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Monday, July 31, 2017
The Spectacular Self-Destruction of Anthony Scaramucci
The Spectacular Self-Destruction of Anthony Scaramucci
The White House communications director has been fired, just 10 days after he was named to the job.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/seven-against-thebes/535464/?utm_source=feed
Tehran's New Scheme for Iraq
Tehran's New Scheme for Iraq
by Amir Taheri • July 31, 2017 at 4:00 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Iraqi Vice President Nuri Al-Maliki in Moscow, on
In his visit to Moscow last
week, Iraqi Vice President Nuri Al-Maliki peddled what he presented as
his big idea: inviting Russia to build "a significant presence" in Iraq
to counter-balance that of the United States.
Since
Maliki is reputed to be Tehran's candidate as the next Iraqi Prime
Minister his "invitation" to Russia cannot be dismissed as a mere
personal whim.
With
ISIS driven out of Mosul and, hopefully, soon to be driven other
pockets of territory it still controls in Iraq, the decks are being
cleared for the forthcoming general election that would decide the shape
of the next government in Baghdad. Fancying itself as the "big winner"
in Iraq, Iran's leadership is working on a strategy to make that fancy a
reality.
That strategy has three key elements.
Continue Reading Articlehttps://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10749/iran-iraq-russia
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10749/iran-iraq-russiaGermany: Muslim Biker Gang Vows to "Protect" Fellow Muslims
Germany: Muslim Biker Gang Vows to "Protect" Fellow Muslims
Police warn of spiraling vigilantism, parallel Islamic legal system
by Soeren Kern • July 31, 2017 at 5:00 am
- Muslim vigilantes enforcing Islamic justice have become increasingly common in Germany. The government's inability or unwillingness to stop them has led to the rise of anti-Muslim counter-vigilantes. Germany's BfV intelligence agency, in its latest annual report, warned that an escalating action-reaction cycle could result in open warfare on German streets.
- The self-appointed "Sharia Police" urged both Muslim and non-Muslim passersby to attend mosques and to refrain from alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, gambling, music, pornography and prostitution. In November 2016, the Wuppertal District Court ruled that the Islamists did not break German law and were simply exercising their right to free speech. The ruling, which effectively legitimized Sharia law in Germany, was one of a growing number of instances in which German courts are — wittingly or unwittingly — promoting the establishment of a parallel Islamic legal system in the country.
- "Even if we still refuse to believe it: Parts of Germany are ruled by Islamic law! Polygamy, child marriages, Sharia judges — for far too long the German rule of law has not been enforced. Many politicians dreamed of multiculturalism.... This is not a question of folklore or foreign customs and traditions. It is a question of law and order. If the rule of law fails to establish its authority and demand respect for itself, then it can immediately declare its bankruptcy." — Franz Solms-Laubach, parliamentary correspondent, Bild.
An illustrative photo of an "outlaw" motorcycle gang. (Image source: Roy Lister/Wikimedia Commons)
German Muslims have
established a self-styled biker gang — modelled on the Hells Angels —
aimed at protecting fellow Muslims from the "ever-growing hatred of
Islam," according to Die Welt.
The
emergence of the group, which aspires to open chapters in cities and
towns across Germany, has alarmed German authorities, who have warned
against the growing threat of vigilantism in the country.
Muslim
vigilantes enforcing Islamic justice have become increasingly common in
Germany. The government's inability or unwillingness to stop them has
led to the rise of anti-Muslim counter-vigilantes. Germany's BfV
intelligence agency, in its latest annual report, warned that an
escalating action-reaction cycle could result in open warfare on German
streets.
Continue Reading Articlehttps://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10755/muslim-biker-gang
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10755/muslim-biker-gangInside Iran’s Mission To Dominate The Middle East
Inside Iran’s Mission To Dominate The Middle East
Iran has enlisted tens of thousands of young Shiite men into
an armed network that is challenging the US across the Middle East. The
Trump administration is not prepared.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/borzoudaragahi/irans-plan-to-run-the-middle-east?utm_term=.hmVPwDY92#.yyxABxYV0
Sunday, July 30, 2017
America’s Carbon-Pusher in Chief Trump’s Fossil-Fueled Foreign Policy
America’s Carbon-Pusher in Chief
Trump’s Fossil-Fueled Foreign Policy
By Michael T. Klare
Who says President Trump doesn’t have a coherent foreign policy? Pundits and critics across the political spectrum have chided him for failing to articulate and implement a clear international agenda. Look closely at his overseas endeavors, though, and one all-too-consistent pattern emerges: Donald Trump will do whatever it takes to prolong the reign of fossil fuels by sabotaging efforts to curb carbon emissions and promoting the global consumption of U.S. oil, coal, and natural gas. Whenever he meets with foreign leaders, it seems, his first impulse is to ply them with American fossil fuels.
His decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, which obliged this country to reduce its coal consumption and take other steps to curb its carbon emissions, was widely covered by the American mainstream news media. On the other hand, the president’s efforts to promote greater fossil fuel consumption abroad -- just as significant in terms of potential harm to the planet -- have received remarkably little attention.
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176313/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_spreading_the_cult_of_carbon/#more
Russia Woos the World with New Plan on Syria
Russia Woos the World with New Plan on Syria
by Amir Taheri • July 30, 2017 at 4:00 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow, on October 20, 2015. (Image source: kremlin.ru)
Caught between the hope of
securing a lasting foothold in the Middle East and the fear of
inheriting an impossible situation, Russia is trying to re-gauge its
Syrian policy with possible support from the Trump administration in
Washington.
The key feature of
Russia's evolving new strategy is an attempt at changing the narrative
on Syria from one depicting a civil war to one presented as a
humanitarian emergency that deserves massive international aid.
Western
analysts say the new narrative has the merit of pushing aside thorny
issues such as the future of President Bashar al-Assad and power-sharing
in a future government.
Russia's
other aim is to divert international attention from the investigation
of war crimes and crimes against humanity that might concern not only
Assad but also Moscow's own military in Syria.
Continue Reading Articlehttps://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10752/russia-plan-syria
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10752/russia-plan-syria
In this mailing:
- Uzay Bulut: The Islamization of History
- Malcolm Lowe: What Is the World Council of Churches?
- Amir Taheri: Russia Woos the World with New Plan on Syria
The Islamization of History
by Uzay Bulut • July 30, 2017 at 5:00 am
- Not only does no other religion in Turkey, other than Islam, have the power, influence or financing of the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) -- whose budget even surpasses that of most ministries; other religions are either not officially recognized (as in the cases of Alevism and Yazidism), or are on the verge of complete governmental elimination -- as in the cases of Judaism, Greek Orthodoxy, Assyrian (Syriac) and Armenian Christianity.
- "...[S]ince the creation of the world there is only one religion and it is the religion of Islam.... therefore, when Islam was not in that area before Mohammed came to it, it should have been there....So any place like this had to be freed, not to be conquered...And therefore, there is no Islamic occupation. If somebody occupies anything, it will always be somebody else, not the Muslims. So, there is no Islamic occupation. There is only Islamic liberation." -- Moshe Sharon, Professor Emeritus of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- To be effective, however, policies safeguarding religious liberty must include conducting an honest and open discussion of the history and doctrine of Islam, as well as its contemporary iteration, not as a "religion of peace" -- which, in Islam, is to occur only after the entire world has accepted Allah, as well as Islamic law, Sharia -- but as one of war and terror.
Mehmet
Görmez, President of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet),
announced in June that Islam was brought to the world by Allah to
correct the "distortions" of Judaism and Christianity. (Image source:
Tezkiretul/Wikimedia Commons)
The debate over whether
Islam has been hijacked by fundamentalists -- or whether the religion
itself preaches the kind of hatred that leads to terrorism -- has been
raging since the 9/11/2001 attacks on the United States. Although this
issue has not been resolved, one thing is clear: in the Muslim world,
the demonization of Jews and Christians is commonplace.
Take
Turkey, for example, where anti-Semitism has been exhibited publicly
for decades by prominent members of government, the religious
establishment and the media. In June this year, the head of the
government's Religious Affairs Directorate -- the "Diyanet" -- joined
the chorus.
Continue Reading Articlehttp://lobelog.com/ngo-monitors-ties-to-the-israeli-government/#more-40454
http://lobelog.com/ngo-monitors-ties-to-the-israeli-government/#more-40454Saturday, July 29, 2017
Friday, July 28, 2017
A Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in Britain: June 2017
A Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in Britain: June 2017
by Soeren Kern • July 28, 2017 at 5:00 am
- Nazir Afzal, a former chief crown prosecutor and one of the most prominent Muslim lawyers in Britain, warned that an "industry" of Islamist groups in the country is undermining the fight against terrorism. He singled out the Islamist-dominated Muslim Council of Britain and also condemned "self-appointed" community leaders whose sole agenda was to present Muslims "as victims and not as those who are potentially becoming radicals."
- Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, charged London Mayor Sadiq Khan with "appeasing jihadists" for authorizing the Al-Quds Day march.
- More than 40 foreign jihadists have used human rights laws to remain in Britain, according to an unpublished report delayed by the Home Office.
Floral
tributes at London Bridge on June 6, 2017, following the 3 June 2017
terrorist attack. (Image source: Matt Brown/Wikimedia Commons)
June 3.
Khuram Shazad Butt, a 27-year-old Pakistani-born British citizen,
Rachid Redouane, a 30-year-old who claimed to be Libyan and Moroccan and
Youssef Zaghba, a 22-year-old Moroccan-Italian, murdered eight people
and injured 50 others in a jihadist attack on and around the London
Bridge. The three assailants were shot dead by police. It was the third
jihadist attack in Britain in as many months.
Continue Reading Articlehttps://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10742/islam-multiculturalism-britain-june
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10742/islam-multiculturalism-britain-juneThe Week With IPS 7/28/17
| 2017/7/28 |
Click here for the online version of this IPS newsletter
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“The Time is Now” to Invest in Youth, Girls
Tharanga Yakupitiyage
The demographic dividend: though not a new concept, it is one of the
major buzzwords at the UN this year. But what does it really mean?
There are 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 around
the world, the most in the history of humankind.
In Africa alone, approximately ...
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Asian Financial Crisis: Lessons Learned and Unlearned
Yilmaz Akyuz
Debates are taking place on whether there will be another financial
crisis, whether in some part of the world or that is global in scope.
Governments draw lessons from financial crises to adopt measures to
prevent their recurrence. However, such measures are often designed to
address the root ...
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Can Economic Growth Be Really Green?
IPS World Desk
The answer to this big question is apparently “yes” – Economic growth
can be really green. How?
The facts are there. For instance, in 2016, solar power became the
cheapest form of energy in 58 lower income countries, including China
India and Brazil. In Europe, in 2016, 86 per cent of the ...
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Barbados Steps Up Plans for Renewables, Energy Efficiency
Desmond Brown
With wind, solar and other renewable energy sources steadily increasing
their share in energy consumption across the Caribbean, Barbados is
taking steps to further reduce the need for CO2-emitting fossil fuel
energy.
The tiny Caribbean island is rolling out a project to reduce both
electricity ...
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Sinking Island Seeks Seat in Security Council
Thalif Deen
The Maldives, one of the world’s low-lying, small island developing
states (SIDS) -- threatened with extinction because of a sea-level
rise-- is shoring up its coastal defences in anticipation of the
impending calamity.
And it is seeking international support for its very survival.—at a time
...
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Migrant Contributions to Development: Creating a “New Positive Narrative”
Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Despite the “undeniable” benefits of migration, barriers including
public misconceptions continue to hinder positive development outcomes,
participants said during a series of thematic consultations here on
safe, orderly, and regular migration.
At a time where divisive rhetoric on migration ...
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China Seeks to Export Its Green Finance Model to the World
Daniel Gutman
Hand in hand with UN Environment and the Inter-American Development Bank
(IDB), the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) disembarked in the Argentine
capital to prompt this country to adopt and promote the agenda of
so-called green finance, which supports clean or sustainable development
projects and ...
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Alcoholism Cannot Explain Russian Mortality Spike
Vladimir Popov and Jomo Kwame Sundaram
The steep upsurge in mortality and sudden fall in life expectancy in
Russia in the early 1990s were the highest ever registered anywhere in
recorded human history in the absence of catastrophes, such as wars,
plague or famine. The shock economic reforms in the former Soviet
economies after 1991 ...
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Tobago Gears Up to Fight Sargassum Invasion
Jewel Fraser
As Tobago's tourism industry struggles to repel the sargassum invasions
that have smothered its beaches with massive layers of seaweed as far as
the eye can see - in some places half a metre thick - and left
residents retching from the stench, the island's government is working
to establish an ...
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The Unnoticed Demise of Democracy
Roberto Savio
Politicians are so busy fighting for their jobs, they hardly seem to
notice that they risk going out of business. Democracy is on the wane,
yet the problem is nowhere in Parliaments. Common to all is a
progressive loss of vision, of long term planning and solutions, with
politics used just for ...
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Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast Pools Efforts Against Climate Change
Diego Arguedas Ortiz
Jonathan Barrantes walks between the rows of shoots, naming one by one
each species in the tree nursery that he manages, in the south of Costa
Rica’s Caribbean coastal region. There are fruit trees, ceibas that will
take decades to grow to full size. and timber species for forestry ...
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Local Farmers and Consumers Create Short Food Supply Chains in Mexican Cities
Emilio Godoy
VÃctor RodrÃguez arranges lettuce, broccoli, potatoes and herbs on a shelf with care, as he does every Sunday,
preparing to serve the customers who are about to arrive at the
Alternative Market of Bosque de Tlalpan, in the south of the Mexican
capital.
Farmers bring their organic vegetables from ...
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Thursday, July 27, 2017
Burning Raqqa The U.S. War Against Civilians in Syria
Burning Raqqa
The U.S. War Against Civilians in Syria
By Laura Gottesdiener
It was midday on Sunday, May 7th, when the U.S.-led coalition warplanes again began bombing the neighborhood of Wassim Abdo’s family.
They lived in Tabqa, a small city on the banks of the Euphrates River in northern Syria. Then occupied by the Islamic State (ISIS, also known as Daesh), Tabqa was also under siege by U.S.-backed troops and being hit by daily artillery fire from U.S. Marines, as well as U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. The city, the second largest in Raqqa Province, was home to an airfield and the coveted Tabqa Dam. It was also the last place in the region the U.S.-backed forces needed to take before launching their much-anticipated offensive against the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed capital, Raqqa.
Click here to read more of this dispatch.http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176312/tomgram%3A_laura_gottesdiener%2C_the_wrath_of_the_u.s._along_the_euphrates_river/#more
16 Facts That Prove That America Is In Deep, Deep Trouble
16 Facts That Prove That America Is In Deep, Deep Trouble
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/16-facts-that-prove-that-america-is-in-deep-deep-troubleFukushima Update 7/27/17
Possible formerly molten fuel debris (corium) has been discovered inside unit #3…. Muon imaging of unit #3 reveals little corium remains in the Reactor Vessel… Unit #2 radiation levels are actually 2-3 times lower than initial estimates… Robotic images for unit #1 are “sharpened”, and show no fuel debris external to the RPV pedestal… Fukushima’s main train system to reopen October 21st… Another request by antinuclear activists to shut down a nuke is denied… Kashiwazaki mayor says two K-K units may be restarted if all others are permanently shuttered.
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.
Palestinians: Metal Detectors or Lie Detectors - Who Is Violating What?
Palestinians: Metal Detectors or Lie Detectors - Who Is Violating What?
by Bassam Tawil • July 27, 2017 at 5:00 am
- Crucially, and contrary to Palestinian claims, there has been no Israeli decision to ban Muslims from entering the Temple Mount. For the first time since 1967, the Palestinians are denying Muslim worshippers free access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- The Palestinians and the Islamic religious authorities are protesting against security measures that are intended to save the lives of Muslim worshippers and prevent the desecration of their holy sites by terrorists and rioters. They are protesting because Israel is trying to make it hard for them to murder Jews.
- To clarify what is actually going on: it is not the security measures that really anger the Palestinians; for them, this crisis is not about a metal detector or a security camera. It is not the security measures that the Palestinians want dismantled. It is Israel that they want dismantled.
Palestinians
near Jerusalem's Old City protest Israel's installation of metal
detectors at entrances to the Temple Mount, on July 21, 2017. (Photo by
Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
The metal detectors that
were supposed to prevent Muslims from smuggling weapons into the Temple
Mount compound, and which were removed by the Israeli authorities this
week, have a more accurate name: "lie detectors." They have exposed
Palestinian lies and the real reason behind Palestinian anger.
Israel
apparently removed the metal detectors from the gates of the Temple
Mount as part of a deal to end an unexpected crisis with Jordan over the
killing of two Jordanian men by an Israeli embassy security officer in
Amman. The security officer says he was acting in self-defense after
being attacked by one of the Jordanians with a screwdriver.
Continue Reading Articlehttps://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10741/palestinians-metal-detectors
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10741/palestinians-metal-detectorsBulletin of Atomic Scientists Voices of Tomorrow
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In
a time of growing global risk, it is more important than ever that
rising leaders share their research, find their voices, and test their
arguments to create a safer, healthier planet. In our Voices of Tomorrow section, the Bulletin proudly
publishes the work of emerging scholars immersed in the issues central
to our core interests—nuclear threats, climate change, artificial
intelligence, and biosecurity.
And we are connecting them to ever-expanding audiences; for example in the last few months, Teen Vogue has reposted Bulletin-published articles by two of our authors, Emma Bastian, a high school freshman from Dubuque, Iowa, and Yangyang Chen, a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-based Sciences and Education. To read more from our authors or to learn more about how to submit an article to the Bulletin, check out the Next Generation Information Page. North Korea and the ban treaty: two sides of the same coin John B. Brake Haves, haves-nots, and need-nots: The nuclear ban exposes hidden fault lines Jennifer Knox Has South Korea renounced “nuclear hedging?” Lami Kim The folly of a German Bomb Rafael Loss The ban treaty: A big nuclear-weapon-free zone? Sebastian Brixey-Williams New life for New START? Ian Johnson, Joel Beckner, Heng Qin, and Nadezhda Smakhtina Drone warfare: The death of precision James Rogers A march through time: Historical perspective on the March for Science Ingrid Ockert The case for banning autonomous weapons rests on morality, not practicality Robert Hart Voices of Tomorrow authors are eligible to receive the Bulletin's annual Leonard M. Rieser Award, a cornerstone of our Next Generation program. To donate to this valuable resource, visit our donor page and choose the "Next Generation" fund. |
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