(2020-05-21). Foreign Correspondent: Michael Flynn's Forgotten Turkish Connection. progressive.org Before Russiagate, the former national security advisor was an operative for Turkey, tilting foreign policy against the Kurds.
(2020-05-21). A Machiavellian US in the Middle East. counterpunch.org The war in Syria has dropped out of the news, like almost everything else, in a time when the Coronavirus seems to dominate all discourse and reporting. But the regime of Bashar al-Assad continues to strangle its own country. The Russians continue to bomb on his behalf, terrifying civilians and hospitals. The Americans work semi-clandestinely
(2020-05-21). Migrant workers in Lebanon reach agreement with waste management company. peoplesdispatch.org Approximately 400 migrant workers were on strike for weeks after management of the Lebanese waste management company, RAMCO, started cutting their wages and paying them in Lebanese pounds instead of the contractually obligated US dollar…
(2020-05-20). The US' "Medical Terrorism" Against Syria Threatens to Make World War C Much Deadlier. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Ambassador to Russia slammed the US' sanctions against his country as a form of medical terrorism that prevents it from importing much-needed "medicines, and medical goods, and other means to combat [COVID-19]", which strongly suggests that America wants …
(2020-05-20). Biden: Criticism of Israel Is Not Anti-Semitism, Unless It Comes From the Left. mintpressnews.com Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden held an online fundraiser yesterday with around 550 people organized by former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt. Much of the discussion revolved around the role of Israel and around the growing tide of anti-Israeli sentiment on American college campuses. "Criticism of Israel's policy is not anti-Semitism," Biden
(2020-05-20). Failures in Syria and Libya Fuel Coup Speculations Against Erdogan. globalresearch.ca Turkish media has been full of speculation of a potential coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including from state-run
(2020-05-20). How Russia is Botching Its Relationship With Syria. counterpunch.org 
What complicates Russia's relationship with Syria, which has sometimes been referred to as a Russian client state, is that two strong-willed, highly self-opinionated leaders are also involved here—Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. Both enjoy unshakeable clan support and can hold their ground. Assad is by no means a Russian protege, and the interests of the two countries do not always overlap, either.
(2020-05-20). At World Health Assembly, US bid to scapegoat China fails. peoplesdispatch.org Former Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar talks about the two-day World Health Assembly where COVID-19 was a major focus area. He talks about how the attempts by the US to pin the blame for the disease on China backfired. He also talks about how India has failed to emerge as an important player in this context and has ended up ganging up with the US…
(2020-05-20). How Russia is botching its alliance with Syria. mronline.org 
Russia's relationships with its client states have never been easy. Of course, managing client states is always a complicated exercise. The Kremlin's cupboard is full of skeletons—Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), Cuba (1962), Afghanistan (1980), Ukraine (2014) and so on.
(2020-05-20). Video: Turkey's 'Neo-Ottoman' Project Shifts Focus From Syria to Libya. globalresearch.ca This week, massive Turkish military support has finally allowed the Government of National Accord to achieve some breakthrough in the battle against the Libyan National Army (LNA). | On May 18, GNA forces and members of Turkish-backed militant groups from Syria …
(2020-05-20). Video: Caliphate in Miniature: Rift Between Turkey and Al-Qaeda in Idlib. globalresearch.ca In the second half of April and early May, the Syrian province of Idlib became the epicenter of a military political drama developing between Turkish forces and their al-Qaeda-linked allies. | The escalated tensions even led to a military incident on …
(2020-05-20). Israel Strikes Syria to Keep the USA in the Levant 20 Years After the Unconditional Withdrawal From Lebanon — What Has Been Achieved? globalresearch.ca Following its
(2020-05-20). The US Is Using Wheat as a Weapon of War in Syria. globalresearch.ca Apache helicopters of the
(2020-05-19). Syria: UN relief chief appeals for renewal of lifesaving cross-border aid operation. news.un.org The UN's top aid official has urged the Security Council to renew a mechanism that provides lifesaving assistance to millions of desperate people in northwest Syria, through cross-border deliveries from Turkey.
(2020-05-21). From Syria to U.S.-Mexico Border, Refugees Worldwide Face Hunger & Deprivation as COVID-19 Spreads. democracynow.org 
We look at the coronavirus threat to millions of refugees across the globe, where social distancing is often impossible and healthcare is extremely limited. We're joined by Dr. Miriam Orcutt, executive director of Lancet Migration.
(2020-05-21). Top Russian, Turkish diplomats support Libya ceasefire, discuss Syria in phone call. rt.com 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu backed an immediate ceasefire in Libya during a phone call, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. | The two diplomats also supported the resumption of the United Nations political process in the North African country, it said. | Lavrov and Cavusoglu spoke a day after the Libyan National Army of eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar said it had pulled back from some Tripoli frontlines amid its year-long offensive aimed at seizing the capital, Reuters reports. | The ministers also discussed Syria and conf…
(2020-05-21). US donates 50 ventilators to Moscow's Pirogov Center. rt.com 
US Ambassador John Sullivan handed 50 ventilators to Moscow's Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center on Thursday. The $5.6 million humanitarian aid donation will eventually include a total of 200 US-produced ventilators to save lives in Russia, the envoy said, adding that the two countries are facing a common threat. | The United States is donating 100 percent of the cost, delivery, and startup supplies for the ventilators being delivered. "The US and Russia have helped each other in times of crisis in the past and will no doubt do so again in the future," Sullivan said. | The remaining 150 ventilators w…
(2020-05-19). COMEY urged probe into Flynn by misrepresenting Russian contacts, declassified memo shows. rt.com 
Ex-FBI director James Comey pushed to investigate Trump's incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn despite lacking any evidence Flynn had shared classified info with Russian officials, a newly-declassified memo reveals. | It was Comey who told President Barack Obama and other administration officials that "incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak" in a meeting documented in the January 2017 memo by National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the unredacted first page of which was obtained by CBS on Tuesday. | The FBI director admits he "has no indication thus far that Flynn h…
(2020-05-20). Iran, Russia discuss regional issues, bilateral coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali held a telephone conversation with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrey Rudenko on Wed. on the regional issues and matters of mutual concerns.
