MESOPOTAMIA NEWS BACKGROUND – THE Information War: An inside look at America’s ‘word warriors’ in Syria and Iraq
By Seth Frantzman | September 21, 2020 | sfrantzman@gmail.com | @sfrantzman
Col. Myles Caggins III
On Sept. 5, Col. Myles Caggins III took a group of journalists on a helicopter to eastern Syria. For Caggins, director of public affairs and spokesperson for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, it was a farewell – the last trip to Syria in his position.
He has often been the public face of the U.S.-led Coalition’s war against ISIS ,during a period of intense turmoil in Iraq and Syria in 2019-20. In a wide-ranging interview with the Long War Journal, Caggins looked back at lessons learned during the campaign and argued that fighting modern war requires a mindset shift in how the U.S. approaches the “word war” against sophisticated adversaries, whether it is Iran, Russia or ISIS.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS “ERDOGAN’S MODERNITY!” – The ‘Idlib Online’ Service: Ordering Goods Online From Turkey
| by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi • Sep 21, 2020 at 6:15 am |
he links between Turkey and the region of Idlib and its environs in northwest Syria have continued to strengthen in recent times. For example, many food goods (especially the more complex ones) that are available in Idlib stores are imported from Turkey. Further, the collapse of the Syrian pound has prompted a widespread shift to the use of the Turkish lira in daily life in the area.
A more interesting example of those economic links is a newly established service called ‘Idlib Online,’ which I discovered via the Telegram channel of the Atma branch of KFC Idlib. Incidentally, KFC Idlib is also using Turkish liras to price the items on its menu).
‘Idlib Online,’ which officially declares itself to be an independent enterprise, allows people inside Idlib and its environs to place orders with the service for goods on the Turkish websites of some well-known companies like Amazon, Gap, Samsung and H&M. ‘Idlib Online’ will then work with a Turkish cargo company to get the orders delivered to them within ten working days. ‘Idlib Online’ charges a 20% surcharge as part of arranging the deliveries. For example, if a person’s order amounts to 100 Turkish liras, there will be a 20 Turkish lira delivery fee, making the total cost 120 Turkish liras.
Note that ‘Idlib Online’ does not operate this service for people living in the ‘Euphrates Shield’ or ‘Olive Branch’ areas of north Aleppo countryside.
Below are the adverts for ‘Idlib Online’ in English, Russian and Arabic.
http://www.aymennjawad.org/2020/09/the-idlib-online-service-ordering-goods-from
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS OPINION: Self-censorship in the US
by Judith Bergman – GATESTONE INSTITUTE – September 16, 2020 at 5:00 am
The US nominally enshrines the most far-reaching freedom of speech, thanks to the First Amendment of the Constitution. Yet the average number of Americans who self-censor is slowly beginning to approximate that of Germany, where… “Nearly two-thirds of citizens are convinced that ‘today one has to be very careful on which topics one expresses oneself’, because there are many unwritten laws about what opinions are acceptable and admissible”.
It is, however, not surprising. American campuses have steered a “leftist” course for decades. The tilt has had familiar consequences: the proliferation on campus of “safe spaces”, trigger warnings, de-platforming of conservative voices and a “cancel culture” aimed at professors and students who do not conform to an on-campus political orthodoxy that has become increasingly totalitarian. Most recently, the dean of University of Massachusetts Lowell’s School of Nursing, Leslie Neal-Boylan, was fired by the school after writing “Black lives matter, but also everyone’s life matters” in an email to students and faculty.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS-BACKGROUND :Russian-Turkish discord manifested by escalation in Idlib (SYRIA)
By Enab Baladi 21 Sept 2020 – The Russian and Turkish officers did not reach a unified formula for implementing northwestern Syria agreements during a meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on 16 September, which was reflected on the ground in Idlib province.
In an interview with the Turkish channel “CNN,” Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hinted that Idlib’s political process could end if his country did not reach an agreement with Russia.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : ONLY TRUMP/POMPEO ACTING CONTRA IRANIAN HANGMEN – US Renews All Sanctions On Iran
by Tsarizm Staff September 210, 2020 – The United States has reimposed full sanctions on Iran declared Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Saturday evening. The corrective measures are happening even though other nations under the original sanctions plan are not going along. “The Maximum Pressure campaign will continue”, said the Secretary.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : DIE PANDEMIE DER KLASSENLAGE ! Die Wut wächst im Neuen Mittelalter !
Ausgangssperren in Madrid : Lockdown nur für Arme? /
- Von Hans-Christian Rößler, Madrid -Aktualisiert am 21.09.2020 FAZ
In Madrid hat die Regionalregierung vor allem in den ärmeren Vierteln Ausgangssperren verhängt. Die Bewohner sind empört und werfen der Regierung Diskriminierung vor. Zu Tausenden ziehen sie auf die Straße.
Die Wut im Süden wächst. Mehr als 850.000 Menschen sollen von Montag an zwei Wochen lang möglichst zu Hause bleiben. Es trifft vor allem die ärmeren Viertel im Süden von Madrid, in denen überwiegend Arbeiter und Einwanderer wohnen.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS ANALYSIS : The limits of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and what Syrians can learn
MENA Source by Reem Salahi and Bachar El-Halabi 20 Sept 2020
We are often taught to believe that international judicial accountability is the ultimate resolution for crimes committed. Yet, after eleven years of adjudication and nearly $1 billion spent by different stakeholders, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) judgment on August 18 demonstrated that justice is not necessarily delivered by international courts. Indeed, like most international bodies and mechanisms, they can be subject to political whims, legal hurdles, technical bureaucracies, obstruction, protracted proceedings, and high costs. In the case of the STL, these obstacles hollowed the mandate of the Tribunal and ultimately resulted in a deficient verdict unable to influence Lebanon’s increasing social, political, and economic woes.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS EXCLUSIV SYRIA – KURDISTAN : US ENVOY MEETS PKK/PYD
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS “LET’S SAVE THE HANGMEN!” – Guterres: No Action on UN Iran Sanctions due to ‘Uncertainty’
Sunday, 20 September, 2020 – 11:00 Asharq Al-Awsat
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Saturday he cannot take any action on a US declaration that all UN sanctions on Iran had been reimposed because “there would appear to be uncertainty” on the issue.
MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : KONFLIKT IN DER ÄGÄIS: Deutsche Technik auf beiden Seiten
- VON PETER CARSTENS FAZ –20. 2020-21:03
Zum Streit der beiden Nato-Staaten Griechenland und Türkei über Seegebiete gehören militärische Drohgebärden. Welches der beiden Länder hat die stärkere Flotte?
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