Neil MacFarquhar

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Crimea, Dimming Vision of World Affairs, Donald Trump, elections, European Union, History, International Law, Russia, sanctions, State Department Legal Adviser, Trump and Putin, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, use of force, Vladimir Putin June 8, 2018

Trump promotes Putin at G-7: Payoff for intervention in U.S. elections

OUR VALUES: Truth Integrity Decency Character Facts Science Law Freedom
Vladimir Putin launched a massive attack on the American electoral system in 2016, to help elect Donald J. Trump
as President of the United States. Among his goals were that of getting the U.S. and European sanctions lifted.
Since then Trump has taken a number of actions favorable to Moscow, and failed to take actions he should have in opposition to Russian aggression.

Now, at the G-7 in Montreal on June 8, 2018, he has proposed reādmitting Russia to the G-7 group of leading economic powers. Russia was expelled from the group (then known as the G-8) following its invasions of the Ukraine.
We may now expect Donald Trump, who has once again shown his pro-Russian colors, to further Putin’s agenda by seeking to relax U.S. and European sanctions against Russia.
When Trump or Putin speaks of abandoning “the old liberal international order”, it should be clear, they are arguing for abandoning the international legal order based on the U.N. Charter and the prohibition of the international use of force.

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, foreign news coverage, France, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin September 3, 2014

Putin seeks to divide EU to avoid sanctions with Ukraine “cease-fire” proposal; Russian words should be ignored, harsh EU sanctions and hard NATO decisions adopted

Each act of apeasement dishonors those who fought for, and in many cases died for, the freedoms which we now enjoy. For late news and…

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, History, International Law, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin August 13, 2014

Russian truck convoy nears Ukraine, amid confusion; Igor Girkin (aka Igor Strelkov) reported as seriously wounded; Putin’s triumphant return to the Crimea — with link to maps of conflict zone

From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals…

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Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, elections, extrajudicial execution, human rights, human rights reports, International Law, Lebanon, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, united arab emirates, United States, use of force, war crimes May 15, 2012

Stop the UN farce!—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #37 (May 15)

Today al-Assad’s forces reportedly killed 20 demonstrators in Khan Sheikhoun as UN monitors looked on. See Neil MacFarquhar and Hwaida Saad (Beirut), “U.N. Team Sees…

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"that spark of the divine", Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, France, History, human rights, International Law, Libya, Middle East, NATO, religious belief, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, united arab emirates, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, war crimes April 25, 2012

Syrian forces carry out revenge attacks and targeted reprisals against those meeting with U.N. observers—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #30 (April 25)

Latest News and Opinion Chilling details of reprisals by Syrian forces against those who spoke to U.N. observers are provided by Ulrike Putz, reporting for…

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China, Crimes Against Humanity, human rights, human rights reports, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Russia, State Department, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, United States, use of force, war crimes February 13, 2012

China gets free ride on Security Council veto; questions for Xi Jinping; Nivi Pillay before General Assembly—Syria Update #5

A curious thing has occurred since both China and Russia vetoed the draft Security Council resolution on Syria on February 4, which was supported by…