World Peace “Lennon Ivan
Style” – Part 239
During
the week ending on Sunday, March 26, 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 TURKEY reviewing its political ties and refugee
deal with the European Union (EU) after the April referendum on a new
presidential system. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that he would
continue to use terms such as “Fascist” or “Nazi” to criticize EUROPE for as
long as they continue to call him a DICTATOR. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also described
some EU members’ defense of the NETHERLANDS after it denied entry to TURKISH
ministers seeking to campaign ahead of the April referendum poll on a new
presidential system as unacceptable. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said
TURKEY would continue to welcome foreign investors even if TURKEY reconsiders
its political relations with the EU which should be interpreted by Europe as a
warning rather than as threatening remarks.
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 is divided by the Tigris River with both
east and west sides respectively making up about half of the population of
MOSUL. Elite ALLIANCE forces managed to fight through an elaborate defense system
formed by ISIS over the past two years that kept ALLIANCE forces out while
contemporaneously keeping the residents of MOSUL trapped in as captives by
recapturing east MOSUL in its entirety while being at the cusp of controlling west
MOSUL in the short-term. On a positive note, this week in a series of lightning
fast advances, ALLIANCE forces seized further control of most of western MOSUL
from ISIS as IRAQI forces battling ISIS managed to establish complete control
over a command center run by ISIS by seizing the building in the Old MOSUL
City. However, the UN estimates that 400,000 IRAQI civilians are trapped in the
Old MOSUL City as government forces try to capture it from ISIS militants as
tensions continue to remain at an all time high as IRAQI forces are closing in
on the densely populated old MOSUL city and the Great Mosque of AL-NURI where
ISIS leader ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI proclaimed the creation of a caliphate back in
July of 2014. Meanwhile, ISIS attempted to extract some retribution by claiming
responsibility for the attacks in LONDON, ENGLAND whereby five people were
killed and over fifty others injured when a terrorist, Khalid Masood,
drove through pedestrians in Westminster, on parliament hill, before launching
a knife attack. Khalid Masood, 52, has been officially identified as the
man shot dead by police after his killing rampage on Westminster but
ironically he was born in ENGLAND on Christmas Day in 1964 and although he
was known to police for several previous convictions across 20 years, he had
never been convicted of any terrorism offences.
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, Bashar al-Ja’afari,
SYRIAN chief negotiator who attended another round of negotiations at the
United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland this week clearly stated that a U.S. or
Turkish backed attack on ISIS in the SYRIAN city of RAQQA would be illegitimate
unless coordinated with President Bashar al-Assad's government. As per Bashar
al-Ja’afari, those who are truly fighting ISIS are President Bashar al-Assad's Syrian
Arab army with the help of their allies from RUSSIA and IRAN such that direct
U.S. military intervention in SYRIAN territory as well as arming rebel factions
in SYRIA while encouraging rebel factions to challenge the authority of President
Bashar al-Assad's government does not serve the fight against terrorism. In
addition, Bashar al-Ja’afari said that countries backing rebel groups in Syria
such as the U.S., Britain, France, Turkey and Qatar were sponsors of terrorism
and that a rebel offensive was designed to disrupt peace talks in Geneva. Nonetheless,
the U.S. backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) have reached the entrance to the TABQA
dam in RAQQA where they are clashing with ISIS as the battle to recapture Raqqa
by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) seems to be imminent to restart within the coming
days.
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 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 blasting EUROPE for being hypocrites for
scolding him for using such terms as FASCIST or NAZI to describe EUROPE while
EUROPE is allowed to call him a DICTATOR. In my opinion, what is good for the
GOOSE (EUROPE) should be good for the GANDER (TURKEY) such that if name-calling
is the game then both parties should be allowed to play the same. However,
name-calling is usually a sign of two polar opposite views for which there does
not seem to be a compromise or middle ground that can be brewed. Therefore, in
my opinion, the root of the problem is significant differences in the
interpretation of DEMOCRACY, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to believe
that the MAJORITY AKP has the right to suppress the MINORITY KURDS. In my
opinion, the governing AKP refuses to acknowledge that under EU principals, the
MAJORITY has the right to govern over the MINORITY to the extent that the MINORITY
civil rights and liberties are respected. Therefore, President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and the governing AKP can bridge this difference with the EU by
changing TURKEY’s perspective as concerns MINORITIES. That is, TURKEY can
implement lovely laws and regulations on paper like their EU counterparts to
legally recognize ALL minority civil rights and liberties but then behind the
scenes behave with biased, racist, prejudicial and discriminatory bigotry. That
is, TURKEY needs to evolve with the times to a more covert application of
bigotry like its EU counterparts as overt racism, prejudice and discrimination
are no longer legally acceptable although the EU continues to practice bigotry
subliminally day-to-day with those with little personal, financial and
political interests having virtually no say. In regards to President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan describing some EU members’
defense of the NETHERLANDS after it denied entry to TURKISH ministers seeking
to campaign ahead of the April referendum poll on a new presidential system as
unacceptable, I tend to agree with him as the TURKISH ministers should be
allowed to express their views regardless of how absurd as freedom of speech
centers around this core fundamental principal of speaking free like a bird. In
regards to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stating that TURKEY would continue to
welcome foreign investors even if TURKEY reconsiders its political relations
with the EU, TURKEY shows its congruence with EU principals centered around the
notion of money talks while all other bullshit walks. In my opinion, TURKEY is in
this regards just like its EU counterparts, extremely flexible when it comes to
wealth concentrated in minority ass, as it is this cash that makes the world go
round and not the pebbles bartered by the poor KURDISH mass. Thus, TURKEY is
actually quite similar to its EU counterparts in regards to the underlying
principals of DEMOCRACY albeit significant differences in their application in
practice. That is, TURKEY has not yet evolved with the times to learn to play
the EU game of lovely laws, regulations and catch phrases about equality, civil
rights and liberties and freedoms of speech on paper while behaving like two
faced hypocrites behind the scenes with the ones who control the cash dictating
the future of the poor minorities scratching their pants for spare chain to buy
two plied toilet paper to wipe their ass without a scratch.
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. 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.
Therefore, the
IRAQI forces battling ISIS that managed to establish complete control over a
command center run by ISIS by seizing the building in the Old MOSUL City
deserve a honourable mention as they managed to strike straight to the ISIS
heart and soul in MOSUL. In regards to ISIS attempting to extract some
retribution by claiming responsibility for the attacks in LONDON, ENGLAND
whereby five people were killed and over fifty others injured when a
terrorist, Khalid Masood, drove through pedestrians in Westminster, on
parliament hill, before launching a knife attack, I would say that Khalid
Masood, like other psychopaths in this world, was most probably inspired by
ISIS. In my opinion, Khalid Masood was most likely responding directly to ISIS’s
call relayed through social media for attacks in Europe and he was also
probably inspired by earlier attacks in FRANCE and BELGIUM as the copycat
effect in terrorism is an extremely powerful motivational factor for other
terrorists to launch attacks. As a friendly reminder, back in 2014, Abu
Muhammad al-Adnani, a senior ISIS spokesman and strategist, called on
sympathisers in the west to strike locally unbelievers, with whatever came to
hand, rather than setting out to migrate to the ISIS caliphate. As per Abu
Muhammad al-Adnani, “If you are not able to find a bomb or a bullet, then smash
his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your
car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him.”
Nonetheless, 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 SYRIAN chief negotiator, Bashar al-Ja’afari’s, clear statement that
a U.S. or Turkish backed attack on ISIS in the SYRIAN city of RAQQA would be
illegitimate unless coordinated with President Bashar al-Assad's government, I
tend to agree with him that given that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is still
legally in control of the SYRIAN Armed Forces (SAF) and the country, he should
at least be shown the respect of a formal plan of attack by the U.S. backed
Free Syrian Army (FSA). In my opinion, were the U.S. to ask President Bashar
al-Assad's government for approval, it would most probably be rejected out
right as President Bashar al-Assad has identified the U.S. as an invading force
and there seems to be no collaboration possible at this stage between the FSA
and the SAF under President Bashar al-Assad’s control. However, at a minimum,
the U.S. could share information with President Bashar al-Assad on the FSA
proposed attacks on ISIS as ISIS does represent a common enemy albeit the
impossibility at this stage for the FSA and SAF under President Bashar
al-Assad’s control to launch a coordinated attack. In my opinion, after over
six years of one of the bloodiest wars in world history, nobody can reasonably
expect these two opposing sides to collaborate on a coordinated strike against
ISIS but one could expect that when one party strikes ISIS, the other party at
a minimum does not get involved. That is, although nobody can expect the FSA
and SAF to fight together against ISIS, one can reasonably expect the FSA and
SAF to not attack each other when one party is striking ISIS.
In
summary, I refer to “World Peace Lennon Ivan Style – Part 239” 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 albeit reality that ASSAD and
FSA cannot fight against ISIS as team but at a minimum can avoid each other in
attacks full of steam as after LONDON obvious that ISIS poisoned minds
worldwide or so it seems.
Spirit of John Lennon –
Kurdish Guerrilla Song:
March 26, 2017
www.therockswebmarket.com
ReplyDelete