2019-10-07: News Headlines

Vijay Prashad, E. Ahmet Tonak (2019-10-07). What to Expect from Turkey's Coming Invasion of Syria. commondreams.org The SDF is now vulnerable to the full might of the Turkish army. (Photo: James Gordon/cc/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/syria_3.jpeg

Staff (2019-10-07). Trump's Syria Withdrawal Announcement Draws GOP Condemnation. truthdig.com Sen. Lindsey Graham calls it "a disaster"; other Republicans express deep concerns, and Syria's Kurds accuse the U.S. of turning its back on allies.

Staff (2019-10-07). Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area. truthout.org | | U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The…

Jason Ditz (2019-10-07). US Troops Will Withdraw From Northeast Syria to Avoid Imminent Turkish Invasion. theantimedia.com U.S.-backed forces in Syria said they would "not hesitate to turn any unprovoked attack by Turkey into an all-out war."

teleSUR (2019-10-07). US Pulls Troops from Syria as Turkey Prepares Offensive. telesurenglish.net The United States began pulling troops back from the northeast Syria border Monday, opening the way for a Turkish strike on Kurdish-led forces long allied to Washington, in a move U.S. President Donald Trump hailed as a bid to quit "endless wars." | RELATED: | Turkey Will Launch Operation Against Kurdish Forces: Erdogan | The major policy shift, which h…

Middle East Eye (2019-10-07). Turkey's Erdogan to Meet Trump in Washington DC to Discuss Syria. theantimedia.com There had been expectations in Turkey of Trump-Erdogan meeting on Syria last month on sidelines of UN General Assembly, but it did not happen.

Juan Cole (2019-10-07). Trump Is Inviting Genocide in Northern Syria. truthdig.com This piece originally appeared on Informed Comment. | Last week during the visit of the Finnish president, Trump acted out with a journalist, James Mason of Reuters who asked him a simple question. What exactly did Trump want from Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky during the notorious July telephone call? Trump did a bad de Niro impression, asking him, "You talking to me?" And then he browbeat the poor ma…

Hans Stehling (2019-10-07). If 4 Nuclear WMD Are More than Adequate for Israel's Defence — Why Is It Armed with an Estimated 400? globalresearch.ca Because the Israeli government refuses to be a party either to the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or the internationally agreed Chemical Weapons or Biological Weapons Conventions (CWC) (BWC), means that unlike the vast majority of UN Member States including …

Karl Evers-Hillstrom and Yue Stella Yu (2019-10-07). The political giving history of Trump's Ukraine diplomats. nationofchange.org A series of text messages between U.S. diplomats released Thursday night reveals an apparent effort to pressure Ukraine into performing an investigation that could prove harmful to President Donald Trump's potential 2020 opponent. | One of the diplomats involved has a lengthy history as a Republican donor, while another performed lobbying work for foreign clients and a major defense company. | In the exchanges, acting ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor asked Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, if U.S. secur…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-10-07). Critics Warn 'Deeply Chilling' Betrayal by Trump Paves Path for Turkish Slaughter of Kurdish Allies. commondreams.org "One way in which Trump is very consistent and stable when it comes to American presidential norms over the decades is betraying Kurds." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/kurds.jpg

Staff (2019-10-07). "A Shakespearean Act of Betrayal": Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area. democracynow.org U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in that operation, and the United States forces, having…

Rick Sterling (2019-10-06). An Open Letter to Science and Global Security. dissidentvoice.org Dear Editors at Science and Global Security Science and Global Security (SGS) has been publishing technical articles on arms control and related issues since 1989. I urge you not to succumb to political censorship. Recently it was announced you are withholding publication of an article titled "Computational Forensic Analysis for the Chemical Weapons Attack at …

teleSUR (2019-10-05). Turkey Will Launch Operation Against Kurdish Forces: Erdogan. telesurenglish.net Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the Turkish Armed Forces are prepared to launch a new military operation against the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. | RELATED: | UN's Guterres Announces Syria Constitutional Committee | In a new statement, Erdogan said the Turkish Armed Forces will be mounting a military operation in northeastern Syria, as he blamed the U.S. of not doing enough to expel the Kurdish-led forces along the border.

Paul Street (2019-10-04). We Meddle Too: Trump, Empire, and "The National Interest" counterpunch.org Never underestimate the power of the United States' American Exeptionalist and imperial doctrine. Look at the recent Washington Post revelation regarding wannabe fascist strongman Donald Trump's meeting with Russian ambassador Sergey Lavrov in the White House in 2017. Trump told Lavrov and another high-ranking Russian official that he wasn't concerned about Russia meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election because the United States does the same thing in other countries. More

Reese Erlich (2019-10-03). Foreign Correspondent: Turkey Plans an Attack on Syrian Kurds. progressive.org So far, the scheme isn't working so well.

United Nations (2019-10-02). Wednesday's Daily Brief: African youth pivotal to silencing the guns, UNHCR prize winner announced, street clashes in Iraq, Haiti humanitarian update. un.org A recap of Wednesday's top stories: Kyrgyz lawyer honoured by UN refugee agency; Positive but realistic outlook in runup to Syria talks; Security Council debates how African youth can bolster peace; refugees in Mexico pursue innovative labor initiatives; UN laments violent clashes in Iraq; Roadblocks in humanitarian aid for Haiti.

Vanessa Beeley (2019-09-30). The White Helmets, Hala Systems and the Grotesque Militarization of "Humanitarianism" in Syria. mintpressnews.com Syria, August 2019 — reports came in that Russian warplanes had destroyed two terrorist-manned early warning radar posts in the Northern Hama countryside, known as the 20th post and the Eagle post. | According to an article published by South Front, these early warning posts are "tasked with monitoring flights of Russian and Syrian warplanes" and warn armed groups throughout Hama and Idlib of incoming airstrikes on their positions. | South Front informed us that "four militants, inc…