World Peace “Lennon Ivan Style” – Part 237

World Peace “Lennon Ivan Style” – Part 237

During the week ending on Sunday, March 12, 2017, TURKEY retreated from their days of aggressive sieges of CIZRE, SILOPI, DIYARBAKIR and NUSAYBIN, predominantly KURDISH, which TURKEY had converted into a suburban war zone area as TURKEY was on the defense as they were subject to an internal military “Coup D’État” that failed as gunfire and explosions erupted in which 265 people died, 161 of them civilians during July of 2016. As a result of the failed “Coup D’État”, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency, extended the period during which suspects can be detained without charge to 30 days, closed more than 1,000 private schools and closed more than 1,200 associations. A wide scale purge led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his governing AKP finally continued to de-escalate slightly more this week as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan focused his attention on the five things which U.S. President, Donald Trump needs to do in order to reboot strained relations between the U.S. and TURKEY: (1) Drop the usage of the term Radical Islamic Terrorism; (2) Support TURKEY’s state of emergency; (3) Extradite Fethullah Gulen; (4) Collaborate on the Syrian end game; and (5) Support safe zones.

Moving on to IRAQ, IRAQI and US-led ALLIANCE forces continued with their offensive against ISIS on MOSUL as IRAQI and ALLIED forces managed to push ISIS militants back from MOSUL, their last major stronghold in IRAQ, whereby IRAQI special forces appear to have liberated the eastern half of MOSUL from ISIS in its entirety. As a friendly reminder, MOSUL that is divided by the Tigris River with both east and west sides respectively making up about half of the population of MOSUL was impressively liberated by the IRAQI and KURDISH Peshmerga forces. These elite ALLIANCE forces managed to fight through an elaborate defense system formed by ISIS over the past two years that managed to keep the ALLIANCE forces out while contemporaneously keeping the residents of MOSUL trapped in as captives. On a positive note, this week in a series of lightning fast advances, ALLIANCE forces seized control of most of western MOSUL from ISIS including MOSUL’s main government complex as well as MOSUL’s famous antiquities museum and about half of the old MOSUL city. In addition, the airport which had fallen a week or so earlier was fully taken back under control of ALLIANCE forces including all roads in and out of MOSUL in which the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared his caliphate in June of 2014.

Moving on to SYRIA, SYRIAN government forces have retaken full control of ALEPPO, since the uprising began, after nearly six years of bloody fighting for Syria’s most populous city and SYRIA’s economic hub that has been the most prized and fiercely contested city throughout the Syrian conflict. As a friendly reminder, since the Syrian army’s assault against rebel held ALEPPO began in late September of 2016, RUSSIAN and SYRIAN government bombardments killed more than 1,000 people, including over 250 children while injuring over 5,000. Now, a ceasefire across SYRIA appears to be holding as its brokers, RUSSIA, TURKEY and IRAN obtained approval of the plan from the UN Security Council overriding all previous failed peace proposals and finally ending the six-year conflict. Against all odds, the ceasefire largely continues to hold as peace negotiations continue with TURKEY and ASSAD’s two main allies, RUSSIA and IRAN, backing these peace talks as guarantors of a fragile ceasefire. However, the process continues to be advancing at a snails pace although these talks do represent the most serious diplomatic efforts in months. However, RUSSIA has registered eight violations of the ceasefire while the TURKISH side has registered 22 violations consisting of five in DAMASCUS, seven in ALEPPO, four in IDLIB, two in HOMS, one in HAMA and three in DARAA provinces. Meanwhile, the U.S. confirmed that it is sending in an additional 400 troops to SYRIA to help prepare for the looming fight for RAQQA, the capital of the self-proclaimed ISIS caliphate. The increase that includes a team of Army Rangers and Marine Artilleries that have already arrived in Syria have resulted in a nearly doubling of U.S. troops in SYRIA. The deployment marks a new escalation in the U.S. war in Syria and puts more conventional U.S. troops on the battlefield for the looming battle against ISIS for control of RAQQA. As a friendly reminder, several hundred U.S. Special Operations forces have advised local forces for months but the U.S. has mostly stayed away from using conventional military forces on the ground in SYRIA. However, the new mission comes as new U.S. President Donald Trump implements a plan to help SYRIAN rebels take back RAQQA, the de facto capital of ISIS, that now includes more Special Operations troops and attack helicopters.

In my opinion, Turkey’s participation in the military battle against ISIS is a positive addition to the ALLIANCE albeit Turkey’s negative stance against the PKK that in my opinion is currently unwarranted and deteriorating. However, with the majority governing AKP and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it appears that Turkey’s future is heading for more war and bloodshed. Unfortunately, the governing AKP and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have chosen the path of war with the PKK as opposed to diplomacy via the KURDISH HDP political party which secured close to 11% during the last Turkish elections. Therefore, in my opinion, the governing AKP and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will learn the hard way that nobody on the outside world looking in is stupid but rather everyone chooses to close their eyes and allow Turkey to continue with its ethnic cleansing campaign of the KURDS in exchange for Turkey signing a deal with the European Union (EU) to stem the flow of refugees arriving in Greece. In exchange for reducing human trafficking and improving living conditions for 2.5 million refugees within its borders, Turkey was supposed to receive Euro 3 billion in financial aid in return, the possibility of visa-free travel for its citizens, and a reopening of EU membership talks. In my opinion, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the governing AKP will learn the hard way that the current failed “Coup D’État” exposes the deep discontent within the TURKISH military ranks as the governing AKP and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan persist with their quest to annihilate the HDP and the KURDS as the AKP is converting itself into a majority fascist regime with its house cleaning exercises whereby virtually all dissidents have been fired. In my opinion, the European parliament vote to halt TURKEY’s EU accession backed by a resolution condemning the TURKISH government’s disproportionate repressive measures after the failed “Coup D’État” in July was long overdue as TURKEY has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt, with its repressive measures over all opposition, that TURKEY does not share common values, morals, principals, ethics and views as the EU such that TURKEY does not fit into the EU mould. However, in my opinion, TURKEY still represents a major player on the European economic stage such that the EU will nonetheless have to negotiate deals with TURKEY as an independent NON-EU member country regarding the huge refugee crisis. In my opinion, in exchange for reducing human trafficking and improving living conditions for 2.5 million refugees within its borders, TURKEY should only receive Euro 1.5 billion, half of the initial proposed 3 billion, in financial aid along with visa-free travel for its citizens who do not pose any significant risks outside of TURKISH borders.

Finally, the wide scale purge led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his governing AKP continued to de-escalate further this week as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan focused his attention on the five things which U.S. President, Donald Trump needs to do in order to reboot strained relations between the U.S. and TURKEY. In regards to the first item of dropping the usage of the term Radical Islamic Terrorism, in my opinion this should be easily replaced with the term Radical Gangster Terrorism as from my point-of-view ISIS operates under gangster principals to the extreme whereby they have taken ISLAM hostage. That is, ISIS has hijacked the ISLAM religion as a smoke screen behind which to brainwash its fighters with a demented, distorted and psychologically disturbing version of ISLAM that suits ISIS’s goal to obtain power and control. However, President Donald Trump’s persistent usage of the term ISLAMIC terror turns on the Americans because they feel more comfortable blaming an entire religion than blaming specific individuals behind the ISIS organization because aside from the Godfather of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, little is known about the chief financiers and brains behind the ISIS organization. In regards to the second item of supporting TURKEY’s state of emergency, the attempted coup on July 15, 2016 where some of the plotters worked out of a military base shared with U.S. forces should result in the U.S. formally supporting TURKEY in its attempts to insure democratic principals are respected in the future as concerns any change in power. However, TURKEY needs to respect international laws as concerns civil rights and liberties, freedom of speech and expression and the right for democratic opposition political movements to pursue their respective political agendas. In regards to the third item of extraditing Fethullah Gulen, although TURKEY considers him the mastermind of the failed “Coup D’État” attempt, Fethullah Gulen is entitled to continue to live in a private compound in Pennsylvania until proven guilty by a court of law. Given that Fethullah Gulen has repeatedly denied any involvement in the uprising that resulted in at least 270 deaths during the failed “Coup D’État” he cannot be extradited until a U.S. court gives him a fair trial to either confirm or dispel TURKISH allegations. In my opinion, the fundamental principal behind a civil democracy is the notion of innocent until proven guilty as if the U.S. sets the precedent that one can be found guilty on mere rumours and assumptions, the entire justice system of the U.S. would likely collapse. In regards to the fourth item of collaborating on the SYRIAN end game, the U.S. has focused on fighting ISIS militants, relying mostly on KURDISH forces that the U.S. considers moderate and not prone to terrorism. However, the KURDISH forces the U.S. is working with want their own state that is contrary to TURKEY’s position whereby the borders of the existing SYRIAN state should not change. In my opinion, the SYRIAN end game should focus on establishing a democratically elected government so that the SYRIAN people can determine the ultimate fate of SYRIA whether it should be a loose federation within the existing borders or sovereign and independent states. In regards to the fifth item of supporting safe zones, in my opinion U.S. President Donald Trump has already expressed an interest in establishing territories of peace for the huge refugee population in SYRIA so this should be an exercise in defining appropriate safe zones without TURKEY looking to grab territory from the KURDS.

Moving on to IRAQ, the recent successful attacks on ISIS by IRAQI security forces in MOSUL, has clearly sent the message to ISIS that it is just a matter of time until the ISIS Empire in MOSUL dies. However, the IRAQI led troops on the ground are essentially forced to fight ISIS style, which is slow and brutal for any other type of heavy artillery attack on ISIS, will result in significant collateral damage in terms of human casualties. Unfortunately ISIS has managed to set new rules of war, with complete and utter disregard for the laws of war as promulgated by the GENEVA convention, which is essentially that there are no rules other than the dirtiest player in the game wins. Thus, the world finds itself going backwards to the days of Barbarian, Neanderthal, Self-Centered, Egotistical, Narcissistic, Masochistic, Sadistic, Idiosyncratic, Sociopathic and Psychopathic maniacs. Therefore, the ALLIANCE forces recapture of eastern MOSUL in its entirety has triggered a lightning fast momentum as ALLIANCE forces managed to seize control of major parts of Western MOSUL although in my opinion, the last of the fighting will most probably be a lot more difficult. In my opinion, ISIS will cling on to the oldest parts of MOSUL city where streets are narrow making it hard to manoeuvre military convoys and thus increasing the risk of ambushes and civilian casualties. However, tens of thousands have been able to make their way to safety such that as civilians flee the fighting, the ALLIANCE forces will have the opening needed to strike hard, strike fast and strike once and for all to put en end to the ISIS reign of terror in MOSUL. Therefore, in my opinion, assuming that the KURDISH peshmerga, IRAQI army, SHIITE militia and some SUNNI militia forces continue to overlook their differences and stick together, ISIS will inevitably be decimated in IRAQ, although ISIS will likely survive as an incognito terrorist organization throughout the world. In my opinion, with ISIS inevitably nearing its downfall in IRAQ, IRAQI security forces need to be prepared for a different kind of war against ISIS, shifting away from ground offensives to intelligence work and surgical airstrikes to counter an expected move by ISIS away from holding territory and back to a more terrorist role of a dispersed underground terror organization. In my opinion, ISIS is already laying the groundwork for a new terrorist strategy of hiding in remote areas, carrying out attacks in IRAQ and abroad and resorting to organized crime to bankroll future operations.

Moving on to SYRIA, the SYRIAN government forces recapture of the entire former rebel stronghold of east ALEPPO in an offensive that left bodies in the streets and sparked global outrage managed to lead to a ceasefire across SYRIA that appears to still be holding after its brokers, RUSSIA, TURKEY and IRAN obtained approval from the UN Security Council. In my opinion, RUSSIA that invested much political time and energy in ending the fighting after bombing the opposition relentlessly for 15 months was the critical player in this ceasefire as RUSSIA managed to control the uncontrollable consisting of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, Iran and Shiite militias like Lebanon’s Hezbollah whereas TURKEY managed to control the Free Syrian Army (FSA) along with their affiliated rebel factions. Meanwhile, peace negotiations continue with TURKEY and ASSAD’s two main allies, RUSSIA and IRAN, backing these peace talks as guarantors of a fragile ceasefire. However, the allegations by Amnesty International that over thirteen thousand people were hanged at a SYRIAN prison in a secret crackdown on dissent by the current regime under the authority of President, Bashar al-Assad have been excluded from the agenda for the upcoming fifth round of negotiations set for the end of March. In my opinion, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's future should be off the agenda for now and the main focus of the talks should be governance, a new constitution and elections as the primary goal of these meetings should be to end the war in SYRIA and to implement a long-term sustainable solution for peace. In regards to the 22 registered ceasefire violations in SYRIA consisting of five in DAMASCUS, seven in ALEPPO, four in IDLIB, two in HOMS, one in HAMA and three in DARAA provinces, I believe that the vast majority of these violations are due to either ISIS or one of the other various Radical Gangster Terrorist groups still operating in SYRIA consisting of either JABHAT FATEH AL-SHAM; HAYAT TAHRIR AL-SHAM; AL QAEDA; NUSRA FRONT; AHRAR AL-SHAM; or some other FULL OF SHIT GANGSTER SHAM. In my opinion, these are all organizations run old school GANGSTER style except that they all hide behind ISLAM as a smokescreen to convert their criminal organizations into religious sanctuaries. However, it is clear to me that none of these groups practice ISLAM, which translates to peace, but rather all of these groups practice their own self-created religion of capitalist opportunistic SHAM SCAM BRAINWASH RAM such that if they persist with their efforts to derail the ceasefire and peace negotiations, coordinated military strikes will be required to weaken and contain ALL Radical Gangster Terrorist groups still operating in SYRIA. In regards to the U.S. sending in an additional 400 troops to SYRIA to help prepare for the looming fight for RAQQA, the capital of the self-proclaimed ISIS caliphate, all additional ALLIANCE troops should be welcomed as ISIS will once again put up a ferocious resistance before allowing its self-proclaimed capital of RAQQA to fall.

In summary, I refer to “World Peace Lennon Ivan Style – Part 237” as the belief that MOSUL victory is critical to ISIS decimation but SYRIAN ceasefire between ASSAD and FSA also key while SYRIAN negotiations must result in peace with eventual military strikes on ISIS in RAQQA along with strikes on ALL other Radical Gangster Terrorist groups still fuming at the seams.

Spirit of John Lennon – Kurdish Guerrilla Song:

March 12, 2017