The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is caused by the world's failure to support democracy in the Middle East,
7More
Davutoglu: Failure to support democracy led to ISIL Anadolu Agency - 0 views
-
" ISIL now exists because we did not properly support the democratic transition processes in 2012, not becauseISIL is so strong or the Syrian and Iraqi people are aligned to ISIL-like radical acts."
-
"We welcomed the Arab Spring when it first began to flourish as we thought the EU and the U.S. would support and finance the Middle East just as they did for the wind of democracy in the Balkans,"
- ...3 more annotations...
-
Davutoglu said countries like Poland and Romania now enjoy democracy due to finance from the EU but, he added, "no state came up to finance democracy in the Middle East."
-
"Islamic communities that have a deep-rooted culture of politics have the capacity, like any other nation and religion, to both keep democracy alive and improve it,” he added. “Neither Islam nor the world of Islam can be correlated with entities like ISIL."
-
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke at the World Economic Forum about the world's lack of assistance in the transition to democracy in the Middle East and how that ultimately facilitated the birth of ISIL. He explains how a number of EU states were able to maneuver into the democratic realm with the assistance and guidance of the EU, illuminating the idea that the Middle East should be no different. Davutoglu condemns the west for abandoning Middle Eastern states in their dire time of need. While countries around the world supported the Arab Spring, they did nothing to support or finance it to success. He says it would be wrong to correlate the birth of ISIL with Islam, explaining how Islamic communities are perfectly capable of embracing democratic systems. However, assistance in its implementation is vital.
The Price of Abandoning Yemen - NYTimes.com - 0 views
51More
We Were Born From the Womb of the Revolution - 0 views
-
This article describes the position and demands of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party of Egypt. The relationship of the youth protesters with the Egyptian Left was solidified when the Left provided the youth with the political power to make their revolution successful. The Socialist Popular Alliance demands a new constitution and a new government structure that is based on democracy, human rights, and freedoms. Their political position and ideal social structure are very similar to typical American ideals, especially those of the American left political parties. However, the Public Alliance seems very angered over Mubarak's previous friendly relations with Israel. This population feels as though they were forced to abandon the Arab people and support Israel instead of Palestine. This is interesting because Egypt's relations with Israel has garnered tremendous political and economic support from the United States. Having an Arab ally has been an advantageous point of negotiation for Israel and the US. With the Popular Alliance in severe opposition to this position of Israeli sympathy, it is a surprise that they seem to embrace "Americanized" ideas. In addition, it is worth noting that the youth finds a great identity with the Arab culture, although not so much with a specific religion.
28More
Are China and Russia Moving toward a Formal Alliance? | The Diplomat - 0 views
-
-
-
- ...25 more annotations...
-
China secures a long-term (30 years) provision of natural gas from Russia and Russia can reduce its dependence on the European markets as well as strengthen Russia’s position against Western sanctions
-
Russia is now moving closer to China’s side with regard to the territorial disputes between China and Japan
-
China and Russia last week vetoed a draft UN resolution to send Syria to the International Criminal Court for war crimes. China and Russia had vetoed three previous UNSC resolutions condemning Syria
-
In the joint statement issued by China and Russia, the main message is that China-Russia relations have reached a new stage of comprehensive strategic partnership and this will help increase both countries’ international status and influence, thus contributing to a more just international order
-
China and Russia will deepen cooperation under the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building in Asia (CICA), a new security framework in Asia-Pacific that conveniently excludes the U.S. and Japan.
-
mutual strategic needs as both China and Russia want to create a multipolar world that is not dominated by the U.S., particularly as China faces threats from the US-led alliance in Asia
-
China’s chance of winning maritime disputes with Japan partly depends on maintaining a good relationship with Russia
-
the NATO expansion is a serious threat to Russia’s national security and as such Russia has to fight back
-
new China-Russia alliance is now emerging and this will eventually lead to a multi-polar world order.
-
problems in China-Russia relations such as historical mistrust, the lack of a common threat, and conflicting interests in Central Asia
-
he most important factor determining whether China and Russia should form an alliance is whether the two countries have shared strategic interests and how long such shared strategic interests can last
-
China nor Russia could become a member of the Western bloc led by the U.S. because other allies of the U.S. would feel threatened by China and Russia
-
, China’s number two position in the world means that China will not be supported by the U.S. with regard to most international affairs issues
-
Yan also refutes the argument that a China-Russia alliance against the U.S. would lead to another cold war.
-
ould be potentially high costs of such an alliance due to common problems such as fears of abandonment and entrapment
-
Russia wants to maintain good relations with all Asian states and thus will not side with China when it comes to territorial disputes between China and Japan
-
China-Russia alliance is unrealistic and a strategic partnership is more flexible and better for China.
-
seems that in the near future a formal alliance between China and Russia will not happen due to a variety of reasons.
15More
Proxy War Feared in Libya as UN Envoy Warns Against Foreign Intervention | VICE News - 0 views
news.vice.com/...s-against-foreign-intervention
libya militias armed groups war middle east proxy power vacuum
shared by allieggg on 13 Nov 14
- No Cached
-
US officials accused the United Arab Emirates and Egypt of secretly conducting air strikes on Islamist militias who have seized control of Tripoli airport.
-
US officials reportedly said they were not consulted over the strikes, which threaten to turn the already disintegrating country into a battleground for a regional proxy war.
-
Islamist groups — from Misrata and other cities wrested Tripoli's airport from the rival Zintan militia, loosely allied with the rogue General Khalifa Hifter, that controlled it since 2011.
- ...11 more annotations...
-
The Misrata alliance — operating under the banner Libya Dawn — is now said to be in de facto control of the entire capital after their opponents abandoned their positions.
-
-
The old General National Congress reconvened in Tripoli on Monday following calls from the Misrata alliance and voted to disband Libya's interim government, while the new House of Representatives, based in Tobruk, has branded those in control of the capital "terrorist groups and outlaws".
-
analysts fear Libya could become an arena for a battle between regional rivals, as countries such as the UAE and Egypt attempt to crush the threat from Islamist fighters backed by Qatar.
-
US officials told the New York Times that the UAE had provided the military aircraft and crews for two sets of air strikes
-
"outside interference" in Libya, which they said "exacerbates current divisions and undermines Libya's democratic transition."
-
after the previous Islamist-dominated parliament refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new assembly elected
-
"It's clear there is a proxy war in Libya between Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Algeria on one side and Qatar and Turkey on the other side,"
-
the country needs "real engagement from the international community" to defeat the Islamist militias.
8More
Kurds fear Isis use of chemical weapon in Kobani | World news | The Guardian - 0 views
-
Islamic State (Isis) is thought to have obtained stocks of ageing but still potent chemical weapons when it seized Iraqi army bases where they were stored,
-
There may also have been chemical weapons buried or abandoned elsewhere, that were not destroyed by US forces or the Iraqi military.
-
Iraqi officials said 11 police officers were poisoned by chlorine gas last month, when Isis fighters used it to attack the Iraqi town of Duluiya.
- ...4 more annotations...
-
Intense fighting has made it impossible to get doctors the equipment they need to do definitive tests for the use of chemical weapons,
-
It is possible that Isis fighters could mistake some chemical munitions for ordinary weapons and use them without being aware of what they are handling.
-
Islamic State (Isis) is thought to have obtained stocks of ageing but still potent chemical weapons when it seized Iraqi army bases where they were stored
11More
Ignorant jihadis 'have bought into fantasy fuelled by social media' | World news | The ... - 0 views
-
“They all had impoverished backgrounds, they were illiterate, their families had been approached by the Taliban and were coerced into abandoning their children, they were lambs to the slaughter,” she said.
- ...8 more annotations...
-
Those from the west are naive and lack imagination, they are chasing a fictional dream, and they often have barely any knowledge of what Islam is.”
-
The book aspiring Isis militants most commonly ordered online before taking off to Syria was Islam for Dummies, she said.
-
“What Isis has done, and they have exceed al-Qaida in this, is take really spectacular control of the narrative of their organisation while sharing that story through masterful use of all mechanisms of the media,” she said
-
Ten years ago, it was difficult to access and acquire videos like the beheadings we have seen unless you were part of an inner circle, but now this material is mainstream, you can access it just by opening Twitter,”
-
“If you are a young person with limited imagination, a limited sense of self, and you are uninclined to engage with your neighbours, friends and a pluralistic society, you are very easily seduced. You’re like a blank canvas.”
-
Islamism promotes explicit totalitarianism and the belief that Islam historically had incredible global and geopolitical glory that should be restored through violence, jihadism and barbarity
1More
A Saudi Story of Marriage and Divorce - 0 views
-
This link tells the story of a woman named Salma. Salma was sold at the age of 13 to an elderly man. She was then abused for 17 years and then divorced, the ex husband taking the children. This is one example of gender inequality and lack of a decent legal system and protective laws. I am not saying that all marriages are bad but stores such as this are horrendous and actions should be taken to prevent it from happening in the future.
13More
Turkey's Erdogan denounces US support for Syrian Kurds - BBC News - 0 views
- ...7 more annotations...
-
More than 500 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed since the assault began 10 days ago
-
urkey has already taken in more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees over the past five years and says it will continue to do so in a "controlled fashion".
-
urkey's president asked in a speech: "Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organisation?"
-
While Turkey sees the PYD and YPG as offshoots of the banned PKK, the US does not and believes they are the only effective force against IS on the ground in Syria, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul.
-
France's outgoing Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, also questioned the commitment of the US to resolve the crisis in Syria on Wednesday, saying its "ambiguous" policy was contributing to the problem.
-
Turkey has denounced the United States for providing support to the Democratic Union Party, who any are calling a terrorist group. This is contributing to the bloodshed.
-
Turkey is mad at U/S over their support for Syria's Kurdish group. Turkey claims them as a terrorist group. Refugees are still fleeing from Syria.
-
US support of Syrian extremist group, the Democratic Union Party, has been denounced by Turkish president Erdogan. The recent fighting has displaced 50,000 people and cut off key supply routes for bringing in aid. Turkey has vowed to continue to accept refugees.w
1More
US warns of dire outcomes if Iran nuclear deal scrapped - CNNPolitics.com - 0 views
-
Obama administration warns presidential candidates of negative effects that could occur if they were to pull out of nuclear deal. Claims that it would destroy the relationship they have built and Iran would go back to program. Candidates threaten to pull out of deal despite warnings in order to maintain alliances with other countries.