Saturday, December 28

Middle East

The Middle East is a significant region. Countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. This region includes many of the “Arab Spring” countries, which underwent disruptive revolutions and protests in the 21st Century. It also includes Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Turkey-Russia Agree on Plan in Syria
22Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Turkey-Russia Agree on Plan in Syria

October 22, 2019-As U.S. troops pulled out of northeastern Syria, Russia President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made an agreement to share control of north east Syria. Under the plan, Turkey would control the area it currently has under its control while Russian and Syrian troops control the rest of the border, Haartz news reported. Under the Russian-Turkish agreement, Syrian Kurd fighters would need to move 30 kilometers (18 miles) away from the border area within 150 hour period that starts on Wednesday. Erdogan said 800 Syrian Kurdish fighters withdrew since Turkey and the United States agreed to a five-day pause in the operation and that 1,300 more are still expected to withdraw. "Syria should be free from the illegal military foreign presence," Pu...
Read More
Pause in Turkey’s Offensive Gives Syrian Kurds Chance to ‘Get Out’
20Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Middle East, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

Pause in Turkey’s Offensive Gives Syrian Kurds Chance to ‘Get Out’

October 20, 2019-The United States and Turkey reached an agreement on Syrian operations late last week after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an demanded that "all the terrorists" lay down their arms and "get out of the safe zone that we have designated." As a result of the agreement, Kurdish fighters, known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG), and their families are to evacuate from a designated zone along the Syrian-Turkish border. If they do not evacuate, Turkey has promised to relaunch its military offensive. While U.S. President Donald Trump called it a "ceasefire," others referred to the pause in fighting as a period of mass evacuation. It is not immediately clear if YPG fighters are leaving the area, but tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing to Iraq for safety. ...
Read More
U.S. Preps Sanctions Against Turkey in Wake of Military Incursion in Syria
14Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Geopolitics, Middle East, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Preps Sanctions Against Turkey in Wake of Military Incursion in Syria

October 14, 2019-As Turkey continued its military operation into northern Syria on Monday, U.S. lawmakers prepared to impose economic sanctions against current and former Turkish government officials contributing to the "destabilizing actions." While U.S. troops moved out of Syria, U.S. leaders prepared an economic response. In a published statement released on Twitter, U.S. President Donald Trump said he is preparing an executive order to impose the sanctions against "those who may be involved in serious human rights abuses, obstructing a ceasefire, preventing displaced persons from returning home, forcibly repatriating refugees, or threatening the peace, security, or stability in Syria." Aside from sanctions against individuals, further actions could include raising tariffs on s...
Read More
U.S. Rebuffed at UN Security Council Meeting on Iran
9Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Middle East, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

U.S. Rebuffed at UN Security Council Meeting on Iran

At its first formal meeting of the year, the UN Security Council met at the request of the United States to assess the situation in Iran after a near week-long protests in 80 cities. The meeting itself drew criticism from many members who accused the United States of using human rights as an excuse to meddle in Iran's internal affairs. The meeting also comes at a crucial time when leaders are trying to reach a political settlement to end the Syrian civil war. It also comes ahead of a Jan. 13 deadline for the U.S. President Donald Trump to decide whether or not to remove nuclear-related sanctions against Iran based on a 2015 international agreement. Under U.S. law, he must decide every 90 days whether or not to certify the deal, and therefore ease up on nuclear-related sanctions. Trum...
Read More
Iran Protests Spark Bigger Diplomatic Conflicts
4Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Geopolitics, Middle East, Sanctions, Types of News: Analysis

Iran Protests Spark Bigger Diplomatic Conflicts

January 4, 2018 - In the aftermath of the multinational fight against ISIS-Daesh forces who had held large parts of Iraq and Syria, geopolitical divides are emerging as regional powers turn their focus to economic issues, sanctions and security alliances. One sign of the shift is the near week-long demonstrations in Iran, which started Dec. 28 near Iran's border with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The protests started in Mashhad, Iran's second most populous city, and quickly spread to other parts of the country. They are the largest mass demonstrations the country has seen since 2009 when protesters in Tehran disputed the presidential election. Most media outlets reporting on the recent unrest say the government has not used violence to tamp down on the protests as it did in 2009. The gove...
Read More
Foreign Policy: Trump Recognizes Jerusalem As Israel’s Capital
6Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Middle East

Foreign Policy: Trump Recognizes Jerusalem As Israel’s Capital

Following up on a campaign promise he made to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a September 2016 meeting, U.S. President Trump announced on Dec. 6 that he recognizes Jerusalem as the "ancient capital of the Jewish people" and as the state of Israel. “While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering,” Trump said. "Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital. Acknowledging this as a fact is a necessary condition for achieving peace." The announcement drew immediate rebuke from leaders in Turkey, Jordan, the Vatican, the United Nations and across the Middle East and was seen as a shift in U.S. policy that could invalidate the U.S. role in negotiating...
Read More

Contact Us