Le Figaro – The Trenchant Observer

Crimea, Dictatorship, International Law, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, U.N. Security Council, Ukraine, United States, use of force April 26, 2014

Le Figaro reports diplomatic sources at UN believe Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine imminent

Latest News and Opinion Reports are coming in to the effect that a Russian invasion of the eastern Ukraine appears “imminent” or “inevitable”. See: (1)…

U.S Foreign Relations December 3, 2013

Egypt’s new draft constitutiom

(Developing) See: Samuel Forey, “Égypte : l’armée sort sa Constitution,” le Figaro, 2/12/2013 Egypt draft constitution alters roadmap; Draft paves way for presidential vote to…

Barack Obama, Chemical weapons, International Law, Iran, religious belief, Russia, State Department, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force September 26, 2013

Disillisioned with Obama’s chemical weapons deal with the Russians, 12 Free Syrian Army groups form alliance with al-Nusra Front in Syria

Twelve “moderate” groups previously aligned with the Free Syrian Army, have given up on Obama and the West, forming a new alliance with the al-Qaeda…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, France, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United Kingdom, United Nations Secretary General, United States, use of force, war crimes September 15, 2013

Obama, Putin and Syria: Commentary

Roger Cohen, “An Anchorless World,” New York Times, September 12, 2013. Laure Mandevill, “Syrie : Obama sort de la crise affaibli face à Poutine,” Le…

Africa, Barack Obama, Egypt, elections, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Middle East, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, United States December 13, 2012

Morsi’s draft constitution will remove top female judge in Egypt from Constitutional Court; the dubious future of female judges under the government of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood

It is important to understand Mohamed Morsi’s background in order to understand how the draft constitution now being submitted to a referendum beginning December 15…

Africa, Barack Obama, Dictatorship, Egypt, elections, History, human rights, human rights reports, Middle East, State Department, United States December 9, 2012

Egypt’s coming showdown: Boycott of December 15 referendum, opposition demonstrations, and the reactions of the armed forces

President Mohamed Morsi has, by his relentless pursuit of an Islamic constitution, an Islamic state, and ultimately an Islamic dictatorship guided by conservative interpretations of…

Barack Obama, CIA, Intelligence, Libya, State Department, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Military, United States November 16, 2012

Petraeus, Allen, Benghazi potpourri

Developing–check back for updates “potpourri” potpourri /pəʊˈpʊəri, -ˈriː, pɒtˈpʊəri/ ▶noun (pl. potpourris) 1 a mixture of dried petals and spices placed in a bowl to…

Barack Obama, CIA, foreign news coverage, France, Intelligence, Libya, Mitt Romney, public diplomacy, religious belief, State Department, Tunisia, U.S. Intervention, United States October 13, 2012

New details on Benghazi attack on consulate, American response

New details about the attack on the American consulate and annex in Benghazi and the American response on the ground on the evening of September…

Barack Obama, China, coverage of foreign events, Crimes Against Humanity, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Lebanon, NATO, Russia, State Department, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 11, 2012

Annan fails in Damascus as Syrian army continues its onslaught—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #11 (March 11)

Predictably, Kofi Annan was rebuffed by Bashar al-Asad in talks in Damascus on March 10-11. Inexplicably, Annan declared following his talks in Damascus that there exist grounds…

China, Crimes Against Humanity, Egypt, France, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Spain, State Department, syria, Tunisia, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, use of force, war crimes February 2, 2012

Monumental miscalculation? Russia’s strategic interests in Syria and its defense of the al-Assad regime

Russia has blocked Security Council resolutions on Syria (e.g., in October, 2011) and has been dragging its heels in the current Security Council debate over…

China, Crimes Against Humanity, History, human rights, International Law, Lebanon, Russia, State Department, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes February 1, 2012

La Russie défend ses interêts stratégiques du XIXème siècle en Syrie, aveugle au XXIème

Armin Arefi, “Syrie : pourquoi la Russie bloque l’ONU,” Le Point, le 31 janvier, 2012 Pierre Avril, “Pourquoi Moscou protège son allié Assad,” Le Figaro,…

U.S Foreign Relations March 26, 2011

Current military actions in Libya

In U.S. newspapers, it is difficult to get a sense of what is actually going on in Libya on the ground. One of the best…