Thursday, October 24, 2019
10 Questions To Ask About Trump’s Removal Of Troops From Syria
The U.S. foreign policy establishment has gone into meltdown mode since President Trump announced last week a withdrawal of several dozen troops from a corridor in northern Syria. American forces had been there since 2014, joined with a Kurdish splinter group to fight the notorious Sunni Arab terrorist organization, the Islamic State (ISIS).
Trump made his decision after a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but it was a long time coming. The Turks have been critical of U.S. support for an armed Kurdish organization they have considered the country’s most serious national security threat for five years. Trump’s move then should be seen in the context of his efforts to undo Obama administration policies, particularly its initiative to tilt away from traditional U.S. allies, like Turkey, and toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The bipartisan anti-Trump din (amplified by prominent GOP lawmakers) denouncing the withdrawal has obscured not only Obama’s disastrous 2014 decision to team with a terrorist organization at war with a NATO member but also basic facts about the ongoing conflict, the region, and the significant actors. The following ten questions are designed to illuminate the central issues for U.S. policy.
1. Who Are ‘the Kurds’?
The Kurds are an ethnic minority spread across the Middle East, from Syria in the West, through Turkey and Iraq, to Iran in the east, and further divided into various political groupings. America’s longtime ally among the Kurds is the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, comprising the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The KRG’s Peshmerga militia has fought alongside U.S. troops in Iraq.
But the present uproar is about an entirely different Kurdish political institution, which the Obama administration tapped in 2014 to fight ISIS—that’s the Democratic Union Party (PYD) with its military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). This is the Syrian franchise of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Marxist outfit that has been at war with Turkey since 1984. The PKK is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and is listed by the U.S. State Department, European Union, and Turkey as a terrorist organization.
After Obama administration officials counseled YPG leadership to camouflage the group’s roots in the PKK, they rebranded themselves as the Syrian Democratic Forces. The promise of U.S. arms and funds brought Arabs under the SDF banner, but the organization’s command structure is dominated by the PKK.
The Kurds are an ethnic minority spread across the Middle East, from Syria in the West, through Turkey and Iraq, to Iran in the east, and further divided into various political groupings. America’s longtime ally among the Kurds is the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, comprising the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The KRG’s Peshmerga militia has fought alongside U.S. troops in Iraq.
But the present uproar is about an entirely different Kurdish political institution, which the Obama administration tapped in 2014 to fight ISIS—that’s the Democratic Union Party (PYD) with its military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). This is the Syrian franchise of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Marxist outfit that has been at war with Turkey since 1984. The PKK is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and is listed by the U.S. State Department, European Union, and Turkey as a terrorist organization.
After Obama administration officials counseled YPG leadership to camouflage the group’s roots in the PKK, they rebranded themselves as the Syrian Democratic Forces. The promise of U.S. arms and funds brought Arabs under the SDF banner, but the organization’s command structure is dominated by the PKK.
2. Why Does Erdogan Hate the Kurds?
Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen recently told an audience in Chicago that “Turkey’s leadership, Erdogan in particular… would kill every Kurd they possibly could and they’d label them all PKK.”
That’s nonsense. Turkey has Kurdish partners, like the U.S.-allied KDP in northern Iraq. There are between 10 to 15 million Kurds living in Turkey, many of whom support Erdogan. Turks are divided along many lines—the urban middle-class, for instance, tends to support secular political parties, while more traditional Turks prefer Erdogan’s Islamist party—but are unified regarding the terrorist organization the Obama administration armed, trained, and funded, the PKK.
Most American commentators, including Mullen, seem unaware that Erdogan has done more than any other Turkish leader to seek peace with the PKK. When he embarked on a peace process with its leadership in 2012, he came under heavy criticism from the left and right. The ceasefire ended in 2015 when the PKK killed four Turkish policemen.
Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen recently told an audience in Chicago that “Turkey’s leadership, Erdogan in particular… would kill every Kurd they possibly could and they’d label them all PKK.”
That’s nonsense. Turkey has Kurdish partners, like the U.S.-allied KDP in northern Iraq. There are between 10 to 15 million Kurds living in Turkey, many of whom support Erdogan. Turks are divided along many lines—the urban middle-class, for instance, tends to support secular political parties, while more traditional Turks prefer Erdogan’s Islamist party—but are unified regarding the terrorist organization the Obama administration armed, trained, and funded, the PKK.
Most American commentators, including Mullen, seem unaware that Erdogan has done more than any other Turkish leader to seek peace with the PKK. When he embarked on a peace process with its leadership in 2012, he came under heavy criticism from the left and right. The ceasefire ended in 2015 when the PKK killed four Turkish policemen.
3. Don’t the Kurds Deserve Their Own State?
There are between 30 and 40 million Kurds in Western Asia inhabiting enclaves in Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. With the post-World War I dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, there were proposals for Kurdish statehood, but the reason there is no Kurdish state and will likely never be one is not due to the world’s indifference. Rather, it is because of geopolitics.
The Kurdish region as a whole (a.k.a Kurdistan) is land-locked with two major powers on its borders, Turkey and Iran. These former empires have dominated Middle Eastern politics for thousands of years and shaped those of the smaller ethnic groups and tribes around them, including the Kurds.
That’s partly why the Kurds, as a whole, do not have a coherent national project. Power politics demands that smaller polities orient themselves according to the larger powers in whose shadow they live. The less powerful seek patronage from the stronger, to protect themselves and to advance their interests against those of their closest rivals, often from their own community.
Thus, Kurdish factions typically align themselves with one or the other major regional power, Iran or Turkey. The KDP in Iraq, for instance, has ties to Turkey and its rival the PUK has ties to Iran, and fought each other in the mid-‘90s. The PKK’s Syrian franchise is suspected of assassinating Kurdish rivals and refuses a power-sharing arrangement similar to that of the Iraqi Kurds.
It is not the role of foreign governments, including the United States, to formulate a coherent national project on behalf of the Kurds, especially since it would require U.S. troops to enforce it against internal dissent and perhaps civil war, while redrawing regional borders to eliminate historical geopolitical entities, like Turkey.
Even U.S. support for a PKK mini-state in northern Syria would require a permanent U.S. deployment to protect it not only from Turkey but also Arab forces, while Kurdish terrorists chipped away at the geographical integrity and political sovereignty of a NATO member.
There are between 30 and 40 million Kurds in Western Asia inhabiting enclaves in Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. With the post-World War I dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, there were proposals for Kurdish statehood, but the reason there is no Kurdish state and will likely never be one is not due to the world’s indifference. Rather, it is because of geopolitics.
The Kurdish region as a whole (a.k.a Kurdistan) is land-locked with two major powers on its borders, Turkey and Iran. These former empires have dominated Middle Eastern politics for thousands of years and shaped those of the smaller ethnic groups and tribes around them, including the Kurds.
That’s partly why the Kurds, as a whole, do not have a coherent national project. Power politics demands that smaller polities orient themselves according to the larger powers in whose shadow they live. The less powerful seek patronage from the stronger, to protect themselves and to advance their interests against those of their closest rivals, often from their own community.
Thus, Kurdish factions typically align themselves with one or the other major regional power, Iran or Turkey. The KDP in Iraq, for instance, has ties to Turkey and its rival the PUK has ties to Iran, and fought each other in the mid-‘90s. The PKK’s Syrian franchise is suspected of assassinating Kurdish rivals and refuses a power-sharing arrangement similar to that of the Iraqi Kurds.
It is not the role of foreign governments, including the United States, to formulate a coherent national project on behalf of the Kurds, especially since it would require U.S. troops to enforce it against internal dissent and perhaps civil war, while redrawing regional borders to eliminate historical geopolitical entities, like Turkey.
Even U.S. support for a PKK mini-state in northern Syria would require a permanent U.S. deployment to protect it not only from Turkey but also Arab forces, while Kurdish terrorists chipped away at the geographical integrity and political sovereignty of a NATO member.
4. Does Trump’s Turn Against the PKK Make the U.S. an Unreliable Ally?
Sen. Mitt Romney and others say Trump betrayed the Kurds and thus shows that the United States can’t be trusted as an ally. That’s nonsense. There is no sub-state actor in the world that does not envy the PKK for the gifts Washington showered on it and dream they may someday enjoy the same munificence.
The world long ago accustomed itself to the fact that for all its fine rhetoric the United States, like every other country, pursues its own interests, often subject to the political winds governing the White House. Further, allies and adversaries alike know that no matter what the Americans say about staying the course, one day they will cross one ocean or the other to return home. The game is to get as much as possible from them before they leave.
In this respect, the PKK succeeded beyond its wildest dreams. President Obama, then Trump, armed and funded its efforts to carve out an autonomous zone in northern Syria, for the purpose of building a statelet on the Turkish border to serve as a platform for the group’s long-running war against Ankara. Trump’s withdrawal should now encourage the PKK to end its war and return to the peace process initiated by Erdogan.
Sen. Mitt Romney and others say Trump betrayed the Kurds and thus shows that the United States can’t be trusted as an ally. That’s nonsense. There is no sub-state actor in the world that does not envy the PKK for the gifts Washington showered on it and dream they may someday enjoy the same munificence.
The world long ago accustomed itself to the fact that for all its fine rhetoric the United States, like every other country, pursues its own interests, often subject to the political winds governing the White House. Further, allies and adversaries alike know that no matter what the Americans say about staying the course, one day they will cross one ocean or the other to return home. The game is to get as much as possible from them before they leave.
In this respect, the PKK succeeded beyond its wildest dreams. President Obama, then Trump, armed and funded its efforts to carve out an autonomous zone in northern Syria, for the purpose of building a statelet on the Turkish border to serve as a platform for the group’s long-running war against Ankara. Trump’s withdrawal should now encourage the PKK to end its war and return to the peace process initiated by Erdogan.
5. Didn’t Trump’s Withdrawal help Russia, Iran, and Assad?
The Environment Is Used As A Tool Against American Greatness...
Stop The Lies And Falsehoods.
Everyone Wants Their Children To Live In A Pollution Free World.
Let's Start Concentrating On The Real Problems And Stop using The Environment As A Political Cudgel.
Of Course President Trump Is Being Lynched
Impeachment is being pushed without authorization from the full House, as in, "The House of Representatives ... shall have the sole Power of Impeachment." The Constitution gives this power not to the speaker or the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, but to "The House," meaning the entire House.
Sure, the House can change the rules. They could vote to make Joy Behar the speaker of the House, since the speaker does not have to be a member of Congress, but that would be a radical departure from precedent, just as the current impeachment process is.
How is the House pushing impeachment? Through a "secret" process rather than through a "due" process. Hearings are conveniently being held clandestinely, since, if the oxymoronic "House Intelligence" Committee holds hearings, everything can be covered under a blanket of "national security." The accusers call witnesses while the defense can only watch, unable to take notes or call their own witnesses, subpoena documents, receive transcripts of the proceedings, or anything else normally afforded the defense under the due process of American jurisprudence.
How would one describe such a circus? How about using the word "lynch"? Cambridge Dictionary describes lynching: "If a crowd of people lynch someone who they believe is guilty of a crime, they kill them without a legal trial, usually by hanging." By the way, lynching is a diverse process, applicable to anyone, regardless of skin color, sex, or any other characteristic. Supreme Court nominees Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, while of different skin colors, were both treated to Democrat lynchings.
The hanging bit might be a bit over the top, as Democrats don't really want to hang President Trump. Or do they? Bette Midler, a good stand in for Joy Behar for the speaker job, wants to hang not only Trump, but also his family, "good and high." So does some tolerant California State University professor who believes that "Trump must hang. The sooner and the higher, the better."
The Legal Dictionary defines lynching as "[v]iolent punishment or execution, without due process, for real or alleged crimes." That certainly describes the House approach — no due process and only alleged crimes.
The president understands this better than anyone, as he is the one being led to...
‘It’s Complicated’: Disney CEO Bob Iger Won’t Speak Against Communist China
Following in the footsteps of cowardly NBA hypocrites who blast Trump/conservatives but never China with its large number of human rights abuses, Disney CEO Bob Iger has decided to keep his mouth shut about the communist state because not doing so would pose a threat to his Mickey Mouse cash.
Looks like the leader of the House of Mouse isn’t as preoccupied with social justice as he claims to be when he goes after President Donald Trump or pro-life legislation like the Georgia “Heartbeat Bill.”
Bloomberg reported that “Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said he won’t say anything for or against pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong because doing so could harm his company.” Ol’ moneybags is clearly protecting what’s most sacred to him. On Tuesday night, during The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference, the CEO made it clear that his company only champions the boutique social issues that help his brand’s image.
Iger told reporters, “What we learned in the last week -- we’ve learned how complicated this is.” Complicated, eh? Hmm, where have we heard that before? Iger continued, “The biggest learning from that is that caution is imperative. To take a position that could harm our company in some form would be a big mistake. I just don’t believe it’s something we should engage in in a public manner.”
There it is, straight from the horse’s mouth. Disney’s humanitarian stance is totally dependent on the social status quo of the place where it drags in major revenue. In America, it rails against the tyranny of President Trump’s conservative principles, but won’t bat an eye when the communist state bullies Hong Kong residents or mandates Muslim “re-education” camps.
Iger’s statements follow the recent controversy surrounding the NBA’s deference to China, where the sports organization generates a ton of money. Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted a pro-Hong Kong statement and was rebuked by the Chinese Basketball Association as a result. The CBA threatened to cut broadcasting and advertising rights for the NBA team in China, and league figureheads like NBA coach Steve Kerr, star player Stephen Curry, and legend Lebron James refused to defend Morey or rebuke the Chinese State for obvious abuses.
These men regularly go after President Trump for his policies.
Iger’s hypocrisy on this issue is damning, particularly in his condemnation of President Trump’s lack of a climate change agenda. Bloomberg pointed out that Iger “spoke out when President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords because he believes global warming is real and a threat to his business.” Though he seems to have no complaint about China, which “is far and away the world's top CO2 emitter” doubling U.S. emissions in 2017.
Disney also prides itself on...
Iger’s statements follow the recent controversy surrounding the NBA’s deference to China, where the sports organization generates a ton of money. Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted a pro-Hong Kong statement and was rebuked by the Chinese Basketball Association as a result. The CBA threatened to cut broadcasting and advertising rights for the NBA team in China, and league figureheads like NBA coach Steve Kerr, star player Stephen Curry, and legend Lebron James refused to defend Morey or rebuke the Chinese State for obvious abuses.
These men regularly go after President Trump for his policies.
Iger’s hypocrisy on this issue is damning, particularly in his condemnation of President Trump’s lack of a climate change agenda. Bloomberg pointed out that Iger “spoke out when President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords because he believes global warming is real and a threat to his business.” Though he seems to have no complaint about China, which “is far and away the world's top CO2 emitter” doubling U.S. emissions in 2017.
Disney also prides itself on...
‘Unacceptable’: Fans, Media Erupt After LeBron James’ Outburst During National Anthem
The NBA was understandably excited to start its season and get away from the China controversy that had embroiled the league over the past couple weeks.
However, even more controversy ensued on Tuesday night and on into Wednesday as video surfaced showing LeBron James walking off the court and screaming while the national anthem played.
Watch:
The internet did not take kindly to James’ ill-timed and disrespectful outburst:LeBron disrespecting the Anthem?!? Oh no pic.twitter.com/3Gev5Dh24x— Mickstape (@MickstapeShow) October 23, 2019
If this was the Chinese anthem @KingJames would have showed the proper respect https://t.co/a5yUyXo1dm— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 23, 2019
LeBron was yelling for them to play China’s anthem @MickstapeShow pic.twitter.com/eeV4ZdvnS5— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 23, 2019
LeBron may truly have zero respect for America. National anthem still going and he walks off and yells “LET’S GO” to the crowd. His behavior the past month is indefensible. pic.twitter.com/Ql0T8a2QC2— T.J. Moe (@TJMoe28) October 23, 2019
The Delectable Idiocy Of Romney's Pierre Delecto...
He Chose A French Name. This Works Well With His Inept Retreat From The 2012 Election....
Poll Finds 7 in 10 Believe America is Nearing Civil War
“That is a very pessimistic place.”
A new poll conducted by Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service finds that 7 in 10 Americans believe the country is nearing civil war.
The survey found that 67% of Americans think the nation is on the way to such a scenario.
“The majority of Americans believe that we are two-thirds of the way to being on the edge of civil war. That to me is a very pessimistic place,” said Mo Elleithee, the executive director of the Institute.
A clear majority of Americans, 84%, also believe that “behavior that used to be seen as unacceptable is now accepted as normal behavior,” suggesting the 2020 presidential race will be the most uncivil ever.
Last month, radio host Rush Limbaugh said America is in a “cold civil war” because President Trump is on the verge of fully exposing the...
NOTICE: Facebook And Google Indexing Your Firearm Serial Numbers
Google and Facebook have now made it possible to find photos of firearms by simply typing a serial number into the search box. Earlier today, the automotive website Jalopnik published a story showing how license plate numbers are evidently scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) on Google images, allowing them to be searchable using text queries. Using the OCR hypothesis, TFB wondered if this image data mining technique might be able to be used to search for firearm serial numbers. Using images posted previously on TFB with serial numbers displayed on firearms, we tested the serial number search technique. As you can see from the results below, firearm serial numbers are in fact part of this apparent large-scale data mining operation by companies like Google and Facebook.
It appears Google, with the help of Facebook, is archiving this information and making it easier to aggregate. In order to further test this theory, I tried a different serial number, this time from a silencer review. Placing the search term in quotes, Google is forced to search for only that specific...
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