Why Is Nobody Saying The Obvious: Putin Destabilized Ukraine – Forbes.
President Obama did indeed manage to hit the reset button on US-Russian relations, though I am not sure if empowering Putin and return to Cold War politics was the intended result. We have already seen how this situation played out in Syria. Now let’s see what’s in store for the Ukraine. It may not get as ugly, but it won’t be nice.
Diplomacy and the Syrian Equation – NYTimes.com.
A dysfunctional arrangement that would legitimize rule by warlords is probably the best that Obama’s toothless diplomacy can achieve at this stage. For the only thing that some learn from history is how to repeat it.
As talks in Geneva open with Vitriol, Accusations and Acrimony, according to local activists and certain revelations via social media, ISIS, Al-Nusra and the Islamic Front have reportedly reached a deal allowing for the establishment of a joint administration of all rebel-held territories in the country. The agreement calls for the establishment of High Sharia Commission to supervise the conduct of military operations, assess the legality of agreements reached with members of the international community, provide services in local communities, launch economic development projects, and manage local sharia courts focused on resolving local disputes. If this development is indeed true, then, it comes to underscore the complete disassociation of the political process currently unfolding in Geneva from the realities on the ground.
Continue reading “Notes on Current Developments – January 23, 2014”
Renewal is the ability to allow for a massive dose of new thinking to pour into our lives, even if it’s not derived from our own cultural heritage.
BY RYAN MAURO | Wed, January 22, 2014
Ammar Abdulhamid is a liberal Syrian pro-democracy activist whose anti-regime activities led to his exile in September, 2005. He currently lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is the founder of the Tharwa Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting democracy. The following is Ammar Abdulhamid’s interview with Clarion Project national security analyst Ryan Mauro:
The Ammar Abdulhamid Archive 