Armenia is undergoing a series of political and economic reforms. In close co-operation with the Armenian authorities we are ready to deepen our engagement to support their efforts,” Lajčák said, welcoming Armenia’s reform agenda and the implementation of related programmes. Accompanied by his Personal Representative on the Conflict Dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Lajčák met with the political leadership in Yerevan, including President Armen Sarkissian; Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan; Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan; the President of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan; as well as representatives of the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh. Lajčák highlighted the importance of maintaining the stable context for contact between the sides and working towards a peaceful and fair solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict respecting all principles, while calling on the sides to avoid hostile rhetoric. “I welcome the significant decrease in ceasefire violations and reported casualties over the past six months,” the Chairperson-in-Office said. “For peace to take hold, it needs to be accepted and owned by the people. And it requires that our efforts extend beyond politicians. The preparation of populations for peace is an important and complex matter, and deserves our full support.” Recalling the long-term interest and engagement of the international community, he also expressed his full support for the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, as well as for the work of his Personal Representative.

UFroese

https://www.osce.org/chairmanship/414149

2019-03-13 22:50:27+00:00

conflict, war and peace

peace process

sottnet--2019-09-17--After stalled negotiations with the US Taliban delegation visits Iran to discuss peace deal

sottnet

After stalled negotiations with the US, Taliban delegation visits Iran to discuss peace deal

A delegation of the Taliban movement has travelled to Iran amid the decreasing prospects for signing a peace deal with the United States, a Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said Tuesday.According to the spokesman,The delegation was led by the deputy political head of the Taliban, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the spokesman added.On Friday, a Taliban delegation visited Moscow to meet with the Russian president's special representative for Afghanistan , Zamir Kabulov. During the talks, the sides emphasized the need to resume talks between the movement and the United States.Washington and the Taliban have been negotiating a peace deal for about a year. The sides were close to announcing the long-awaited agreement in early September, but the efforts were undermined following a series of terrorist attacks carried out by the Taliban in the Afghan capital of Kabul, which killed dozens of civilians and a US serviceman.US President Donald Trump said the talks were "dead" and put the blame for sabotaging the negotiations on the Taliban.The deal envisaged a gradual withdrawal of foreign troops in exchange for the Taliban's guarantee that the country would not become a haven for terrorists and the movement would sever all ties to terrorist organizations.

https://www.sott.net/article/420564-After-stalled-negotiations-with-the-US-Taliban-delegation-visits-Iran-to-discuss-peace-deal

2019-09-17 19:45:51+00:00

conflict, war and peace

peace process

unian--2019-11-18--FM Prystaiko sees deployment of peacekeepers to Donbas as alternative to Minsk agreements

unian

FM Prystaiko sees deployment of peacekeepers to Donbas as alternative to Minsk agreements

The minister says several options are foreseen if the Minsk deal fails. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko says that the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Russia-occupied Donbas could be an alternative to the Minsk peace agreements. The Foreign Ministry has got "a folder with Plan B in case Plan A does not work," he told the Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine in an interview. Read alsoOSCE's Sajdik says UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas unrealistic at the moment (Video) "I have said many times this could be a peacekeeping operation. It is not foreseen by the Minsk process at all. And even when it is discussed by the leaders, a fair question arises: Are we going to withdraw from the Minsk deal? That is, I did not say anything 'anti- Minsk.' On the contrary, the leaders have long been discussing the possibility of changes that provide for the possibility of a peacekeeping mission," Prystaiko said. At the same time, the minister noted that if this option does not work, for example, if Russia blocks a UN Security Council decision and no peacekeepers are deployed, the diplomatic system will probably offer Plan C. "And we have a few more options in stock that have already been outlined to the president in general terms," Prystaiko added. As UNIAN reported earlier, Foreign Minister Prystaiko said that Ukraine could withdraw from the Minsk agreements in case of the failure of a Normandy summit, which is expected to take place before the end of the year.

https://www.unian.info/politics/10758849-fm-prystaiko-sees-deployment-of-peacekeepers-to-donbas-as-alternative-to-minsk-agreements.html

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 12:24:00 +0200

conflict, war and peace

peace process

abcnews--2019-11-06--UN urges South Sudan warring parties to fulfill peace deal

abcnews

UN urges South Sudan warring parties to fulfill peace deal

The U.N. Security Council is calling on South Sudan's warring parties to publicly reaffirm their commitment to fully implement a peace deal signed over a year ago that calls for a coalition government to be formed on Nov. 12. The U.N.'s most powerful body expressed concern in a statement Wednesday that during its recent visit to South Sudan, its members "did not observe substantive progress on implementation of key elements of the peace agreement." Under the agreement, opposition leader Riek Machar is to return to the capital of Juba on Nov. 12 and once again serve as President Salva Kiir's deputy. That is part of a power-sharing deal aimed at pulling the country out of a five-year civil war that has killed almost 400,000 people.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/urges-south-sudan-warring-parties-fulfill-peace-deal-66804450

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:52:39 -0500

conflict, war and peace

peace process

bbc--2019-08-16--North Korea snubs peace talks with South Korea over war drills

bbc

North Korea snubs peace talks with South Korea over war drills

North Korea has rejected any further talks with South Korea, calling its decision "completely the fault of South Korea's actions". It issued a statement in response to a speech by South Korea President Moon Jae-in on Thursday. Meanwhile, early on Friday North Korea test-fired two missiles into the sea off its eastern coast, the South Korean military said. It is the sixth such test in less than a month. The two "unidentified projectiles" were fired about 08:00 (23:00 GMT Thursday) and travelled 230km (140 miles) reaching an altitude of 30km (18 miles), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Six days ago, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The series of tests comes after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed during a meeting in June to restart denuclearisation negotiations. North Korea has faced international sanctions for its development of nuclear weapons. In a speech marking Korea's liberation from Japanese rule, President Moon vowed to unite the Korean peninsula by 2045. Korea divided into two countries at the end of World War Two. President Moon said the goal of achieving denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula was at its "most critical juncture", as talks between North and South appear deadlocked. "A new Korean peninsula, one that will bring peace and prosperity to itself, east Asia and the world, awaits us," he said in the televised speech. In a statement, the North questioned the meaning of dialogue when "even at this moment, South Korea continues its joint military exercise and to speak of a peaceful economy or a peaceful regime. It has no right to do so." In an extended attack on President Moon, the statement continued: "We even question if his thought process is sound when he mentions 'talks' between North and South while playing out war scenarios that plan to destroy most of our armies in 90 days. "He truly is a shameless man." North Korea has expressed anger over the US-South Korean military drills currently taking place, stating that they violate agreements reached with US President Donald Trump and President Moon. It has previously described them as a "rehearsal for war". In a recent letter to Mr Trump, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un is said to have complained "about the ridiculous and expensive" military exercises. The deadlock in denuclearisation talks is entirely the fault of South Korea's decision to hold the drills, the North's reunification spokesman said. "We have no more words to talk with South Korean officials," the official said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Ouch. Some of these words have got to sting. The North Korean spokesman describes the South Korean president as "shameless" and his remarks on reunifying the Korean peninsula as so preposterous they would "make the boiled head of a cow laugh". But what might hurt the most is the sound of the diplomatic door being closed on Seoul. By refusing to sit down with the South, the North is signalling that it prefers to deal directly with the United States. This is a cruel snub for a South Korean leader who helped facilitate talks between Mr Trump and Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang might be calculating that it is getting nothing from its neighbour, no concessions without Washington's approval. And now that Kim Jong-un has a direct line to the White House, and a means of getting those "beautiful letters" to Mr Trump, he might be thinking it's best to deal with him. The Trump administration has also given Pyongyang a free pass to act in this way. At no point after the last six short-range missile tests has the US strongly condemned the testing of missiles which could threaten its ally. Mr Trump has also made it public in tweets that he too wants to pressure Seoul to pay more to host US troops, and described the current joint military drills as expensive. All is not lost, by any means. This could all just be bluster. But it doesn't look like President Moon will be hosting Kim Jong-un in Seoul any time soon.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-49365771

2019-08-16 06:25:38+00:00

conflict, war and peace

peace process

france24--2019-08-01--Mozambiques former civil war foes sign landmark peace deal

france24

Mozambique's former civil war foes sign landmark peace deal

Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi and the leader of the main opposition party Renamo on Thursday signed a permanent ceasefire agreement, designed to put an end to almost half a century of hostilities that killed over 1 million people at their peak. Renamo and Nyusi's ruling party fought on opposing sides of a 16-year civil war before a ceasefire ended the bloodshed in 1992, however violence has flared up sporadically in the years since then. Thursday's agreement is one step in a process that will culminate in the signing of a broader agreement in the country's capital Maputo next week, expected to occur amid much fanfare but whose effectiveness remains to be seen. In a marquee set up on a packed football field in Gorongosa, Renamo's heartland in central Mozambique, the crowd cheered after Nyusi and Renamo leader Ossufo Momade, signed the agreement. The two leaders shook hands and embraced amid the din. Nyusi said Mozambique was opening a new, more promising chapter free from the war and conflict that had slowed its development. "Gorongosa is no longer associated with violence," he told the crowd. Nyusi is keen to sign a final peace treaty ahead of presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections in October. Polls have historically been a trigger for violence, and delivering peace would also shore up his support among voters and backing from international investors. For Renamo – which will be able to stand in provincial elections for the first time, and looks set to win a number of provinces – a peace treaty would help affirm its status as a legitimate political party. "The key event is 15th of October – the elections and the results of that," said Alex Vines, research director for risk, ethics and resilience and head of the Africa programme at Chatham House. "It will be the... initial litmus test of the sustainability of this process." Previously, accusations of fraud in elections have knocked the peace process off course. Renamo fighters also still need to be successfully disarmed and reintegrated, with some to be placed in positions in the police or military. However a small group of fighters have in recent weeks disavowed Momade, and said they would not hand over the weapons while he is in charge. Momade, who was due to travel with Nyusi in the presidential plane back to Maputo, said the party was now committed to making sure the elections are free, fair and transparent. "Peace is here to stay," he told the crowd of over 1,000 people, including international peace brokers and experts, prominent politicians and officials and locals.

NEWS WIRES

https://www.france24.com/en/20190801-mozambique-ceasefire-peace-renamo-civil-war

2019-08-01 19:08:33+00:00

conflict, war and peace

peace process

bbc--2019-02-02--Central African Republic agrees peace deal with rebel groups

bbc

Central African Republic agrees peace deal with rebel groups

A peace deal between the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and 14 rebel groups has been struck after talks in Sudan, officials say. The deal was announced by the UN mission in CAR, known as Minusca, and the African Union (AU), which both sponsored the talks in Khartoum. "This is a great day for Central African Republic and all its people," said AU commissioner Smail Chergui. The government said the peace deal would be signed in Bangui soon. Details of the agreement have not been released and analysts caution that previous peace deals have all collapsed. CAR, which has been unstable since gaining independence from France in 1960, was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority-Christian country. A band of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-Balaka, rose up to counter the Seleka. Thousands have been killed in the violence and more than one million internally displaced. An estimated 570,000 people have fled abroad. "We have finalised a peace agreement in Khartoum, enabling the people of Central African Republic to embark on a path of reconciliation, agreement and development," Mr Chergui tweeted on Saturday. The government of President Faustin-Archange Touadera also confirmed the agreement on Twitter. "This agreement should be initialled tomorrow (Sunday) and its signing will take place in Bangui in a few days," the tweet added. A spokesman for the FPRC armed faction said consensus had been reached on sticking points which included an amnesty for militia fighters and an inclusive government. "We were able to agree on what is essential for the Central African Republic - peace. We hope this agreement will bring back social cohesion to the country," Abakar Sabom said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47105774

2019-02-02 22:50:45+00:00

conflict, war and peace

peace process

cbsnews--2019-11-29--Will peace talks with the Taliban lead to a deal?

cbsnews

Will peace talks with the Taliban lead to a deal?

Millions are bracing for the impact of dangerous weather

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/will-peace-talks-with-the-taliban-lead-to-a-deal/

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 14:29:31 +0000

conflict, war and peace

peace process

cnn--2019-01-28--US and Taliban agree in principle to framework for peace deal US envoy says

cnn

US and Taliban agree in principle to framework for peace deal, US envoy says

(CNN) Officials from the United States and the Taliban have agreed in principle to a peace framework that could eventually bring Afghanistan's long-running war to an end, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan said Monday. In comments given to the New York Times and confirmed to CNN by the US Embassy in Kabul, Zalmay Khalilzad said the framework for peace would see the insurgent group vow to prevent the country from being used as a hub for terrorism in return for a US military withdrawal. "We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement," Khalilzad told the Times on Monday . "The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals." The peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar had previously been described on Saturday by Khalilzad as "more productive than they have been in the past," signaling the first significant shift in the geopolitical stalemate in years. But he added that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed." The sides are working on a ceasefire that would lead to a sequenced agreement for dialogue, initially between US and the Taliban and then between the Taliban and Afghan government, a source with knowledge of the talks told CNN last week. An Afghan source close to the negotiations told CNN on Monday that while a ceasefire and US withdrawal were both discussed, neither side came to final conclusions. The source said the Taliban will not agree to a ceasefire without the US committing to a full troop withdrawal, but the Americans want any withdrawal to be conditional on the ceasefire holding. The Taliban are skeptical that the US will actually pull out if the ceasefire holds. The source added that the US wouldn't announce any plans for a troop withdrawal without the Taliban entering into discussions with the Afghan government. Khalilzad will stay in a Kabul for more talks with the Afghan government Monday, and there are discussions that Khalilzad may go back to Afghanistan in early February ahead of the next round of talks later that month. On Saturday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Doha talks "saw progress" on vital issues but added that "until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible." Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani called the six-day meeting a "significant step in the history of peace and reconciliation" on Twitter and urged regional and international players to "unify and coordinate efforts and support #Doha in its endeavor to facilitate successful negotiations." The US has about 14,000 troops in the country, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. The conflict, known as America's longest war, has spanned over 17 years, cost more than 2,400 American lives, billions of US dollars and has stretched into its third US presidential administration. Ghani said the country recognized the work US soldiers have undertaken in the country but "the job that we started together needs to move." "We need to get a stable Afghanistan as an entity that can ensure security of America and Europe and others on the one hand, but more fundamentally our own democratic rights and institutions and our right to live in peace and harmony," Ghani told CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

Kylie Atwood

http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/aJMDb6xv6a0/index.html

2019-01-28 15:53:44+00:00

conflict, war and peace

peace process

rferl--2019-09-07--Freed Prisoners Arrive In Ukraine Russia In Swap Hailed As First Step Toward Ending War

rferl

Freed Prisoners Arrive In Ukraine, Russia In Swap Hailed As 'First Step' Toward Ending War

KYIV/MOSCOW -- Russia and Ukraine have exchanged a total of 70 prisoners in a move praised by the West as an opportunity to improve tense relations between Kyiv and Moscow. The September 7 exchange marks a seemingly rare breakthrough that observers say could pave the way for fresh talks on ending a five-year war between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and a jubilant afternoon crowd greeted the 35 freed Ukrainians on the tarmac at Boryspil International Airport. They included Oleh Sentsov, an outspoken filmmaker convicted by Russian on dubious terrorism charges after its invasion of Crimea, and the 24 Ukrainian sailors captured last year by Russia near the Kerch Strait. Standing next to the plane, Zelenskiy called it a "first step" toward ending the conflict and "the first chapter" in new relations with Russia. In Moscow, the 35 freed individuals included RIA Novosti journalist Kirill Vyshinsky and Ukrainian national Volodymyr Tsemakh, a "person of interest" to international investigations into the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 shoot-down that killed 298 people in 2014. Tsemakh's release was seen as particularly sensitive because of that investigation and his command role in an air-defense unit of Russia-backed separatists at the time of the MH17 disaster. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said after the exchange on September 7 that the Netherlands had asked Ukraine "several times and at the very highest level" not to hand Tsemakh over to Russia, according to AFP. He "regretted" the decision, he added. Forty members of the European Parliament this week had urged Ukraine not to include him in any exchange, calling him a "key suspect." The Ukrainian president said Tsemakh had been handed over after his questioning for several hours by a team from the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that has already indicted four individuals for their alleged roles in the MH17 tragedy over separatist-held territory of eastern Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the prisoner exchange, saying it was "very good news." "Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of prisoners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!" Trump said on Twitter. Kurt Volker, the U.S. special peace envoy to Ukraine, expressed hope the prisoner swap could spur talks on ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where more than 13,000 people have died in fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces since April 2014. "Very pleased to see Ukrainian sailors coming home and Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange! Hope it builds momentum for further prisoner exchanges, renewed ceasefire, and progress toward full Minsk implementation," Volker said on Twitter. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the prisoner exchange was a "hopeful sign." "I am happy for the Ukrainian sailors and Oleh Sentsov, who are now finally able to return home," Merkel said, according to a statement tweeted by her spokesman, Steffen Seibert. EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini welcomed the release and called on both sides to "build on this momentum." France said the swap showed improved trust and will on both sides to resume dialogue. "Populations can now hope for an end to the five-year conflict, which continues to make dozens of victims each month," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement. PHOTO GALLERY: Joy And Tears As Freed Prisoners Arrive In Kyiv, Moscow (click to expand) After the planes had landed, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cited both "provocations" and other obstacles to the swap. "Despite both the provocations and the objective difficulties, the process finally took place. It is a very important step. It is necessary to maintain this determination to resolve issues rather than exacerbate them as much as possible. The political will and the systemic hard work yield results," she said. Word emerged this morning that Ukraine and Russia had begun the handover of prisoners after months of intense negotiations at the highest levels. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested earlier this week that the sides were on the brink of agreement, while Zelenskiy was urging patience. Late on September 7, Putin and Zelenskiy made a positive assessment of the swap during a phone conversation and agreed on further contacts, the Kremlin said in a statement.​ The exchange is the first major prisoner swap between the two countries since 2017. Negotiations on an exchange were renewed following Zelenskiy's election -- won in part on pledges to end the war and get Ukrainian prisoners home from Russia -- and inauguration in May. The 43-year-old Sentsov delighted in being home after five years in Russian custody, saying, "I thank all the people who have fought for us." Sentsov's family was seen outside the Kyiv offices of the Ukrainian parliamentary representative for human rights, Lyudmila Denisova, before they were transported to Boryspil Airport on September 7. The European Parliament awarded its prestigious Sakharov Prize in support of human rights to Sentsov in 2018. European Parliament President David Sassoli welcomed the Crimean-born filmmaker's release on September 7 "with relief and profound joy" and saluted him as "a man of courage and determination, who resisted injustice with dignity and stood up for democracy, the rule of law, and human rights." In the same statement, he said he looked forward to meeting him and handing him the Sakharov Prize in person. The prisoner exchange could help build trust and confidence between Moscow and Kyiv and possibly provide impetus for negotiations and improved relations between the neighbors as the conflict grinds on in eastern Ukraine and Russia maintains its occupation of Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014. "One can say now that the most important thing has been achieved -- the dialogue of the two presidents, Ukrainian and Russian, took place and effectively ended a stalemate in relation to the issue, which had remained pending for 20 months," Nina Karpachova, a former commissioner for human rights for the Ukrainian parliament, was quoted by Interfax-Ukraine as saying. "We have the pardon as a result of this dialogue. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy pardoned 16 people, including three women." "Hell has ended; everyone is alive and that is the main thing," Vyacheslav Zinchenko, 30, one of the released sailors, said. The Ukrainian sailors had been held in Moscow since their capture, along with their ship, after Russian Coast Guard forces fired on them as they tried to sail through the Kerch Strait that connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea. Russia took effective control of the strait after its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, threatening to block off Ukrainian ports from access to the Black Sea. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in May ordered Russia to release the sailors. At Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, the released prisoners remained on the plane for about 15 minutes for unknown reasons. When they came off, many toting baggage, a bus drove them to a medical facility for examination. One of those to deplane in Moscow was Kirill Vyshinsky, the head of Russian state news agency RIA Novosti's office in Ukraine. He had been jailed since 2018 on treason charges. Vyshinksy thanked Harlem Desir, the media-freedom representative for the Organization for Security and Cooperation In Europe, for calling for his release. Russia said it would release a full list of its citizens freed by Ukraine later on September 7.

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-exchange-prisoners/30151327.html

2019-09-07 07:28:12+00:00

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

sottnet--2019-09-01--Saudi-led coalition airstrike levels Yemen center holding 185 prisoners of war

sottnet

Saudi-led coalition airstrike levels Yemen center holding 185 prisoners of war

he believed more than 100 people were killed. Houthi officials accuse Saudi-UAE-coalition of carrying out air raids that hit detention centre in Dhamar.Dozens of people have been killed when a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition battling the Houthi rebel movement bombed a prison in western Yemen , according to the rebels.Yusuf al-Hadri, a spokesman for the Houthis' ministry of health, said at least 60 people were killed in Sunday's air raids which hit a complex used as a detention centre north of Dhamar cityFifty people were wounded, he told the rebel-run Al Masirah TV, adding thatat the Dhamar Community College.Nazem Saleh was among those held at the facility.he told The Associated Press news agency."They were targeting the jail, I really don't know the strike numbers ... We were 100 persons on the ground level and around 150 on the upper level," he said while on a stretcher in a local hospital.Reuters news agency quoted Franz Rauchenstein,"There are three buildings hit and the building where the detainees were located, most of them or the majority has been killed," said Rauchenstein, who visited the prison complex and hospitals in the attack's aftermath."The prisoners in that facility were prisoners that we had visited in relation to the conflict."Earlier, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam had said in a Twitter post that the toll was 50 people killed and more than 100 wounded.In a statement carried on Saudi state television, the coalition said it had launched air raids on Houthi military targets in Dhamar and destroyed a site storing drones and missiles., said it had taken measures to protect civilians in Dhamar and the assault complied with international law.Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi spokesman, told Al Jazeera"The fate of many prisoners is not known," Abdul Qader al-Murtaza, the head of Houthi's national committee for prisoner affairs, told Al Masirah TV, with rescue teams unable to reach the area because of continued shelling., he added.The ICRC, in a Twitter post, said it has sent a team "carrying both urgent medical supplies that can treat up to 100 critically wounded persons and 200 body bags" to Dhamar.Residents told Reutersone resident said. "Afterwards ambulance sirens could be heard until dawn."The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against the Houthis after they swept Hadi from power in the capital, Sanaa, and most of the north.in an attempt to reverse their gains.In recent months, the rebel group has stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia The air raids in Dhamar come after the coalition has been distracted in recent weeks by a battle for control of the south, which has pitted Hadi's Saudi-backed forces and southern separatists who have been trained and equipped by the UAE against each other.The war in Yemen, currently in its fifth year,

https://www.sott.net/article/419623-Saudi-led-coalition-airstrike-levels-Yemen-center-holding-185-prisoners-of-war

2019-09-01 22:51:37+00:00

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

tass--2019-04-30--Prisoners-of-war exchange helps establish trust in conflict areas Russias top diplomat

tass

Prisoners-of-war exchange helps establish trust in conflict areas — Russia’s top diplomat

MOSCOW, April 30. /TASS/. Russia stands for exchanging prisoners-of-war (POWs) under the ‘all for all’ formula for establishing trust in conflict areas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference on Tuesday. "In all situations, we always stand for the all-embracing humanitarian solution of such situations, the exchange of remains, the exchange of prisoners-of-war, persons held in custody, using the ‘all-for-all’ principle," the Russian foreign minister stressed. "And we believe that this will contribute to establishing the atmosphere of trust in conflict areas, be it the Middle East or Nagorno-Karabakh or south- east Ukraine," Lavrov said. This principle is also stipulated in the Minsk accords on settling the conflict in Ukraine, Russia’s top diplomat said. "We continue actively supporting the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which stand for its full implementation without any exemptions," Lavrov pointed out. "Unfortunately, the current Ukrainian authorities are trying in every possible way to depart from this principle," Russia’s top diplomat said. In other media

http://tass.com/politics/1056569

2019-04-30 12:09:48+00:00

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

theindependent--2019-12-29--Ukraine swaps prisoners with pro-Russian separatists in attempt to end war

theindependent

Ukraine swaps prisoners with pro-Russian separatists in attempt to end war

Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have swapped scores of prisoners in an attempt to bring the five-year-long conflict to an end. The exchange took place at a checkpoint near the industrial town of Horlivka in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian men and women dressed in civilian clothing got off a bus after being brought to the rendezvous point by separatist forces and were herded into a nearby tent. According to figures from officials of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s republics — the two separatist governments in the rebel area — Ukraine turned over 124 people and the separatists freed 76. The office of Ukraine’s president confirmed 76 former pro-government detainees had returned home. “[They] are safe in Ukraine-controlled territory,” it said. Although the confidence will help build confidence between the two sides – who are negotiating how to implement a 2014 peace deal – key disagreements exist and full normalisation remains remote. “Today’s prisoner exchange in #Donbass will bring relief to the persons involved and their families, but it will not bring the [peace] settlement any closer,” Dmitri Trenin, head of the Moscow Carnegie Center and a former colonel in the Russian army, wrote on social media. “The... terms remain anathema in Kiev, and this won’t change. The conflict is much more likely to become frozen than resolved.” Kiev’s forces have been battling separatists in the Donbass region since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, and its subsequent support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. The last major prisoner swap between separatist rebels and Ukrainian forces took place in December 2017, with 233 rebels exchanged for 73 Ukrainians. Hopes for an end to the fighting have increased since the election of Volodymyr Zelenskiy as president, who has been more amenable to negotiations with Russia on ending the war. But prospects for peace remain tentative, with questions over allowing local elections to give rebel regions more autonomy and about Ukraine regaining control of its border with Russia in rebel-held areas.

Samuel Osborne

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-prisoner-swap-donetsk-war-a9263561.html

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 21:55:22 GMT

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

theseattletimes--2019-12-07--AP PHOTOS: Ukraine war prisoners struggle to rebuild lives

theseattletimes

AP PHOTOS: Ukraine war prisoners struggle to rebuild lives

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — For Anna Sergeyeva, rebuilding her life after surviving a week of captivity and torture in Ukraine was often more of a struggle. She was snatched from her apartment in May 2014, when the conflict between Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine had just erupted. The city where she lived, Donetsk, was controlled by the rebels. They found a Ukrainian flag at her home and detained her for being a Ukraine supporter. For a week, Sergeyeva’s kidnappers beat her and stabbed her, threatened her with rape and murder. She thought she would die in captivity, when all of a sudden her captors let her go. “If you come back, we will shoot you,” they said. Haunted by memories of torture and pain, Sergeyeva had to flee from the only life she knew and start anew — with no place to live, no job and no support from the government. “The hardest part was when the euphoria (about being released) wore off. When it dawns on you that you have no place to return to, you don’t want to do anything at all,” Sergeyeva said in an interview earlier this year. “In many ways, life after captivity is a much bigger challenge than life in captivity.” Sergeyeva’s situation is hardly an isolated case. In the five years that eastern Ukraine has been embroiled in bloodshed, between 3,000 and 10,000 people, according to different estimates, survived unlawful detentions and captivity. Almost half of them were civilians. Armed groups from both sides of the conflict held them in underground dungeons and often used them to extort ransom from or somehow leverage the other side. Hundreds of people still remain locked up. Civilians who went through captivity say that there is effectively no support system for them — once released, they are on their own with their injuries, psychological traumas and financial hardships. Occasionally, Ukrainian authorities offer survivors help with health care and financial support, but aside from standard social benefits for those who served in the military, there aren’t any state programs to help former captives. For many, helping other former captives is often a way to advance their own recovery. They form support groups, nongovernmental organizations and raise money for other survivors. “After captivity everyone who went through this hell became my family,” Anatoly Polyakov, a Russian national who survived 288 days in captivity, said in an interview last year. Soon after he was released, he founded Ukrainian Association of Prisoners of War and dedicated his life to helping former captives. “I consider it my duty to do everything in my power for these people not to feel discriminated against in their own country,” said Polyakov, who has been living in Ukraine since 2013. Shu set out in August to take portraits of some of the former captives in an effort to shed light on their situation. She eventually became friends with the people she photographed — getting them to open up required Shu to open up to them in turn. “To do this work, you should be open, sincere and warmhearted,” Shu said.

ZOYA SHU

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/ap-photos-ukraine-war-prisoners-struggle-to-rebuild-lives/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 01:46:41 -0800

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

channel4uk--2019-06-24--From prisoner of war in Iraq to a new life in Sweden

channel4uk

From prisoner of war in Iraq to a new life in Sweden

Last month, I received a letter from a Swedish woman. She had seen an old news film shot in 1980, in which I had reported from the frontline of the Iran/Iraq war. She said my team had filmed a man, who then had been a young Iranian soldier languishing in an Iraqi prisoner of war camp, but who today, 40 years on, is her husband and the father of their two children. So we decided to visit him in Stockholm. How had a man who had suffered 13 years as a POW in Iraq somehow found his way to life and love in Sweden?

Jon Snow

https://www.channel4.com/news/from-prisoner-of-war-in-iraq-to-a-new-life-in-sweden

2019-06-24 10:03:22+00:00

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

sottnet--2019-12-29--Ukraine and Donbass conduct planned 'all for all' prisoner exchange in move to end war

sottnet

Ukraine and Donbass conduct planned 'all for all' prisoner exchange in move to end war

Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine began exchanging scores of prisoners Sunday in a move aimed at ending their 5-year-long war.The move was part of an agreement brokered earlier this month at a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.The total number of people freed was not immediately known, though authorities said earlier that 142 were expected to be involved in the exchange — 55 released by the rebels and 87 by Ukraine.Those to be released by Ukraine, Ukrainian news site Hromadske quoted their lawyer, Igor Varfolomeyev, as saying.Ludmila Denisova, human rights envoy for the Ukrainian parliament, said the first group released by the rebels included Ukrainian soldiers.The last major prisoner swap between separatist rebels and Ukrainian forces took place in December 2017, with 233 rebels exchanged for 73 Ukrainians.The conflict in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014. It began about two months after Ukraine's Russia-friendly president fled the country amid massive protests in Kyiv. Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula soon followed.Hopes for ending the fighting have risen since the spring election of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been more amenable to negotiations with Russia on ending the war.But prospects for peace are still troubled by questions over allowing local elections that would ensure the rebel regions more autonomy and about Ukraine regaining control of its border with Russia in the rebel areas.

https://www.sott.net/article/426498-Ukraine-and-Donbass-conduct-planned-all-for-all-prisoner-exchange-in-move-to-end-war

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 15:59:02 +0000

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

tass--2019-12-29--Prisoner swap seen as Kiev’s first step towards implementing its commitments - DPR

tass

Prisoner swap seen as Kiev’s first step towards implementing its commitments - DPR

DONETSK, December 29. /TASS/. Sunday’s exchange of detainees in Donbass was Kiev’s first step towards the implementation of the Minsk agreements, Foreign Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and DPR’s chief negotiator at the Contact Group Natalia Nikonorova said on Sunday. "It was just the first step in Ukraine’s implementation of its commitments. Under the document agreed during the videoconference on December 23, the exchange will be considered completed only when Kiev implements certain provisions. Thus, Ukraine must provide all the documents asserting the completion of all procedures needed for the relief from criminal punishment of all persons subject to exchange," as follows from her statement released by the Donetsk News Agency. "We are thankful to the leaders of the Minsk accords guarantor nations and the mediators in the negotiating process in the person of Russia and the OSCE for their serious contribution to the agreement of the terms and preparations for the exchange. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of this gleeful fact that the released persons will rejoin their families for the New Year holidays," Nikonorova stressed. Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. According to preliminary data, Ukraine released 124 people and the Donbass republics handed over to Kiev 76 people.

https://tass.com/world/1104729

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 21:46:16 +0300

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

theguardianuk--2019-07-04--UKs biggest second world war prisoner camp unearthed in Yorkshire

theguardianuk

UK's biggest second world war prisoner camp unearthed in Yorkshire

The forgotten history of what was once Britain’s biggest prisoner of war camp has been unearthed by archaeologists in the South Yorkshire countryside. At its peak in the second world war, Lodge Moor camp near Sheffield held more than 11,000 mostly German captives. Its extraordinary stories have been overlooked for more than 60 years as its moss-covered remains were shrouded in thick woodland. Research by archaeology students shows the camp was used to hold the most fanatical of prisoners during the second world war, many of whom were from Germany, Italy and the Ukraine. Analysing camp records, witness statements and surveying the prison’s weathered remains for the first time, the University of Sheffield students found the camp held more than 11,000 people at its peak in 1944. But it was during the first world war that the prison, formally known as Prisoner of War Camp 17, held its most infamous inmate. Admiral Karl Dönitz was the captain of several German U-boats who was captured by Allied forces when his vessel, U-boat 68, was forced to surface in October 1918. The admiral spent about six weeks at the Sheffield camp, according to the research, before feigning mental illness to avoid being treated as a war criminal. Dönitz was released back to Germany, where he rose to become commander of Hitler’s U-boats and head of the German navy, before going on to succeed Hitler as president of the German Reich. Lodge Moor was one of about 1,500 prisoner of war camps in Britain during the second world war but its significance, in terms of its huge size and type of prisoner, was not widely known. Only partial remains exist of the site, now a popular dog-walking spot about five miles west of Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District. Its history is occasionally discussed by local residents on internet forums but this research, by the University of Sheffield and the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership, is thought to be the first study of its kind of Lodge Moor. At the beginning of the second world war, the camp was occupied mostly by Italian prisoners, who were put to work on local farms and appeared to enjoy good relations with their Yorkshire neighbours, who would share with them their limited supplies of tea. However, quality of life in the camp deteriorated sharply with the sudden influx of German prisoners. Rob Johnson, one of the archaeology students who surveyed the site, said: “The prisoners were fed food out of galvanised dustbins, had to stand outside in the mud, rain and cold for several hours a day during roll call, and since it was so overpopulated as a transit camp, they were squashed into tents or the barracks with little personal space.” The study unearthed investigations into conditions at the camp by the International Committee for the Red Cross, which, in 1944, described it as “insufficient/uninhabitable” with half of the captives in huts and the other half in tents. The researchers found witness testimony suggesting there were more than 70 prisoners per barrack, more than double the official number of 30. In common with other prisoner of war camps in Britain, Lodge Moor saw its share of drama. On 20 December 1944 a group of German prisoners managed to escape the site – but were captured in nearby Rotherham just 24 hours later. Another escape plan ended in grisly fashion. One prisoner, Gerhardt Rettig, was chased around the Nissen huts by hundreds of inmates and beaten to a pulp after being suspected of tipping off Allied guards about a planned break-out in March 1945. Rettig later died in prison and his alleged killers were put on trial in London later that year. Two men, Armin Keuhne, 18, and Emil Schmittendorf, 31, were found guilty of his murder and executed by hanging at Pentonville prison in November 1945. The students involved in the study said they hoped their findings would be used to preserve and restore the site and the surrounding woodland. Georgina Goodison, an archaeology student involved in the project, said: “It was a big eye opener for me, as I didn’t realise that Lodge Moor camp even exists. The woodland hides it well. It hides the secrets of all the thousands of men who were housed there merely decades ago.”

Josh Halliday North of England correspondent

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/04/biggest-second-world-war-prisoner-camp-unearthed-in-yorkshire-lodge-moor

2019-07-04 05:00:44+00:00

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

thesun--2019-08-29--Legendary prisoner of war Jack Reynolds pictured giving two finger salute to WWII captors dies at

thesun

‘Legendary’ prisoner of war Jack Reynolds pictured giving two finger salute to WWII captors dies at 97

LEGENDARY war hero Jack Reynolds, who was famously photographed giving the two finger salute to his World War Two captors, has died aged 97. The lieutenant's act of defiance towards the Germans became one of the most iconic images the Battle of Arnhem. Lt Reynolds and his men were overrun by Germans several days after 10,000 British airborne troops landed behind the enemy lines in Holland in September 1944. As he was taken as a prisoner of war, Lt Reynolds spotted a German cameraman filming the captured Brits. Lt Reynolds, who lied about his age to join the army, then flicked the V-sign out of anger and frustration. He said: "I was so angry at the loss of fine young men and the carnage. Down the road I saw a German chap with a camera and a huge grin on his face and I thought what a b*****d and gave him the opposite 'V' sign'. "It was an act of defiance but a momentary lapse of military discipline, which given the circumstance seemed totally justifiable!" Lt Reynolds spent the rest of the war in a PoW camp in Brunswick, Germany. The camp was freed in April 1945 by US forces and he returned home. He met and married Eulalie Willcocks - the younger sister of his commanding officer Captain AH Willcocks, who he was in the camp with. The couple lived in Pulborough, West Sussex until he died - Eulalie died 13 years ago. It is understood Lt Reynolds died in his sleep in West Sussex on August 22. Lt Reynolds was born on Chichester and joined the army aged 17 to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Arthur. He joined the Sussex Yeomanry and trained as a signaller, and was sent off to South Wales for more training instead of France when his real age was discovered. Lt Reynolds later joined the Royal Artillery and was posted to Dover to man a 12-pound gun aimed at German E-Boats in the English Channel. He then joined the 1st Airborne Division and took part in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 - which he was awarded the Military Cross for his heroic efforts. On September 17, 1944, Lt Reynolds was part of the first wave of glider borne troops in the Battle of Arnhem. He was sent out on the back of motorbike to carry out reconnaissance, but was confronted by German snipers that disabled his vehicle. He carried on by food and saw German infantry and Panzer tanks, before he retreated and reported back to battalion HQ. The next day the troops marched towards Oosterbeek, near Arnhem, and came under heavy talk fire. Lt Reynolds continued on alone to find out the strength of the opposition, but he was cut off and spent several days behind enemy lines. By the time he made it back to battalion HQ it was taken over by Germans and the men were forced to surrender. Historian Steve Penticost interviewed Lt Reynolds for the book 'Military Voices; West Sussex Veterans in the 20th Century.' He said: "Men like Jack Reynolds seemed to have an indomitable spirit and rarely showed any signs of frailty. "People today talk about World War Two veterans being heroes but Jack didn't have any truck with that - he was just doing what he had to. "He went to just one Arnhem reunion and that was the first one. "He felt they had let down the people of Arnhem terribly because they suffered reprisals at the hands of the Nazis for helping the British. "He felt partly responsible and couldn't face those people. "Some years after the war a German newspaper contacted him out of the blue and sent him this framed photograph of him giving the V-sign. "It was an iconic image of Arnhem and one that he was very proud of because it summed up exactly what men like him felt, even though it wasn't the conduct you'd expect of an officer. "When I visited him he had this photo hung up on the wall of his lounge." We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.

Alahna Kindred

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9821256/jack-reynolds-dead/

2019-08-29 13:51:47+00:00

conflict, war and peace

prisoners of war

birminghammail--2019-01-03--Met Office issues cold weather alert for Birmingham amid heavy snow and severe icy conditions fore

birminghammail

Met Office issues cold weather alert for Birmingham amid 'heavy snow and severe icy conditions' forecast

The Met Office has issued a cold weather alert for Birmingham and the Midlands as the region faces teeth-chattering frosts. According to the agency, there is a sixty per cent chance of severe cold weather until January 5. The alert runs from today, January 3, and could bring with it icy conditions and heavy snow. This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. The Met Office forecasts it becoming cold generally from mid-week, but less cold conditions expected to spread to northern and eastern parts of England over the coming weekend. However, cold weather criteria may still be met in some central, southern, and southwestern areas over the weekend where any freezing fog patches are slow to clear. This may require the alert level being raised in these areas later this week. An update will be issued when the alert level changes in any region. The Cold weather health watch comprises four levels of response based on cold weather thresholds. The thresholds have been developed to trigger an alert when severe cold weather is likely to significantly affect people's health. The alerts take account of temperature along with other winter weather threats such as ice and snow. A Cold weather health watch system operates in England from the 1 November to 31 March every year, in association with Public Health England. The Met Office predicts most places are likely to stay dry but rather cloudy through next week. The cloudiest and mildest weather is likely to be in the northwest, where it will be cloudy enough for some drizzle over the hills, and sometimes rather windy. In the south, winds will stay light and there is a greater chance of sunny spells, but also a greater likelihood of overnight frost and fog. here fog does form, it may be slow to clear during the day. By the end of the week a change to wetter and windier weather is likely, particularly in the north. There is a risk of snow on hills in the north, and perhaps to lower levels at times too. In the south, night frost and fog will become less likely. From January 17 to January 31, the agency adds: "Most of the UK is likely to start this period with predominantly wet and windy weather, and a chance of heavy rain and gales at times, especially in the north. "Hill snow is also possible, as well as snow to lower levels at times in the north. "In the south though, the weather is likely to be on the mild side " Towards the end of January, however, there is an increased likelihood of a change to much colder weather generally, bringing an enhanced risk of frost, fog and snow. "This cold spell is by no means certain though, and in any case, some milder, wet and windy interludes are likely during this period." After a chilly start, it will stay cold through today. There will be sunny spells, especially in the west, and the wind will stay light. Maximum temperature 3 °C. Temperatures will soon tumble tonight under the clearest skies. Frost is likely, with a risk of some dense freezing fog patches. Minimum temperature -5 °C. Any freezing fog may be slow to clear on Friday. Otherwise it will be a cold and largely sunny day, with light winds. Maximum temperature 3 °C. There will be sunny spells and patchy cloud this weekend, with perhaps some spots of rain on Sunday and Monday. It will also become less cold, with patchier overnight frost.

James Rodger

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/met-office-issues-cold-weather-15622793

2019-01-03 08:14:21+00:00

weather

weather forecast

birminghammail--2019-01-21--Hour by hour weather forecast for Birmingham with city braced for -3C freeze as Met Office issues wa

birminghammail

Hour by hour weather forecast for Birmingham with city braced for -3C freeze as Met Office issues warning

Birmingham faces temperatures which feel as cold as MINUS three degrees tomorrow, it has emerged. The Met Office has issued a weather warning for the city as the agency warns over ice. Meteorologists are expecting traffic and travel chaos and have issued a yellow alert for ice across the city and Midlands. The region will be affected by the alert from midnight tonight until midday Tuesday. Birmingham is not the only city affected by the warning, either, with the agency issuing an ice alert for almost all of the UK. But in the city, it will feel teeth-chatteringly cold, as Arctic winds spark plunging temperatures. The mercury will drop to around freezing but, worryingly, will feel even colder. Ice will become a major threat to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists starting Monday night as temperatures drop following rainfall, and wintry showers move into some areas. Public Health England's cold weather alert is at level three - one stage below "national emergency". Ice will form on some surfaces overnight into Tuesday morning across much of the UK, the agency warns. Heavy rain will arrive from the west, with some hill snow. Clearing eastwards overnight, with many areas becoming dry, but wintry showers are likely in the north. After a frosty and icy start, there will be sunny spells. Showers in the west will move eastwards though, with sleet and hill snow possible, and it will feel cold. Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces are expected, the Met Office warns. Brummies should also be warned of ice on some roads, pavements and cycle paths. Some roads and railways will be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. Chief Meteorologist Steve Willington said: “The cold weather will continue to bring a risk of snow showers, icy conditions and widespread overnight frosts during the first part of the week. “Though parts of England and Wales will see low cloud giving way to sunny spells on Monday, elsewhere, strong winds, heavy rain and hill snow will move into north-western areas. "Wintry showers of rain, sleet, hail and snow will then follow from Tuesday." Public Health England's cold weather alert is at level three ("severe weather action") - its second-highest level - in the North West and North East, and level two or one for the rest of England. Dr Emer O’Connell said: “Experience shows us that every winter thousands of people are seriously affected and even die from illnesses linked to the cold. "Protecting yourself from the cold may seem like common sense but many people do not manage to keep themselves warm. “If you know someone at risk, someone over 65, anyone with dementia or a heart and lung condition, or a young child, check up on them and see if there’s anything you can do to help. "All of us should be heating our homes to at least 18C, keeping up to date with weather forecasts and planning our days around them - simple steps can really help protect against the cold.”

James Rodger

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/hour-hour-weather-forecast-birmingham-15708830

2019-01-21 12:43:42+00:00

weather

weather forecast

birminghammail--2019-01-30--This is exactly when the Met Office is forecasting snow in Birmingham as weather warning extended

birminghammail

This is exactly when the Met Office is forecasting snow in Birmingham as weather warning extended

The Met Office has issued an updated yellow weather warning for snow and ice on Thursday and Friday. The forecaster is now warning of more snow and ice between 1pm on Thursday and 9pm on Friday across much of England and Wales. Rail, road and air travel could be disrupted by the wintry weather, the Met Office said. Temperatures will plunge to -14C - making it the coldest night of winter so far - before heavy snow sweeps in from the west on Thursday afternoon. Snow is expected to fall through the day on Thursday and into Friday morning, with further wintry showers likely at the weekend. The Met Office warned: "Areas of rain and snow are expected to move into the UK from the southwest from Thursday and through Friday. "Any single period of rain and snow is not expected to last more than 6 to 9 hours but some snow accumulations are likely with 1-3 cm likely in places within the warning area and the potential for 5-10 cm, perhaps particularly over Wales and southwest England. "Snow amounts will vary markedly across England and Wales with many places seeing very little accumulating snow. "With cold air in place along with areas of rain and snow icy stretches are likely to form." In Birmingham, under often clear skies temperatures will fall sharply to give a very cold night on Wednesday evening. Some icy stretches will develop, as well as some patchy freezing fog. Cloudier and windier in the afternoon, with outbreaks of sleet and possibly some disruptive snow spreading in from the south by evening. Cold on Friday with outbreaks of sleet and snow clearing to leave a dry afternoon. On Thursday, a few snow showers are forecast by The Weather Channel in Birmingham from 3pm. Snow showers will give way to persistent, albeit light, flurries of snow from 6pm. Snowfall is then expected through until 8am on Friday morning. We have compiled the hour by hour weather forecasts below. Accumulations of 1-3cm are possible and ice is likely to form on untreated surfaces. Snow and ice were causing major problems in northern and western parts of the UK on Wednesday. Manchester and Liverpool airports closed their runways for hours, resulting in cancellations and delays for thousands of passengers. More than 100 schools in England and Scotland were shut, giving thousands of children a snow day. Mr Burkill said: "It's what happens on Thursday that has the potential to be more disruptive. "It does have the potential to bring some very significant snow. We have already got a warning out in force for it. "It's currently just a yellow warning, but it's not out of the question that will be ramped up nearer the time. "It's looking like it will be a spell of persistent snow." The year's record low of minus 10.8 C (12.6F) recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on January 18 is also likely to be beaten, most probably in the north of Scotland, but parts of England could also see negative double figures, Mr Burkill said. Benton, in Oxfordshire, and Santon Downham, Suffolk, are among parts of England which could be coldest, and temperatures across southern areas are forecast to dip to around minus 8 C (17.6F). "It's worth bearing in mind there will be some disruption, particularly to travel. If you're heading out on the roads, be aware your journey will take a lot longer than normal," Mr Burkill added. "There's an ice risk which is going to cause some problems so even if there is no snow it could be icy on the roads and pavement which people need to be aware of."

James Rodger

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/exactly-met-office-forecasting-snow-15755082

2019-01-30 14:58:37+00:00

weather

weather forecast

birminghammail--2019-02-16--Weather forecast for Birmingham over February half term day by day

birminghammail

Weather forecast for Birmingham over February half term day by day

February half-term has arrived for countless Brummies, with schools breaking up across the city and parents having to fill their diaries. Mums and dads will be shepherding their children around all week, trying to keep them busy and entertained and stop them climbing the walls. But, with Birmingham's weather not being ENTIRELY reliable, we thought we'd round up the weather forecast for you day by day. This daily forecast comes following reports the UK could be braced for a -2C snow bomb - but don't worry, the Met Office say it won't impact Birmingham. This weekend, parts of the country are set to experience temperature highs of 15C, as the mercury climbs to an unseasonably warm level. But forecasters reckon a blanket of white stuff will follow the Spanish plume, with some meteorologists expecting snow THIS WEEK in Britain. In Birmingham, you don't have to worry about any of that - but you won't see much sunshine, sadly. Recently, Britain has clocked up the warmest Valentine's Day in more than 20 years. February 14 saw a maximum of 16.1C (61F) recorded in the Welsh town of Bala, Gwynedd. But what does the weather have in store for Birmingham this week? Let's take a look. A northerly flow of air will make a brief return to the UK as low pressure cells passing to the north will bring plenty of cloud and rain to northern Britain. Showers could be heavy at times in the north, but southern and eastern regions should escape the worst of any rain. Monday will be cloudy, with temperature highs of 11C and a low of 3C. Bright spells and some showers are expected. Temperatures will reach 7C at 9am, before nudging north to 9C between 12noon and 6pm. The cloud cover will remain into the evening, where you can expect lows of 3C. Dry and bright with lighter winds on Tuesday. It will remain cloudy, with temperatures reaching 4C at 9am before reaching 9C later in the day. Temperatures will continue to be subdued a little on Tuesday with winds veering northwesterly and ‘feels-like’ values of just 5-7C, according to The Weather Channel. More settled and mild conditions should take charge for the remainder of the week. Pressure should start to build again in the south resulting in milder weather returning but it could still be unsettled in parts of the north. Breezy with a spell of rain on Wednesday, drier later. Despite some reports of a risk of snow, there is no indication of a return to the wintry weather that gripped the UK last month. Temperatures will not, however, immediately shoot up and could actually fall back slightly in the early part of next week. Many places will stay dry with sunny spells on Thursday and Friday. The far west and northwest is likely to be cloudier and breezier, with some rain and drizzle. Temperatures will widely be above the seasonal average, but sometimes they will be tempered in the north and west by the wind.

James Rodger

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/weather-forecast-birmingham-over-february-15841478

2019-02-16 14:49:59+00:00

weather

weather forecast

birminghammail--2019-04-03--HOURS of rain hail and storms forecast for Birmingham on Thursday in dramatic weather blast

birminghammail

HOURS of rain, hail and storms forecast for Birmingham on Thursday in dramatic weather blast

HOURS of rainfall has been forecast for Birmingham tomorrow - Thursday, April 4 - as the country faces a volatile cocktail of weather. A severe weather warning for snow has been issued in Wales as wintry conditions continue to affect much of the UK. The Met Office has put out a yellow alert for snow on high ground above 300 metres overnight and into Thursday morning. In Birmingham, a mix of hail, sleet and thunderstorms is expected, with the Met Office predicting HOURS of downpours. On Wednesday night, the Met Office forecasts: "Scattered locally heavy showers at first this evening will soon ease with most places becoming dry with clear spells during the small hours. "A cold night with one or two fog patches possible by morning. "The showers could be heavy and mixed with hail, and may give some more prolonged spells of rain in the west later. Forecasters are warning that some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times for travellers. The warning, which covers much of southern and central Wales, is currently in place from 4am to 11am on Thursday. Rain, sleet and snow are expected to affect driving conditions on Thursday morning, particularly in Wales and the West Midlands. A chilly Wednesday night is predicted, with temperatures set to drop just above or below zero degrees in several parts of the country. The Met Office said frost and ice will form and advised people to take care on icy stretches of road. Hill snow, hail and sleet have hit many parts of the country this week as spring got off to a wintry start. Forecasters previously said a deep area of low pressure is centred over the UK, bringing with it the potential to drive showers and produce long spells of wet and changeable weather. A "sudden microburst" of hail and snow caused a 24-car motorway pile-up, Lancashire Police said early on Wednesday morning. The M55 was closed in both directions but no-one was seriously injured, the force said. The current outlook for Thursday is a day of sunshine and showers for most areas, with some places staying dry. Showers will be most frequent in the South West, with a longer spell of rain in northern Scotland. Friday could see rain in the west and far north, with conditions being brighter elsewhere. The weekend will feature drizzle in the east, with brighter spells in other parts of the country and conditions becoming warmer away from the east coast.

James Rodger

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/hours-rain-hail-storms-forecast-16074320

2019-04-03 21:05:37+00:00

weather

weather forecast

birminghammail--2019-11-07--Weather misery for Spanish sunseekers with snow forecast to fall in holiday hotspots

birminghammail

Weather misery for Spanish sunseekers with snow forecast to fall in holiday hotspots

Holidaymakers hoping for some winter sun and an escape from the wet and windy conditions forecast to batter the UK could be in for a shock. Sunseekers aiming to soak up the rays and enjoy pre-festive warmth in Spain will be disappointed with snow forecast in some holiday hotspots. According to the Spanish Met Agency (AEMET), the country is about to get it's first cold snap of the winter when a chill sinks down from the UK, bring heavy rain, hail and a covering of the white stuff. Weather alerts are in place for 17 Spanish provinces with falls of up to 10cm expected in northern and central areas and 4cm further south. There is also a risk of snow on higher ground in Majorca, which is still on yellow alert following torrential rain and winds gusting up to 110kms an hour and there more misery to come with a risk of snow above 1,200m on Friday and Saturday, according to local reports. More unsettled weather will spread across the whole country from the beginning of next week, "bringing snow and icy temperatures to all areas for a few days". The local Met Agency has forecast snow above 400m in the Pyrenees and in Cantabria as well as storms and gale-force winds in the Canary Islands.

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk (Brett Gibbons)

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk-news/weather-hell-spanish-sunseekers-snow-17216422

Thu, 7 Nov 2019 12:10:35 +0000

weather

weather forecast

channel4uk--2019-01-30--Forecasters warn freezing weather could affect transport and power supplies

channel4uk

Forecasters warn freezing weather could affect transport and power supplies

With temperatures plummeting again tonight, forecasters have warned that the freezing weather conditions across large parts of the country could block roads, disrupt trains and flights and knock out power supplies, while more than a hundred schools across England and Wales were shut too.

Anja Popp

https://www.channel4.com/news/forecasters-warn-freezing-weather-could-affect-transport-and-power-supplies

2019-01-30 20:42:01+00:00

weather

weather forecast

eveningstandard--2019-01-02--UK weather forecast Health warning issued as temperatures plunge across UK amid cold snap

eveningstandard

UK weather forecast: Health warning issued as temperatures plunge across UK amid cold snap

Londoners were told to “dig out the gloves” as they faced a bitterly cold return to work after the festive break. After a mild spell over the holiday period, forecasters warned that temperatures in the capital this week will peak at a chilly 7C during the day and plunge as low as 2C overnight — with the chance of low fog patches increasing by Friday. The UK is experiencing what is known as “sudden stratospheric warming” — a jump in temperatures that leads to colder winter conditions. The Met Office with Public Health England (PHE) has issued a level-2 "alert and readiness" cold weather alert across northern and central parts of England into the weekend. The Met Office tweeted: “Dig out the gloves if you’re up early, it’s getting much colder overnight.” It is the same phenomenon that led to the heavy snowfalls of early 2018. The Met Office today said it could have an impact on London weather towards the middle of the month. Forecaster Helen Roberts said: “It is feeling much colder this week than before, and towards the middle of the month it will make conditions much more changeable. “While it is technically possible that Beast from the East-style heavy snowfall will return, we just don’t know yet whether it will happen.” A high pressure anchored over the UK has created still conditions and prevented rain coming across the country, leading to the cold weather. Overnight in the UK temperatures dropped as low as -6C. Grahame Madge from the Met Office said foggy conditions will “remain a challenge” over the next few days. He said the colder conditions being felt are on par with previous years with maximum daytime temperatures set to peak around 6 degrees over the next few days.

Lizzie Edmonds, Bonnie Christian

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-weather-forecast-health-warning-issued-as-temperatures-plunge-across-uk-amid-cold-snap-a4028456.html

2019-01-02 11:56:00+00:00

weather

weather forecast

eveningstandard--2019-01-04--UK weather forecast Brits set for chilly conditions to continue in first weekend of 2019

eveningstandard

UK weather forecast: Brits set for chilly conditions to continue in first weekend of 2019

Brits are set for the recent chilly weather to continue in the first weekend of 2019. The Met Office said the high pressure that caused temperatures to plummet during the week will continue overnight into Saturday morning. But conditions won’t be quite as bitterly cold as they were during the week. Forecasters, meanwhile, are expecting dry and cloudy weather across the UK. Meteorologist John West told the Standard: “We have been experiencing the effects of high pressure over the past couple of days and that will be very much in place as we go into the weekend. “It has been quite dry, cloudy and rather cold – and that will be the case across the UK through Saturday and Sunday. “But in terms of temperatures, things will be a little less cold into the weekend. “Some north-west parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland will see rain and drizzle, but there will be plenty of dry weather for much of England and Wales." For London and the south-east, Mr West added there is a chance of overnight frost in some areas. He said: “It will be very cloudy and quite a cold start on Saturday for London and the south-east. There may even be a few bits of frost in places like west London. “Temperatures are not going to be amazing at all, at about 5C. It’s going to be dry – but a chilly one. “On Sunday, the clouds will remain, though it looks like the temperatures will creep up to about 9C or 10C.” This week’s cold snap saw emergency homeless shelters open across the capital as temperatures plummeted below zero. Severe weather shelters will be available through the weekend. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said more than 700 spaces at shelters funded by City Hall and London councils will be available, in addition to more than 600 spaces in shelters run by faith and community groups.

James Morris

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-weather-forecast-brits-set-for-chilly-conditions-to-continue-in-first-weekend-of-2019-a4031086.html

2019-01-04 21:38:00+00:00

weather

weather forecast

eveningstandard--2019-01-12--UK weather forecast Snow set to hit parts of the country with temperatures predicted to plunge

eveningstandard

UK weather forecast: Snow set to hit parts of the country with temperatures predicted to plunge

Snow is set to hit parts of the UK this week with temperatures predicted to plunge, becoming “wintery.” The Met Office has warned that it is likely that there will be snow in northern Scotland later on in the week. Marco Petagna meteorologist at the Met Office, told the Standard: “It will be breezy, colder with snow on the hills towards the north.” Many people across the country should expect a cloudy and mild Saturday and Sunday, with highs of 8C or 9C. In London and the south east, Saturday will be dry and breezy while Sunday will be windy with temperatures reaching 11C. Moving further into the week, winds are expected to pick up with “spells of rain pushing in from the south east. The Met Office says by the end of the month, temperatures are expected to drop and conditions will become more “wintery.” Forecasters warned earlier this week that the same weather patterns which sparked the Beast from the East - and brought freezing temperatures and heavy snow last winter - could return this year. The Met Office said sudden stratospheric warming had appeared around Christmas, when there was a sharp increase in the temperature over a couple of days. When this happens in the Arctic it can lead to a rush of cold air blowing eastwards across Europe a few weeks later, bringing much cooler temperatures to the continent. The Met Office said this is what caused the Beast from the East early last year - an icy blast of freezing Siberian winds which brought freezing temperatures and heavy snow to much of the UK.

Sophie Williams

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-weather-forecast-snow-set-to-hit-parts-of-the-country-with-temperatures-predicted-to-plunge-a4037051.html

2019-01-12 12:01:00+00:00

weather

weather forecast

birminghammail--2019-01-31--The footballers trending on transfer deadline day include this Aston Villa man

birminghammail

The footballers trending on transfer deadline day include this Aston Villa man

After a month’s worth of hype around who could go where, the deadline is now just hours away as the January transfer window is set to close at 11pm tonight. Some big deals have already happened with Gonzalo Higuain coming to the Premier League for the first time as he joined Chelsea from Juventus for the rest of the season, while Arsenal finally got their man as Denis Suarez joined the Gunners on loan from Barcelona. But as every deadline day fan knows, it’s not over until that window slams shut and all the paperwork is in. While the window is open, there are still deals to be done and people around the UK have been searching to learn more about those deals. Let’s take a look at the ten players who are trending highest on Google for the January transfer window’s final day. Arsenal confirmed the arrival of Suarez earlier today but fans are still hoping that a deal can be struck for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Christopher Nkunku. But things aren’t looking great for the Gunners’ hopes of signing the 21-year-old midfielder with The Mirror reporting that the two clubs cannot agree on the fee Arsenal should pay to take Nkunku on loan. Aston Villa have wrapped up a deal to take Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings on loan for the rest of the season and his status as the second highest trending player on Google suggests he was highly sought after. The Championship side confirmed the move on Thursday, with The Mirror reporting that Villa have inserted a clause in the deal to allow them to match any offers the Cherries receive for Mings this summer. It is a little surprising to see Alvaro Morata so high up on this list considering the fact the Spanish striker has already made his move for this transfer window. On Monday, Morata joined Atletico Madrid on an 18-month loan deal, taking him back to the club at which he started his youth career. Perhaps the biggest deal that has yet to be done this month is for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The 23-year-old is out of contract at the end of this season with reports claiming that PSG are ready to offload him now rather than lose him for nothing in the summer. Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona have all been linked with a move for the Frenchman but with the 11pm deadline fast approaching, time is running out. The last few years have seen a massive increase in the amount of Belgian players at the top level of football and Anthony Limbombe could be the latest to make the step up to the Premier League. The 24-year-old Nantes forward has been linked with a move to Newcastle United and the fact he was omitted from the French side’s squad for Wednesday night’s clash with St-Etienne has only added fuel to the fire. The official line is that Limbombe was nursing an ankle injury but it remains a possibility that he will be the latest signing in a frantic end to the window for Newcastle. It’s not all about big Premier League signings for British fans, as Sam Surridge could be the second man in the trending top five to be headed to the Football League. The Bournemouth forward is wanted by Sunderland and Plymouth Argyle as he has impressed during his loan with Oldham Athletic in League Two this season. Unfortunately for those interested in his services, Plymouth Live report that Surridge will remain at Bournemouth as he has become a part of Eddie Howe’s first team plans. With six teams said to be interested in a move for Charlie Austin before today’s 11pm deadline, it’s no wonder that the Southampton striker is so high up on the list of trending footballers. Crystal Palace, Cardiff City, Wolves, Aston Villa, Stoke City and Blackburn have all been linked with a move for Austin today, according to football.london. He may have already played twice for his new club but Gonzalo Higuain’s loan move to Chelsea is still attracting attention from fans around the UK. The Argentine has joined the Blues on loan for the rest of the season and could make the move permanent if he impresses over the next few months. One man who is almost certain to stay put before the transfer window closes later today is Brazilian winger Neymar. But the Paris Saint-Germain talisman could still have an impact on the transfer market before the day is done after it was confirmed that he will be out for the next 10 weeks. The injury has left PSG scrambling with reports linking them with loan moves for Chelsea’s Willian and out-of-favour Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil. Of all the names on this list, Joao Felix’s is probably the one you are least likely to recognise but the 19-year-old has attracted the attention of some Premier League big guns. The Mirror report that Manchester United and Chelsea are ready to rival Liverpool in the race for his signature after sending scouts to watch Benfica’s 5-1 win over Boavista. Felix, for whom Liverpool apparently submitted a £61m bid earlier this season, scored once and added two assists as he ran riot for the Portuguese giants.

Tom Marshall-Bailey

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/footballers-trending-transfer-deadline-day-15763136

2019-01-31 17:33:34+00:00

sport

transfer

birminghammail--2019-05-30--How good is Aston Villa transfer target Neal Maupay - we asked Football Manager

birminghammail

How good is Aston Villa transfer target Neal Maupay? - we asked Football Manager

Aston Villa clinched promotion to the Premier League on Monday, beating Derby County 2-1 in the Championship playoff final at Wembley. Now, with Villa planning for a Premier League campaign next season, it's highly likely that they'll be busy in this summer's transfer window. The likes of Tom Carroll, Tammy Abraham, Axel Tuanzebe, Tyrone Mings, Kortney Hause and Anwar El Ghazi are all due to leave the club later this month, with their season long loan deals due to end, so it's imperative that the club replace them adequately. The latest name to be linked with a move to Villa Park is Brentford striker Neal Maupay, who enjoyed a brilliant 2018/19 campaign, scoring 25 goals in 43 appearances for the Bees. But, how good is Maupay? And, what are his best attributes? We used the highly respected Football Manager 2019 database to find out. Top Attributes (out of 20): Aggression (17), bravery (17), work rate (16), determination (15), balance (15), finishing (14), first touch (14), technique (14), flair (14), movement (14). The Frenchman's Football Manager 2019 profile suggests that he is an extremely aggressive forward, with high aggression, bravery, work rate and determination. Maupay is a player who you would love to have on your team, but hate to play against. The 22-year-old has strong technical attributes, including high finishing, first touch, technique and movement, which make him a very dangerous striker in and around the opposition's box. It's not hard to see why he scored 25 goals last season. His current ability on Football Manager 2019 is 128 out of 200, to put that into context, that makes him almost as good as Villa loanee Abraham (133). However, his potential ability of 141 out of 200 means that he could far exceed Abraham's ability and could even become better than any current Villa player, including captain Jack Grealish (138) overall. And, because Maupay is still just 22 years old, you wouldn't bet against him reaching his full potential. Football Manager 2019 suggests that Maupay would be a great replacement for the outgoing Abraham, albeit they are slightly different players, but the Frenchman would be no less effective.

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk (Nathan Bliss)

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villa-neal-maupay-transfers-16356554

2019-05-30 16:43:37+00:00

sport

transfer

birminghammail--2019-07-26--How good is Wolves transfer target Jesus Vallejo We asked Football Manager

birminghammail

How good is Wolves transfer target Jesus Vallejo? We asked Football Manager

After a very impressive 2018/19 season, with Wolves finishing in seventh place in the Premier League, many expected Nuno Espirito Santo's side to strengthen significantly this summer, in order to challenge even further up the table. However, with little over two weeks until the summer transfer window slams shut, their only signings so far are the permanent captures of 2018/19 loan stars Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker. The likes of Ivan Cavaleiro, Kortney Hause, Helder Costa and Jack Ruddy have all left too, so new arrivals are expected. Recent reports have linked Wanderers with the signing of Real Madrid defender Jesus Vallejo, who could reportedly join on loan for the 2019/20 season. So, just how good is Vallejo? And, what are his best attributes? We used the highly respected Football Manager 2019 database to find out. According to Football Manager 2019, Vallejo is a very talented defender, who is already performing at a high level despite his young age. His defensive attributes are impressive, with high values for important attributes such as tackling, marking, positioning, anticipation, concentration and bravery. For all your latest Wolves news, opinion, analysis and transfer gossip, click here The Spaniard is also extremely comfortable on the ball, with strong passing, technique, vision, first touch, decisions and composure, which allow him to get involved in the build-up play from deep positions. But, he's not particularly quick, with average acceleration and pace at best. Despite his age, Vallejo has high leadership and determination attributes, which suggests that he's a captain in waiting. The Real Madrid defender has been given a current ability rating of 131 out of 200 on Football Manager 2019, to put that into context, that's around the same level of ability as the likes of Conor Coady (131), Leander Dendoncker (135) and Romain Saiss (127). However, Vallejo's potential is exceptional, rated at 160 out of 200, which would make him better than the likes of Raphael Varane (159), John Stones (158), Laurent Koscielny (156) and Jose Gimenez (158). Why do we use the Football Manager database? The Football Manager database currently contains data on more than 800,000 individuals and 45,000 active clubs, with data sourced from their international on the ground scouting network which numbers roughly 1,000 people, among their ranks are some who are involved in football in professional capacities, including scouts and coaches. In addition to the information on players, clubs and backroom staff, the Football Manager database also contains a wealth of information on many other aspects of the professional game, including data on competitions, cups, team and individual awards, weather, finances, officials and more. The database also incorporates a wealth of nation-specific details such as currency, tax rates, national team records, histories in major tournaments and so on. All of this information combines to create an accurate representation of 'real world' football within Football Manager. Football Manager use a query-based system of checks and balances designed to ensure that there are no statistical outliers within any particular club, division, league or country. In addition, each annual iteration of Football Manager has built-in algorithms which check for outliers and data discrepancies. Data accuracy is further ensured by input from contributors who are active within the professional game (players, agents etc.) who provide regular feedback. Sports Interactive (SI) is the world’s leading developer of football management simulations through the best-selling Football Manager series. Created by football fans, for football fans, and available on computer, smartphone and tablet, Football Manager tops the charts in almost every country where football is played. SI has ongoing relationships with some of the biggest names in professional football, including the Bundesliga, the League Managers Association, The EFL and many other leagues and national associations. Overall, despite being just 22 years old, Vallejo is good enough to slot straight into the Wolves first team, according to Football Manager 2019. And, if he can get regular football under his belt over the next few years, he has the potential to become one of the best defenders in world football.

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk (Nathan Bliss)

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/jesus-vallejo-wolves-transfer-news-16646510

2019-07-26 05:00:00+00:00

sport

transfer

eveningstandard--2019-01-02--Transfer news rumours LIVE Arsenal Man Utd Liverpool Chelsea Tottenham todayaposs latest f

eveningstandard

Transfer news, rumours LIVE: Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham – today's latest football gossip

Sarri unsure if Chelsea board will allow him to sign a striker Maurizio Sarri admitted Chelsea have a problem scoring goals but he doesn't know if the club board will sanction any signings during the January transfer window. Chelsea laboured to a goalless draw at home to Southampton on Wednesday night in a game in which the hosts dominated but failed to convert their goalscoring chances. Sarri played the misfiring Alvaro Morata up front in the absence of injured Olivier Giroud, who Sarri confirmed will not be able to train for another 10 days as he recovers from an ankle injury, while Chelsea's injury concerns deepened when Willian was forced off in the first half with a knock. But on a day in which Chelsea announced the £58m capture of Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund - a deal which will see the winger join in the summer - Sarri said he is in the dark about funds to bolster his struggling side. When asked if he was frustrated during Chelsea's 0-0 draw, Sarri replied: "Nothing, I think. I tried to do my job. On the bench I tried to do my job. "I think we played a very good match for 80 metres of the pitch, then we were in trouble in the last 20 metres. We created goal opportunities, not too much, but it's not easy to create a lot of goal opportunities in this type of match, because they were very low. "Of course if you're able to score the first goal you're able to create a lot of opportunities, because you can find spaces. We have to try to solve the problem of the last 15, 20 metres. "In the last matches we were in full control of the match, everywhere against every team. For us it's not easy at this moment to score the first goal. We have to solve this problem." When then asked if he would try and solve this issue by buying a forward in January, Sarri replied: "I don't know. I don't know because I'm not in charge of the market. "I have to think to my responsibility. I have to try to improve my players, my team, my offensive phase, or better my offensive phase in the last 20 metres. Now we have to improve in the last 20 metres. "The club knows my position, my opinion. It's up to the board." Chelsea currently have five forwards out on loan, one of which is Michy Batshuayi at Valencia. But Sarri suggested he won't be bringing the Belgian back, adding: "The club knows very well my opinion. I think we need something different for characteristics." When then asked about Pulisic, Sarri said: "I don't know. I said before I'm not in charge of the market, so for me it's very difficult to speak about the market or the deal of Pulisic. The board knows very well my opinion. "I think Willian's injury is not really very serious. The report of the doctor today is not serious, also for Pedro. I think Pedro in one week will be able to have training with team-mates. "Of course, in this match it was really very difficult for me because Pedro, Giroud, [Callum Hudson-]Odoi was out. After 35 minutes was out Willian. On the bench I had only one offensive player, but [Ruben] Loftus-Cheek  has back trouble. "For me it was really very difficult to try to change the match in the last 30 minutes. I put on the pitch [Cesc] Fabregas, but only because in that moment of the match we moved the ball not like in the first half. "I wanted another technical player to improve moving the ball. At the moment we're in trouble with the offensive players."

Richard Parry, JOE KRISHNAN, Tom Doyle, ALEX YOUNG

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/transfer-news-rumours-live-arsenal-man-utd-chelsea-liverpool-fc-tottenham-todays-latest-football-a4029086.html

2019-01-02 19:44:00+00:00

sport

transfer

theblaze--2019-08-29--College football player transfers to be near mom after her brain tumor and the NCAA punishes him

theblaze

College football player transfers to be near mom after her brain tumor — and the NCAA punishes him

College football player transfers to be near mom after her brain tumor — and the NCAA punishes him

Aaron Colen

https://www.theblaze.com/news/college-football-player-transfers-to-be-near-mom-after-her-brain-tumor-and-the-ncaa-punishes-him

2019-08-29 21:30:15+00:00

sport

transfer

thedailycaller--2019-01-18--What Does Jalen Hurts Transferring To Oklahoma Mean For College Football

thedailycaller

What Does Jalen Hurts Transferring To Oklahoma Mean For College Football?

Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts transferring to Oklahoma is going to have a massive impact on the world of college football. The Sooners just lost Kyler Murray to the NFL draft or the MLB, and Austin Kendall is also out the door. Obviously, that means Oklahoma was going to be in the market for a new QB in order to stay at the top. Enter Jalen Hurts. The impact Hurts has on college football for the Sooners next season is very simple. It immediately makes Oklahoma a national title contender. The Sooners will once again be expected to dominate the Big 12 with him under center. (RELATED: Jalen Hurts Transfers To Oklahoma) That feeling must be nice for fans of the program. Can Jalen throw the ball like Murray or Baker Mayfield could when they suited up for Oklahoma? No, but he is a stronger runner than both of them. Mayfield and Murray both absolutely dominated for Oklahoma. I’m not sure you can expect the exact same results from Hurts, but they don’t need the same results. The former Crimson Tide quarterback just needs to be solid and the Sooners are going to dominate. Fans of Oklahoma around the world should be very happy right now because Hurts will likely tear it up, and Oklahoma should shred the vast majority of their opponents with the electric QB under center.

David Hookstead

https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/17/jalen-hurts-transfer-oklahoma-preview/

2019-01-18 03:37:47+00:00

sport

transfer

theguardianuk--2019-03-22--Football transfer rumours Joao Felix to Manchester City for 120m

theguardianuk

Football transfer rumours: João Félix to Manchester City for €120m?

**Manchester City** are in pole position to sign Benfica’s 19-year-old midfield prodigy **João Félix** – but he’ll come at a cost. According to the Sun, they can expect to pay the player’s €120m release clause in full if they beat Manchester United, **Real Madrid** and **Juventus** to the young whippet’s signature. Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, “is believed to have held initial talks over a deal with the Portuguese club’s hierarchy,” they report, and is trying to convince them to accept a lower up- front sum “by adding performance-based bonuses to their offer”. The Evening Standard says Felix is not the only Benfica teenager City want to sign, with the English club competing with United (again) and **Barcelona** for 16-year-old **Ronaldo Camara** , “one of the most sought-after prospects in world football”. Other than the midfield, they report of Pep Guardiola that “ **a top quality left back** is now among his priorities”, alongside “ **another centre back** ”, while the Spaniard “is also considering **adding to his attack** ”. So, to summarise, he doesn’t need a new goalkeeper. It’s no surprise that **Manchester United** can’t afford Félix, since they are ready to pay £65m for the Mill’s old friend **Harry Maguire**. “Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has urged United to sign Maguire so he can build his defence around the 26-year-old,” says the Express. “It has emerged Maguire is open to a switch to United and has let it be known a deal can be done.” **Ander Herrera** , meanwhile, could be off to **Paris St-Germain** on a free. “Everyone wants **Dybala** ,” declares _Tuttosport_ , who believe that “the impact of Real Madrid’s summer revolution will be felt throughout Europe” and could end with Juventus’s Argentinian starlet leaving Turin. “So many clubs like him – besides Inter he has admirers in Spain and England – but first he has to wait for Real’s first move and hope that he joins the domino run of attackers,” they write. Tuttosport predicts that one of **Neymar** and **Kylian Mbappé** will leave Paris St-Germain this summer, bound for the Bernabéu; PSG will then replace whoever departs with **Antoine Griezmann** , forcing **Atlético Madrid** to move for Paulo Dybala (unless someone else has first), whose place at Juve might by then have been taken by Federico Chiesa. As for what Fiorentina might do then, frankly your guess is as good as ours. Real, as frequently publicised, also want **Eden Hazard** , but according to Sky should a move for Chelsea’s Frenchman falter they will target instead West Ham’s **Felipe Anderson** “in a deal likely to be worth around £65m”, or almost exactly double the fee the Hammers paid for him last summer. The choice facing **Chelsea** as they select a new manager to replace the underwhelming Maurizio Sarri has come down to logic v sentiment, with the two camps represented by **Nuno Espirito Santo** and **Frank Lampard**. “There is a growing feeling the Italian is not a natural fit for the club,” deduces the Sun of Sarri. “Nuno has been gaining growing support within the Blues board … but Lamps would be the fans’ choice.” According to Bild **Liverpool** are, like every club in the Bundesliga with deep enough pockets, interested in **Callum Hudson-Odoi**. But don’t get too excited: the Liverpool Echo says the club’s summer plans are relatively modest and that they certainly “won’t be shelling out anywhere near the eye-watering amounts of the past two transfer windows”. Meanwhile in news of former Liverpool players, the Spanish newspaper Sport says that **Philippe Coutinho** could be sold by Barcelona this summer for €100m. Meanwhile across town, **Everton** “could pounce” for **Salomón Rondón** if Newcastle fail to snap up their on-loan striker this summer, says the Star. In a story that features the word “could” a lot and makes only the slightest pretence of insider knowledge – “Starsport understands Everton are interested too” – they announce that “Everton boss Marco Silva is short of options in attack and Rondón could fit the bill”.

Simon Burnton

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/mar/22/football-transfer-rumours-joao-felix-to-manchester-city-for-120m

2019-03-22 09:01:41+00:00

sport

transfer

theindependent--2019-01-14--Transfer news Yaya Toure admits he wants to make Premier League return on Monday Night Football

theindependent

Transfer news: Yaya Toure admits he wants to make Premier League return on Monday Night Football

Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has his sights set on a return to the Premier League. The 35-year-old, who spent eight extremely successful seasons at City, left the club at the end of last season to join Greek side Olympiacos. But things did not work out for the three-time Premier League winner at his new club. He made just two league appearances and started just a single game in his three months at the club, before his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Toure however has no intentions to retire and has admitted he wants to make a comeback with a Premier League club. “This is definitely not the end, I want to continue to play,” Toure said on Monday Night Football ahead of Manchester City’s match against Wolves. “I went to Olympiacos and I quit because I was not so happy, the mentality was very different. It was a bad choice. “Maybe it was an emotional choice because I started there and wanted to give something back to the fans. “I'm well known in the world and wanted to give something back, but when I got there it was not what I was expecting.” Toure added that he would like to return to England and envisions himself playing for another seven seasons. "You never know, maybe the Premier League,” Toure said when asked where he wants to play next. “If it is possible I want to play one or two more years, we will see. “With the new competition and the new mentality of the guys coming up I think a player could go on to 42 years old, but we will see.” Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news, rumours and done deals throughout the January window​

Sports Staff

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/yaya-toure-transfer-news-premier-league-manchester-city-vs-wolves-monday-night-football-watch-video-a8727856.html

2019-01-14 19:36:00+00:00

sport

transfer

theindependent--2019-05-28--West Ham transfer news Declan Rice talks down summer exit but long-term sights set on Champions Lea

theindependent

West Ham transfer news: Declan Rice talks down summer exit but long-term sights set on Champions League football

Declan Rice has talked down the prospect of leaving West Ham this summer but admitted that his long-term sights are set firmly on Champions League football. The 20-year-old emerged as one of West Ham’s standout players across the course of last season, and was rewarded for his efforts with a new five-year contract in December. Despite this, champions Manchester City have been linked to the youngster as they look to further strengthen their midfield in the summer transfer window. But speaking from St George’s Park ahead of England’s Nations League semi-final with the Netherlands, Rice insisted he remains fully focused on playing for West Ham. “Everything is good,” he said. “I know that there’s speculation but during the season last year I just signed a new five-year contract with West Ham. So my focus is fully on playing for West Ham. “I’ve got a great connection with the fans; the fans love me and I love them and that’s the way it is at the moment. I’m not thinking about anything else, for sure.” Nonetheless, Rice revealed his desire to one day play Champions League football, pointing to the example of Frenkie de Jong, a fellow young, defensive midfielder who has risen from relative obscurity to the top of the game. “When you start out in football you always want to play at the top,” he added. “You want to play in the Champions League. If you were in football and you didn’t want to do that there’d be no point playing. “But the likes of De Jong like you said, he got his move to Barcelona and it’s fully deserved. He’s a top top player and I think you’ve seen that in the Champions League. It would be great to come up against him in the Nations League.” For now, Rice has the more pressing matter of England’s Nations League showdown with the Netherlands on 9 June. The midfielder, who earlier this year switched his international allegiances from the Republic of Ireland to England, believes victory in Portugal would place Gareth Southgate’s men in “good stead” for the European Championships next summer, as well as the 2022 World Cup beyond that. “I think it’s massive,” he said. “It’s really important. We’ve got ourselves into the semi-final. We’ve got a massive chance now to create history. “With the squad Gareth has put together, with the players that we have, for sure we’ve got to be looking at the Nations League and winning it. It would stand us in good stead for the future and the Euros next year and the World Cup after that.”

Samuel Lovett

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/west-ham-transfer-news-declan-rice-champions-league-manchester-city-england-a8934001.html

2019-05-28 18:22:21+00:00

sport

transfer

theindependent--2019-09-10--Arsenal transfer news Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits he aposwas not fitting English football wellapos

theindependent

Arsenal transfer news: Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits he 'was not fitting English football well'

Henrikh Mkhitaryan insists he is focused on a new challenge at Roma after admitting he “was not fitting in so well in English football”. Arsenal loaned out the Armenian on deadline day, despite Mkhitaryan featuring in the north London derby only 24 hours prior, with Unai Emery not considering him a valuable member of the first team squad. Mkhitaryan had struggled for form at both Arsenal and previous club Manchester United, and had fallen behind new signing Nicolas Pepe and the returning Reiss Nelson in the pecking order at the Emirates. The Armenia international indicated that his playing role in England could be the reason behind his downturn in form following impressive spells with Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund. Speaking to the media, Mkhitaryan was candid about his playing history. “With the national team I play behind the striker, so I have more freedom to move wherever I want, to drop back, to take the ball,” he said. “But at Arsenal and Manchester United my role was different, I was more responsible for helping to build the play and perhaps that is why I scored fewer goals. But I am trying to do my best to score and assist because that is what I get pleasure from.” Mkhitaryan was naturally very positive about playing for his new club Roma, who struggled last year in Serie A, finishing sixth and failing to qualify for the Champions League. “I knew I was not going to play a lot [at Arsenal] – maybe I would sit on the bench, like I did the last three games before the international break,” he said. “I chose Roma because it was a great opportunity for me. I got a call from my agent and I wanted to come because it was a great opportunity for me. “I don’t think it is a step back because it is a big club, a great club and everyone knows about it. “I want to do my best for the club. I am not afraid of pressure. If you are a big player for a big team you are always under pressure and people will be watching your every step. “I didn’t even have a discussion with my agent about money, I just came here to enjoy my football and to achieve our goals.”

Luke Bosher

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/arsenal-transfer-news-henrikh-mkhitaryan-roma-loan-manchester-united-a9099741.html

2019-09-10 15:21:00+00:00

sport

transfer

21stcenturywire--2019-04-12--Sudanese President al-Bashir Ousted in Military Coup Two-Year Transition Planned

21stcenturywire

Sudanese President al-Bashir Ousted in Military Coup, Two-Year Transition Planned

On April 11th, the Sudanese military announced that (now former) Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was ousted and detained. Protesters were happy to hear that the 30-year-rule of Bashir had come to an end, but their happiness was short-lived. Defense Minister, General, Awad Mohammad Ahmed Ibn Auf announced that a two-year Military Council would be formed the lead the country. The transitional constitution of 2005, after South Sudan separated itself would be suspended. He announced a state of emergency over the next three months and a curfew for the next month which prohibits citizens from being outside between 10 PM and 4 AM. He also announced the closure of the airspace and crossings for 24 hours, in addition to resolving the institution of the presidency and the Council of Ministers and the Parliament and the Council of State and State governments and their legislative councils and assigning the governors to carry out tasks and assigning the undersecretaries of ministries to run the work. The military’s statement assured that all courts and embassies would continue working, affirming the Military Council ‘s commitment to preserve public life without exclusion. General Ibn Auf said that the higher security committee and the Armed Forces and its other components have assumed full responsibility for changing the entire system for a transitional period of two years, in which the Armed Forces will be the main and a limited representation of the components of that committee. Once again, mass portests were used as a pretext for a coup that would perpetuate the current regime, but with a new leader. General Ibn Auf, like former President al-Bashir, had been accused of perpetrating war crimes in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. He is also a confidant of al-Bashir. On February 24th, Ibn Auf was sworn in as first vice president.

21wire

https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/04/12/sudanese-president-al-bashir-ousted-in-military-coup-two-year-transition-planned/

2019-04-12 14:00:25+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

bbc--2019-01-07--Gabon coup Is Africa seeing fewer military takeover attempts

bbc

Gabon coup: Is Africa seeing fewer military takeover attempts?

The coup attempt in Gabon is the first there since the 1960s. On Monday morning, a small group of junior military soldiers tried to take charge to "restore democracy". The government has said the plot has been defeated and the situation is "under control". President Ali Bongo is currently receiving medical treatment in Morocco after having a stroke. His family have ruled Gabon since 1967. But is the continent shaking off its reputation for coups? Since the 1950s, there've been a total of 204 coups d'état - successful or otherwise - in Africa, according to a dataset compiled by two US political scientists, Jonathan Powell and Clayton Thyne, who are based at the University of Central Florida and the University of Kentucky respectively. Their definition of a coup is that they are illegal and overt attempts by the military or other civilian officials inside the state to unseat sitting leaders. However, the definition of coup is often contested and in the past, military leaders have denied they're conducting them. Take, for example, Zimbabwe in 2017. The military mounted a takeover to put an end to Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule. At the time, a top military official, Maj Gen Sibusiso Moyo, went on television to deny flatly that it was a military takeover. "Coup leaders almost invariably deny their action was a coup in an effort to appear legitimate," says Powell. Powell and Thyne regard a successful coup as one that lasts longer than seven days. In Africa, there have been 104 failed coups and 100 successful ones. Sudan has had the most coups, with 14. Burkina Faso has had the most successful ones at seven. Africa has certainly had a high number of military takeovers, but this particular way of forcing change is declining. Between 1960-1999, there were between 39 and 42 coups every decade. Since then there's been a drop-off. In the 2000s there were 22 coups, and in the current decade the number stands at 16. Powell says this is not surprising given the instability African countries experienced after independence. "African countries have had the conditions common for coups, like poverty and poor economic performance. "When a country has one coup, that's often a harbinger of more coups," says Powell. And historically in African countries, the militaries have generally played a more active role in transitions of power and domestic issues and security. Globally, the total number of coups stands at 475. So Africa has experienced more coups than anywhere else. Next is South America which has had 95 attempted coups, 40 of which were successful. However, in the past two decades there has been a decrease in South American coups. The last coup was in Venezuela in 2002 against President Hugo Chavez, which failed. Powell says the end of Cold War dynamics which saw the US and Soviet Union meddle in Latin American affairs as well as the willingness of the international community to sanction countries which have coups, like Haiti in 1994, has led to the decline of military takeovers. Asia has also had a decline in coups.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46783600

2019-01-07 18:11:56+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

democracynow--2019-11-11--"This Is a Military Coup": Bolivian President Evo Morales Resigns After Army Calls for His Ouster

democracynow

"This Is a Military Coup": Bolivian President Evo Morales Resigns After Army Calls for His Ouster

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: Bolivia is in a state of political crisis after longtime President Evo Morales resigned Sunday following what he described as a military coup. Bolivia has been the scene of weeks of protest since a disputed election last month. Morales announced his resignation in a televised address Sunday. AMY GOODMAN: President Morales spoke shortly after the Bolivian military took to the airwaves to call for his resignation. AMY GOODMAN: Bolivia’s vice president also resigned Sunday, as did the head of the Bolivian Senate and the lower house. The top two officials on Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Court have been detained. Opposition leader Jeanine Áñez, who is the second vice president of the Bolivian Senate, is claiming she will assume the presidency today. Evo Morales was Bolivia’s first indigenous leader, was credited with lifting nearly a fifth of Bolivia’s population out of poverty since he took office in 2006. But he faced criticism from some of his former supporters for running for a third and then a fourth term. Evo Morales’s whereabouts are unknown. His home was ransacked Sunday. Mexico has offered Morales asylum. Hours before resigning, Morales had agreed to call for new elections, after the Organization of American States issued a report claiming there was, quote, “clear manipulation” in last month’s election results. According to the official results of last month’s election, Morales won 47% of the vote and just narrowly avoided a runoff election. But the OAS immediately questioned the election process, sparking mass street protests. Critics of the OAS say the global body did not provide any evidence of actual vote rigging. We go now to Washington, D.C., where we’re joined by Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, his latest piece for The Nation headlined “The Trump Administration Is Undercutting Democracy in Bolivia.” Talk about the latest developments, the resignation of President Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia. MARK WEISBROT: Well, this is a military coup. There’s no doubt about it now, after the head of the military told the president and vice president to resign and then they did. And I think it’s really terrible the way it’s been presented, because, from the beginning, you had that OAS press release, the day after the election, which hinted — or implied, actually, very strongly — that there was something wrong with the vote count, and they never presented any evidence at all. They didn’t presented it in that release. They didn’t present it in their next release. They didn’t present it in their preliminary report. And there’s really nothing in this latest so-called preliminary audit that shows that there was any fraud in this election. But it was repeated over and over again in all the media, and so it became kind of true. And, you know, if you look at the media, you don’t see anybody — you don’t see any experts, for example, saying that there was something wrong with the vote count. It’s really just that OAS observation mission, which was under a lot of pressure, of course, from Senator Rubio and the Trump administration to do this, because they wanted — they’ve wanted for some time to get rid of this government. AMY GOODMAN: And explain how the election went — Morales stopping the election count, resuming it — and then what kind of majority he needed to avoid a runoff. MARK WEISBROT: OK. So, this is very important, because this has been very badly described, I think, in most of the media. You have a quick count, which is not even the official count of the election, and it’s not binding. It’s not what determines the result. It’s just something that is done while the votes are being counted to let people know what’s going on at that time. And so, the quick count was interrupted, and when it resumed — and it was interrupted with Evo leading by about 7 percentage points. And when it came back, his margin increased. And if you read the press here, any of the articles, it’s reported as though something terribly suspicious happened. He didn’t have enough votes — he needed a 10-point margin in order to — a 10-point lead over the next runner-up in order to win in the first round, and he didn’t have that when the vote count, this quick count, was interrupted — or, the reporting was interrupted, I should say. And then, you know, he got it in the last 14 — last 16% of the votes counted. He reached 10%. But if you look at what was really — so, this was reported as a very suspicious thing. And this is what’s reported over and over again to make it look like something was wrong. But if you look at it, actually — actually, the whole vote count — you see there was a steady trend of Evo’s margin increasing almost from the beginning. And it didn’t change in the last 16%; it just continued because — and you can look at the areas that were coming in — these were rural and poor areas where Evo Morales had more support. That’s all that happened. This happens in elections. You can see this if you watch election returns in the U.S. So, there was never anything there. AMY GOODMAN: Several Latin American leaders have criticized the ouster of Evo Morales in Bolivia. This is Argentina’s President-elect Alberto Fernández. AMY GOODMAN: And British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted Sunday, “To see @evoespueble who, along with a powerful movement, has brought so much social progress forced from office by the military is appalling. I condemn this coup against the Bolivian people and stand with them for democracy, social justice and independence. So, if you can talk, Mark Weisbrot, about the role of the Bolivian military? And what about the Trump administration? MARK WEISBROT: Well, I think the most — you know, the Bolivian military very clearly said — I mean, before they did that, they said they weren’t going to intervene, in terms of the protests. But they very clearly — the head of the armed forces said that Evo should resign, right before he did that. And so it was a military coup. And Evo Morales is calling it that, of course. And there isn’t any doubt about it. The media hasn’t really mentioned it as much as a military coup, but it definitely is. In terms of the Trump administration, you can look at tweets and statements from Marco Rubio right before the votes were even counted, saying that there was going to be fraud, and, you know, making it clear that they didn’t want this government to be there. And so, yeah, I think that — I mean, it’s very obvious that they supported this coup. And it’s very obvious that they pressured the OAS, where the United States supplies 60% of the budget. And, you know, this is the problem. The media treats this OAS as though it’s really an independent arbiter here. And they do have electoral missions, and most of the time they’re clean, but they are not always. You know, in Haiti in 2011, for example, they reversed the results of a first-round presidential election without any statistical test, recount or any reason. It was completely political. And in 2000, they reversed their position, their report on the election, when the United States, as you know and you’ve reported on this show, wanted to cut off all international aid to Haiti and spent four years preparing for the coup of 2004. So, the OAS played a major role in that by changing their report on the election in Haiti. And so, I think this is a kind of a classic military coup supported by the United States. AMY GOODMAN: So, Mark Weisbrot, you have the CIA involvement in coups in Bolivia in 1952, in 1964, 1970, 1980. Would you add 2019 to that list? MARK WEISBROT: I would add it to the list. I mean, we don’t have the hard evidence of what they did. You know, it’s not like 2009 in Honduras, where Hillary Clinton wrote in her memoirs that she worked in the OAS, too, to prevent the elected president, who you’ve had on this show, from coming back to the country and to the presidency. But I think we’ll probably find out more later. But it’s just — it is very obvious that they supported this coup. AMY GOODMAN: Earlier today, Evo Morales tweeted, “The coup perpetrators who attacked my house & my sister’s, who threatened to kill ministers and their kids, who humiliated a mayor, are now lying & trying to blame us for the chaos and violence that they created. Bolivia & the world are witnesses to this coup.” Among those who condemned the coup are Lula — yes, the Brazilian former president, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, also big news. And we just have 30 seconds. But if you, Mark, can talk about the significance of his release from prison after a year and a half? He had been the front-runner in the election before he ultimately was imprisoned. Now he’s out. What does this mean? MARK WEISBROT: Well, this is definitely a victory. But the thing that I worry about most is they could arrest him at any time for any reason. You have the so-called justice minister of the country who is the judge who put him in prison and in a trial that really almost everyone now knows was lacking in evidence and was really a political trial. And so, and you have, you know, a very — I don’t know how else to say, but a fascistic government. So, he is definitely in danger, and there’s going to be a need to really defend him. AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you very much for being with us. Of course, we’ll continue to follow these developments. Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, speaking to us from Washington, D.C. The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, resigned yesterday, saying he was ousted by a military coup. This is Democracy Now! When we come back, the first-ever Presidential Forum on Environmental Justice. It’s held in South Carolina. I co-moderated. Today we play you our segment with Elizabeth Warren.

mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)

http://www.democracynow.org/2019/11/11/evo_morales_bolivia_protests_military_coup

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 08:20:00 -0500

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

eveningstandard--2019-01-07--Gabon aposcoup daposetatapos latest Situation aposunder controlapos as four of five rebel

eveningstandard

Gabon 'coup d'état' latest: Situation 'under control' as four of five rebel military officers arrested, officials say

An attempted coup by military officers in Gabon has been brought under control, the government spokesman has said. "The government is in place. The institutions are in place," Guy-Bertrand Mapangou told France 24. He had earlier told Reuters that four officers who had taken over the national radio station were in custody. A fifth is still on the run. Soldiers appeared on state media on Monday declaring they had launched a coup "to restore democracy" in the West African country. They said they were unhappy with the leadership of President Ali Bongo, who is recovering from a stroke in Morocco. Early on Monday a soldier who identified himself as Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, commander of the Republican Guard, read out a statement saying the military had seized control of the government. He was flanked by two others holding weapons and all were dressed in camouflage uniforms and green berets. A New Year's eve address by Ali Bongo "reinforced doubts about the president's ability to continue to carry out of the responsibilities of his office," said the leader of the self-declared Patriotic Movement of the Defence and Security Forces of Gabon. The radio message was broadcast at around 5.30am today. A source close to the government said there were gunshots around the national television station, but that the plotters appeared to be a small group of soldiers. A crowd of about 300 people had gathered at the station in support of the attempted coup, but soldiers fired tear gas to disperse them, Reuters reported. Most of Libreville remained calm but there was a strong police and military presence on the street and helicopters circled overhead. Bongo, 59, was hospitalised in October in Saudi Arabia after suffering a stroke. He has been in Morocco since November to continue treatment. In his speech on New Year's, Bongo acknowledged health problems but said he was recovering. He slurred some of his words and did not move his right arm, but otherwise appeared in decent health. The Bongo family has ruled the oil-producing country for nearly half a century. Bongo has been president since succeeding his father, Omar, who died in 2009. His re-election in 2016 was marred by claims of fraud and violent protest.

Asher Mcshane, Ella Wills

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/gabon-coup-small-group-of-soldiers-stage-coup-in-gabon-in-protest-over-rule-of-president-ali-bongo-a4031801.html

2019-01-07 07:20:00+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

fortruss--2019-04-30--FLORES Venezuela Black Magic The Failed Military Coup of Fourteen Tells You Everything

fortruss

FLORES: Venezuela Black Magic – The Failed Military Coup of Fourteen Tells You Everything

Venezuelan President pretender Juan Guaido is about to topple the structures of power in Venezuela, mustering an impressive insurgent and popular military force of …. fourteen men. Yes, surely it is absurd. But in the details of this ridiculous looking ‘attempt’ at phase n of the coup, so very much needs to be learned about the allegorical black magic of the Color Revolution. This is a wonderful opportunity to further publicize, for people who seek to obtain it, an understanding of how the U.S understands regime change, mass and social-psychology, power-elite dynamics. We can both learn and affirm the art and science of the Color Revolution, as known as a component of paradigm of 4th Generation Warfare, this specific tactic of hybrid warfare, within the general strategem of soft-power ‘regime change’ operations. If we are to color these Color Revolutions – Green, Orange, Velvet, Tulip, Purple, Rose – then Venezuela’s is black. Black, as the magic which has backfired on the practitioners, rendering them diseased, disfigured, and defeated. The U.S empire, in its phase of critical decline and absolute collapse, seeks to conjure phantoms, trickery, magic, spells, whisper campaigns, defamation, and sleight of hand. The failed Color Revolution on Venezuela, will so be known as the Black Revolution. Watching Guaido conjure imaginary forces in today’s video-address was like watching disgraced Christian televangelist Jim Bakker. To be sure, the present ‘Military Coup’ in Venezuela is a fiction and because it is publicly known as such, it is therefore already a failure. It appears a particular network of U.S financed agents are working in over-drive to deliver some semblance of ‘regime change’ results in Venezuela. There are real budgets on the line here, and Guaido’s handlers are under real duress to show something, anything. Still, in the workings of these fourteen men standing strong with Guaido, the entire art and science of government subversion can be told. And so hours ago, international headlines flashed a western-coordinated message in simulcast – ‘Guaido Pledges End of Maduro Era in Militaristic Video’ (the Guardian) , or ‘Attempted Coup Underway in Venezuela’ (CNN) – informing whatever viewers they still have that ‘big things are happening right now’ in Venezuela. While these headlines certainly catch attention, and we are obliged to report them as breaking news for what they profess to be – the reality is that these are psychological operations that will have little effect on real power in Caracas. The ‘presentism’ inherent in the nature of news and reporting, can often leave the audience in a perpetual state of short-term memory, and a feeling of ‘awaiting an exciting and new breaking event’. But stepping back and pausing to think, the entire charade exposes itself for what it is. What it really was, what you really saw, is an exhausted and exhaustible Guaido stand with about fourteen individual men in uniforms purchasable anywhere. Now, there is a strong chance that these men are indeed military, and there is in fact a point here that we will elaborate further on in the below. Indeed, much of how all of these things operate on the larger scale are signified by these fourteen men. But to summarize what we are seeing now, even in western reporting, we find a confirmation that the first phase of the psychological operation was a failure – in this phase, we were to be convinced that Maduro was no longer president, that Guaido was already in. Months ago now, we were told it was only a matter of time, hours, perhaps days, until the transition of power was complete. And then what happened? Nothing happened, because the sleight of hand, the magician’s illusion was exposed for what it is. This, incidentally, is what the U.S’ whole war on independent media is about, and their war ‘on’ the internet, ‘through’ the internet. If people do not really believe a transition of power is happening in Venezuela, then people do not behave that way. This is a black magic whose spell has been broken. If people do not behave as if the government is topping, then the behaviours commensurate with, and determinative of, of a toppling of government, do not occur. Consular offices around the world, of Venezuela, retain their titular authority.  Investments and international obligations carry on with the actual-existing government in Caracas, headed by Maduro, and this is a huge part of it too. This entire holographic reality the U.S has failed to create was constructed on this basic idea: if enough people believe it, power can actually be transferred to their designee. There is a dictum that holds in both community organizing, mass mobilization, and insurgent and counter-insurgent psychology-in-action, of which this author has been both a practitioner and percipient witness. It is understood, as it was distilled in the writings by Gene Sharp and based in turn on the works of Saul Alinsky, that power is constantly in flux, is based upon perception and agreement, is redefined every-day, and can change hands very rapidly. Thinking people and skeptics in the west often misunderstand these as leftoid or traditionally, at least dogmatically, Marxian conceptions of power, because of the association with Alinsky, community organizing, labor unions and syndicates and the left. This is a massive error of immense proportions, and anyone professing such would be met by the ridicule it deserves. Rather, Marxian conceptions have power understood through the prism of class, in turn and in the final analysis determined by the productive forces and social relations – all together the mode of production. But in the black magic, the artistic science of toppling governments by way of the Color Revolution, the ‘class struggle’ component is all but a demagogic illusion, and reinforced by confirmation bias and wish-fulfillment of the predisposed. Rather, power – in the artistic black magic science of toppling governments – is understood already as an interlocking directorate of power-elites, whose interests are only mutual in a transitory and conditional sense. Therefore, to topple a government is the science and art of breaking-up inter-elite networks, and pitting an interlocking directorate against itself. It is to create a civil war among the elites. That is why in the ‘Color Revolution’ scenario it is so important if a diplomat, minister of economy, oligarch, or general declares for the rebellious side. These have very little to do with Marxian analysis of power and Marxian conceptions of revolution in the traditional, rudimentary, vulgar, or common sense of the understanding. This basic idea of power as transitory and conditional holds a significant amount of truth, it is the reason why the information war – these psychological operations – are indeed so important. And here it is not Marx that we take from to understand power, but Baltasar Gracian, Niccolo Macchiaveli, and Xenophon of Athens. From this bifurcation, we see clearly then why the declarations of the U.S media hologram lost its steam. The axiom that repetition of the lie becomes the truth holds in many cases, but not in the artistic science of the Color Revolution – here it only takes on dimensions of stagnation, fatigue, and the syndrome of ‘the boy who cried wolf‘. Rather than becoming more true,  it is something that becomes less true every time the story needs to be claimed and re-framed again: Maduro lost power, but is still in power? Guaido has power, but still needs to seize it? Maduro has lost authority, and it is only merely the government, the military, the international community, and the people that falsely buttresses him up? For to be ‘narratively’ consistent, Western media might have us read that Maduro’s coup is succeeding, for he has usurped the legitimate authority of Trump’s hallucination of ‘constitutional powers’ vested by the National Assembly into Guaido. But then that would be the wrong psychological-operation method to take as well – to say he is ‘succeeding in his coup’ is to say that he is succeeding, and the ‘mass psychology of the stampede’ then works in the direction of Maduro’s power. And for all these contradictions, we understand why the U.S attempts at staging a coup in Venezuela have failed. Really what the U.S keeps trying to do can be summarized as two-fold. The first is that there is always the possibility that events will spiral out of control and the regime-change story will ‘stick’. It always seems unlikely, but has a chance of happening. It would be statistically erroneous to view it in static terms – rather, the more scenarios one can create, the chances increase. There is always a roll of the dice and the random chance that some somewhat random event will take place, or a government agency or law enforcement officer will, at a very local level, be provoked and make a huge error in judgment. This is related to training on the government’s end, but also chance – and the more ‘situations’ the U.S can manifest, the more chances these can avalanche into something else. These create mayhem and chaos situations where a U.S planted hit-man, sniper, assassin, can also be operationalized to kill a few protesters. The idea here is to stoke a frenzied psychological ‘stampede’ situation, where events cascade. The psychological war is one of mixed messages, and policy and military personnel do not want to find themselves on the wrong-end of history – not for major ideological or moral reasons per se – but because people have jobs to keep. And so who is really the government and who is not, matters at this level. An illusion, a spectacle can be created and government and military personnel can wind up very ‘confused’. Meanwhile, specifically paid agents are in essence actors, greatly exaggerating the ‘times have changed’ narrative, breathing life into the story that Maduro has lost legitimacy. And if life is breathed into it, then it comes alive. The second, far more probable outcome, but one which the government should also bend-over backwards to avoid, is to create a provocation. In the video which we ran on FRN earlier, we see Leopoldo López, an opposition politician, who is meant to be under house arrest. He is clearly not at home here, and breaking the terms of his house arrest.  Lopez is not to be confused with the Venezuelan Defense Minister, Vladimir Lopez. The U.S has wrestled concessions, and agreements have been made, that Lopez and Guaido roam free, especially Lopez, as Guaido has not been formally charged yet. Do not make an error, this is significant of something. These men are not ‘nobodies’ in Venezuela, and some element of the government’s present legitimacy is predicated on its ‘overly nice’ treatment of these characters who, in any other entirely sovereign country, would be imprisoned as traitors and saboteurs. There are Venezuelan oligarch billionaires, like magnate Ricardo Fernández Barrueco, who in fact support the Bolivarian revolution of Chavez, and now Maduro, precisely because under such a social order their assets are protected, not jeopardized. And for every Barrueco, there is a Gustavo Cisneros or a Juan Carlos Escotet. Barrueco cannot act as a voice of reason and pragmatism among Venezuela’s oligarchy if the Venezuelan social-democracy really turns Bolshevik. And that is true, both ways. So there is a small but overly powerful milieu in Venezuela, which the government and society must continue to work to marginalize, which only goes so far and believes themselves to be better off in this ‘balanced’ scenario where Lopez and Guaido roam free. But only if the likes of Lopez roam free. His ‘house arrest’ status, like Guaido’s ‘roaming free’ status, are huge, massive signs and signals, canaries in the mine, weather vanes, test balloons. If Lopez can ‘buck’ house arrest, Venezuela’s privileged class, and their bleach-blonde ideological progeny of ‘wealth-aspirant’ ‘opposition’ supporters, normally who are or who desire to have middle-management positions in various private firms, are given a clear sign that things really aren’t so bad. They stomp, cry, throw bizarre and histrionic public tantrums, and protest in an alternate reality, but so long as he is not arrested, any potential vacillation among the real oligarchs is kept to a very real minimum. This milieu which works to overturn Venezuela’s social progress decry that they have fallen to ‘communism’, that Maduro like Chavez before him, are ‘dictators like Castro’. The irony of course is that much of the world responds, chuckling ‘if only they were!’ For if only they were in such a dictatorship, this ‘Miami-Carcacas’ axis crowd, for whom Marco Rubio is a hero, wouldn’t be free to roam around, trying to stoke social mayhem. They wouldn’t be afraid that their millions or billions might be someday seized, they would already have been seized. Nevertheless, Lopez is openly trolling the government, to seize and arrest him, to create a situation, a real scenario. Of course he is incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid for, as we have seen with the murder of the Russian opposition ‘figurine’, Boris Nemtsov, once their utility is expended, they are worth more dead as martyrs than alive as possible successors to power. Venezuela is not  the dictatorship its ardent opponents claim it is, and their very real freedom to profess this untruth can ironically be used to convincingly create the simulacrum that it is indeed the case. Nevertheless in all of this you do have a concrete story, and one that is indeed a telling case. Perhaps these fourteen men really are military, for indeed even in the failed military coup of 2002, in a world where the U.S was much more powerful and the information war  also was on its side, Venezuela succeeded in telling a story that was alternate to the actual reality. In reality, Venezuela’s military intelligence worked diligently to infiltrate the coup generals – contrary to popular mythology, Chavez was not arrested by generals against him, but taken into safety by generals who supported him, posing as coup generals. The other coup generals were fooled, conned, the coup was reversed from the inside – a coup within the coup. He was taken away to safety, not to arrest. Palacio de Miraflores after all is only a building, and real functions of government simply continued on as they always do in reality – with those who have those powers and relationships. And so these fourteen men standing with Lopez and Guaido, they are telling of something. But here is the trick: The U.S knows that a direct militarily, an intervention into Venezuela would be a disaster. The desire now is not to create a failed state, for it does not border Iran or Russia – rather, they border a series of now-important U.S client states, and furthermore, in the American hemisphere. It is always therefore best to take a government out through a coup, and to stage a coup, you need coup-supporting generals in the military. And so this trick works to Venezuela’s military intelligence advantage, for as long as the U.S knows that it desires a coup, and everyone knows that a coup is desirable, then all sorts of resources are put into staging a coup. And the U.S therefore is susceptible to imagine coup supporters and allies where there are none. It becomes a massive vacuum of information, resources, and misplaced beliefs over what is possible and impossible. So among these fourteen men standing with Guaido and Lopez, it is truly amazing that they are not arrested moments, hours, or days later. But on second thought, it is anything but amazing. If and when Guaido is arrested, it will most probably be done by those fourteen men.

Joaquin Flores

https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/04/flores-venezuela-black-magic-the-failed-military-coup-of-fourteen-tells-you-everything/

2019-04-30 17:09:55+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

globalresearch--2019-02-09--A Military Coup in Venezuela Not Without the Militarys Support

globalresearch

A Military Coup in Venezuela? Not Without the Military’s Support

A military coup d’état in Venezuela doesn’t seem likely so long as the Armed Forces support Maduro. Meanwhile, U.S. action will likely backfire, and serve only to strengthen those in power Juan Guaidó, leader of the Venezuelan National Assembly, declared himself President of the Republic on January 23 before a mass demonstration of supporters. This was less than two weeks after the start of Nicolás Maduro’s second term, which the opposition—concentrated within the National Assembly—rejected, labeling Maduro a “usurper.”The 14 countries that make up the Lima Group didn’t recognize Maduro’s inauguration either. They quickly accepted Guaidó’s takeover and released statements in his favor, which the United States did as well. But considering the powers that be and overwhelming support for Maduro from the Armed Forces, Guaidó’s rise to power is likely a symbolic event, with little chance of successful implementation. Meanwhile, China and Russia, who have already declared their support for Maduro, had invested five and six billion dollars, respectively, in Venezuela to help kick-start the weakened petroleum industry. And in early December, Russia teased at a military deployment in Venezuela, landing two Tu-160 strategic bombardiers on Venezuelan soil and provoking criticism from the United States. The intensification in political discourse and geopolitical pressure since the beginning of the new year will only worsen economic instability and cause a spike in migration. Barring military intervention organized by the United States and its allies, diplomatic pressure seems useless to take down Maduro. But the key element, the Armed Forces, seem to remain loyal to Maduro, making an internal military coup unlikely. The probable outcomes range from a military intervention led by the United States in alliance with Colombia and Brazil to a prolonged stay in power for Maduro to the possibility of a Russian and Chinese intervention or a military coup. In the following text, we will analyze each of these potential outcomes. The legitimacy of Maduro’s second six-year term is the point in question, given that a large portion of the opposition did not participate in the presidential elections held on May 20, 2018. The share of abstained votes, moreover, climbed to 54%. Compare this to the 79% participation rate during the last presidential elections in 2013. General lack of trust in the bodies overseeing the race, such as the Electoral Council, motivated a widespread boycott of the 2018 electoral process. Indeed, state institutions implemented crude tactics in the 2017 legislative elections, which verged on illegal: magistrates were appointed in an unprecedented fashion through the Chavista-backed Constituent Assembly, and opposition leaders were barred from running. Yet broadly speaking, neither general conditions nor the Electoral Council have changed since the opposition won a majority in the National Assembly in December 2015. For Chavista analysts, promoting low voter turnout was an opposition strategy that would force, in conjunction with the United States, an intervention in the country that would completely uproot the revolutionary movement. The events of the past few days could potentially give credence to this theory. In the 2015 legislative elections, the opposition obtained 7,726,066 votes. In the presidential elections of May 2018, Maduro received 6,245,862. But this discrepancy could have been much higher, given the economic situation and the government’s inability to improve it in the two-and-a-half years between the two elections. But the opposition’s election boycott prevented another result, even if the government had let it happen. For the opposition and their international allies, winning presidential elections wouldn’t mean much if Chavismo retains power over the Armed Forces, the Supreme Court, and the Electoral Council. Instead, they preferred a clean slate. How could this be achieved? This can only be understood as a show of support for a military coup with international cooperation. This brings us to Guaidó’s proclamation, and the immediate recognition of it by the United States and its regional allies. For the actions of January 23 to not wind up another failure for the opposition, they must take action quickly—military or otherwise. Trump, for his part, has emphasized that “all options are on the table.” The threats of international backing for a coup d’état—although the opposition made its first coup attempt in 2002—started in earnest in early 2018. During a tour of Latin America, former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson commented that he believed there were would be “change” in Venezuela, and that “oftentimes it’s the military that handles that.” This was perhaps the first reference to a military coup that would replace the current regime in Venezuela. But it wasn’t until last August that the New York Times confirmed—according to leaked information corroborated by the United States government—that U.S. officials had met with members of the Venezuelan military who were planning a coup d’état. Loyal Armed Forces, For the Most Part During the past two years, different contingents of the opposition have set in motion a host of actions ranging from occupying military barracks to the stealing a helicopter to launching grenades at a federal building, to a drone assassination attempt against the president. All have either been aborted or have failed to meet their objectives, while the bulk of the military’s institutions remain loyal to Maduro. As Nikolaus Werz, professor emeritus at the University of Rostock, says in the German outlet DW, “Given the privileges enjoyed by many in the military within the framework of the Bolivarian Revolution, it is most likely that those in uniform will continue to support Maduro.” But the reasons for the military’s support are not solely economic. On the one hand, the army has unified around the tenets of Chavismo, based on a rejection of any kind of foreign military intervention. On the other hand, the United States’ treatment of high-level Venezuelan military officials helps to explain the military’s entrenchment around Maduro. For example, Lieutenant Alejandro Andrade, former Treasury Secretary under Hugo Chávez, was sentenced to 10 years on corruption charges after collaborating with U.S. officials as a protected witness. If the military turns on Maduro, will other soldiers who want to take refuge feel confident trusting the United States? What message does Andrade’s sentence send to the Venezuelan military? Perhaps that if they want to protect themselves, the best option is to stand behind the Maduro regime. So, the departure of the president via a military coup doesn’t seem to be around the corner. That’s how Brian Ellsworth and Mayela Armas see it. They conclude that there are “few signs that the military high command is prepared to abandon Maduro, a new spring for the opposition sector—and the excitement being generated among investors—could be premature.” Meanwhile, military expert Rocío San Miguel said in the wake of last Monday’s uprising: “I’m not worried about a rank-and-file sergeant from a security deployment [defecting], but I would be if there was a situation within a larger unit or a battalion.” Her analysis is that “military commanders are loyal to Maduro.” U.S. policy toward Venezuela, especially during the Trump administration, has been contradictory, precipitating strategic errors by the Venezuelan opposition. Their main error has been to openly consider taking power through non-electoral means. The promises the Trump administration has made, both publicly and privately, about a non-electoral option to oust Maduro have exerted more pressure, inspiring the bulk of the opposition’s factions to stop considering electoral options at a time when they could have won in that arena. Thus, it is logical that, facing the Trump-backed option of an invasion, radical opposition politicians prefer to explore options of “exterminating” Chavismo, as the AP has reported, instead of continuing to challenge it in institutional spaces. But there are other contradictory messages that could be contributing to Chavismo’s ongoing strength as a social, political, and military force, especially in regard to the sanctions imposed by the U.S. government. Since 2008, the U.S. Treasury has raised sanctions related to corruption against Venezuelan officials, but it wasn’t until 2017 that the sanctions prohibited U.S. citizens from making transactions with the Venezuelan government. Subsequent sanctions have targeted the Petro, a cryptocurrency created by Maduro, and the gold business Maduro developed to supplement decreases in price and production of petroleum. In mid-July 2018, the Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on U.S. nationals doing business with the Venezuelan government—an act of improvisation. The moment the U.S. shifted its sanctions from targeting officials to targeting businesses with ties to Venezuela, the Venezuelan government’s discourse was able to double-down on its theory of an economic embargo and blame the U.S. government for causing the economic crisis. This analysis weakens the argument that Maduro was incapable of handling the situation and helped the government promote unity among their followers and the Armed Forces against a common foe. Since Maduro’s second term began on January 10, the United States has reverted to sanctioning officials and Venezuelans associated with the government, all of them already identified and some imprisoned abroad. It appears that these decisions are veiled forms of pressure to appease radical right-wing sectors in the United States. Venezuela’s ruling party’s leadership has responded to these actions with mockery due to their inefficacy. On Friday, the United States announced that it would step up its economic actions against the Venezuelan government by imposing sanctions on the state oil company. In short, there is no clarity in terms of Trump’s policies on Venezuela and, far from being effective, they have engendered the loss of the opposition’s institutional terrain while Russia and China have simultaneously gained more influence in Venezuela. These policies encouraged anti-Chavistas to abandon politics and abstain from participating in electoral processes, resulting in the loss of governorships, mayorships, and seats that the opposition would surely hold if it had participated. Trump, moreover, has not yet taken a sufficiently forceful action that would justify the opposition strategy to abandon electoral politics. Meanwhile, other geopolitical forces have changed perceptions of the sanctions against Venezuela. On the one hand, each of the countries in the Lima Group does not recognize Maduro’s new administration and recognize Guaidó as President of the Republic—except for Mexico and Uruguay, which have promoted opening another dialogue. On the other hand, the Lima Group also amended controversial Point 9 of a January 4 statement supporting Guyana in a border dispute with Venezuela due to ExxonMobile’s oil exploration in the area. Removing its support for U.S. business interests in the region can be seen as going against U.S. policy in the territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela. This could signal that Latin American countries aren’t ready to blindly go along with U.S. intervention in Venezuela. The European Union, for its part, did not recognize Guaidó right away, but on Saturday released a statement calling for new elections within a week’s time—which Maduro rejected the following day. Indeed, in December, the EU put together a “contact group” intended to establish a foundation for dialogue between the government and the opposition. Spain plays a key role in its implementation. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated in December: “We believe that the absence of political channels is a dangerous approach. Sanctions should always come with a space for dialogue and compromise.” Comments like this are in stark contrast with her previously radical stances. But Spain’s more recent remarks hint at its coming support of Guaidó, along with Germany and France. If opportunities for dialogue are not provided, it could result in the regime further hardening its positions and acting like it has nothing to lose.Ana Soliz, researcher at the University Helmut Schmidt of the German Armed Forces, explained the shift from isolation to dialogue in more detail: “Isolating Maduro’s government is necessary, but without closing all channels of communication with Chavismo,” she said to DW. Brazil has also revised its more radical statements on Venezuela. Once in power, the Bolsonaro administration has not been particularly hostile toward Venezuela, but has only joined in the statements of its allies. This stance contrasts with its positions in the weeks leading up to Bolsonaro’s inauguration, when his vice president, General Hamilton Mourao, who was Military Attaché for the Brazilian embassy in Venezuela, predicted a coup d’état in Venezuela. He said on December 17 that “the United Nations will have to intervene with peace-keeping troops…and that’s the role of Brazil: to lead the peace-keeping troops.” Such declarations have not been repeated since, despite official rejection to Maduro’s second term and the recognition of Guaidó. The domestic political actors who refused to participate in the electoral process expected radical actions from these countries, such as the withdrawal of ambassadors, embassy closures, blockades, or petroleum embargos. But the fact that the countries most actively opposing Maduro have not taken any more definitive action could be seen as diplomatic weakness, which could frustrate them further. But just backing Guaidó as president, beyond being a symbolic act, doesn’t offer clear options for exerting power. The two most radical economic scenarios—an economic blockade or a petroleum embargo—would consolidate the Venezuelan government’s entrenchment around allies like China, Russia, and Turkey. Even the withdrawal of ambassadors or the closure of embassies are unlikely to twist Maduro’s arm, and will instead feed into nationalist and anti-interventionist rhetoric. At the same time, increased migrationhas allowed millions of families in Venezuela to rely on remittances, alleviating the gravity of the situation. In the domestic sphere, the opposition is again mobilized and waiting to see what Guaidó can do as president. Guaidó is a member of the most radical party of the opposition (Voluntad Popular) and the more moderate sectors are nervous because every venture of this type has culminated, until now, with a weakening and fracturing of the opposition itself. Guaidó is not a very well-known politician in the country, and does not appear to have sufficient support to completely subvert the ruling party from a military standpoint, which can also rely on tried and tested tools to contain street manifestations and their potential to become violent. The scenario at hand could end up dividing the opposition and the general public could lose patience, given the radical nature of their actions and demands. In this context, it is possible that anti-Chavista forces, domestic and foreign, are considering only two options: to initiate a U.S.-led military invasion with the help of Brazil and Colombia, or simply to return to the electoral arena and wait six years for the next presidential election. The first of these options may lead the United States—and the Venezuelan people—in an uncertain direction. For now, Venezuela faces a government weak in the economic and social arenas, but with strong judicial and military institutions. This will be the case unless—weakened by international pressure—Chavismo’s emerging fissures gather momentum and are able to undermine the government’s stability. However, as long as the U.S. government’s strategy operates on the basis of threats, Chavismo will have a reason to remain strong and unified. Note to readers: please click the share buttons below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. Ociel Alí López is a political analyst, professor at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, and contributor to various Venezuelan, Latin American, and European outlets. His book Dale más Gasolina won the municipal literature award in social research.

Prof. Ociel Alí López

https://www.globalresearch.ca/a-military-coup-in-venezuela-not-without-the-militarys-support/5668087

2019-02-09 14:50:37+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

globalresearch--2019-02-20--The Planning of a Coup against Venezuela Chile September 11 1973 The Ingredients of a Military C

globalresearch

The Planning of a Coup against Venezuela: Chile, September 11, 1973: The Ingredients of a Military Coup. The Imposition of a Neoliberal Agenda

The main objective of the US-supported military coup in Chile was to impose the neoliberal economic agenda. “Regime change” was enforced through a covert military intelligence operation. Sweeping macro-economic reforms (including privatization, price liberalization and the freeze of wages) were implemented in early October 1973. Barely a few weeks after the military takeover, the military Junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet ordered a hike in the price of bread from 11 to 40 escudos, a hefty overnight increase of 264%. This “economic shock treatment” had been designed by a group of economists called the “Chicago Boys.” “While food prices had skyrocketed, wages had been frozen.  From one day to the next, an entire country had been precipitated into abysmal poverty. In 1973, I was teaching economics at the Catholic University of Chile. I lived through two of the most brutal US sponsored military coups in Latin America’s history: Chile, September 11, 1973 and less than three years later, Argentina, March 24, 1976 under Operation Condor, which initiated Argentina’s Dirty War: “La Guerra Sucia”. And today, the Trump administration is threatening to invade Venezuela with a view to “restoring democracy”, replacing an elected president (casually described by the Western media as a “dictator”) by a US proxy, speaker of Venezuela’s National Assembly. More than forty-five years ago on September 11, 1973, the Chilean military led by General Augusto Pinochet, crushed the democratically elected Unidad Popular government of Salvador Allende. The objective was to replace a progressive, democratically elected government by a brutal military dictatorship. The military coup was supported by the CIA. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger played a direct role in the military plot. Is Washington’s ongoing initiative directed against Venezuela modelled on Chile? In early 1970s, in a note to the CIA in relation to Chile, Henry Kissinger recommended “Make the economy scream.” Visibly the same concept has been applied to Venezuela, with advanced techniques of financial warfare, which were not available in the 1970s. Today it’s Mike Pompeo and John Bolton who are calling the shots, in tandem with the CIA. Bolton has gone far beyond the Nixon-Kissinger agenda formulated at the height of the Cold War. Bolton refers to “The Troika of Tyranny”. The US sponsored coup against Venezuela is also directed against Cuba. And from Washington’s standpoint “after Venezuela, Cuba is next”. The model of US intervention against Venezuela nonetheless bears some striking similarities with Chile 1973: The US sponsored Pinochet dictatorship prevailed during a period of 16 years. During this period, there was no initiative on the part of the US to call for the replacement of the dictatorship by a duly elected government. In 1989, elections were held and parliamentary democracy was restored. Continuity prevails. Patricio Aylwin of the Christian Democratic Party (DC) who was elected president in 1989 had endorsed a “military solution” in 1973. He was largely instrumental in the breakdown of the “Dialogue” between the Unidad Popular government and the Christian Democrats (DC). In August 1973, Patricio Aylwin provided a Green Light to the Chilean Armed Forces led by Augusto Pinochet on behalf of the DC. The following texts shed light on the Chilean Coup d’Etat. The first text first published in 2003 serves as an introduction to the text I wrote in Chile in the month following the September 11 1973 military coup, which describes the chronology of the 1973 military coup. Chile, September 11, 1973: The Ingredients of a Military Coup. The Imposition of a Neoliberal Agenda, Today our thoughts are with the people of Venezuela. In the weeks leading up the 1973 coup, US Ambassador Nathaniel Davis and members of the CIA held meetings with Chile’s top military brass together with the leaders of the National Party and the ultra-right nationalist front Patria y Libertad.  While the undercover role of the Nixon administration is amply documented,  what is rarely mentioned in media reports is the fact that the military coup was also supported by a sector of the Christian Democratic Party. Patricio Aylwin, who became Chile’s president in 1989,  became head of the DC party in the months leading up to the September 1973 military coup (March through September 1973). Aylwin was largely instrumental in the break down of the “Dialogue” between the Unidad Popular government and the Christian Democrats. His predecessor Renan Fuentealba, who represented the moderate wing of the Christian Democratic (PDC), was firmly against military intervention. Fuentealba favored a dialogue with Allende (la salida democratica). He was displaced from the leadership of the Party in May 1973 in favor of Patricio Aylwin. The DC Party was split down the middle, between those who favored “the salida democratica”, and the dominant Aylwin-Frei faction, which favored “a military solution”. On 23 August 1973, the Chilean Camera de Diputados drafted a motion,  to the effect that the Allende government “sought to impose a totalitarian regime”. Patricio Aylwin was a member of the drafting team of this motion. Patricio Aylwin believed that a temporary military dictatorship was “the lesser of two evils.” This motion was adopted almost unanimously by the opposition parties, including the DC, the Partido Nacional and the PIR (Radical Left). The leadership of the Christian Democratic Party including former Chilean president Eduardo Frei, had given a green light to the Military. And continuity in the “Chilean Model” heralded as “economic success story” was ensured when, 16 years later, Patricio Aylwin was elected president of Chile in the so-called transition to democracy in 1989. At the time of the September 11, 1973 military coup, I was Visiting Professor of Economics at the Catholic University of Chile. In the hours following the bombing of the Presidential Palace of La Moneda, the new military rulers imposed a 72-hour curfew. Salvador Allende in the defense of the Palacio de la Moneda, September 11, 1973 (left) When the university reopened several days later, I started patching together the history of the coup from written notes. I had lived through the tragic events of September 11, 1973 as well as the failed June 29th coup. Several of my students at the Universidad Catolica had been arrested by the military Junta. In the days following the military takeover,  I started going through piles of documents and newspaper clippings, which I had collected on a daily basis since my arrival in Chile in early 1973. Some of this material, however, was lost and destroyed in the days following the coup. This unpublished article (below) was written forty-five years ago. It was drafted on an old typewriter in the weeks following the September 11, 1973. This original draft article plus two carbon copies were circulated among a few close friends and colleagues at the Catholic University. It was never published. For 30 years it lay in a box of documents at the bottom of a filing cabinet. I have transcribed the text from the yellowed carbon copy draft. Apart from minor editing, I have made no changes to the original article. The history of this period has since then been amply documented including the role of the Nixon administration and of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the plot to assassinate Allende and install a military regime. The main objective of the US-supported military coup in Chile was ultimately to  impose the neoliberal economic agenda.  The latter, in the case of Chile, was not imposed by external creditors under the guidance of IMF. “Regime change” was enforced  through a covert military intelligence operation, which laid the groundwork for the military coup. Sweeping macro-economic reforms (including privatization, price liberalization and the freeze of wages) were implemented in early October 1973. Barely a few weeks after the military takeover, the military Junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet ordered a hike in the price of bread from 11 to 40 escudos, a hefty overnight increase of 264%. This “economic shock treatment” had been designed by a group of economists called the “Chicago Boys.” While food prices had skyrocketed, wages had been frozen to ensure “economic stability and stave off inflationary pressures.” From one day to the next, an entire country had been precipitated into abysmal poverty; in less than a year the price of bread in Chile increased thirty-six fold (3700%). Eighty-five percent of the Chilean population had been driven below the poverty line. I completed my work on the “unpublished paper’ entitled “The Ingredients of a Military Coup” (see text below) in late September. In October and November, following the dramatic hikes in the price of food,  I drafted in Spanish an initial “technical” assessment of the Junta’s deadly macro-economic reforms. Fearing censorship, I limited my analysis to the collapse of living standards in the wake of the Junta’s reforms, resulting from the price hikes of food and fuel, without making any kind of political analysis. The Economics Institute of the Catholic University was initially reluctant to publish the report. They sent it to the Military Junta prior to its release. I left Chile for Peru  in December 1973. The report was released as a working paper (200 copies) by the Catholic University a few days before my departure. In Peru, where I joined the Economics Department of the Catholic University of Peru, I was able to write up a more detailed study of the Junta’s neoliberal reforms and its ideological underpinnings. This study was published in 1975 in English and Spanish. Needless to say, the events of September 11 1973 also marked me profoundly in my work as an economist. Through the tampering of prices, wages and interest rates, people’s lives had been destroyed; an entire national economy had been destabilized. Macro-economic reform was neither “neutral” –as claimed by the academic mainstream– nor separate from the broader process of social and political transformation. I also started to understand the role of military-intelligence operations in support of what is usually described as a process of “economic restructuring”. In my earlier writings on the Chilean military Junta, I looked upon the so-called “free market” reform as a well-organized instrument of “economic repression.” Two years later, I returned to Latin America as a visiting professor at the National University of Cordoba in the northern industrial heartland of Argentina. My stay coincided with the 1976 military coup d’État. Tens of thousands of people were arrested; the “Desaparecidos” were assassinated. The military takeover in Argentina was “a carbon copy” of the CIA-led coup in Chile. And behind the massacres and human rights violations, “free market” reforms had also been prescribed, this time under the supervision of Argentina’s New York creditors. In due course, the economic bullets of the free market system were hitting country after country. Since the onslaught of the debt crisis of the 1980s, the same IMF economic medicine has routinely been applied in more than 100 developing countries. From my earlier work in Chile, Argentina and Peru, I started to investigate the global impacts of these reforms. Relentlessly feeding on poverty and economic dislocation, a New World Order was taking shape. (For further details, see Michel Chossudovsky,The Globalisation of Poverty and the New World Order, Second Edition, Global Research, Montreal, 2003. I should mention that the ongoing US-led economic destabilization of Venezuela including the manipulation of the foreign exchange market, leading to the collapse of the national currency the Bolivar  and the dramatic hikes in the prices of essential consumer goods, bears a canny resemblance to the months preceding the September 1973 military coup in Chile. The transition to a right-wing military regime in Chile on September 11 [1973] has resulted after a lengthy and drawn-out process of economic boycott, subversion within the Armed Forces and political opposition to Allende’s Popular unity government. In October 1970, General René Schneider was assassinated in a plot of the ultra-right together with seditious elements of the Armed Forces led by General Roberto Viaux. The assassination of General Schneider was part of a coordinated plan to prevent Parliament from ratifying Allende’s victory in the September 1970 presidential elections. Last year’s [1972] October strike which paralyzed the economy for over a month, was organized by the gremios (employers’ organizations together with opposition labor and self employed organizations), the Partido Nacional and the ultra-right nationalist front Patria y Libertad. Some sectors of the Christian Democratic Party were also involved. The October Strike had initially been planned for September 1972. “Plan Septiembre”  was apparently postponed due to the sudden dismissal of General Alfredo Canales from the Armed Forces. Canales together with Air Force General Herrera Latoja had earlier been in touch with Miguel Ubilla Torrealba of the nationalist front Patria y Libertad. Ubilla Torrealba was said to have been closely connected to the CIA. Despite General Canales premature retirement from the Armed Forces, Plan Septiembre was implemented in October beginning with a transport strike. The Right was hoping that those elements of the Armed forces, which had been inspired by General Canales would intervene against Allende. The October “Patronal” strike (employers and self-employed) failed due to the support of the Armed Forces headed by General Carlos Prats, who had integrated Allende’s cabinet as Minister of the Interior. On June 29, 1973, Coronal Roberto Souper led his tank division in an isolated attack on La Moneda, the Presidential Palace, in the hope that other units of the armed forces would join in. The June coup had initially been planned for the morning of September 27 by Patria y Libertad as well as by several high ranking military officers. The plans were found out by Military Intelligence and the coup was called off at 6pm on the 26th. A warrant for the arrest of Coronal Souper had been issued. Confronted with knowledge of his impending arrest, Colonel Souper in consultation with the officers under his command, decided to act in a most improvised fashion. At 9 am, amidst morning rush hour traffic, Tank Division Number Two drove down Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago’s main down-town avenue towards the Presidential Palace. While the aborted June Coup had the appearance of an insolated and uncoordinated initiative, there was evidence of considerable support in various sectors of the Navy as well as from Air Force General Gustovo Leigh, now [September 1973] member of the military junta [on 11 September General Leigh integrated the military Junta headed by General Pinochet]. According to well-informed sources, several high ranking officers in the aero-naval base of Quintero near Valparaiso had proposed the bombing of State enterprises controlled by militant left wing groups, as well as the setting up of an air corridor to transport navy troops. The latter were slated to join up with the forces of Colonel Souper in Santiago. The June trial coup was «useful» indicating to the seditious elements within the Chilean Armed Forces that an isolated and uncoordinated effort would fail. After June 29, the right-wing elements in the Navy and the Air Force were involved in a process of consolidation aimed at gaining political support among officers and sub-officers. The Army, however, was still under the control of Commander in Chief General Carols Prats, who had previously integrated Allende’s cabinet and who was a firm supporter of constitutional government. Meanwhile in the political arena, the Christian Democrats were pressuring Allende to bring in members of the Military into the Cabinet as well as significantly revise the programme and platform of the Unidad Popular. Party leaders of the government coalition considered this alternative [proposed by the Christian democrats] as a « legalized military coup» (golpe legal) and advised Allende to turn it down. Carlos Altamirano, leader of the Socialist Party had demanded that an endorsement of the programme of the Popular Unity coalition by the military be a sina qua non condition for their entry into the Cabinet. Upon the impossibility of bringing in the Military into the Cabinet on acceptable terms, Allende envisaged the formation of a so-called “Cabinet of Consolidation” composed of well known personalities. Fernando Castillo, rector of the Catholic University and a member of the Christian Democratic Party, Felipe Herrera, President of the Inter-|American Development Bank and other prominent personalities were approached but declined. Pressured by economic deadlock and the transport strike, inflation of more than 15 percent per month and mounting political opposition, Allende sought in the course of July [1973] to resume the political dialogue with the Christian Democratic Party.  After the March [1973] parliamentary elections, Patricio Aylwin had replaced Renan Fuentealba [May 1973] as leader of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC). Fuentealba, who represented the progressive wing of the Christian Democratic (PDC), was known to be in favor of a rapprochement with Allende. In other words, this rightward shift and hardening of the Christian Democrats in relation to the Unidad Popular, contributed to reinforcing their tacit alliance with the ring wing National Party. This alliance was initially intended as an electoral pact in the March [1973] parliamentary elections in which the Unidad Popular obtained 43 percent of the popular vote. The Dialogue between Allende and Alwyin was a failure. Aylwin stated : The Communist Party Senator and prominent intellectual Volodia Teitelbaum response was: While the Right was becoming more cohesive, a political split of the Left was imminent. The Communist Part sided with Allende’s constitutional strategy while a section of the Socialist Party (Allende’s own Party) led by Carlos Altamirano and the MAPU (Movimiento de Accion Popular Unitaria -initially a group of Christian Democrats which joined the Unidad Popular in 1969) led by Oscar Garreton, signified their distrust in “bourgeois legality” and the constitutional process and moved increasingly closer to the leftist revolutionary front Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria (MIR). MIR maintained ideological and strategic relations with Cuban revolutionary groups as well as with the Bolivian and Uruguayan Tupamaros. While endorsing many features the programme of the Unidad Popular, the MIR rejected Allende’s “Chilean Road to Socialism” : The cordones industriales were organized and politicized labor groups. Together with MAPU, MIR was in the process of developing the Grupos de Accion Urbana (Urban Action Groups), with the task of educating and preparing the masses for armed resistance in the case of a military coup. In August [1973], the Armed forces initiated a series of violent search and arrests directed against the MIR and state enterprises integrated by the industrial belts (cordones industriales). These searches were conducted in accordance with the Fire Arms control Act, adopted by [the Chilean] Congress after the October [1992 employers] strike and which empowered the Armed Forces [bypassing the civilian police authorities] to implement (by Military Law) the control of fire arms. [The objective of this measure was to confiscate automatic weapons in the members of the industrial belts and curb armed resistance by civilians to a military coup]. Meanwhile, right-wing elements in the Navy and Air Force were involved in actively eliminating Allende supporters by a well organized operation of anti-government propaganda, purges and torture. On August 7 [1973], the Navy announced that a “subversive left wing group” integrated by MIR had been found out. Meanwhile, according to reliable sources, a seditious plan of the Right with the intent to bring down Allende’s government, using the Navy to control the entry of supplies into the country, had been discovered. Sailors and officers [within the Navy], who knew about these plans, were tortured and beaten. The Role of the Political Right [In August 1973], high ranking military officers and members of Patria y Libertad, met with Senator Bulnes Sanfuentes of the National Party. Admiral Merino now [September 1973] a member of the Junta participated in meetings with members of National Party, senators of the Christian Democratic Party and staff of the US embassy. In fact towards mid-August [1973], In FACT, towards mid-August, a motion declaring US ambassador Nathaniel Davis as persona non grata was drafted by a parliamentary committee of the Unidad Popular. Furthermore, the Armed Forces were colluding with the Ultra-Right by setting up a so-called Base operacional de Fuerzas especiales (BOFE) (Operational Base of Special Forces). BOFE units were integrated by member of the nationalist front Patria y Libertad. BOFE units were paramilitary divisions receiving material and financial support from the Armed forces. They were intended to undertake subversive and terrorist activities, which the Armed Forces could not openly undertake. BOFE was responsible for the many bomb attacks on pipelines, bridges and electric installations in the months preceding the military coup of September 11 [1973]. On August 9, Allende reorganized his cabinet and brought in the three joint chiefs of staff, Carlos Prats (Army), Cesar Ruis Danyau (Air force) and Raul Montero (Navy) into a so-called “National Security Cabinet”. Allende was only intent upon resolving the Transport Strike, which was paralyzing the country’s economy, he was anxious to gain whatever support was left within the Armed Forces. The situation was not ripe for a military coup as long as General Carol Prats was member of the cabinet, commander in Chief of the Army and Chairman of the Council of Generals. Towards mid-August, the armed forces pressured Allende and demanded Prats’ resignation and retirement ” due to basic disagreements between Prats and the Council of Generals”. Allende made a final attempt to retain |Prats and invited General Prats, Pinochet (now [September 1973] head of the Military Junta), Bonilla now Minister of the Interior), and others for dinner at his private residence. Prats resigned officially on August 23, both from the Cabinet and from the Armed Forces: “I did not want to be a factor which would threaten institutional discipline.. or serve as a pretext to those who want to overthrow the constitutional government” With General Carlos Prats out of the way, the road was clear for a consolidated action by the Army, Navy and Air Force. Prats successor General Augusto Pinochet convened the Council of 24 generals in a secret meeting on August 28. The purpose and discussion of this meeting were not made public. In all likelihood, it was instrumental in the planning of the September 11 military coup. The reshuffle of Allende’s National Security Cabinet took place on the same day (28 August). It resulted after drawn out discussions with party leaders of the Unidad Popular coalition, and in particular with Socialist Party leader Carlos Altamirano. The following day, August 29, Altamirano in a major policy speech made the following statement: On the weekend preceding the military coup, leaders of the National Party and Christian Democratic Party made major political statements, declaring Allende’s government illegal and unconstitutional. Sergio Onofre Jarpa of the National Party declared: A few days later, the Presidential Palace was bombed and Allende was assassinated. The “rebirth” of Chile, and a new institutional framework had emerged. Selected References on the Role of Henry Kissinger in the 1973 military coup Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents Relating to the Military Coup, September 11, 1973, http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB8/nsaebb8i.htm 30th anniversary of Chile coup; Calls for justice, scrutiny of United States role, Santiago. 11 Sep 2003, http://www.newsahead.com/NewWNF/ChileCoup.htm USA Regrets Role in Chile’s September 11 Tragedy: US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, admitted Washington’s participation in Chile coup of 1973, Pravda, 17 March 2003,http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/9766_chile.html     [this statement was made barely a week after the military occupation of Iraq by US and British troops.] Capital Accumulation in Chile and Latin America”, Yale University Lecture Series on Post-Allende Chile, North South, Canadian Journal of Latin American Studies, vol. IV, vol. XIII, no. 23, 1978, also published in Economic and Political Weekly. “Acumulación de Capital en Chile”, Comercio Exterior, vol. 28, no. 2, 1978 (Spanish version of above article) “Chicago Economics, Chilean Style”, Monthly Review, vol. 26, no. 11, 1975, in Spanish in a book published in Lima, Peru, “Hacia el Nuevo Modelo Economico Chileno, Inflación y Redistribución del Ingreso, 1973-1974”, Cuadernos de CISEPA, no. 19, Catholic University of Peru, 1974, Trimestre Economico, no. 166, 1975, 311-347. “The Neo-Liberal Model and the Mechanisms of Economic Repression: The Chilean Case”, Co-existence, vol. 12, no. 1, 1975, 34-57. La Medición del Ingreso Minimo de Subsistencia y la Politica de Ingresos para 1974, documento de trabajo no. 19, Institute of Economics, Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, 1973, p. 37. (Initial  text on the economic reforms of the Chilean Military Junta published in December 1973)

Prof Michel Chossudovsky

https://www.globalresearch.ca/chile-september-11-1973-the-ingredients-of-a-military-coup-the-imposition-of-a-neoliberal-agenda/5545251

2019-02-20 07:17:37+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

globalresearch--2019-05-01--The Spontaneous Military Coup in Caracas was Meant to Fail

globalresearch

The Spontaneous “Military Coup” in Caracas was Meant to Fail?

Was it really a military coup? Anybody who has lived in Caracas, knows that you cannot wage a spontaneous military coup starting up in Chacaito, an upper middle class residential area, with a view to eventually marching towards the Miraflores presidential palace located in the historical centre of Caracas, without getting caught in dense traffic. There are important historical precedents of failed coups caught up in traffic. Guaido presents the operation as the “Final phase” of “Operation Freedom.” ??? The government responded by sending in the riot police, with the Armed Forces using tear gas against the protesters. This spontaneous so-called military putsch was meant to fail. Visibly, it was not a carefully planned operation. And Washington was fully aware from the outset that it would fail.  In fact it was carefully staged “not to succeed”: The scene then saw armed confrontations between the soldiers that backed Juan Guaido and those inside La Carlota airbase. [Carlota is not a full-fledged military base, it is a former private airport, largely defunct. It is now under the jurisdiction of the State of Miranda, used for both military and civilian emergencies] According to witnesses in La Carlota [air base], the Venezuelan armed forces fired tear gas towards the Altamira overpass, where civilian protesters began to gather, whereas Guaido’s soldiers returned live fire. Riot police also appeared on the scene to try and disperse the crowds. There are reports of protesters wounded and arrested that are unconfirmed at the time of writing. At the same time, many of the originally deployed soldiers withdrew from the scene, later revealing that they had been “deceived” by their superiors. Simultaneously, Chavista leaders took to state and social media to denounce what they termed a coup in progress, and large crowds gathered to defend Miraflores Presidential Palace. Guaido later attempted to lead a march, including some armed soldiers, into western Caracas but was stopped by Venezuelan National Guard forces in Chacaito, some 10 kilometers away from Miraflores.(Venezuela Analysis, May 1, 2019) From Washington’s standpoint, the ‘putsch” nonetheless served a “useful” purpose. It created a “narrative”, which serves as propaganda and media disinformation.  In turn, the Western media goes into high gear. The “coup” becomes a talking point for the Bolton -Pompeo national security team. It becomes a pretext and a justification for US military intervention in the name of Democracy at some future date. See Pompeo below National security Advisor John Bolton calls upon Venezuela’s military to intervene, with US support. Mild thunder before the storm? It sets the stage? What is the intended timeline? A failed putsch which may be followed by a “real” US sponsored military coup at some later date? That option is already on the drawing-board of the Pentagon. The failed coup, a sloppy intelligence operation? Unlikely. US intelligence was fully informed. Was this event planned to fail from the very outset? In Chile in 1973, the September 11 coup d’Etat which led to the assassination of Allende and the installation of a military government was a carefully prepared military-intelligence operation supported by the US. with Henry Kissinger playing a key role. Of historical significance: The September 11, 1973 coup was preceded by a failed coup on June 29, 1973 , which, in retrospect, was intended to fail. In 1973, I was visiting professor at the Catholic University of Chile. The following text is an excerpt from an article I wrote in Santiago de Chile in the immediate wake of September 11, 1973 military coup against the democratically elected government of president Salvador Allende. Bear in mind: The circumstances of  Chile in 1973 as well as the command structure of the (Chilean) Armed Forces were very different to those of Venezuela in 2019. In the course of the months of July-August 1973, following the June 29, 1973 failed coup, important shifts occurred within Chile’s Armed Forces.In turn, the Christian Democrats were pressuring Allende to bring the military into the government. On June 29, 1973, Coronal Roberto Souper led his tank division in an isolated attack on La Moneda, the Presidential Palace, in the hope that other units of the armed forces would join in. The June coup had initially been planned for the morning of September 27 by Patria y Libertad as well as by several high ranking military officers. The plans were found out by Military Intelligence and the coup was called off at 6pm on the 26th. A warrant for the arrest of Coronal Souper had been issued. Confronted with knowledge of his impending arrest, Colonel Souper in consultation with the officers under his command, decided to act in a most improvised fashion. At 9 am, amidst morning rush hour traffic, Tank Division Number Two drove down Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago’s main down-town avenue towards the Presidential Palace. While the aborted June Coup had the appearance of an insolated and uncoordinated initiative, there was evidence of considerable support in various sectors of the Navy as well as from Air Force General Gustovo Leigh, now [September 1973] member of the military junta [on 11 September General Leigh integrated the military Junta headed by General Pinochet]. According to well-informed sources, several high ranking officers in the aero-naval base of Quintero near Valparaiso had proposed the bombing of State enterprises controlled by militant left wing groups, as well as the setting up of an air corridor to transport navy troops. The latter were slated to join up with the forces of Colonel Souper in Santiago. The June trial coup was «useful» indicating to the seditious elements within the Chilean Armed Forces that an isolated and uncoordinated effort would fail. After June 29, the right-wing elements in the Navy and the Air Force were involved in a process of consolidation aimed at gaining political support among officers and sub-officers. The Army, however, was still under the control of Commander in Chief General Carols Prats, who had previously integrated Allende’s cabinet and who was a firm supporter of constitutional government. Meanwhile in the political arena, the Christian Democrats were pressuring Allende to bring in members of the Military into the Cabinet as well as significantly revise the programme and platform of the Unidad Popular. Party leaders of the government coalition considered this alternative [proposed by the Christian democrats] as a « legalized military coup» (golpe legal) and advised Allende to turn it down. Carlos Altamirano, leader of the Socialist Party had demanded that an endorsement of the programme of the Popular Unity coalition by the military be a sina qua non condition for their entry into the Cabinet. Upon the impossibility of bringing in the Military into the Cabinet on acceptable terms, Allende envisaged the formation of a so-called “Cabinet of Consolidation” composed of well known personalities. Fernando Castillo, rector of the Catholic University and a member of the Christian Democratic Party, Felipe Herrera, President of the Inter-|American Development Bank and other prominent personalities were approached but declined. (Michel Chossudovsky, The Ingredients of a Military Coup, Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, September 1973) Minor edits to this text on May 1-2, 2019

Prof Michel Chossudovsky

https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-spontaneous-military-coup-in-caracas-was-meant-to-fail/5676196

2019-05-01 13:25:38+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

globalresearch--2019-07-01--Military Coup in Sudan Overthrow of President Al-Bashir Transitional Process Impeded by Domestic

globalresearch

Military Coup in Sudan, Overthrow of President Al-Bashir: Transitional Process Impeded by Domestic and International Factors

With the suppression by the military of the popular movement for democracy in the Republic of Sudan the current situation inside the country remains indecisive. On June 3 the Rapid Security Forces (RSF) backed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) violently disrupted an occupation being staged in Khartoum over the previous two months. Demonstrations have taken place in this oil-rich nation since December when a sharp increase in bread and other commodities prices prompted mass protest. After commencement of the sit-in on April 6, just five days later the military leadership overthrew the government of President Omer Hassan al-Bashir who had ruled Sudan for three decades. Sudan demonstrations led to the ouster of President al-Bashir Negotiations between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an alliance of professional groups and various opposition political organizations, have broken down. FFC leaders are refusing hold direct talks with the TMC due to the actions carried out by the army and militias which resulted in the deaths of over 100 people. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited Khartoum in an effort to mediate a settlement aimed moving the country towards civilian rule. Nonetheless, differing interpretations of the process for restarting talks have resulted in a social quagmire where neither the opposition groupings, which have not achieve total uniformity, along the military leadership, both appear to be unsure over which immediate directions are appropriate for the present circumstances. Outside international interests including the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are taking measures which bolster the TMC. Through Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, the TMC is being subsidizes providing the basis for non-compliance with the demands of the FFC. Egypt, which is the current chair of the continental African Union (AU), has supported the military in Khartoum. The approach of the AU as represented by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is designed to maintain stability while at the same time follow the stated mandate of the AU of not recognizing regimes which come to power through military force. Consequently, the Republic of Sudan has been suspended from AU membership while at the same time the TMC is hosting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy as well as an appointed mediator from Addis Ababa, the seat of the continental organization. Although the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump condemned the crackdown on protesters in early June, a very limited role within the diplomatic arena is evident from Washington. The U.S. had for many years maintained a hostile stance towards Sudan. The National Congress Party (NCP) government of ousted President al-Bashir over an extended period refused to abide by the foreign policy imperatives set down by successive administrations in Washington. Two of the primary factors in the strained relations were the role of the People’s Republic of China in the burgeoning oil industry during the 1990s and the first decade of the 21stcentury, where Beijing has been enhancing its relations with the emerging petroleum producing state. In addition, support for the Palestinians and close diplomatic relations with Iran was strongly objected to by the U.S. However, over the last several years there has been a dramatic foreign policy shift by the NCP administration. The participation by the Sudanese military in the western-backed war against the Ansurallah in Yemen marked a departure in regard to its relations with Tehran. Overtures to the U.S. have become more pronounced while greater dependence upon Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Cairo increased. Despite these efforts by Khartoum, Washington and Wall Street is committed to bringing about the total subservience to an imperialist agenda for Sudan. Political Composition of the FFC and Implications for Domestic and Foreign Policy The most prominent of the opposition groups in Sudan which had demanded the resignation of the NCP government of ousted President al-Bashir is the Forces for Freedom and Change. This alliance issued a statement on January 1, 2019 with a program calling for various reforms to be enacted immediately. According to the Declaration for Freedom and Change Forces (FFC): “We, the people of Sudan across cities and villages, in the north, the south, the east, and the west; join our political and social movements, trade unions and community groups in affirming through this declaration that we will continue the course of peaceful struggle until the totalitarian regime is removed and the following goals are achieved: First, the immediate and unconditional end of General Omer al-Bashir’s presidency and the conclusion of his administration. Secondly: The formation of a National Transitional Government. This transitional government will be composed of qualified people based on merits of competency and good reputation, representing various Sudanese groups and receiving the consensus of the majority. Their role is to govern for a term of four years, until a sound democratic structure is established, and elections held.” (See this) This same document continues by demanding an end to civil wars still raging inside the Republic of Sudan; the creation of a united front made up of various political interests; that special attention should be paid to improving the economic status and social welfare of the people inside the country; an effort to what is described as the rehabilitation of the image of the Republic of Sudan; the building of relations with neighboring governments and foreign states, with specific focus upon the newly-founded Republic of South Sudan which broke away from Khartoum with the full support of the U.S., Britain and Israel during 2011; and a respect for freedom of speech and the right to gather in order to address grievances. The Declaration was signed by 22 different organizations including the SPA, which is listed first, and other academic, youth, women’s and civil society groupings. Interestingly enough, various opposition parties which have long been at odds with the NCP were not listed as signatories to the document. Another political force involved in the mass efforts to overthrow the military and bring into existence civilian rule is the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP). The party has expressed its solidarity with the FFC and the SPA. Nevertheless, the SCP in its statements emphatically emphasizes the critical role of trade unions in the struggle to replace the TMC. In a statement issued on June 17, the SCP also urges elements within the military which are disgruntled with TMC rule to join the popular movement. This line says specifically that: “Attempts must be made to win the soldiers of the armed forces into the revolution, and there are already references to the possibility of doing so. A TV channel had a dialogue with a member of the intelligence agency who had split to join the revolution, saying that the uniformed soldiers were stripped of their weapons and moved from their positions near the picket (sit-in) before the massacre and replaced by elements of the support forces (RSF). In other words, the generals were not fully confident of the loyalty of sectors of soldiers, who might have been following orders to kill the demonstrators.” (See this) Prospects for Change and the Role of Divergent Political Interests Other armed groups including the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (North) and various organizations in Darfur where a full blown conflict had taken place several years ago against the central government in Khartoum, have been engaged in the discussions centering on establishing a new dispensation. However, it appears these efforts have not been successful in destabilizing the TMC during the period since the crushing of the mass demonstrations in early June. The question becomes how long can the TMC hold out for its ultimate aim which is the acceptance of its “legitimate” role in the post-Bashir era? TMC spokespersons continue to articulate their willingness for the transition to a civilian government despite the repressive measures utilized against protesters. At the same time the FFC and its allies must reset the character of popular resistance while maintaining a semblance of unity. Further repression against the FFC can only be transcended by the utilization of tactics which subvert the capacity of the TMC to maintain state power. Washington is covertly attempting to influence the developments in Sudan since its objective is to ensure the maintenance of the state within imperialist sphere of influence. Only the sustainable resistance and revolutionary fervor of the people organized can supersede the forces of reaction leading to a people’s government and revolutionary transformation process. Note to readers: please click the share buttons below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of Pan-African News Wire. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research. All images in this article are from the author

Abayomi Azikiwe

https://www.globalresearch.ca/sudanese-transitional-process-impeded-domestic-international-factors/5682293

2019-07-01 13:57:22+00:00

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

sottnet--2019-11-11--The Military Coup Against Morales Won't End The Hybrid War On Bolivia

sottnet

The Military Coup Against Morales Won't End The Hybrid War On Bolivia

The Beginning Of The End? President Morales resigned under duress following the military's "request" that he do so after the US-backed OAS alleged that it uncovered evidence supposedly proving that his recent re-election was rigged, but the military coup won't end the Hybrid War on Bolivia even in the unlikely "best-case" scenario that it ends the cycle of violence in the country becauseThe Hybrid War on Bolivia has thus far succeeded in removing the country's democratically re-elected and legitimate head of state after President Morales resigned under duress following the military's "request" that he do so, with this coup being made possible only because US intelligence had already co-opted the armed forces and. On the surface, it might appear as though the Hybrid War is over after it achieved its most visible victory of carrying out regime change in this lithium-rich and geostrategically located state smack dab in the center of South America, but the fact of the matter is that this campaign is far from over for several very important reasons.The first one is the most obvious, and it's that there might be some uncertain degree of physical resistance from ("former") President Morales' mostly indigenous supporters, whether in the form of street protests or possibly even a nascent insurgency that could represent the tangible beginning of a national liberation movement to liberate the country from the US-backed military-oligarchic yoke that it's suddenly been returned under after 13 years of freedom. The military preemptively sought to offset this scenario just prior to the coup by commencing what Reuters reported was "air and land operations to 'neutralize' armed groups that act outside the laws", which in the country's political context could only have been a euphemism for beginning operations against President Morales' mostly indigenous supporters and not their right-wing opponents allied with the armed forces who were rioting throughout the country for several weeks already.In hindsight, this means that not only did a military coup occur, but that it was preceded by what was arguably the unofficial onset of a low-level civil war whereby the armed forces went outside the legal chain of command (considering that they had yet to demand his resignation at the time) in order to " confront the people " despite previously denying that they had any such intention. This dramatic move came after the "opposition" seized state media in the capital, the homes of President Morales' sister and two of his governors were torched Saturday night, and an allied mayor was lynched in the streets by the "opposition" a few days prior.It's little wonder then that President Morales implored his countrymen during his resignation speech to "stop attacking the brothers and sisters, stop burning and attacking" since he feared for his supporters' lives after what had recently just taken place, especially seeing as how he would have already had knowledge of the military's ongoing operation against them that was commenced earlier that same day.while serving a so-called "warrant" for his arrest (on the presumable basis of something having to do with electoral or another form of alleged "corruption") and relying on what would have been the unsubstantiated claim that he "resisted" or was "armed" in order to "justify" killing him in cold blood just like their predecessors did to the famous Che Guevara a little over half a century ago.If they don't succeed in capturing him soon, the US-backed armed forces might even request American and/or Brazilian "anti-terrorist" assistance after possibly claiming that he and his supporters are connected to Iran's IRGC and/or Colombia's FARC considering President Morales' close with the Islamic Republic and vehement support of socialism, respectively. They could also "justify" their request for a direct military intervention by reminding the region of his alliance with Venezuelan President Maduro and alleging that the latter is somehow involved in President Morales' so-called "terrorist" and possibly even "drug-trafficking" activities. The deck is therefore stacked against him and his supporters even in the event that they resort to waging a national liberation campaign,That's the worst-case scenario, but the "best-case" one isn't much better, which would see theIn other words, his supporters would simply surrender and allow the process to unfold without any physical resistance, which seems extremely unlikely but could nevertheless still occur if the campaign of terror presently being waged against them succeeds in scaring the population into submission.Some of the most likely structural-institutional consequences would be the granting of fiscal (and possibly even political) autonomy to the gas-rich "opposition" strongholds of the so-called "Media Luna" lowlands where most of the mestizos live and the drastic reduction of taxes on foreign mining firms operating in the indigenous-populated highlands, which could altogether serve to deprive President Morales' mostly indigenous supporters of the resources needed to subsidize their socio-economic programs.Acutely aware of the future that awaits them if the military coup succeeds in stripping them of their hard-earned socio-economic rights and institutionalizing their status as slaves to the neoliberal-globalist system supported by their country's oligarchy and its American/Brazilian backers, it wouldn't be surprising if the "worst-case" scenario transpires of President Morales' mostly indigenous supporters waging a full-fledged national liberation insurgency.Considering the dynamics at play, Bolivia might soon become known as the "Latin American Libya", and the consequences could easily spread throughout the rest of South America just as Libya's spread throughout Africa.

https://www.sott.net/article/423715-The-Military-Coup-Against-Morales-Wont-End-The-Hybrid-War-On-Bolivia

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 21:14:22 +0000

conflict, war and peace

coup d'etat

fortruss--2019-06-18--Rebuilding Syrias Post-War Rural Economy It starts with Chickens

fortruss

Rebuilding Syria’s Post-War Rural Economy? It starts with Chickens

In its weekly session, the Council of Ministers allocated one billion Syrian pounds to provide a free grant to rural families, including 15 chickens with 50 kg of fodder per family, in order to encourage the raising of domestic poultry and the economic empowerment of rural families. The Council also approved an integrated strategy for the re-development of the poultry industry in all its components as one of the main components of food security and economic development. According to a press release of the Council, the strategy included the re-operation of destroyed and damaged work places, and the organization of the work of slaughterhouses and their geographical distribution. The Council requested the Ministry of Local Administration to simplify administrative licensing procedures for slaughterhouses and slaughterhouses and to settle the situation of those who are not licensed,

Joaquin Flores

https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/06/rebuilding-syrias-post-war-rural-economy-it-starts-with-chickens/

2019-06-18 09:47:36+00:00

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

globalresearch--2019-12-03--Syria’s Post-War Reconstruction: 600 Establishments Resume Work at Aleppo Industrial City, Sheikh Na

globalresearch

Syria’s Post-War Reconstruction: 600 Establishments Resume Work at Aleppo Industrial City, Sheikh Najjar

Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city and the region’s economic power horse is getting back on its feet again, despite all the efforts by the US and its NATO stooges and terrorists. It’s moving forward slowly but steadily, with over 600 establishments resuming work at the once-thriving Aleppo Industrial City at Sheikh Najjar, which Turkey’s madman Erdogan and his anti-Islamic Muslim Brotherhood criminals looted to its skeleton and then destroyed like all other areas infested by followers of these two cults. The following report by SANA from the Aleppo Industrial City at Sheikh Najjar reveals the latest updates there: The English transcript of the above video Investment in the Sheikh Najjar industrial city in Aleppo is growing steadily in light of providing the necessary requirements for the industry in terms of infrastructure services and the facilities granted for the reconstruction of facilities affected by terrorism, and building new blocks and supplying them with production lines. Hazem Ajan – Director of Sheikh Najjar Industrial City: After the city completed most of its service projects for production facilities and delivered basic services of electricity and water to the production workshops in the industrial city we moved on with our plans to strategic projects in the city like the Exhibition City that provides basic promotion of the city’s products in particular and local products in general, because it was selected as an exhibition city at the level of Aleppo province. The project of labor housing has also started on an area of 258 hectares in coordination with the Public Housing Establishment, we are currently coordinating with the Union of Artisans in the first handicraft area, which provides about 500 artisans plots. 600 industrial establishments currently operating took off in the Industrial City, 50% of them are textile establishments, followed by engineering industries with about 150 establishments and the rest is distributed to the chemical and food industries. Hussam Salahia – Owner of a textile facility: After the liberation of the industrial city we returned and renewed our work and now produce bathrobes and dyeing yarns, our yarns industry is national product. Anas Dabbagh – owner of a facility for engineering industries and heaters: We were working before the war and despite the crisis and the damage done to us where the factory was sabotaged, we re-repaired and worked and continue to work. We produce everything related to heaters, we provide the needs for the local market and we export to Lebanon and other countries. Omar Oso – Owner of Food Industries Establishment: We manufacture tahini and halawa in addition to jam. Production stages start with sesame, we add sugar to make halawah. Syria is under unprecedented draconian sanctions by the USA and a host of countries under its control, these sanctions are imposed to punish the Syrian people for not accepting the US hegemony like its other slaves around the world and to impede the rebuilding of the country after almost 9 years of the US-led War of Terror. Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.

Arabi Souri

https://www.globalresearch.ca/600-establishments-resume-work-aleppo-industrial-city-sheikh-najjar/5696467

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 14:30:06 +0000

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

foreignpolicy--2019-08-22--Outsiders Battle to Rebuild Libya Is Fueling the Civil War There

foreignpolicy

Outsiders’ Battle to Rebuild Libya Is Fueling the Civil War There

Outsiders’ Battle to Rebuild Libya Is Fueling the Civil War There Four months after Libyan National Army (LNA) chieftain Khalifa Haftar began his assault on Tripoli, Libya is closer than ever to collapse. Haftar’s hopes for a swift seizure of the Libyan capital have unraveled due to stiff resistance from forces loyal to the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Meanwhile, a panoply of international stakeholders—including China, Russia, Italy, France, and the Persian Gulf states—have become involved in the conflict, dragging it on. Although some of these actors cite the need to slow the flow of migrants from Libya to Europe or the hope of stabilizing Libya as rationales for foreign intervention, they’re also motivated by the prospect of lucrative reconstruction contracts. The most bitterly contested contracts are in Libya’s oil industry, which is expected to double its production by 2023, and in infrastructure projects that leverage Libya’s strategic location on the Mediterranean Sea. For example, foreign powers are clamoring for dominance over the El Sharara and El Feel oil fields, which lie in southern Libya’s oil crescent; control of offshore oil deposits held by the GNA; and access to crucial ports, such as Benghazi and Ras Lanuf. The balance of forces in Libya profoundly affects who will win what contracts. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and France have supported the LNA’s military activities, and their economic interests hinge on the success of Haftar’s charge on Tripoli. Italy, Turkey, and Qatar have consistently supported the GNA and helped the U.N.-backed government resist Haftar’s territorial offensives. Russia and China have treaded cautiously in Libya and bet on neither party gaining a decisive advantage. If the status quo, where the GNA controls Tripoli and its environs and the LNA dominates eastern and southern Libya, is formalized, Russia and China are poised to benefit the most. That is why they have advocated for maintaining this setup against other actors that would rather see the LNA or GNA emerge as the overwhelmingly dominant force. And so, although Russia has been criticized for blocking a U.N. resolution condemning Haftar’s offensive on Tripoli and for allegedly deploying private military contractors in support of the LNA’s military activities, it has also maintained active relations with the GNA. This balancing strategy has economic foundations. Russia has printed dinars for distribution by Haftar’s parallel Libyan central bank, while the Russian energy giant Rosneft signed a deal to purchase oil from Libya’s National Oil Corporation in 2016. Given these economic interests, the optimal scenario for Moscow is a peace settlement that ends the U.N.-enforced arms embargo against Libya and creates a frozen conflict. Prior to the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011, Russia had $4 billion in arms contracts with Libya. Even today, the LNA’s air force relies extensively on Russian military technology, so Moscow would benefit greatly from the removal of the arms embargo. Russia’s ability to balance favorable relations with the GNA and Haftar could also help Moscow land some much-coveted national infrastructure contracts. Russian companies are especially interested in constructing a railway linking Benghazi to Sirte, which would bolster Russia’s economic and geopolitical influence on the Mediterranean Sea, and Moscow hopes that its unique diplomatic strategy will help its bid for the $2.5 billion project triumph over rival offers. As for China, which has adhered to a policy of stringent nonalignment in Libya, the preservation of the status quo could also help Beijing secure major reconstruction contracts. In recent years, China has taken steps to entrench itself as a major force in Libya’s oil industry and construction sector—both that controlled by the LNA and that controlled by the GNA. After years of stagnation, Libya’s oil exports to China doubled in 2017, and National Oil Corporation Chairman Mustafa Sanallah has emphasized the importance of energy sector cooperation with Beijing. Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj has also pledged to expand the presence of Chinese companies in GNA-controlled territories, to guarantee Libya’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. North Africa is a small but rapidly growing area of interest for Chinese investors, and Beijing views a foothold in Libya as an essential component of its regional economic power projection strategy. With Russia and China at a clear advantage, foreign powers that are unambiguously aligned with either the LNA or GNA are using military force to level the playing field. Although Haftar’s goal of seizing Tripoli appears far-fetched, the LNA’s sponsors, including Egypt and France, hope that he gains enough territory for international institutions to legitimize his control over eastern and southern Libya. Meanwhile, the GNA’s primary allies, including Turkey and Italy, are seeking to stymie Haftar’s offensive and restore control over southern Libya’s oil reserves to the internationally recognized government. The failure of either faction to gain a decisive advantage has stalled the resolution of the conflict and exacerbated the France-Italy, Egypt-Turkey, and intra-Gulf struggles for dominance in Libya. Since Haftar seized control of Benghazi in 2017, France and Italy have been locked in a competition for influence over Libya’s petroleum reserves. Initially, Italy had the upper hand, as the Italian firm Eni had extensive access to oil reserves in southern Libya. Italy’s ambassador to Libya at the time, Giuseppe Perrone, struck a deal with the GNA to rebuild Tripoli International Airport’s passenger terminal. Haftar’s seizure of southern Libya’s oil fields nullified Italy’s advantageous position, and the French oil giant Total is now the largest prospective beneficiary from these reserves. Recent clashes in Murzuq are a flash point in the France-Italy rivalry, as both countries view the fate of that town as potentially critical to the future power balance in southern Libya. While the Egypt-Turkey struggle for geopolitical influence has played out in the military sphere as both countries have armed their respective factions of the LNA, a similarly intense contest is playing out in the economic arena. The president of the Egyptian-Libyan Association for Businessmen, Nasser Bayan, has described Turkey as a direct competitor to Egypt’s efforts to enter the Libyan market. Of the three major interstate rivalries for reconstruction contracts, the Egypt-Turkey contest is the most zero-sum in nature, as Ankara has been blocked from investing in LNA-held territories since at least 2015. With Turkey looking to reconstruction projects in conflict zones as a major opportunity to strengthen its sagging economy and with concerns growing in Egypt about the cost of aligning with the LNA, both countries are poised to continue supporting military action to break the deadlock in Libya. Sustained intra-Gulf tensions have also contributed to the militarization of the contest for reconstruction contracts. Although Qatar has been circumspect about investing in Libya due to the country’s instability, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi fear that a shift in the balance of power favoring the GNA will trigger an influx of Qatari investment in Libya. To avoid this scenario, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are continuing to bankroll Haftar’s offensive and are lining up future investments to capitalize on LNA gains. Through a partnership with the Libyan Business Council, the UAE has engaged directly with Libyan companies and devised proposals to develop a direct sea line between ports in both countries. Although the contest for reconstruction contracts has remained out of the headlines, it is a major contributor to Libya’s ongoing war. Even if the war of attrition between the GNA and LNA ultimately dies down, the other geoeconomic rivalries in Libya could undermine true reconstruction of the Libyan state, dashing hopes for renewed stability and future prosperity.

Samuel Ramani

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/08/22/outsiders-battle-to-rebuild-libya-is-fueling-the-civil-war-there/

2019-08-22 16:22:16+00:00

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

mintpressnews--2019-05-07--Yemens Houthi Movement Unveils National Vision to Heal Rebuild and Modernize their War-torn Nat

mintpressnews

Yemen’s Houthi Movement Unveils “National Vision” to Heal, Rebuild, and Modernize their War-torn Nation

SANA’A, YEMEN — In what is the most extensive national plan published by a Yemeni government entity in the past three decades, the political wing of the Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, unveiled a comprehensive plan to rebuild war-torn Yemen through a manifesto offering 175 goals to rebuild the nation into a modern, stable and democratic state by 2030. The manifesto, officially called the National Vision, refutes long-echoed Saudi claims that the Houthis are simply violent rebels occupying Yemen’s capital and shows a flexing of political power that reaffirms the Houthis primary reason for mobilizing against the ousted government of Abdul Mansour-al Hadi: a desire to have competent government institutions that establish a Yemeni democracy and to make the country prosperous. It’s also a sign that the Houthis are seeking to reestablish relationships with countries around the world, and ultimately reopen Yemen to foreign investment. The incumbent president of the Supreme Political Council in Sana`a, Mahdi al-Mashat, who is also a senior member of the Ansar ِAllah political party, announced the implementation of the National Vision and confirmed that the government in Sana`a, known as the National Salvation Government of the Republic of Yemen, has officially adopted the new vision. Speaking at an inauguration event attended by members of the Supreme Council, al-Mashat called on Yemenis to sharpen their resolve and move towards rebuilding the country, saying “while we are confronting the Saudi-led Coalition, we also face the challenge of building the state.” Supreme Council Secretary Dr. Yaser Al-Houri said that representatives from various political, professional, trade union, and women’s groups participated in crafting the manifesto, with the goal of providing services, strengthening the economy, and becoming self-sufficient in all areas. Rune Agerhus, chairman of the International Solidarity Committee with Yemen — a consortium of human-rights activists, journalists, and politicians from around the world — explained what the vision means: The National Vision also aims to remake Yemen into a regional power, while strengthening state institutions that have been destroyed during the war, all before the year 2030 and while the Saudi-Coalition continues its bombardment of the country. Some of the critical areas addressed in the National Vision include raising the average life expectancy, improving social services, increasing the literacy rate, tackling corruption, and raising the percentage of women in the workforce to 30 percent by 2030. Today, women comprise a mere 6 percent of Yemen’s workforce. The National Vision also strives to unite the country — currently splintered along political, secteratairan and tribal lines — by launching a comprehensive national reconciliation that addresses political solutions, governance, social construction, economic development, administrative development, justice, the rule of law, innovation, creativity, knowledge, scientific research, education, health, environment, defense, foreign policy, and national security. Furthermore, it endeavors to tackle corruption in a country that currently ranks amongst the worst in the world on the World Corruption Perceptions Index and achieves an annual real economic growth rate of less than 5 percent. The 2030 goals set out by the National Vision are lofty, to say the least, especially for a country that has suffered immensely through four-years of a war waged by a coalition that is seemingly hell-bent on destroying every facet of civilized society. However, if the National Vision’s goals are reached, by 2023 Yemen will rise significantly on World Corruption Perceptions Index, will increase its literacy to at least 80 percent, will increase the participation of women in the labor force to at least 30 percent, and will reduce the poverty rate to less than 20 percent. Yemen’s sustainable development index will improve from 45 to 60; its investment index will rise from 130 to 190; its annual per capita GDP will reach above $2,000; and its unemployment rate will be reduced to 10 percent. The National Vision also lays out a plan to boost Yemen’s economy into one of the top 100 in the world, reduce its annual inflation rate to less than 5 percent and, perhaps most impressively, raise the war-torn nation to at least 98 on the international index of democracy and the freedom and protection of citizens’ rights. Yemeni experts are optimistic about the plan and Ansar Allah’s ability to carry it out. The vision — whose primary slogan is a saying by the late Ansar Allah President Saleh al-Sammad: “one hand protects, the other hand builds” — faces obstacles but has a good chance at success.  According to Saleem Saleh, a scholar who has studied the Houthi movement since its inception, “the Houthis previously held no military or political power but quickly became a powerful force able to withstand a coalition of several countries, despite six [previous Yemeni] wars fought.” However, many political analysts who spoke to MintPress believe that Saudi Arabia will work to thwart the National Vision, as it emphasizes national sovereignty and independence, values that contradict Saudi Arabia’s vision of Yemen as a backyard to the kingdom. They cite the Saudi assassination of Yemen’s former President of the Supreme Political Council, Saleh al-Sammad, who was murdered by Saudi drones in Hodeida after he first proclaimed the idea of a new National Vision in 2018. Saudi Arabia’s policy is not without precedent. North Yemen’s charismatic president, Ibrahim Muhammad al-Hamdi, was murdered by Saudi Arabia on October 11, 1977, after the Al-Hamdi government embarked on an ambitious economic development plan to help bring Northern Yemen closer to 20th-century modernity. Feature photo | A Yemeni man cleans in front of his house during a national cleanup campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Dec. 12, 2018. Hani Mohammed | AP Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.

Ahmed Abdulkareem

https://www.mintpressnews.com/houthi-movement-unveils-new-national-vision-heal-rebuild-modernize-yemen/258274/

2019-05-07 17:04:44+00:00

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

globalresearch--2019-11-09--Geneva Is Key to Syria’s Recovery

globalresearch

Geneva Is Key to Syria’s Recovery

The political solution to the Syrian conflict is the task at hand for the constitutional committee that has been meeting in Geneva since October 30. The co-chairs are Ahmad Kuzbari from the Syrian government and Hadi Albahra from the opposition. The Mini-Committee continued activities on Wednesday for the fourth successive day at the UN headquarters in Geneva while working towards amending the constitution for Syria, which is seen as the roadmap to recovery. The 45-member committee equally divided between the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society will hold a four-hour session per day. The full committee consists of 150 members: 50 each representing the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society. The political solution is necessary before the US and EU sanctions against Syria are lifted, western embassies reopen in Damascus, and reconstruction funds are pledged to rebuild Syria. Those representing the Syrian government are a cohesive and unified group; however, the group representing the Syrian opposition is extremely varied in their ideology and it is difficult for them to speak with one voice. Some of those opposed to the Syrian government from the outset of the conflict were secular, liberal dissidents living abroad in western countries; however, the Syrian Islamists, especially the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, established close relationships early-on with the US State Department, and the Americans preferred supporting the faction following Radical Islamic political ideology rather than the secular, liberal dissidents. The current opposition has been overrun by radicals aspiring to a Syrian Sunni State, and the groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and Ahrar al-Sham, which left the non-radicals feeling marginalized. It was the Obama administration that gave its full support to the Islamists, but it was the Trump administration that shut off that support; however, the US insisted the Syrian Islamists be represented in the Geneva talks while excluding the Kurds at the request of Turkey. Last week, UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen delivered the Code of Conduct approved by the Syrian opposition and the Syrian government which stipulates that the negotiating parties “show respect and tact toward members and refrain from inflammatory speeches and personal attacks”. In his opening remarks, he said, “I know that it is not easy for all of you to be here together in this room.” Despite the opposing side’s deep divisions of ideologies, they all have a similar goal to amend the constitution which can begin the healing process. Opposition sources said their delegation has submitted a working paper of the proposals presented last week, adding that the civil society representatives presented a range of proposals orally during Wednesday’s meeting. The Committee will attempt to arrive at its decisions by consensus; however, if that fails they may resort to a majority of 75 percent of votes. There is no Kurdish representation in the constitution committee. In a recent interview with the Kurdish General Mazloum Abdi, he said, The Syrian Democratic Forces and allied militias, composed of mainly Kurds, have more than 100,000 soldiers and had been US allies previously in the fight to defeat ISIS which occurred in Syria. The diplomatic gymnastics among Presidents Assad, Putin, Erdogan, and the Kurds are in high gear. The Turkish foreign minister has said Turkey would retreat from all occupied areas if the Syrian government would assure the Kurdish self-administration project was dismantled, and the Kurdish militias were dissolved and integrated into the Syrian Arab Army. Talks could begin on the eventual return of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey to their original communities, thus avoiding a ‘safe-zone’ in northeast Syria, which Erdogan had planned as a Sunni non-Kurdish plantation. President Putin’s backchannel diplomacy between Damascus and Ankara is ongoing. In last week’s interview, President Assad said he did not expect the Kurds “to hand over their weapons immediately,” adding that while the Syrian state would exert control in the northeast, The current military maneuvers and confrontations in northeast Syria are the beginning of the end of the Syrian conflict, as each of the various players involved on the ground will make deals based on negotiated settlements. To keep one foot in the door, Trump ordered his military to re-invade Syria from Iraq, to occupy the oil well at Deir Ez Zor. General Mazloum Abdi believes the US move has nothing whatsoever to do with oil or profits from oil. He said, Idlib and the northeast may be returned to the control of the central government in Damascus, and with a possible new constitution in place, and future elections scheduled under UN observation, Syria may once again return to the peace and security that has been missing since 2011. Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. This article was originally published on Mideast Discourse.

Steven Sahiounie

https://www.globalresearch.ca/geneva-key-syria-recovery/5694298

Sat, 09 Nov 2019 04:47:51 +0000

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

unian--2019-07-05--Zelensky We must end war and restore Donbas simultaneously

unian

Zelensky: "We must end war and restore Donbas simultaneously"

The president announced a big investment forum in Mariupol in autumn. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Donbas must be rebuilt simultaneously with the completion of the war. "We must end the war and restore Donbas simultaneously," he said in Kramatorsk while introducing new Governor in Donetsk region Pavlo Kyrylenko, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Zelensky noted that social and humanitarian issues in Donbas could be solved immediately, without looking for the guilty or justifying the problems with the war. Read alsoWithdrawal of Russian forces from Donbas "key to peace in Ukraine" – Volker "The issue I will repeatedly raise and repeat tirelessly is a ceasefire ... We want to do everything and are sending constant signals for ceasing fire," said Zelensky. "I think that to settle many issues related to humanitarian, social missions in Donbas, we don't have to say all the time that someone is to blame, the war is to blame. We must do this in parallel. Simultaneously putting an end to the war, thinking about our people and restoring Donbas in reality." He also announced a large business forum that would be held in Mariupol in September to raise funds for rebuilding Donbas. Investors from various countries were invited to take part in it. "We're inviting investors from all countries there. In Canada, I held 19 meetings on this, we talked with the [Ukrainian] Diaspora. In Germany, in France, I met with businesses and explained how important it is to invest in Donbas today, so that people in the temporarily occupied territory could see that our country is really changing," he said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Zelensky said at the Ukraine Reform Conference in Toronto, Canada, on July 3 that more than EUR 10 billion is needed to rebuild Donbas.

https://www.unian.info/war/10608195-zelensky-we-must-end-war-and-restore-donbas-simultaneously.html

2019-07-05 15:58:00+00:00

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

theseattletimes--2019-10-12--Post-war Liberians are demanding better mental health care

theseattletimes

Post-war Liberians are demanding better mental health care

MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — More than a decade after back-to-back civil wars ravaged Liberia its people still await justice for countless abuses, and many say the lack of accountability is worsening a mental health crisis. The frustration soared when President George Weah recently indicated there was no need for his government to set up a war crimes court in the West African nation where the conflicts killed a quarter-million people. “Why now?” he repeated in an address to the United Nations annual gathering of world leaders last month. The impatience with that attitude boiled over last month when hundreds of people stormed Liberia’s legislature with a petition asking the government for more mental health support. They said they represented some half-million people who have received mental health services over the years via a charity, the U.S.-based Carter Center. Such private aid is not enough to assure that every Liberian receives assistance, they said. “Mental health care continues to be seriously sidelined,” said Bill Ballah, a spokesman for the group. “Each of us needs good mental health to … pursue our life goals and meet our responsibilities as responsible citizens.” Critics say Liberia’s president is not interested in creating a war crimes court because his political support base includes some elements who committed atrocities. Weah has rejected that accusation and his supporters dismiss it as untrue. In addition to those suffering from trauma caused by the civil wars from 1989 to 2003, thousands of Liberians are trying to recover from the world’s deadliest Ebola outbreak that killed more than 4,000 people in the country from 2014-2016. More than 20% of Liberia’s post-war population has mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, the World Health Organization said in 2016. But the country has just a couple of psychiatrists for a population of nearly 5 million. Until the arrival of a Nigerian psychiatrist three years ago, Dr. Benjamin Harris had been the only psychiatrist in Liberia for decades. About 70% of students Harris interviewed near the end of the civil wars said they had seen people killed or tortured. About 60% said they had lost confidence in human beings and society. “This can have a severe consequence on one’s mental function,” he told The Associated Press. The need for mental health care in Liberia is so great and complicated that no government has been able to tackle the issue, and none has taken the initiative, Harris said. Government authorities acknowledge the mental health problem is enormous but blame the country’s inability to raise enough revenue to address such issues. The chairman of the senate committee on health and a former health minister, Dr. Peter Coleman, said the funding allotted to the health sector in the annual budget is negligible because there are competing priorities. “When it comes to mental health right now, it’s collaborations with agencies such as the Carter Center that is helping us to at least do the rudimentary things in mental health,” he said. Dr. David Henderson, chairman of the psychiatry department at Boston University’s medical school, said mental health could be tackled more rigorously in places like Liberia if global health funding paid more attention to psychiatry. If those resources were provided, “we can really build capacity very quickly.” He cited the success story of Ethiopia, which went from just three psychiatrists to about 100 over 15 years. For now Liberia has just one overcrowded and underfunded mental health hospital, an annex of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center in the capital, Monrovia. Patients are charged the equivalent of $10 for 21 days of treatment, a cost many cannot afford. Meanwhile the Catherine Mills Rehabilitation Center, a facility set up in pre-war Liberia as a home for people with mental illness, was ransacked and looted during the civil war and has never reopened. Officials have tried in vain to persuade people now living amid its ruins to leave.

JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/post-war-liberians-are-demanding-better-mental-health-care/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all

Sat, 12 Oct 2019 02:13:45 -0700

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

globalresearch--2019-11-05--“Robbing” Syria’s Oil to Thwart Syria’s Recovery

globalresearch

“Robbing” Syria’s Oil to Thwart Syria’s Recovery

In the name of what the US president called “securing the oil” or what the Pentagon chose to describe as an attempt to “protect” Syria’s oil, the US is basically indulging in what can, in simple terms, be described as purposeful pillaging of Syria’s natural resources. There are three objectives that the US aims to achieve through this “control” of Syria’s oil. First, it can thwart all attempts towards Syria’s territorial reunification under Damascus. Secondly, it can keep a lid on a critical source of Syria’s economy and can thus thwart Syria’s economic recovery and reconstruction. Thirdly, by “controlling” the oil, the US can clip Kurds and prevent their bid to make a deal with the Russians and the Syrians for integration with Damascus; hence, Pentagon’s “warning” to everyone—Russians and Syrians in particular—-against any attempts at recovering the oil fields. This, however, is equally going to make US-Turkey rapprochement extremely difficult, if not impossible. The US, by deciding to directly control Syria’s oil, has re-intensified its geopolitical struggle in and around Syria. The US position close to the critical M2 Baghdad-Damascus highway indicates how it intends to stay militarily engaged in the Levant after the defeat of the Islamic State and Syria’s strong drive, supported as it is by Russia and Iran, towards re-establishing Damascus’ authority all over Syria. During the recently concluded NATO summit in Brussels, Esper confirmed that that the US is sending an unspecified number of troops and materiel to “guard the oil fields” held presently by Kurdish forces, adding also that reinforcements “will continue until we believe we have sufficient capability” [to hold the oil fields for as long as we want]. The decision to “control” oil fields has, unsurprisingly enough, come at a time when Russia, Iran and Turley, have advanced well enough into bringing peace to Syria and creating a new constitution. Even the Syria opposition groups have confidently said that a political deal will be clinched next year. According to co-chair Hadi al-Bahra, The joint statement released after a meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey in Geneva emphasised the same. All the parties, said the statement, “Confirmed the continued commitment of the guarantor countries of the Astana format to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic.” Even if a deal happens, lack of enough resources available to rebuild Syria will start causing new crisis, weakening Damascus’ hands. A “struggle for resources” might tear Syria apart. Given the US plan that goes specifically to this direction and mindful of the consequences that a minus-oil Syria will have to face, Russia is all the more critical of US policies. With the Russian foreign minister calling US policies “arrogant”, “illegal” and a violation of international law, the tempo for intense geo-political struggle has been set. This puts the US on one side, and the Astana countries on the other. Notwithstanding the US ‘permission’ to let Turkey do its military operation in Syria, the fact that the US has once again started supporting Kurds (although it is more like thwarting Kurdish attempts to make peace with Damascus) means that Ankara will have some serious objections to it. This puts Russia, Iran and Turkey on the same page, reinforcing the Astana peace process. Turkey, without any doubt, will see in the US “control” of Syrian oil fields and a tactical support for Kurds a threat to its interests… a process that might continue to gain momentum towards the ultimate objective of creating an autonomous Kurdistan in Syria – a territory that is supposed to become the bedrock of US and Israeli activities in the whole region. This means that the prospects of a US-Turkey rapprochement will become a lot weaker than they seemed three weeks ago. There can perhaps be nothing more inflammatory to the Turkish national security establishment and public alike than collaboration between Kurdish militias and a NATO ally, the US. Within Turkey’s national security calculation, this collaboration can have no objective other than breaking Turkey from within and creating an independent state of Kurdistan in the Middle East. The US’ renewed attempts at creating a mess in Syria through controlling the life-line of its economy is, therefore, going to have many consequences that will, once again, leave it surrounded by foes (Russia and Iran) and estranged allies (Turkey). It is obvious that the bid to control Syria’s oil has nothing with the fight against terrorism; it signifies a renewed US geo-political struggle to stay alive in the Middle East – something that no country in the region, save Israel and Saudi Arabia, will appreciate and welcome. Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. Salman Rafi Sheikh, research-analyst of International Relations and Pakistan’s foreign and domestic affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

Salman Rafi Sheikh

https://www.globalresearch.ca/robbing-syria-oil-thwart-syria-recovery/5694045

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 15:54:10 +0000

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

tass--2019-03-15--Russia urges international community to aid Syrias infrastructure recovery

tass

Russia urges international community to aid Syria’s infrastructure recovery

MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. Moscow urges all members of the international community to follow Russia’s example and to start aiding the recovery of Syrian infrastructure, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin stated during the "Supporting the future of Syria and the region" conference in Brussels. The Russian Foreign Ministry published the transcript of his speech on Friday. According to him, Russia continues to support Damascus in such areas as the recovery of its infrastructure and humanitarian aid delivery. "Since July of last year, 800 education facilities and 150 medical institutions have been constructed, over 1,000 kilometers of roads have been repaired, about 1,000 kilometers of power lines have been built, and 130 water supply facilities have become operational," the senior diplomat noted. "Besides, we have held over 2,000 humanitarian actions, during which we have redistributed 3,300 tonnes of food, water and basic necessities." "Russian medical professionals have provided help to 105,000 of those in need. We urge all members of the international community to follow our example," Vershinin said. The diplomat noted that currently, over two million Syrian children do not go to school, while 15.5 mln Syrians have issues with water supply. "It is baffling and concerning why the responsible international community cannot help these people now, without piling on preliminary conditions and artificial demands," the deputy foreign minister stated. Vershinin reminded that the necessity for humanitarian cooperation was highlighted in the joint statement of the Russian, Turkish, French and German leaders on the outcomes of the Istanbul summit in October 2018. In other media

http://tass.com/world/1048828

2019-03-15 11:36:38+00:00

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

tass--2019-07-04--UN envoy hopes Syria will recover its unity

tass

UN envoy hopes Syria will recover its unity

MOSCOW, July 4. /TASS/. UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen hopes that Syria will recover its unity and calls for conscientious advancement of political process, he said in an interview with TASS. "We all agree that the conflict has lasted too long and that too many civilians have died. But I’m hopeful that it is possible to negotiate an end to this tragedy and that Syria can re-emerge as one country for all its people," the UN envoy stressed. "As I said in my most recent briefing to the Security Council, a "no-war-no-peace" scenario must be avoided. It is best to freeze the fighting and move the political process in earnest as it is the only way to restore Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity in a way that will have broad buy-in and open the path to a restored and a new Syria. Resolution 2254 contains all the elements that are required for this to happen," Pedersen added. "This obviously would require support from a united international community, and here Russia is key," he concluded.

https://tass.com/world/1067077

2019-07-04 13:19:37+00:00

conflict, war and peace

post-war reconstruction

foreignpolicy--2019-02-01--Sisterhood Is Powerful

foreignpolicy

Sisterhood Is Powerful

The coffee was hot and strong, and the sugar-glazed, cream-filled doughnuts were baked that very day aboard the Swedish corvette HMS Visby. But this was no ordinary fika, or coffee break. Several women from the 4th Flotilla of the Swedish Navy were gathered on Sept. 18, 2018, 10 months after the November 2017 launch of the Swedish military’s #MeToo movement—called #givaktochbitihop, which loosely translates to “stand at attention and bite the bullet”—when more than 3,000 incidents of abuse in the armed forces over the past 30 years were detailed on one Facebook page. Though the military’s top-down response to #givaktochbitihop was perceived as unequivocal—the supreme commander, Air Force Gen. Micael Byden, addressed a harsh video message to perpetrators—true culture change must happen organically. To that end, Swedish troops themselves have also been bringing about change among the rank and file. A group of about 50 female sailors, out of about 400 total in the 4th Flotilla, have long been one another’s strongest supporters. They formed GRYM, an acronym that in Swedish stands for Community, Recruitment, Career guidance, and Mentorship, but can also translate to “cruel,” “savage,” or “ferocious.” This flotilla’s GRYM chapter was formed four years ago by its former commander Rear Adm. Ewa Skoog Haslum, the first female admiral in the Swedish Navy. The group encourages women to trade career planning advice, information on what to do when you’ve been harassed, and tips for balancing work and family (egalitarian Sweden offers 480 days of family leave per child for all citizens). GRYM members also act as informal sounding boards for survivors of sexual harassment or assault. This is of particular use to those wary of official reporting. “It’s hard to be anonymous,” said Lt. Mia Rismalm, a member of the group. Nor do all women need the same thing. Skoog Haslum said she herself never needed women’s networks or female role models. Now deputy vice chancellor at the Swedish Defense University, she acknowledged some survivors prefer an empathetic conversation to an incident being brought to trial. Swedish law, she said, mandates investigation of reported incidents but doesn’t dictate how the commander must perform them. Skoog Haslum tries to reassure skittish subordinates that she “will never do something that [a complainant] doesn’t want to do. Never.” While the responses are remarkable, the stories the women tell echo #MeToo experiences in other parts of the world. Navy Lt. Rebecca Landberg has a wide smile and a neat blonde bun, but these days, she doesn’t even wear skirts to rock concerts. About nine years ago, a drunken senior male colleague mistook her conversational tone for attraction during a talk about relationships at a shipboard Christmas party. Though alcohol wasn’t supposed to be served past midnight, most flaunted that rule. Landberg, sober, left early to prepare for a morning duty shift. When the senior colleague banged on her stateroom door several times that night, she waved him away, chalking it up to his inebriation. Around 3 a.m., she woke to the chilling click of her door locked from the inside. The male officer, completely naked, tried to drag her out of her upper bunk. Fighting to escape, she felt his penis against her back. She persuaded him to leave, saying her male roommate would arrive soon, and locked him out. When her roommate returned, he accompanied her to wake up other sailors and report the incident. Within 12 hours, Landberg was giving testimony to her command. One junior enlisted sailor, the daughter of a Swedish Navy mine diver who asked to be identified by her first name, Malin, felt obligated to report her assault, a smack on her bottom that happened while she was changing into uniform. After the #givaktochbitihop campaign revealed the number of incidents buried for decades, she wanted to encourage other women who had been harassed to take that step as well and convey the message that reporting was not only okay, but necessary. But while Sweden has been admirable in its approach, women often face social isolation after they report, as the rumor mill aboard ship speculates about their harassment or assault. Landberg said the colleague who assaulted her “was a good friend of so many.” She feared he’d told a version of his side of the story to everyone else. Further complicating her experience was that her command expected her to be immediately sure of what she wanted to do after she testified, but she was still processing the shock. In the end, the alleged perpetrator, who claimed to have no memory of the incident, was denied higher education. He then left the Navy. For her part, Malin—who said her commanders were “very supportive”—felt out of the loop as her complaint made its way through Swedish military bureaucracy. Her relationship with colleagues changed, too; in the sailors’ mess, “it would be quiet when I would sit around the table … they wouldn’t want to joke around with me. It was really different,” she said. These dynamics make for a complicated balance between fitting in and speaking up aboard tightknit ships. While Malin’s emotional support came from her closest female colleague, whom she explained she “really trusted,” no one in Landberg’s all-male crew asked her how she felt. Though their assailants were punished, “There’s one thing I think men don’t understand,” Landberg said, “and that is how you feel afterwards.” She had the sense that the unspoken narrative around her was, “‘Now they have their punishment, they have money taken away, so it’s fine! Now he’s not working here anymore, so get over it!’ But,” she added, she’s still wary, especially when aboard ship with drunk comrades. It’s not just these women’s own experiences that have left lasting impressions. Malin said that friends’ similar stories have made her “always on guard” when she goes out on the town with colleagues. Though her male crewmates do not share the same fears of sexual trauma, Malin said plenty of them have empathized with her. The Swedish military’s occupational health service offers counseling services for both survivors and perpetrators, and it can also refer troops to civilian providers. But one further lesson of the #givaktochbitihop outcry is that it’s crucial for all troops to learn basic communication skills. For example, Landberg’s attacker drunkenly assumed a deep discussion about relationships meant she was willing sexual prey. But, of course, just because someone talks about feelings with you doesn’t mean she wants to sleep with you. All of this was eye-opening for Filippa Gode, a Navy cook who was in boot camp when #givaktochbitihop started (and therefore heard little about it). “I think men support men in Sweden, whatever happens … we [women] have to listen to each other and support each other,” she said. Even so, that sexual harassment and assault are now discussed openly is a huge change from 15 months ago, before #givaktochbitihop broke the silence and denial that had previously permeated the Swedish Armed Forces. And then there’s that group—GRYM. It provides women—survivor and otherwise—sisterhood and support, coworkers and colleagues, as well as space to speak and learn. It’s not just women supporting women, though. While Malin, a former youth Sea Scout, said she remained in the Navy because of “these fantastic women” she has also seen over the last year a noticeable change in the culture of her male colleagues: In the wake of #givaktochbitihop, both the witness to her assault and the colleague who encouraged her to report it were men. This work was supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Teresa Fazio

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/02/01/sweden-me-too-military-part-two/

2019-02-01 15:30:25+00:00

society

communities

newyorker--2019-06-16--The Strange Story of a Secret Literary Fellowship

newyorker

The Strange Story of a Secret Literary Fellowship

One afternoon a little over a year ago, I got a brief and mysterious e-mail from a man named Jackson Taylor. It was sent from a personal Gmail account. “I am heading up a new literary fellowship here in New York,” he wrote. “You have been secretly nominated for a spot in the inaugural group—and I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time to speak by phone? The fellowship begins in April but won’t be publicly announced until June.” Before I had a chance to respond, my cell phone rang: it was Jackson. He said he was travelling and sounded out of breath, but I heard something about a “congress of writers” that would teach skills and speak truth to power. If I showed up for twice-weekly sessions for two semesters, I would receive ten thousand dollars. The program’s benefactor, Jackson told me, was the family foundation of Leonard Riggio, the executive chairman of Barnes & Noble. They had “deep pockets,” he said. I had recently moved to New York after five years of reporting, mostly as a freelancer, in Boston and Berlin. I was working a full-time job that I regretted taking, and writing on the side. My apartment had a bedroom too small to fit a desk or even a dresser, and its single window faced an air shaft the color of dryer lint. I was a journalist, not a novelist or a poet, and, in New York, writers seemed to sprout from every sidewalk. I had no idea why Jackson and this foundation had singled me out. I turned to Google. Leonard Riggio, I learned, had amassed hundreds of millions of dollars as the man who turned Barnes & Noble—which had one location when he bought the company—into a nationwide chain. His blend of cutthroat competitiveness and generous philanthropy had led New York magazine to call him, in a profile published in 1999, “Barnes & Noble’s Jekyll and Hyde.” I searched for Jackson, too. After scrolling past results about a country singer with the same name, I found a writer who had directed the Prison Writing Program at PEN America, which provides resources and mentorship to incarcerated writers. He had taught at the New School and published a novel, about a white woman in Depression-era Pennsylvania who is arrested for helping a black doctor perform abortions, a story apparently based on the life of his grandmother. It had a 3.8 rating on Goodreads. I replied to Jackson and asked whether he could tell me who the other participants were. He gave me a few names, including those of a début novelist and a poet who had been published in The New Yorker. I noticed that they were all writers of color, which seemed in keeping with the progressive ideals that Jackson had talked about on the phone—speaking truth to power and so on. In his response, Jackson asked me to be discreet, and he mentioned, again, the deep pockets of the Riggios. “In a year or two we aim for this prize to be synonymous with excellence, intellectual rigor, and artfulness... in short—the very best,” he wrote. I accepted the offer. The first session was on a Wednesday in April, in an old building in Chelsea. I was late because I was riding the subway from work and got off at the wrong stop. When I arrived, overheated from running up Tenth Avenue, I took the elevator to the fifth floor, then wandered a narrow hallway looking for Suite 513. I walked the length of the floor several times before noticing that someone had papered over No. 514 and replaced it with a handwritten “513.” Inside, about a dozen people were sitting on wooden chairs and two uncomfortable couches, writing in red notebooks. They had all written their first names on pieces of white printer paper. Other than the handful of people Jackson had mentioned to me, I didn’t know anyone’s full name. A few days before the session, Jackson had e-mailed the fellows as a group, but he had blind-copied us on the message. There were reasons for this secrecy, he insisted. “We prefer to minimize the social pressure of social media on our congress,” he informed us. “Yes… this is another cryptic email… but one that takes seriously the question of how do we as writers circumvent the fashions of the day… and recast what others tell us is necessary or expected?” Also, because of “copyright diligence,” he was still unable to share the name of the program, he wrote. He did introduce us to two colleagues—Tim, who would lead class sessions on Thursdays, and Antonio, the program’s administrative director. In the far corner of Room 513, or 514, Jackson, a large man with fair skin and a fondness for wearing vests over T-shirts, sat in a leather reading chair. It was hot, and the windows were difficult to open. The air-conditioning unit sputtered too loudly to use during class. Jackson told me to write my first name on a piece of paper, and to complete a writing exercise. I was to create an original fable, complete with talking animals and a moral. After we’d all written our fables, we took turns reading them—but we were only supposed to listen to one another’s pieces, not to comment on them. Jackson called this “the pedagogy.” What it produced was a series of awkward silences. At the end, Jackson launched into a lecture on literary structure. Pausing frequently for effect, he spoke about constructing fables, discerning between the abstract and the concrete, and “kicking the tires of aphoristic writing.” Somewhere in the middle, without any warning, he began to speak angrily about PEN America, its hiring processes, and its executive director. Then he handed out copies of “Springing,” a poem by Marie Ponsot about a leisurely day of boating and swimming. (“Swimming aimlessly is luxury just as walking / loudly up a shallow stream is.”) The poem prompted a debate among the fellows about privilege, which, Jackson said, was an aspect of the poem that he had not considered. He said that the fellowship would likely be called Springing, after the poem. In subsequent sessions with Jackson, we discussed a range of writers and theorists, from Henry David Thoreau to Northrop Frye. Most of the fellows were women, and about half were writers of color. (My mother was born in Singapore, to Chinese parents, and my father is Jewish; I’m often taken for white.) In our discussions of the readings, fellows brought up questions of race and gender, but Jackson said that these subjects were distracting. One fellow suggested that we read “Citizen,” Claudia Rankine’s book of poetry about anti-black racism in American life. A week later, we read a passage from Rankine’s book in which the speaker describes a conversation with the head of an academic department: “He tells you his dean is making him hire a person of color when there are so many great writers out there. You think maybe this is an experiment and you are being tested or retroactively insulted or you have done something that communicates this is an okay conversation to be having. / Why do you feel comfortable saying this to me?” After the reading, Jackson told us that he had once run into difficulties firing a writer because the writer was black. He looked for excellence rather than diversity, he said, and he lamented the difficulty of recruiting and retaining staff members of color. (Tim and Antonio were both, like Jackson, white men.) He asked a black fellow whether she would want to be hired because of her race. She said no. “Thank you!” he exclaimed. Soon after the sessions began, a few of us started gathering after class, in the hall or in front of the building, to talk about what was going on. The neighborhood was crowded with warehouses that had been converted into art studios; during the day, it was noisy with construction. But by evening it grew quiet, and we lingered on the sidewalk in the dark, talking about how strange everything seemed. Some of us traded phone numbers; a couple of times, we walked to bars in Chelsea, making quips about needing a drink. Many of the fellows were growing frustrated with Jackson and his methods, but there were a handful who defended him from time to time, and two who consistently took his side. Stephanie, a writer in her thirties, often complained when fellows brought up race or gender or privilege. They were interfering with the pedagogy, she said. Tom, the only visual artist in the program, said that we should trust Jackson, that he knew what he was doing. (Both Stephanie and Tom were white.) One evening, walking to the subway after class, one of the fellows, a black poet named Hafizah Geter, told me that she had been searching for details about the others. By this point, all the participants had exchanged e-mail addresses, and Hafizah said that she had come across Stephanie’s maiden name online. It was Riggio. Stephanie, who had been attending the sessions and reciting her work like the rest of us, was the daughter of the fellowship’s funders. That’s odd, I thought. Was this the reason that Jackson had never shared our full names? At a session in early May, one of the fellows, a black poet, brought in a poem that he had written which alluded to Wallace Stevens’s “Like Decorations in a Nigger Cemetery,” and reflected on Stevens’s use of the racist slur in his poetry. We broke from the pedagogy and took turns talking about the poem. When it was Jackson’s turn, he accused the writer of “baiting” the group, and, in the course of sharing these thoughts, he repeated the slur several times. Another black writer asked him, as calmly as though she were asking for a glass of water, to stop saying the word. Jackson compared her request to censorship—and if the word were off limits, he said, we would also need to ban words that are derogatory to white people, such as “whitey.” Hafizah told Jackson that his desire to use the word as a white man was outrageous. But black people say the word on the street, Jackson replied, using the word several more times as he made his point, and gesturing at Hafizah. Maybe we should disband the fellowship, he said, raising his voice. She told him that the classroom did not feel safe. Stephanie seemed upset. Tom said that we should get back on topic. We took an afternoon break. I joined Hafizah in the hall. Antonio, a short and soft-spoken man in sneakers, came out to talk to us. Quietly, he asked us to e-mail him our concerns, so that he would have them on record. After a moment, Tom came out and invited us back into the class. Hafizah and I decided to leave early. That night, Hafizah texted me a link to Tom’s Web site, which she had found in her continued Internet sleuthing. I clicked on the link, and photographs of Jackson appeared, along with art works that I recognized from the space in Chelsea. “Guess who he is to Jackson,” Hafizah wrote. “His fucking boyfriend.” I eventually learned that the artist’s studio in which we met was in the same building, and on the same floor, as Tom’s previous studio. Jackson had recommended it to the Riggios for the fellowship, and it had been renovated to Tom and Jackson’s specifications. The Riggios approved a lease, and Tom moved his art works into the fellowship space. Later, I talked to Hafizah about that day. We met at her apartment, in Brooklyn, which was stuffed from floor to ceiling with books. “It was a nightmare,” she told me. “You felt trapped, you felt like you were suffocating in all this.” She told me that she went home and cried for a long time. Hafizah is one of the writers Jackson mentioned to me when I first asked him who the other fellows were; she’s won several awards and fellowships for her poetry, which has been published in The New Yorker and Tin House and many other places. Her confrontations with Jackson convinced her that she had been recruited to the program, and then marginalized, for the same reason: that she was a black woman. During the session, she had said to him, “If every person of color left this room and didn’t come back, this room would be irrelevant. It would just be another white room talking about white power.” The day after that session, I e-mailed Antonio to say that I was disturbed by what had happened, and we made plans to talk over coffee. Hafizah e-mailed Jackson to say that she was quitting. She was the second to leave: one of the fellows, who was commuting a long way from out of state, had quit at the end of the first week. “You can’t come back from the N-word,” Hafizah told me. She regarded his use of the word in class, spoken in her direction, as a threat. She was careful, in her e-mail to Jackson, not to say that she had left because of him. She was worried about her career, she said. Could the Riggios, or their employees, hold this against her, she wondered? Would they tell their friends not to hire her, not to publish her? She didn’t know what to think, and she didn’t want to risk it. At his next session, Jackson said that Antonio was no longer working at the Springing Center. (We never did get that coffee.) According to the Springing Center, Jackson fired Antonio without consulting the organization. Antonio told several people that Jackson threatened to keep his work out of Barnes & Noble stores if he made a fuss. Jackson also announced that he was banning class discussion. If we had questions or concerns, we could write them down and save them for the end of each class. Several of us raised objections, saying that restricting conversation would only increase tensions, but we didn’t get anywhere with him. Shortly afterward, another fellow, a woman of color, e-mailed the group to announce that she was quitting, too. A fourth fellow, who was also a woman of color, did the same the next day. I had thought a lot about quitting myself. I had visions of waiting until the official announcement and publicly refusing the award, like a disgruntled actor at the Oscars. I also thought that maybe someone should stay and write about what happened. We had joked to one another while out for drinks in Chelsea that we were all getting a lot of material. I called my editor at The New Yorker. I had already figured out that he was the person who’d suggested me for the fellowship—Antonio and Jackson, it turned out, were former colleagues of his, at PEN America. Antonio had e-mailed him, asking for recommendations, and he’d written a little blurb making the case for my abilities. That was pretty much the extent of the selection process. Now I told him the fellowship might be worth writing about. He seemed skeptical, but said to keep him posted. After the fourth fellow quit, Jackson e-mailed those of us who were left. The week’s sessions had been cancelled due to “an electrical emergency,” he said. Two days later, Tim wrote to explain that Jackson had a family emergency. The remaining spring classes were cancelled, and we were told that we would “regroup in the fall.” Weeks passed without any updates. At last, in June, when the fellowship was supposed to be announced to the world, we received an unsigned e-mail from “Springing accounting.” “Earlier this year, the corporation retained an outside consultant to evaluate the corporation’s mission and programs,” the e-mail read. “The fellowship program is now terminated.” We would receive five thousand dollars. The check arrived a few weeks later, and I felt grimy when I cashed it. “Stay tuned for information about our new programs,” the e-mail concluded. “We wish you a fruitful and fulfilling summer of writing.” The early years of a writing career are often full of an unsteady kind of optimism. You hope that someone will notice you, or, more grandly, that someone will become a champion of your work. And, particularly if you’re a writer of color, or a queer writer, or a woman, you may learn that entrusting your work to would-be champions is a fraught endeavor. I remember more experienced writers telling me that I should say yes to every opportunity until I had earned the privilege to say no. But hope is both a strength and a weakness; it takes time to learn the difference between those who feed it and those who feed off of it. I wish someone had told me that early-career writers are the cheap gas on which much of the writing business runs. Shortly after the fellowship was discontinued, I returned to Google in earnest, trying to understand what had happened. I was a reporter, after all, and this seemed like a story. I learned from nonprofit filings that, between 2003 and 2011, the Riggio Foundation had donated millions of dollars to the New School and its creative-writing program, where Jackson taught. In 2008, two years after she graduated from college, Stephanie enrolled in the New School’s creative-writing program, and Jackson became her thesis adviser. Later, I learned from Stephanie that, in 2012, after she graduated, Jackson encouraged a friend who worked at St. Joseph’s College, in Brooklyn, to offer her teaching work. Jackson was hired to direct St. Joseph’s creative-writing master’s program shortly afterward. His method drew on the writings of Marie Ponsot, a St. Joseph’s alumna and the author of the “Springing” poem that we had read in class, who is now in her late nineties. Between 2013 and 2016, while Jackson and Stephanie worked at St. Joseph’s, the Riggios donated at least $187,500 to the college. The gifts funded a scholarship that Jackson oversaw, and it also endowed the Marie Ponsot Chair, which was awarded to Jackson. (The Riggio Foundation said it was unaware that he had received the chair.) Tim joined the faculty, and, in 2015, Jackson’s partner, Tom, was, according to his résumé, offered a residency at St. Joseph’s. In 2017, Jackson was abruptly dismissed from his position at the school. Ponsot joined a protest on the sidewalk outside St. Joseph’s. A story about the protest in the Brooklyn Paper referred to Jackson as “the beloved founder and director” of the school’s creative-writing program. The story quoted a school spokesperson, who said that St. Joseph’s had “determined the need for new leadership” after a “thorough assessment process.” One of the organizers of the protest, a second-year student named Alexa Wilding, told the paper, “The value of our degree will go down. In the literary world, it’s who you work with, that’s your value.” That year, the Riggios were not listed as donors to the school. (St. Joseph’s College declined to comment on Jackson’s dismissal or any other aspect of this story. When I e-mailed Wilding, and told her about the Springing Fellowship, she replied, “I have had only positive experiences with Jackson as a teacher.”) Around this time, the Riggios decided to fund a charitable corporation in New York that Stephanie would oversee. I thought about Jackson’s references to the Riggios’ deep pockets. “The resources are vast,” Jackson had written in his third e-mail to me. Since the nineties, the Riggio Foundation has reported donations of more than a hundred million dollars to hundreds of tax-exempt institutions, including public schools, private universities, equestrian organizations, art museums, Italian-American cultural organizations, and religious institutions. Several of the contributions, to institutions such as Spelman College and the National Council of Negro Women, specifically support women of color. The donations often seem scattershot in their aims and amounts: twenty dollars for a breast-cancer nonprofit, five thousand for a dog shelter, a hundred thousand for the Utah Film Center. There is, one imagines, a story behind each of these contributions, though they might be personal or even impulsive. Meanwhile, for those on the receiving end, the money could be life-changing. (Most notably, the Riggio Foundation spent millions building homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, an effort that eventually became a separate nonprofit.) Most of the foundation’s assets originally came in the form of Barnes & Noble stock. This month, after going through four chief executives in a five-year span, Barnes & Noble was sold to the hedge fund Elliott Advisors, for six hundred and thirty-eight million dollars, including debt. Before the sale, the Riggio Foundation reportedly owned 4.3 per cent of the company. Around the time that Stephanie enrolled in Columbia University as an undergraduate, the foundation donated a hundred thousand dollars to the school; after she earned an art-history degree there, the Riggios donated five million dollars to the art-history and archaeology department. (The Riggios are also major art collectors.) Four universities that have received major donations from the Riggio Foundation have awarded Leonard Riggio honorary doctorates. Riggio and his wife have each contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic political candidates; two of the recipients of their generosity, Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo, were New York gubernatorial candidates who had previously settled lawsuits against Barnes & Noble while serving as the state’s attorney general. For someone of Leonard Riggio’s personal resources and political commitments—he grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, the son of a dressmaker and a boxer who became a taxi-driver, and is a long-standing supporter of liberal causes—none of this is particularly unusual. But it did help me understand how a program like the Springing Fellowship could suddenly materialize, and then vanish, without so much as a public announcement or an explanation for the participants. The Riggios are rich enough to move on to their next philanthropic endeavor without worrying too much. They seem to know the difference between money, which one spends, and wealth, which one wields. In the fall, after I had decided to write this essay, Stephanie, to my surprise, agreed to a phone interview. “It was horribly uncomfortable, and just offensive in every way,” she said, referring to the fellowship; I had not yet asked any questions. “It was not what I wanted it to be in any way, shape, or form, which is why it is no longer in existence.” The Springing Center was supposed to offer a range of cultural programs, she said, and Jackson only oversaw one part of it. “I’ve been on a lot of boards, I’ve done this work before, so I know what it takes to get a foundation off the ground,” she said. (She previously chaired the board of the Equestrian Aid Foundation, which is funded in part by donations from the Riggio Foundation. Last year, the organization gave Stephanie an award for the work she’s done for it.) The nonprofit was set up in a hurry, without independent oversight, and the board of trustees included five people: Stephanie, Stephanie’s mother, their family lawyer, Antonio, and Jackson. There was no formal selection process for fellows. According to Stephanie, Jackson sent offers to friends and former students before notifying the Riggios, then pressured her to start the program six months earlier than she had planned. He claimed, she said, that one fellow had already left a job, and another had moved from Portugal, in order to accept his offers. Stephanie also blamed Jackson for the decision not to share her identity with participants, and criticized his conduct in class. I pointed out to Stephanie that she was Jackson’s boss. While she was attending the sessions, as though she were a writing fellow, she and her family could have disciplined or overruled him. “It’s true,” she said. “I could have, and I should have, and I didn’t.” She fired Jackson and Tim in late June, she said, and ended the fellowship. Antonio took legal action against the Springing Center. Multiple people told me that he received a settlement that barred him from speaking freely about his employment there. Tom moved his art works into a different studio in the same building, one floor up. I e-mailed Jackson, asking if he would speak with me, but he didn’t reply to that message or another I sent later, following up. Eventually, I sent him detailed questions about the accusations that the Springing Center had made against him, and about things that had happened during the fellowship, and what I had learned since. I repeated my request to speak with him in a text message. He never responded to me, or to a fact checker for this magazine. Tom, too, did not respond to e-mailed requests for comment or to a list of written questions. I talked to people who had worked with Jackson in the past, trying to make sense of his role in everything. The people I spoke to generally reacted with surprise. One former colleague, who requested anonymity for fear of losing a job, noted that he could be capricious, and often seemed to speak without a filter. “He has always viewed himself as the person who speaks truth to power,” the former colleague said, and that attitude persisted, the colleague went on, even in situations where he was the more powerful person. I remembered something Jackson had said in class, about feeling misinterpreted as someone with privilege, when he did not see himself that way. I found an interview that Jackson gave after his novel was published, where he said, of the black doctor at the center of the book, “I didn’t want to appropriate someone else’s history as if I understood it fully, because I don’t. A white person will never know what a black person experiences, despite the empathy they may have.” After speaking to Stephanie, I e-mailed her to ask what kinds of programs the Springing Center might offer in the future. She told me that she was unable to share any details, and that if I had other questions I should direct them to the senior vice-president of communications at Barnes & Noble, Inc. Included in her e-mail was a short mission statement. “At the Springing Center, we believe that there is a way to unlock every door,” the statement read. “The heart of this conviction lies in our unwavering dedication to allowing suppressed voices to be heard, to helping traumatized psyches heal, and to including marginalized voices into the global conversation.” Recently, the Barnes & Noble spokesperson sent an update. Around the time that I talked with Stephanie, she said, the Springing Center closed permanently.

Daniel A. Gross

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/the-strange-story-of-a-secret-literary-fellowship

2019-06-16 09:00:00+00:00

society

communities

renegadetribune--2019-04-24--The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

renegadetribune

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a “group of young British painters who banded together in 1848 in reaction against what they conceived to be the unimaginative and artificial historical painting of the Royal Academy and who purportedly sought to express a new moral seriousness and sincerity in their works. They were inspired by Italian art of the 14th and 15th centuries, and their adoption of the name Pre-Raphaelite expressed their admiration for what they saw as the direct and uncomplicated depiction of nature typical of Italian painting before the High Renaissance and, particularly, before the time of Raphael. Although the Brotherhood’s active life lasted not quite five years, its influence on painting in Britain, and ultimately on the decorative arts and interior design, was profound.” (Brittanica) This a short 1970s documentary on the Pre-Raphaelites, “The Pre-Raphaelite Revolt”. Here are some members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, their associates, or those who were influenced by them.

renegade

http://www.renegadetribune.com/the-pre-raphaelite-brotherhood/

2019-04-24 22:32:50+00:00

society

communities

bbc--2019-11-28--Star Wars: Dying fan to get early screening, Bob Iger confirms

bbc

Star Wars: Dying fan to get early screening, Bob Iger confirms

A dying man and his son will be able to watch the new Star Wars film before it goes on general release, Disney's CEO Bob Iger has said. Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville, Hampshire, sent out a plea on Twitter asking for an early screening of the movie, which is due out on 20 December. The hospice said: "This is our most desperate hour. Sadly, time is not on his side for 20th Dec." After receiving confirmation, Rowans said it "cannot thank Disney enough" The hospice tweeted on Wednesday asking for help for the patient to see the film, attracting hundreds of retweets. Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamil showed his support by replying to the message wishing the hospice "good luck" with the plea. In response, Mr Iger said "we will certainly try". He then tweeted again on Thursday to say: "On this Thanksgiving, we at @Disney are grateful to be able to share #TheRiseOfSkywalker with a patient and his family @RowansHospice. May the force be with you and with us all!" You may also be interested in: • 'The heartache remains for the rest of your life' • 'At Christmas everyone should have something' Lisa Davies, a healthcare support worker, who initially brought the patient's wish to the attention of the rest of the staff at Rowans, said she was "utterly speechless" at the news. "We totally appreciate that Disney have had to move mountains to make this happen," she said. "The response from everyone, including the Star Wars community, has been absolutely phenomenal over the last few days. "We also want to thank the media for covering the story and totally respecting the privacy of the family," she added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-50589569

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 20:06:37 GMT

society

communities

breitbart--2019-12-13--'Star Wars' Fans Camp Outside LA Theater Week Before Movie Opens

breitbart

'Star Wars' Fans Camp Outside LA Theater Week Before Movie Opens

Los Angeles (AFP) – Obsessed Star Wars fans with sleeping bags and a portable movie projector have started camping outside Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre, more than a week before the blockbuster begins playing. Roughly 20 sci-fi lovers were in place Thursday, seven days before doors swing open for the first preview screening of the much-hyped, saga-concluding “The Rise of Skywalker.” Organizers expect that number to swell to 150 in the coming days, with fans of all ages traveling from as far as the United Kingdom and Japan to see the movie first at the iconic venue where the original “Star Wars” premiered in 1977. “When Star Wars comes, you put everything on hold — it’s like having a baby,” said mega-fan Nicolas Johnson, waiting with his dog Cookie. “I’m actually lucky that I’m able to work on the line,” added Shing Hwong, a 39-year-old attorney from near San Francisco who has brought her laptop down with her. “I’m sleeping here overnight and in the evening I just get to hang out with a lot of my friends, and talk and live Star Wars.” The tight-knit community first began lining up outside Star Wars premieres two decades ago for 1999’s “The Phantom Menace.” Back then, they waited for 42 days on Hollywood Boulevard. Older and with more commitments now, they decided to trim that down for the latest film — particularly with this premiere taking place in winter. “I’ve got a sleeping bag, at night I have to crawl in there and stay warm,” said organizer Erik Murillo, a 47-year-old computer technician from Las Vegas. “I tend to try to stay up at night, awake to watch over everyone else, so I sleep during the daytime.” The group play with board games and LEGO sets, and use their projector to watch the old movies and catch the latest episodes of Star Wars TV series “The Mandalorian.” Murillo admits he is more excited about lining up than the film itself — he says he has already spoiled its plot by poring over every trailer, interview and fan rumor forum. “Think of it as a slumber party with friends where everyone has the same interests,” said San Diego fashion photographer Justin Nunez, 31, who is on his first Star Wars line. Nunez has three pairs of long-johns, four sweaters and a sleeping bag for the chilly Los Angeles winter nights. He is hoping the group will get some relief on Monday when the glitzy, red-carpet world premiere takes place just yards away — in 2015, Disney invited them in. “I’m just happy it’s not raining,” he added.

Breitbart News

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/51TD98Q7hqg/

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 20:40:43 +0000

society

communities

newyorkpost--2019-11-12--Diehard ‘Star Wars’ fans will love ‘The Mandalorian’

newyorkpost

Diehard ‘Star Wars’ fans will love ‘The Mandalorian’

Disney+ is finally here to shake up the streaming wars...

Robert Rorke

https://nypost.com/2019/11/12/diehard-star-wars-fans-will-love-the-mandalorian/

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 18:45:21 -0500

society

communities

thechaser--2019-12-19--Best Drama of 2019 awarded to Star Wars fanbase

thechaser

Best Drama of 2019 awarded to Star Wars fanbase

The Academy Awards have this week pre-emptively announced the nominations for Best Drama after what they say is an almost unbeatable offering from the creators of Star Wars ‘Episode 9’. “Fans have spoken,” said the academy today, “and I think we can all agree that the meltdown currently happening in the Star Wars fanbase is probably the most entertaining drama we’ve seen all year. We haven’t been able to put the popcorn down.” “Admittedly there’s a lot of competition,” explained the head of the academy John Felch, “from the great drama House of Cards trying to complete the final series without mentioning the main character, to the amazing work of the Game of Thrones creators when they managed to piss off every fan by making Bran the king, there’s been some amazing drama from so many fanbases, but none have come even close to the level of hot mess served up by the creators of the latest Star Wars trilogy with their attempt to remake Episode Six and pass it off as a new movie to one of the most detail oriented fan-bases in the history of cinema, that is some master-level pot stirring.” “I can barely even put into words how expert the level of drama creation here is,” read one review from Time magazine. “We thought we were good at creating drama by naming Greta Thunberg person of the year, but not even we could top the genius of using two completely different writers with two completely different visions to tell a story over the span of three films, but to not have any pre-planned overarching story before you start actually shooting. I don’t think we’ve seen that kind of mastery at creating drama in a fanbase since Ghostbusters decided to cast three confident women in a movie franchise exclusively enjoyed by undersexed film nerds. Five stars.” Praise has also been heaped on director J.J. Abrams, who has consistently managed to churn out the same quality of film again and again, almost to the point where they can’t be distinguished from their predecessors. “It takes a lot of skill to be so predictable,” said one fan exiting the cinema today. “One or two movies we could put down to luck, but clearly this is a skill he’s had to work on very hard. Well, just hard enough to be passable at least.” Asked how they could ever hope to follow up such a successful dramatic masterpiece, Disney said they have no plans for any future Star Wars movies, and filming starts on the next movie tomorrow.

Cam Smith

https://chaser.com.au/entertainment/best-drama-of-2019-awarded-to-star-wars-fanbase/

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 08:38:35 +0000

society

communities

thesun--2019-02-02--Star Wars fans use lightsabers to battle stress and the Dark Side in latest mindfulness craze

thesun

Star Wars fans use lightsabers to battle stress and the ‘Dark Side’ in latest mindfulness craze

STAR Wars fans are battling it out with lightsabers in the latest mindfulness craze — to stop stressed wannabe Jedis going over to the Dark Side. Martial arts expert Dave Holden, 45, believes his school is the first combat class of its kind, and it's attracting dozens of devotees. He spends his Wednesday nights teaching his “padawans” and says the discipline is “akin to dance”. Each Sabre Masters Combat class starts with a mindfulness session to help the students relax  to help them cope with the stresses of modern life. Jedi wannabes then duel with the weapons — made from polycarbonate tubes with a light inside — in a hall in Sileby, Leics. “You’re spending the time thinking about yourself and relaxing mind and body. “It’s all about control of your mind — just like a Jedi would. It can be quite a spectacle.”

pbarden

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8336022/star-wars-lightsaber-mindfulness-craze/

2019-02-02 01:43:49+00:00

society

communities

sputnik--2019-07-27--Star Trek Cosplay Costume With Hijab Splits Fandom

sputnik

Star Trek Cosplay Costume With Hijab Splits Fandom

Star Trek fan and historian Blair Imani has given a cosplay tribute to Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge — the character played by LeVar Burton on Star Trek: The Next Generation , but what made her different was the hijab that she covered her head with in line with her Muslim faith. Imani shared a picture of the final result with Burton’s blind Enterprise-D engineer on Twitter, and she says it was noticed. Despite the storm of negative comments she received on the social media over the costume, which she donned at the San Diego Comic-Con 2019, some appreciated the move, hailing “diversity” in the Star Fleet’s ranks. Burton even referred to it as “the best cosplay of Geordi, EVER”. Imani shared with Today that she had also received a thumbs-up from fellow Next Generation stars Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner, lauding her extravagant outfit. However, many called the costume inventor out, arguing that the hijab is counter to the Star Trek canon, sparking a debate about religious agnosticism and scepticism, as well as about Starfleet dress codes. A few appear to have pointed to the obvious fact that Burton’s character is actually male in the film:

https://sputniknews.com/society/201907271076381900-star-trek-cosplay-costume-with-hijab-splits-fandom/

2019-07-27 19:16:12+00:00

society

communities

vox--2019-12-30--Fandom went mainstream in the 2010s — for better and worse

vox

Fandom went mainstream in the 2010s — for better and worse

At the start of this decade, “fandom” wasn’t a word most people knew, much less fully understood. Though the word has been in use since the early 1900s, for most of the last 100 years or so, it’s been known mainly to people who considered themselves to be in fandom — a relatively niche number of people who self-identified as being part of a community of fans. That all started to change with the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe near the end of the Aughts, which kicked the gradual mainstreaming of geek culture into high gear. And alongside that mainstreaming, fandom itself changed and evolved in dramatic, significant ways. Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, participatory fandom was something fans could only do publicly every once in a while; performative geek culture was reserved for special events like Comic-Con or the newest sci-fi or fantasy film. But because of Marvel’s steady rollout of films over the decade, fandom was suddenly, perpetually expected to be engaged in participating in the Marvel apparatus. Geek culture became a new and intense form of consumerism, and superheroes, instead of being a nerdy fringe interest, became a standard model through which a plethora of fans could relate to pop culture. In alignment with the Marvel machine, fans became increasingly vocal about their fandom identities, partly thanks to emerging, vibrant, and visible fandom communities on social platforms like Tumblr and Twitter. For better or worse, Fifty Shades of Grey introduced much of the world to the vastness of online fanfiction, while media outlets like BuzzFeed mainstreamed fandom-based ideas like shipping and “problematic faves.” The user-built fanfiction archive AO3 gained widespread recognition and then closed out the decade by winning a Hugo award. Massive fandoms for groups like One Direction and K-pop band BTS helped evolve the cultural perception of the shrill teenage fangirl toward a more positive image of fans as active, engaged participants in the narratives they consume. That engagement was also increasingly ideological. Throughout the 2010s, fandom found its way into politics, and politics found their way into fandom, from call-out culture to Gamergate. Fans took to social media to protest narrative developments they found offensive, like Captain America being revealed as a Nazi-esque figure in a 2016 comic, or The 100 killing off half of its popular queer couple. And while fan backlash is nothing new, in the 2010s that backlash gained the tenor of political fervor to an unprecedented degree. Everything from fictional relationships to empowered female characters became polarized critical battlegrounds — not even criticism was immune. And “fans” themselves became divided into several more aggressive tiers, from “superfans” (really intense fans) to “stans” (really intense, possibly toxic, fans) to “antis,” fans whose identities revolved around hating other fans or even parts of their own fandom. So where, at the end of the decade, has all this left us? Has anyone benefited from the increased politicization of fandom? Do we think of fandom differently now than we did a decade ago? And can any of these disruptive changes of the past decade help us predict what might be around the cultural corner? To gain some insight into these questions, I asked two friendly neighborhood fans, Vox critic-at-large Emily VanDerWerff and Constance Grady, to join me, Aja Romano, in discussing fandom in the 2010s — the good, the bad, and the problematic, faves and otherwise. From Marvel to K-pop: Fandom underwent a sea change over the decade Aja Romano: I think when we look back at the 2010s, there are some obvious immediate tentpoles that jump out to people as fandom milestones — but first, I really want to know what the most significant fandom moments of the last decade were for both of you personally. For me, it was the part where Fifty Shades of Grey single-handedly jump-started my career. What were the moments that shaped you directly? Constance Grady: The biggest fandom moment for me would have to be the moment that led indirectly to me writing in this roundtable today: when Gossip Girl fandom went completely fucking wild. I started lurking in Gossip Girl fandom around 2010 out of sheer boredom. I was just out of college and trying to make it in book publishing, and I was slowly losing my mind trying to figure out Microsoft Word’s mail merge feature on starvation wages. So at night, I would go home to my crappy sublet and soothe myself with some good old-fashioned trashy teen soap opera. Then I would poke around online to see what everyone else was saying about the show — maybe check out some memes here and a fic there. Mostly, the fanwork was low key and often gently mocking. Gossip Girl fandom was refreshingly aware that the show it was committed to was pure garbage, but everyone was having fun picking it to pieces and making something new with the detritus nonetheless. If you know your Gossip Girl history, you know 2010 is the year the show went off the rails. That was the year season three aired, in which Chuck — by then the show’s romantic lead — sells his girlfriend Blair to his rapist uncle in exchange for a hotel. For the fandom, this plot development was traumatic. Chuck and Blair were the biggest ship on the show. They were so big that the Tumblr tag #chair was filled exclusively with gifs of them making out, and fans used to go into the tag to yell at people for posting pictures of actual chairs. But for a lot of fans, season three was the end. They weren’t willing to keep on rooting for true love to triumph between a girl and the boy who sold her for real estate. Chair shippers started to jump ship. Those who stayed committed to the ship started to panic. They needed to keep their numbers up. A fandom can’t survive without fans there to fan the fires of enthusiasm! Luckily, the Chair shippers had a secret weapon. They had a source on the set who was willing to leak them spoilers. What followed was way more enthralling than absolutely anything that ever happened on Gossip Girl itself. Chair shippers developed secret chatrooms in which they strategized their spin on any spoilers that looked bad for Chuck (the conversation after news leaked that Chuck would shatter a glass window over Blair’s head was a rough one). They rigged online polls, plotted Twitter campaigns, and doled out spoilers as a carrot for those who remained faithful to the ship. Chair haters, meanwhile, fled to an anonymous community — referred to by those in the know as an anon meme — on LiveJournal, where secret sources inside those secret Chair-only chatrooms fed them screencaps of all those strategic conversations to be dissected and mocked. And eventually even the show’s writers’ room got in on the drama, too, forming secret alliances with fans to flush out the spoiler leakers and shame them. By 2015, I was over Gossip Girl itself. Gossip Girl fandom had become my favorite nighttime soap instead. I was also over book publishing, and I was starting to think that maybe I wanted to try my hand at writing about pop culture. And then one day on Twitter, one of my favorite critics tweeted out a link to apply to a fellowship that would teach you how to write about pop culture at Vox. “Come work with me!” wrote Emily VanDerWerff. “What is the single biggest cultural story that nobody is covering enough right now?” asked the application. I wrote a 500-word essay explaining the shit that was going down in secret Gossip Girl fan chatrooms these days. That essay didn’t get me a fellowship, but it did get me an interview. And a year later, Emily emailed me and told me that Vox was hiring more fellows and I should apply again. So thanks, Gossip Girl, for being such a mess of a show that your basically chill fandom turned into a toxic wasteland of dysfunction — and in the process getting me a new job and a new career. Emily VanDerWerff: I have had the surreal experience of mostly seeing fandom through the eyes of someone who covers the things fans adore. Particularly when I was recapping TV shows like Glee and Community, I was a person whose views fans would either engage with or outright reject. I would occasionally find myself bearing the brunt of some fandom tizzy about a shipping war I had no idea even existed. (The weirdest of these might have been when the Big Bang Theory fans who shipped Sheldon and Penny came for me.) But this reflects to me another side of fan engagement: people who were less interested in transforming a work than in engaging with it critically. For me, that sort of engagement was most prominent in places like comment sections, an opinion that may be colored from having spent years working at the AV Club, which had a thriving comment section during my time there. The fans of a TV show would pick it apart and reduce it down to its bones, then suck the marrow out of those bones. It was really something to see, and it often left me — me — wondering if they got any enjoyment out of the work itself or primarily found enjoyment in finding things about it that didn’t work for them. Perhaps the strongest example of this was the TV show Girls, which began in 2012 and immediately became a show that had legions of fans and legions of anti-fans who couldn’t stop watching every single episode. The arguments and conversations around that show (a show I really, really liked, to be clear) underlined just how different our experiences of it could be — and how often fandom found itself divided in the 2010s by complicated political and social issues that the works we loved talking about weren’t always designed to bear. (Other examples: Hamilton, Game of Thrones.) But I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that fandom had a darker side in the 2010s, too. I’m sure you two are going to push back against my definition of the Star Wars fans who harassed Kelly Marie Tran off the internet or the gamers who kicked up Gamergate as “fans,” but they were. In the TV space, these sorts of fans were often dubbed “bad fans,” because they wanted, say, Walter White to win the day at the end of Breaking Bad (thus missing the show’s entire point). But it wasn’t as though these people weren’t as engaged as the more thoughtful and critical fans were. Because they were. Aja: Believe me, I’ve been in so many toxic fandom environments that I’d never try to claim that the Gamergaters and Ghostbusters trolls and their ilk weren’t “real fans.” The truth is that fandom has always bred incredibly toxic sub-communities, both because fans often have very intense feelings and because all the cultural shame and mockery we face can make it hard to know how to be a fan and what “a good fan” looks like. I’m sure the AV Club commenters felt that their level of knowledge and personal investment also conferred upon them a level of ownership over their canon, and being hypercritical was one way of performing that ownership. But those kinds of performances changed radically over the decade. On one level, this had a lot to do with platform cultures. In 2010, fans started migrating away from the closed, niche culture of LiveJournal and moving toward the more mainstream Tumblr, which came to dominate fandom culture for the rest of the decade. Largely as a result of this migration, fandom culture became vastly more accessible to huge swaths of the population — including the creators of the properties around which these fandoms cohered. As fan culture became more accessible to the creators themselves, they started to expect fans to be visibly, enthusiastically participatory in specific ways. The 2013 Veronica Mars Kickstarter fundamentally changed the way many creators and fans saw their relationship, evolving it almost instantly from a top-down, worshipful artistic hierarchy to something like an equal partner investment. Before the Veronica Mars fandom kickstarted an entire movie sequel to the cult show, Kickstarter itself was mostly the domain of niche geek culture and indie creators. But this campaign showed Hollywood that fandom culture at large could be channeled to act as an early investor for projects the industry might deem too risky — and as a result of its record-breaking success, industry attitudes toward fandom rapidly changed. That shift, in turn, meant that fans started to see themselves as investors in the works they consumed, and creators were eager to exploit collective fan engagement. I’m thinking of a broad range here, from cult faves like webcomic Homestuck and YouTube series Lizzie Bennet that profited from deep fan investment, to prestige dramas like True Detective and Westworld that benefited from self-aware fandoms who saw their interactivity as part of the “game” of the show. You can argue that the entire modern entertainment complex now builds participatory fandom into its business model. But when fans ask for things in return, they’re seen as demanding. How do we reconcile all these things? What makes performative fan engagement empowering rather than toxic — and why does all of this tend to get framed by the media and by creators as fan entitlement? Constance: Ooh, this is tricky, and actually, Veronica Mars is a good case study here. Veronica Mars went on as long as it did entirely because of its fandom. In the ’00s, fan mail-in campaigns got it renewed for a second and third season despite low ratings. In 2013, the fan Kickstarter campaign raised over $5 million to pay for the movie’s production budget. This year, the show’s history of intense fan engagement is an enormous part of what led to the Veronica Mars Hulu revival — and in that revival, Veronica’s love interest Logan dies, destroying the ship that large swaths of the fandom were hugely invested in and, with it, their fannish investment in the show. My impulse when Logan died was to think, “Well, that sucks, but certainly showrunner Rob Thomas is entitled to do whatever he wants with his characters. He doesn’t owe me or his fans anything.” But a number of fans disagreed: Rob Thomas, they said, had taken advantage of their desire to see Veronica and Logan together, using their investment as shippers to leverage not just their time and attention, but the literal dollars out of their pockets. In that case, didn’t he owe them something? Wasn’t killing Logan a betrayal of the contract Thomas had made with the fandom? To be honest, I can see the argument. When a show’s survival depends this heavily on its fans, the power dynamic between creator and fandom does change dramatically. The Veronica Mars fandom went above and beyond to keep that show coming back again and again, and the showrunner responded by destroying the piece of the show that a huge part of the fandom cared about most. Emotionally, that does feel like a betrayal. The 100 offers a more politically-charged example. The CW teen sci-fi show built up a huge amount of fandom support for its queer central pairing of Clarke and Lexa (a.k.a. Clexa). The showrunners tweeted supportively to fans about how everyone deserved love, and they published pictures on Twitter of the two actresses eating rainbow candy together. In a world in which TV’s queer characters and especially lesbians are killed off so frequently that the trope has a name (“Bury your gays”), Clexa seemed like a safe haven. Fans, understandably, felt that they had finally found a safe queer romance to root for, and they turned out in droves for the show. Then The 100 killed Lexa off. On a certain level, that’s just the kind of thing The 100 does, because it’s a show that built its reputation on shocking and brutal onscreen deaths. But this time, fans went wild. The showrunners responded with bewilderment: Didn’t fans know that The 100, where a dwindling number of teens try to survive on a post-apocalyptic Earth, was a show on which no one was safe? And the fans replied in outrage: Didn’t the showrunners know that there were too few queer romances on TV for them to be treated so cavalierly, and that killing the lesbian had become a gross and harmful cliché? What had the writers’ room been thinking, drafting off fan enthusiasm for Clexa while knowing that Lexa, like so many of TV’s lesbians, was doomed? That argument also feels more than fair to me. That said, I don’t want us to enter into an era in which fans end up dictating canon, and I think a lot of fans feel similarly. And again, Veronica Mars is a good example here: That crowdfunded 2014 movie was explicitly built to be fanservice, designed to give fans exactly what they wanted, and it was not very good. I, a fan, did not enjoy being serviced in that way. I guess my question is, how do we find a balance here? What would it look like for creative teams to be aware of what they owe to their fans, without feeling pressured to make mediocre and unchallenging work in an attempt to satisfy everyone? Emily: I was going to say something along the lines of, “I have always felt like creative teams don’t owe fans anything, even as fans don’t owe those creative teams their allegiance,” but that feels too harsh at this point in time. It’s pretty clear that in the late 2010s and heading into the 2020s, an engaged fandom can be the difference between life and death for a lot of cultural properties. But it’s also clear that engaged fandoms don’t always want to be pushed out of their comfort zones. And yet the best storytelling often does take place outside of those comfort zones. I think a lot about a quote from Joss Whedon that I heard when I was a teenager and decided was accurate without a ton of reflection: “Don’t give people what they want; give them what they need.” Of the many bits of storytelling wisdom Whedon has dispensed in interviews over the years, this is the one that has most taken on a life beyond his fandom, because it speaks to something that I think we’re all a little wary of in 2019: anesthetizing art against the horrors of the world so much that it becomes a sort of safe space. Here’s a for-instance: The season four finale of The Magicians made a huge, bold storytelling choice, killing off the show’s protagonist. In the first season — when he was just another whiny white guy heading up a TV show — fans might have rejoiced. But by the end of season four, when we had lived through four years of his struggles with mental illness and learned he was bisexual (one of the few bisexual men on TV, period), he had come to stand in for a whole host of other ideas. The audience revolted. To this day, the showrunners can’t so much as tweet without a bunch of angry responses. And season five is just around the corner. The Magicians is exactly the sort of show that requires its engaged fanbase to stay alive. And in interviews around the finale, it was clear that the show’s writers had thought about how much the character meant to fans on a variety of levels, both pertaining to the narrative and pertaining to TV representation of bisexuality and of those struggling with mental illness. But it was also clear they felt the story turn was too interesting not to do. Truth be told, I agree with them. I found the final stretch of Magicians episodes in season four shattering for the way they told a story about trauma and friendship and self-sacrifice. But I also love grim, epic tragedy as a general rule. I’m not averse to the idea that maybe people from underrepresented groups on TV deserve any little bit of anything they can get — after all, it wasn’t so long ago that the only people like me on TV were presented as jokes or murdered sex workers — but I also don’t want to ever suggest that whole classes of human beings aren’t allowed the emotional outpouring of great tragedy simply because the world is a dark place for too many of us. What I am saying, I think, is that I don’t think it’s that far of a walk from the folks who hated Last Jedi because it violated some element of Star Wars canon they were deeply passionate about (who were mostly mocked) and the folks who were mad at the death of Logan on Veronica Mars (who were mostly easy to sympathize with). I get why the latter is more sympathetic. The folks behind Veronica Mars came off as blinkered and callous with their show’s big death, and they had far less of a justification for that big death than the Magicians producers did. But at the same time, there has to be room for storytellers to expand and experiment, lest we end up in a world where everything is protected by bulletproof canon. And yet that callousness rankles me all the same. There has to be some sort of demilitarized zone where fans allow artists the grace of trying new things, while artists make sure they’re not doing things just to do them (or, worse, just to piss off the audience). I still largely agree with the Joss Whedon quote from above — but I also think his predilection for killing characters off got kind of old about 10 years ago. Sometimes what you think the audience needs is what you think you need, and the better choice is to try to find another path to the story you want to tell. Aja: The hard part about this “better path” is that I think a lot of times, creators think they’re already on that better path. But the fans simply don’t trust that they are, especially if they’re marginalized people who have a real-life stake in the outcomes of stories. It’s one thing for the writers to ask their audiences for trust and patience and a willingness to follow them into some difficult places. It’s another thing when those difficult places intersect with real marginalization — when they have the potential to reinforce regressive and harmful social norms. Take, for example, queerbaiting, one of the most frustrating fandom-related phenomenons of the decade. It’s present in everything from Sherlock, Supernatural, and Teen Wolf to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Frozen, and still going strong as we head into the next decade. Queerbaiting tends to happen because writers and/or actors with initially good intentions — to seed the idea of characters maybe being more than straight — realize that now they’ve gone too far, and what was once light subtextual teasing has become a whole thing. So what do they inevitably do? They rapidly backtrack, overemphasizing how straight the queerbaited couple or character is. That sounds inherently homophobic, but often it’s not — often it’s queer creators doing the queerbaiting. In fact, queerbaiting is often just down to a kind of major, reactionary obstinance from creators toward fan engagement, of a kind we’ve seen more and more often. Remember when Sherlock resolved its giant season 2 cliffhanger by presenting a montage of fan theories about what could have happened and then never actually telling us what happened? Remember when Westworld creators panicked and rewrote the show after fans guessed the big twist? That’s not giving the audience what it needs, nor is it giving creators what they need as artists. That’s just reacting to fannish obsession. It’s creators failing to fully understand the pact they’ve made with their fanbase and then blaming their fanbases for it. And homophobic or otherwise regressive plot points can become side effects of that reactionary feeling because the creators privilege their desire to shape or control the narrative over all these other factors. Of course, the flip side of this is when, for example, the Star Wars creators’ reactionary response to misogynistic Star Wars fans is to double down on making Rey the most awesome badass in the galaxy. Turns out I’m totally fine with that kind of reactionary obstinance. Then again, the backlash to the transformative elements of The Last Jedi arguably paved the way for the rote, disappointing trilogy conclusion that Rise of Skywalker turned out to be, because J.J. Abrams and company apparently felt the ideas Rian Johnson worked with in the middle film were too radical. It was a compromise to the worst parts of the Star Wars fandom that ended up pleasing very few people. Which brings me to my last question: What are some of our favorite examples of fans and creators getting things right and doing fandom well in the last decade? And can they tell us anything about what’s next? Constance: I’m an old-fashioned kind of fan who generally likes my fourth wall to remain intact, I guess, because when I try to think of fan/creator interactions I like, I can’t think of that many. Most of the major interactions I’ve seen have seemed to lead to a sense of betrayal and promises broken on one or both sides. Probably the closest thing I can think of to a creative “doing fandom well” would be Bryan Fuller, the showrunner behind Hannibal and Pushing Daisies and the first season of American Gods. Fuller always seems to react to his fandoms with delight: He tweets out fanart and uses hashtags with abandon; when offered a flower crown at a panel, he will absolutely wear that flower crown; and when asked if Hannibal Lector and Will Graham were in love, he responded philosophically, “What is love?” But at the same time, Fuller rarely seems to be deeply involved in his fandoms. I never see him weighing in on fandom controversies or fights, and he never seems to be lecturing fans about giving them what they need rather than what they want. He just promises that he will make good television, goes on to make really good television, and then gets out of the way. Now, maybe that’s just because Fuller tends to either leave his shows after one really good season or see his shows get canceled after a few really good seasons, so he hasn’t had the opportunity to get all that messy with a fandom. But even if it’s just sheer luck that’s protecting him so far, that’s the kind of fandom involvement I like to see from a creative: benign and supportive lack of interest. Aja: I greatly appreciate this approach. Another group that I’d say has a relatively healthy approach to their subject matter and their creators is the recently revived Good Omens fandom, which is basically just beautiful fanart of its OTP and lots of Michael Sheen love. I’d give a shout-out to the creative team of Supernatural for the massive sea change it underwent in its approach to its predominantly female fandom this decade, from overt mockery and misogyny to loving respect and celebration. (And a shout-out to SuperwWhoLock, just because!) I’d also toss in the mighty Disney fandom generally, because for all that Disney itself has endless issues, fans have done a lot of work in the Tumblr era especially to make the canon more progressive, while showcasing the kind of excellent fan engagement that’s slowly dragging Disney into a slightly less restrictive mode when it comes to cracking down on transformative fanwork. And the K-pop fandom as a whole deserves massive amounts of credit for mainstreaming an entire genre over the decade, based heavily on the strength of their love. While Gamergate has overshadowed just about all other aspects of gaming culture throughout the decade, gaming fandom has had a huge and outsized influence on the culture in other positive, collaborative ways over the decade, in everything from Twitch playing Pokémon to Drake playing Fortnite, and much more. We also found moments of fandom unity in unexpected ways throughout the decade, like when we all fell back in love with Keanu Reeves. Still, most of these fandoms remain regressively white and patriarchal, and my best hope for the future is that fandom continues to diversify and gain new cultural ground — while losing some of the more toxic elements that still too often keep marginalized fans at bay.

Aja Romano

https://www.vox.com/2019/12/30/21004981/fandom-history-changes-corporate-marvel-veronica-mars-k-pop

2019-12-30T16:00:00-05:00

society

communities

activistpost--2019-04-09--Good Samaritans Attacked Arrested for Helping Homeless People Not Freeze to Death

activistpost

Good Samaritans Attacked, Arrested for Helping Homeless People Not Freeze to Death

Lansing, MI — In January, temperatures in Lansing, Michigan plummeted far below freezing making it extremely dangerous for those who are homeless. Knowing people would likely freeze to death if they stayed outside, one couple decided to help out those less fortunate than them. However, instead of being praised for their good deed, the couple was arrested. Julia Miller and Martin Mashon were handing out bus tokens in January so that homeless people could go to the bus station instead of staying outside and freezing to death. They are advocates for the less fortunate and during weather emergencies like this one, they often hand out coats and help people make it to warming centers. But on this particular day, the police would show up to put a halt to their kindness. On January 26, during a polar vortex and weather emergency, temperatures had fallen well below zero so Mashon and Miller went to the CATA station to hand out tokens and try to save lives. But body camera footage shows that police showed up and acted like the couple was robbing the place. “This isn’t a warming station, it’s a bus station so there’s no loitering,” the officer says after he ran up to the couple like there was some sort of emergency. “But it’s a great place for people to stay warm,” said Mashon. “I know it’s cold out,” said the officer in the video, “But that doesn’t give you a right to loiter somewhere, where loitering’s not permitted.” According to many folks who have commented on the video, the director of the CATA bus station has an open door policy during cold weather and allows the less fortunate to “loiter” in the station to stay warm. However, it appears that the police wanted nothing of it. Despite the director’s reported policy, the officer asked the couple of they were waiting for a bus. “Then you’re gonna have to leave,” said the officer. Mashon said, “Actually this is a warm place that I help pay for.” After several minutes, the conversation got heated. “No I’m trying to explain something to you and you won’t stop talking,” said the officer. Mashon said, “Are you my master, am I your slave now.” “Take your hand out of your pocket,” said the officer. “Take your hand out of your pocket,” the officer repeats as he moves in to arrest Mashon. “What do you have in your pocket,” said the officer. “Easy, easy, easy.” Mashon said, “Let go of me. Why are you touching me?” The officer then throws Mashon up against the window and puts him in handcuffs. Moments later he arrests Miller as well. Miller was charged with trespassing and Mashon was charged with trespassing and hindering an officer. Miller explained that they plan on fighting the charges and are asking for the police to apologize as well as implement a policy for helping the homeless during weather emergencies. “Don’t they understand that if they A. Drop all charges against both Martin and myself. B. Offer a public apology in regards to the excessive force and verbiage the officer used and C. Implement a plan of action that involves several local homeless advocacy groups in regards to what needs to be done during weather emergencies that the chances of us deciding to pursue a civil suit will lessen AND it will save them some face,” Miller wrote on Facebook. She says that is not likely to happen, however. Below is a video showing what helping the homeless looks like in a police state. Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project, where this article first appeared. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds.

Activist Post

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/good-samaritans-attacked-arrested-for-helping-homeless-people-not-freeze-to-death.html

2019-04-09 15:15:18+00:00

society

welfare

eveningstandard--2019-01-02--How to help the homeless in London this winter

eveningstandard

How to help the homeless in London this winter

Homelessness in London has reached crisis point, with the capital accounting for 25 per cent of the UK's homeless population this winter. Research found that over 6,000 people were either on the streets or sleeping in tents and public transport in London. With temperatures plummeting below zero and snow falling across the country, this can mean life or death for many. Witnessing a rough sleeper in the biting cold triggers empathy in the average passer-by, yet few of us know how to actually help. The impulse to offer cash or food may provide temporary relief, but is it really a long term solution? In a city that prides itself as inclusive, forward-thinking and cosmopolitan, it’s astounding that so many are left out in the cold. So how can we, as Londoners, help put an end to this epidemic? We caught up with Sam Forsdike, Welfare Manager at homeless project C4WS, to find out. Sadly, the preconception of homelessness as a “choice” still exists. But in reality, someone ends up on the streets due to external factors that are most often out of their control. These are the most common causes, according to Sam: Homelessness can also come about as a result of physical or mental health challenges, trauma, grief, addictions and abuse. Most charities advise against giving money directly to rough sleepers. As Sam points out, “it's hard to know where your money might go on the street." “By giving it to a charity that works on the frontline with individuals who are homeless, you know your support is going to make a difference. “For example, £10 covers the cost of a warm, welcoming shelter, three course healthy dinner, breakfast and access to showers.” If you want to give something directly to a person on the street then food, a hot drink or warm clothing will always go down a treat. At C4WS, “the most in-demand items are underwear, backpacks, hardy shoes, bus passes, Oystercards and phone credit,” says Sam. But that’s not the only way you can help. Many people sleeping rough feel ignored and isolated so engaging and having a conversation can offer a huge amount of support. During the winter months, the government works with local charities and churches to provide emergency cold weather shelters for the homeless when the temperature drops below freezing. You can report a rough sleeper with the StreetLink app or via their local council homelessness services; this makes sure they can be connected to the most appropriate local support service. Reduce waste by recycling your cast-offs with Drop Point, which ensures your clothing makes its way to someone in need. C4WS are always on the lookout for specific items that can help their guests, which you can take a look at here. You can also contact your local Salvation Army to find out what and where they are collecting, or speak directly to someone sleeping rough and ask them what they might need. Giving your time is one of the most valuable things you can do to help build a sustainable solution to the homelessness epidemic. From helping out in a winter night shelter, to volunteering in a foodbank or an emergency drop-in centre, volunteer support is needed throughout the year. Sam highlights how "crucial volunteers are to the process of helping these people find jobs and permanent housing. This long term intervention enables them to exit homelessness permanently and is proven way of providing real change.” If you're employed, volunteering for Jobs Club to share skills with job-seeking guests in the shelter is a great way to help them build confidence and access employment. If you don’t have time to spare, offering your spare room temporarily through C4WS provides shelter for someone in need whilst welfare teams find them a permanent home. “We need more housing,” says Sam. “The delays in benefits are causing more people to become homeless.” “We also need to allow asylum seekers to work and support themselves whilst waiting for a decision on whether they can remain in the UK.” Paul Noblet, Head of Public Affairs at youth homeless charity Centrepoint, highlights the power of conversation around homelessness. “Try and keep the issue on the top of the political agenda. If your local MP is having a coffee morning, go a long and spark up a conversation about it.” “Talk about it with your friends and family, and encourage more people to become involved with volunteering and donating.” C4WS is London's homeless project that aims to get people off the streets permanently, find out about volunteering here. Centrepoint is the UK's leading youth homeless charity, you can get involved here. The Salvation Army works with disadvantaged people in the community, here's how to help out this winter.

Alice Budd

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/how-to-help-the-homeless-cold-london-the-big-give-centrepoint-streetlink-a3779366.html

2019-01-02 15:30:00+00:00

society

welfare