Middle East

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…

Barack Obama, History, human rights, International Law, Iran, Middle East, Russia, Soviet Union, syria, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes September 8, 2015

REPRISE–Syria: Russia and Iran complicit under International Law in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity

Late News—- See MICHAEL R. GORDON and ERIC SCHMITT, “U.S. Moves to Block Russian Military Buildup in Syria,” New York Times, September 8, 2015. Vladimir…

Barack Obama, Dictatorship, Egypt, Egypt, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Russia, U.S. Congress, United States, Vladimir Putin August 26, 2015

Abdel al-Sisi visits Vladimir Putin in Russia: Egypt as a new member of the League of Authoritarian States

Developing Egyptian President Abdel al-Sisi has visited Vladimir Putin in Russia, seeking to build closer relations with the Russian dictator and his authoritarian state. As…

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…

Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, Dictatorship, Egypt, European Union, France, Germany, History, International Law, Israel, Middle East, NATO, OSCE, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes February 8, 2015

Strategy beyond the Ukraine: It’s time to start thinking about the risks of nuclear war with Russia, and of appeasement

The world stands at a perilous point where the risks of an accidental (or other) nuclear war with Russia are greater than they have been…

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…

Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, Dictatorship, Ebola, European Union, France, Germany, human rights, International Law, Iraq, Justice Department, Middle East, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, syria, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.S Foreign Relations, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes October 11, 2014

A rudderless U.S. foreign policy: Obama flounders in dealing with the Ukraine, ISIS, and Ebola

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

Barack Obama, CIA, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, Egypt, European Union, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, France, Germany, human rights, International Law, Libya, Mossad, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes September 16, 2014

Order in the World: Things fall apart

One of the wisest and most-experieced journalists reporting on foreign policy, Roger Cohen, who writes an Op-Ed column for the New York Times, has published…

Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, International Law, Iraq, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes September 14, 2014

The Russia-Ukraine War: Putin, cunning judo master, versus Obama, NATO, and EU, conflicted and confused; Protagonists continue battle for Ukraine and vision of world order

Developing Russian President Vladimir Putin, a cunning and brilliant tactician who has now taken on the entire international legal and political order through his invasions…

Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, International Law, Qatar, Russia, sanctions, Saudi Arabia, self-defense, State Department, syria, U.N. Charter, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin September 5, 2014

Barack Obama’s phantasmagoric world, where the choice of words defines reality

phantasmagoria /ˌfæntæzməˈɡɔːrɪə/, phantasmagory /fænˈtæzməɡərɪ/ n 1. a shifting medley of real or imagined figures, as in a dream 2. a sequence of pictures made to…

Crimes Against Humanity, freedom of speech, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iraq, syria, U.N. Charter, war crimes August 15, 2014

The Vatican calls on Muslim leaders to condemn violence by jihadists in “the Islamic State”

The Vatical has called on Muslim religious leaders to denounce the crimes committed by the juhaddist so-called “Islamic State” (formerly known as ISIS) See: (1…

Barack Obama, human rights, International Law, Iran, Iraq, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, United States, use of force, war crimes July 30, 2014

U.S. and other nations must establish a ceasefire in Gaza NOW

Developing Hamas has no right to attack Israel with indiscriminate rockets, or with commandos entering through tunnels. Israel has a right of self-defense under Article…

China, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Czechoslovakia, Deutschland, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, Iraq, Libya, Libya, Russia, syria, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes July 19, 2014

“Krystallnacht” in Mosul and the Islamic Caliphate

Developing Just as “Krystallnacht” (Chrystal Night), on November 9-10, 1938, signaled loudly to the World Hitler’s and Nazi Germany’s policy of persecution of the Jews…

Abdoulah, Abdullah, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, China, CIA, elections, Hamid Karzai, History, Intelligence, International Law, Iran, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Middle East, Russia, sanctions, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, U.N. Charter, use of force June 20, 2014

Obama’s six crises and collapsing foreign policy: Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, and China’s actions in the East and South China Seas

Developing President Barack Obama now faces six simultaneous crises, amid the collapsing edifice of his foreign policy. They are: 1. Russia and the Ukraine Russia’s…

Egypt, Egypt, History, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, syria, Turkey, United States June 19, 2014

ISIS or ISIL? A telling tale of the primacy of words over actions in Obama’s foreign policy

President Barack Obama has been very careful to enunciate clearly the acronym of the terrorist organization whose forces have taken Mosul and have been rapidly…

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The Trenchant Observer

International Law, Politics, and Security