Iraq

Iraq, Iraq, Kurds, syria, Syria, Turkey October 10, 2023

Turkey attacks Kurds in Syria

Developing. We are publishing this article as it is being written. Please check back for updates Dispatches 1) Alfred Hackensberger: “Das steckt hinter dem US-Abschuss…

Africa, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Yemen

Developments in Tunisia and Sudan signal an end, at least for now, to the democratic hopes of the 2011 Arab Spring

collective self-defense, coronavirus, Dictatorship, Europe, History, human rights, International Law, Iraq, Kuwait, NATO, nuclear war, Rule of Law, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department Legal Adviser, Totalitarian regimes, U.N. Charter, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United Nations, use of force, Vladimir Putin

Watch the ball move: Obama moves attention to Mosul, distracting from abject appeasement by Merkel, EU, and U.S. in response to ongoing Russian war crimes in Aleppo and Syria

Barack Obama, CIA, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, European Union, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, International Law, Iraq, NATO, Nicaragua, Russia, Serbia, Soviet Union, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes

2016: Fateful time for a conversation about international law

Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, European Union, Google indexing, History, human rights, International Law, Iraq, NATO, nuclear war, Russia, sanctions, syria, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes

REPRISE: Crumbling world order: Power politics and international law

Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, Egypt, France, Germany, History, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, NATO, Russia, sanctions, syria, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes September 24, 2015

Obama-Putin meeting at UN: The resurgence of pacifism and appeasement toward Putin and Russia in Europe and the U.S.

See Julia Smirnova, “Die wundersame Rückkehr des Wladimir Putin In der New Yorker UN-Woche drängt Putin ins Zentrum der Weltbühne. Durch die aktive Rolle im…

CIA, History, human rights, Intelligence, Iraq, Middle East, Russia, syria, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force September 23, 2015

David Petraeus offers clear policy suggestions on Syria and Iraq in testimony before Senate Armed Services Committee (video and transcript)

“U.S. Policy in the Middle East, C-Span, September 22, 2015. Former CIA Director and General David Petraeus (Ret.) testified at a hearing on U.S. policy…

Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, History, human rights, International Law, Iraq, Russia, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes September 20, 2015

Kerry and Obama’s strategy on Syria: Work through the Russians and thow a “Hail Mary” pass on negotiations

See MICHAEL R. GORDON and ERIC SCHMITT, “Russian Buildup in Syria Raises Questions on Role,” New York Times, September 19, 2015. Stefan Braun, Berlin, und…

Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, History, human rights, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, nuclear war, Russia, syria, U.S. Congress, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes September 18, 2015

Russia and the U.S. flying missions in Syrian airspace — Failed U.S. Policies lead to dangerous situation as Russia makes strategic military move into Syria

Developing See Louis Imbert (avec Reuters), “Etats-Unis et Russie évoquent la présence de leurs avions respectifs dans le ciel Syrien,” Le Monde le 19 Septembre…

Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Egypt, Egypt, European Union, extrajudicial execution, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Libya, Middle East, NATO, Nobel Peace Prize, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Taliban, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes September 10, 2015

Crumbling world order: Power politics and international law—the way forward

See Stefan Kornelius, “Putins Machtspiele; Ruhe in der Ukraine, Druck in Syrien. Russlands Präsident sendet rätselhafte Signale. Sucht er einen Weg aus der Isolation? Oder…

Africa, Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, Egypt, Egypt, Ethiopia, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Russia, sanctions, Somalia, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, U.N. Charter, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes July 31, 2015

The cold-blooded REALPOLITIK of the American president: Obama’s intellectual calculations in foreign policy, and his heart as cold as stone

Developing Obama seems to have opposed stronger action in Syria and in opposing Russian aggression in the Ukraine out of some demented belief that he…

Afghanistan, CIA, Culture and Communication, electronic curtain, foreign news coverage, freedom of speech, History, human rights, Intelligence, International Law, Iraq, NSA, public diplomacy, religious belief, State Department, syria, Taliban, targeted killings, television, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, U.S. news coverage, United States, use of force June 12, 2015

The missing elements in the war against ISIS — Taking down their websites and engaging in robust public diplomacy

UPDATE June 23, 2015 Europe is setting up a special police unit to monitor jihadist sites and content, andd to remove it. See Richard Spencer,…

Barack Obama, coverage of foreign events, Deutschland, Egypt, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Nuclear Proliferation, nuclear war, Qatar, religious belief, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, united arab emirates, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes March 27, 2015

U.S. strategy and leadership needed: The Middle East and other countries hurtle into the Vortex

On some days, the news is so disturbing that you want to take a broader view of what is going on in a region, or…

Afghanistan, Barack Obama, European Union, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, France, human rights, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, religious belief, Russia, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Convention Against Torture, Ukraine, United States, Vladimir Putin January 8, 2015

Civilization falters, as Russian aggression stands and Islamic terrorism explodes

The Charlie Hebdo massacre by Islamic extremists on January 7 underlines the failure of the West and other civilized countries to win the struggle in…

"that spark of the divine", Barack Obama, Culture and Communication, France, freedom of speech, human rights, Iraq, syria, Torture, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes January 8, 2015

The Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, and the torture trail leading to Abu Gharib

See ANDREW HIGGINS and MAÏA de la BAUME, “Two Brothers Suspected in Killings Were Known to French Intelligence Services,” New York Times, January 8, 2015….

Crimea, Guinea, human rights, International Law, Iraq, Liberia, Middle East, Russia, sanctions, syria, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin October 13, 2014

Three imperious challenges for U.S. foreign policy: Ukraine, ISIS and Ebola

While the United States has finally, and belatedly, begun military actions in Iraq and Syria to slow the advance of ISIS forces, the country is…

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The Trenchant Observer

International Law, Politics, and Security