struggle for democracy

Barack Obama, CIA, coverage of foreign events, Crimes Against Humanity, Dimming Vision of World Affairs, Egypt, foreign correspondents, foreign news coverage, History, human rights, human rights reports, Intelligence, International Law, Iran, Poetry, Russia, State Department, syria, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes July 7, 2013

REPRISE: Hommage à Homs (actualisé / updated)

BEIRUT: Intense fighting in the central Syrian city of Homs has left 60 to 70 percent of a besieged rebel-held district damaged, destroyed or uninhabitable,…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, France, History, human rights, Iran, Lebanon, Russia, State Department, syria, Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes May 28, 2013

REPRISE: Syrian military continues campaign to crush opposition in Saraqeb, Homs, al-Qusair and elsewhere—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #16 (March 24, updated March 25, 2012)

REPRISE Originally published March 25, 2012 Latest news reports Oliver Holmes and Steve Gutterman (Beirut/Moscow), “Syrian forces on the offensive; Annan in Moscow,” Reuters, March…

"that spark of the divine", Barack Obama, China, coverage of foreign events, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, Dictatorship, Germany, History, human rights, Intelligence, kosovo, Middle East, NATO, Russia, Serbia, State Department, syria, Taliban, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, U.S. news coverage, United States, use of force, war crimes September 18, 2012

REPRISE: Responding to Atrocities in Syria: It’s Not Just About Al-Assad, It’s About Us—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #86 (September 18)

Responding to Atrocities in Syria: It’s Not Just About Al-Assad, It’s About Us Originally published March 6, 2012 I heard a boy in Syria on…

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REPRISE: “The League of Authoritarian States”—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #65 (July 19)

REPRISE: “The League of Authoritarian States”—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #50 (June 9) First published June 9, 2012 … Responses to events in Syria…

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What future for UNSMIS and for Kofi Annan? Russia pushes for more of the same, with an implied military threat to dissuade all from any other options—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #61 (July 11)

For a long-time student of diplomatic history and international politics, it is painful to watch the amateurism of Barack Obama’s foreign policy and foreign policy team….

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REPRISE: Hommage à Homs: Jacques Prévert, “Barbara” (with English translation); Paul Verlaine, “Ariette III” —Obama’s Debacle in Syria— Update #53 (June 19)

Voir / See BEYROUTH (Reuters) – L’opposition syrienne a accusé mardi l’armée gouvernementale d’intensifier ses bombardements sur les quartiers résidentiels de Homs et les autorités…

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U.N. says peace plan “on track” as up to 43 people killed on Friday—Obama’s debacle in Syria — Update #34 (May 4)

Points 4, 5 and 6 of the UN Peace Plan Kofi Annan’s 6-point peace plan for Syria, adopted by the Security Council in its Presidential…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, History, human rights, Iran, Russia, State Department, Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 24, 2012

Syrian military continues campaign to crush opposition in Saraqeb, Homs, al-Qusair and elsewhere—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #16 (March 24, updated March 25)

Updated March 25, 2012 Please check back for news updates. Latest news reports Oliver Holmes and Steve Gutterman (Beirut/Moscow), “Syrian forces on the offensive; Annan…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, NATO, Russia, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 23, 2012

Kofi Annan is not God—Obama’s debacle in Syria — Update #15

Kofi Annan is not God At first sight, it might appear that the international community, including the three Permanent Members of the Security Council that…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, History, human rights, human rights reports, International Law, Iran, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Torture, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, use of force, war crimes March 22, 2012

Security Council issues “presidential statement”; al-Assad’s military onslaught continues unabated—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #14 (March 22)

On March 21, 2012, the U.N. Security Council unanimously endorsed the issuance of a “presidential statement” on Syria which was notable primarily for its support…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, Russia, State Department, syria, Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 20, 2012

Putin plays hardball in Syria, uses Lavrov to distract gullible UN and international community—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #13 (March 20)

AP reporter Vladimir Isachenkov reported from Moscow a week ago that: Russia has no intention of curtailing military cooperation with Syria despite calls from the…

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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…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Middle East, NATO, Russia, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 10, 2012

Tanks roll in Idlib as Kofi Annan is rebuffed—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #10 (March 10)

As the sad spectacle of Kofi Annan’s “mediation” of the conflict proceeds, and the world’s attention is turned to what Russia, or Annan, or the…

China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, France, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Lebanon, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 9, 2012

The Daily Star: “We procrastinate”—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #9 (March 9)

The Daily Star (Beirut) has been one of the absolute best sources for reliable and up-to-date information on what is going on in Syria, and…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, Germany, History, human rights, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Middle East, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 9, 2012

The “Rational Actor” Fallacy and Stopping Syria’s Atrocities—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #8 (March 9)

“There are times, such as when a man or a group of men are in the act of firing weapons to kill innocent civilians, when…

Barack Obama, China, CIA, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, elections, History, human rights, Intelligence, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iraq, kosovo, Libya, Middle East, NATO, Russia, Serbia, State Department, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 8, 2012

Lack of Moral Courage at the Highest Levels—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #7 (March 8)

For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. President Obama’s response to the terror and crimes against humanity…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, France, Germany, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Middle East, Russia, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, use of force, war crimes March 6, 2012

The Nuremberg Principles and Syria—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #5

U.N. Security Council For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. If Russia and China want to continue…

Barack Obama, Dictatorship, human rights, International Law, Justice Department, syria, Torture, U.S. Congress, United States March 5, 2012

PNTR and MFN Status: Congress, Russia and Syria—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #4 (March 5)

For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. *** Congress need not stand idly by while Russia provides…

Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Israel, kosovo, Lebanon, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, syria, Taliban, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, use of force, war crimes March 5, 2012

Republican Senator John McCain Urges U.S. Military Attacks to Halt Atrocities in Syria—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #3 (March 5)

For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. *** “Therefore, at the request of the Syrian National Council,…

Barack Obama, China, CIA, Crimes Against Humanity, Culture and Communication, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, France, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Israel, kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Middle East, NATO, Nobel Lecture, Nobel Peace Prize, Nuclear Proliferation, Oslo, Russia, self-defense, Serbia, syria, Taliban, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United Kingdom, United States, use of force March 3, 2012

Passivity in the Face of Terror in Syria, Threats of War in Iran — Obama’s Debacle in Syria—Update #2 (March 3, 2012)

For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. A Hard Truth: Obama is a Weak Leader on Foreign…

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