Tag: Syria
Stevenson’s army, November 8
– The Guardian has a good piece explaining the election rules in the various states.
– I’d also draw your attention to the small number of states that still allow straight-ticket voting. It’s surprising that so few do in this era of hyperpartisanship.
– NYT suggests the US-China trade war is ending, but WSJ and Peter Navarro don’t agree.
– Excellent article in Atlantic explaining how isolated Trump is in his presidency.
– There is some movement on budget reform.
– Here’s the devastating memo criticizing the green light to Turkey to invade Syria.
– Here’s the NYT review of the Anonymous author’s critique of Trump.
I’d add: the President has been fined $2 million for blatant misuse of his family-controlled charitable foundation.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. If you want to get it directly, To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army November 7
– VP Pence’s staff worked to shift US aid to Christian groups.
– Boris Johnson backs away from Trump.
– His own parliamentary seat is in jeopardy.
– SecDef Esper pleads with president not to interfere in military justice cases.
– DOD is working out rules to protect Syrian oil.
– China has a solution: limit gamers to 90 minutes per day.
– NYT describes 2 schools of thought on political polarization.
– To sort out conflicting polls, 538 has ratings on various pollsters.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. If you want to get it directly, To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army November 5
– Russia is sending mercenaries to Libya.
– With US absent, rest of Asia looks to trade deals with China.
– Tariff rollbacks likely part of US-China trade agreement.
– NYT says Pompeo “in peril,” losing trust at State.
– NYT has deeper look at Iraqi protests against Iran.
– The most important presidential election news: NYT poll shows Trump strong in battleground states; 2/3 of Trump 2016 and Dem 2018 voters say they’ll vote for Trump in 2020.
– Departing official criticizes Trump Syria policy.
– Former officials argue realists wrong about Syria.
– Academics say Trump quid pro quos aren’t normal.
– WaPo says many migrants are funded by microfinance programs.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. If you want to get it directly, To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Syria’s detainees and missing
I missed this statement when it first came out November 1, but glad to publish it now:
Statement to the UN Regarding the Constitutional Committee Releasing detainees and revealing the fate of missing persons should be the utmost priority of the Constitutional Committee
The Constitutional Committee held its first session by late October among celebrations by the international community and anticipation among Syrians. In the meanwhile, the Syrian Government continues to detain Syrians and refuses to reveal the fate and whereabouts of tens of thousands held in captivity. Moreover, the Syrian government continues to hold mock trials lacking the minimal standards of justice without even committing to the measures and regulations outlined in the current Syrian law and constitution.
The UN Special Envoy to Syria have failed to ensure the release of any detainee as outlined in the UN resolution 2254 (2015) which clearly calls for the release of any arbitrarily detained persons, particularly women and children.
We, the undersigned Syrian victims’ associations and organizations, call upon the UN to ensure the implementation of the confidence-building measures outlined in the UN Resolution 2254 (2015). We call upon the UN to explicitly declare that releasing detainees and revealing of the fate of missing persons remain to be its absolute priority and the priority of its special envoy for Syria Mr. Geir Pederson. We call upon them to ensure that before commencing in constitutional discussions which we only see as a delay mechanism while our children remain in prisons and secret detention centers.
We call upon the UN, in the name of victims and their families, to pressure the Syrian Government into granting immediate access to independent international investigation committees to prisons and detention centers in Syria. The UN must also guarantee transparent and public legal proceedings to all detainees regardless of the allegations made against them.
As we, the undersigned Syrian victims’ associations and organizations, have lost faith in political parties contributing to the Constitutional Committee. We call upon the UN Special Envoy to Syria to adhere to our rights and to apply all necessary measures to champion our demands in releasing detainees and revealing the fate of missing persons before proceeding with constitutional clauses discussion. We also hold civil society members accountable for the consequences of compromising the rights of victims if the demands of families and victims’ associations were overlooked.
Signatory Organizations:
Association of Detainees & The Missing in Sednaya Prison
Caesar Families Association
Families for Freedom
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Stevenson’s army October 31
- It’s not just Latin America. Protests are also widespread now in the Arab world.
- Lawfare summarizes recent hearings on Syria and Turkey.
- Slate details DOD/OMB fight over Ukraine money, which Congress rescued with a surprise bill.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. If you want to get it directly, To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, October 25
– WSJ says DOD wants to send tanks and more troops to Syrian oil fields.
– In order to pass this year’s NDAA Sen. Inhofe suggests a “skinny bill.”
– VP Pence’s long delayed China speech seems to criticize US companies more than Beijing. Here’s the text.
– Sen. Graham has a resolution criticizing the impeachment inquiry — and all but 9 GOP Senators are cosponsors.
– Sec. Pompeo was back in Kansas, sounding a lot like a candidate for Senate. See if you agree after reading this amazing interview.
– Huawei spends a lot on US lobbying; now there’s a Ukraine connection.
– NYT says House investigators are working with Bolton lawyers to arrange a deposition.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. If you want to get it directly, To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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