Category: Regions

Tajikistan might become the next US target in the Central Asia for Washington political ambitions
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is increasing its presence in the Central Asia, particularly in Tajikistan through various economic, trade, healthcare and social projects. Only for the last 3 years the USAID has introduced a number of agriculture projects for the country’s farmers, has launched campaigns aimed at fighting Tuberculosis along with other projects involving funding of local prospective journalists, students, businessmen and entrepreneurs. According to the Agency, USAID investment strategy in Tajikistan involves large-scale and ambitious projects for the next 3-4 years that aim to increase the living standard in the country.
Even though the US impact and investments in Tajikistan’s economy cannot be underestimated, the history has assured that nothing is free and there is some certain price for every good that’s been done. Tajikistan, a small country in the Central Asia with poor economy but strong authoritative political system, could become a perfect potential target for US so-called democratization policy. Positive social and economic changes integrated by the United States in Tajikistan are building up a solid ground for lobbying Washington political ambitions in the country.

Fostering the pro-Western values in young people’s minds may undermine the country’s economy and political system in the future – the world has seen the US hand in attempting the coup of Venezuela, Ukraine and Turkey. And once the economic and trade compass of a US “ally” country contradicts to the US course, the result could be a trade war, as it was a case for China. For Tajikistan, а landlocked country with the agriculture-based economy such consequences may be far more than tragic.

The friendship of Tajikistan’s political elite with the United States has quite a thin basis– the historic, cultural, social and economic paths of the countries have little in common. By infusing money in Tajikistan’s economy, business and social projects the United States would likely start strengthening its political system by proposing candidates loyal to Washington. Given the upcoming elections in Tajikistan in 2020 and the 30^th anniversary of the Republic next year, the US political ambitions in the country are quite clear. Once and if they are met the USAID projects and investments may wind down and the entire political system of the country might burst in quite a natural way. In this case, Tajikistan’s political future might inherit the Bolivia’s fate.
November 24, 2019
‘France doesn’t want us’ — Europeans who joined ISIS face Iraqi justice

Exclusive: ‘France doesn’t want us’ — Europeans who joined ISIS face Iraqi justice

By Anelise Borges • last updated: 27/09/2019

This week, Euronews brings you a series of exclusive reports on “Europe’s Children of ISIS”: the victims — and heirs — of one of the most brutal terrorist organisations the world has ever seen. We will ask: “What does future hold for these children? And what does this quandary say about Europe?”

Months after the final collapse of the so-called Islamic State in the deserts of eastern Syria, tens-of-thousands of its fighters and those that lived within its so-called caliphate face an uncertain future.

Many are in the north-eastern Syrian region of Rojava, where Kurdish authorities hold 10,000 ISIS fighters, including 2,000 foreigners, and wish to see them tried in local courts.

Read more: Euronews speaks to European children of IS being held in Syrian camps

“We’re asking for an international tribunal. Why should these courts be here? Because ISIS fighters’ atrocities were committed here, and because the evidence, the proof, the witnesses, are all here,” Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of foreign relations in the Kurdish administration, told Euronews’ Anelise Borges in northeastern Syria.

‘There will be consequences for France’

But certain countries, including France and Belgium, have reportedly negotiated with third nations the process of bringing their citizens to justice.

At least 11 French nationals have been tried in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, says Nabil Boudi, a lawyer who represents European nationals held in Syria and Iraq for suspected links to ISIS.

Boudi has warned that there could be consequences for France.

“If France’s involvement in the transfer (of French prisoners from Syria to Iraq) is documented, proved, France will be condemned in international and European courts,” he said.

“France is a signatory of international conventions notably against the death penalty within the context of the Council of Europe, which means it doesn’t have the right to transfer its citizens to a country where they practice torture or sentence people to death.”

Read more: Europe’s children of the so-called Islamic State

Now, in northeastern Syria, Europeans who lived in the caliphate are concerned that they will be transferred to Iraq.

“Yes, they said they would send us to Iraq to give us… how do we say it? Life in prison,” a French woman said told Euronews in the Ein Issa refugee camp.

“France would have preferred that we were all dead.”

Would these women have done anything differently if they could have foreseen their fate?

“Everything,” said one.

“You can ask anyone here and very few will tell you they are proud of what they did,” said another.

September 29, 2019
GMIS-2019 will drive the Fourth industrial revolution
The GMIS-2019 is about to take off on July, 9. The summit is a joint venue of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Arab Emirates. Russia provides great opportunities for the development of industry and high technology. The UNIDO head Li Yong has repeatedly given positive assessments of the close cooperation of the international organization and Russia. The cooperation includes Russia’s support of participation in large-scale industrialization programs in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which contribute to a positive image in these regions. Besides, Russia also provides industrial development and maintenance projects in Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The signing of a cooperation agreement with the Eurasian Economic Commission and the provision of platforms for the St. Petersburg International Forum and GMIS-2019 were also noted by the UNIDO head as appositive move. In addition, the approaches of Russia and UNIDO to the solution of the socio-economic problems today are very common. The summit provides an opportunity to use all the necessary potential of the participating countries to expand cooperation with each other. The geographical location of Ekaterinburg on the border of Europe and Asia contributes to the development of economic relations of European entrepreneurs with partners from China, Japan and other Asian countries. The examples of the World Cup games in 2018 and the international industrial exhibition INNOPROM emphasize the availability of infrastructure facilities in the city for hosting major international events and accommodate up to 40,000 tourists per day. The organizer of the summit is preparing an exhibition of 100 startups, which includes the most promising sectors – the drivers of growth of the world economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The willingness of international representatives to take part in the summit testifies their attitude towards Russia as a reliable trade and economic partner, which fulfills its obligations, despite US attempts to isolate Russia from the system of international relations.
July 7, 2019
America has spent $5.9 trillion on wars in the Middle East and Asia since 2001, a new study says
Published Wed, Nov 14 2018 5:15 PM ESTUpdated Thu, Nov 15 2018 9:55 AM EST
Amanda Macias@amanda_m_macias

Key Points

The U.S. wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan have cost American taxpayers $5.9 trillion since they began in 2001.

The figure reflects the cost across the U.S. federal government since the price of war is not borne by the Defense Department alone.

The report also finds that more than 480,000 people have died from the wars and more than 244,000 civilians have been killed as a result of fighting. Additionally, another 10 million people have been displaced due to violence.

U.S. Marines and Georgian Army soldiers run to the extraction point during Operation Northern Lion II in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 3, 2013.

U.S. Marine Corps photo

WASHINGTON — The U.S. wars and military action in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan have cost American taxpayers $5.9 trillion since they began in 2001, according to a new study.

That total is almost $2 trillion more than all federal government spending during the recently completed 2017-18 fiscal year.

The report, from Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University, also finds that more than 480,000 people have died as a direct result of fighting. Over 244,000 civilians have been killed. Another 10 million people have been displaced due to violence.

The $5.9 trillion figure reflects the cost across the U.S. federal government since the price of war is not borne by the Defense Department alone, according to Neta Crawford, the study’s author.

In addition to the money spent by the Pentagon, Crawford says the report captures the “war-related spending by the Department of State, past and obligated spending for war veterans’ care, interest on the debt incurred to pay for the wars, and the prevention of and response to terrorism by the Department of Homeland Security.”

It breaks down like this, according to Crawford and the report:

Total U.S. war-related spending through fiscal year 2019 is $4.9 trillion.

The other $1 trillion reflects estimates for the cost of health care for post-9/11 veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will be responsible for serving more than 4.3 million veterans by 2039.

What’s more, longer wars will also increase the number of service members who will ultimately claim veterans benefits and disability payments.

The U.S. government spent $4.1 trillion during fiscal year 2018, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Treasury Department.

The Defense Department accounted for 14.7 percent of that, and the Department of Veterans Affairs accounted for 4.4 percent.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the cost has been $5.9 trillion, according to the study.
June 16, 2019
Institute of Turkish Studies To Close Down in 2020: Good Riddance

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

The Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS), a non-profit organization, was founded in 1983 with $3 million donated by the Government of Turkey in Washington, D.C. ITS issued a press release on May 31, 2019 announcing that it will cease its operations on September 30, 2020.

This was a surprising announcement for two reasons:

1) The sum of $3 million is a relatively small amount for the Turkish government having spent tens of millions of dollars to hire public relations and lobbying firms in the United States for many years. Returning the $3 million or whatever is left of it to Turkey will not make a major difference in the country’s financial condition. Turkey needs several hundred billion dollars to recover from its economic collapse.

2) Despite the boastful press release by the Institute’s leadership about its accomplishments, the withdrawal of the funds by the Turkish government implies that the Institute had failed to meet its propaganda goals. The Turkish government stopped funding ITS in 2015. To make matters worse, the Institute’s leaders acknowledge in their press release that they have not been successful in raising sufficient funds from outside sources to continue the Institute’s operations. In recent years, the ITS received partial financial support from Georgetown University, Koç Holding, FIBA Holding, and Mr. and Mrs. Muhtar Kent (former Board chairman of The Coca-Cola Company), and other individual donors.

The ITS press release claims that its grants since 1983 have promoted Turkey and Turkish studies “in 45 US states plus the District of Columbia. Over 130 dissertation writing grants translated into 70-plus professorial positions at American institutions of higher education, and language and research awards helped prepare at least 235 others who took up teaching and research positions in the United States and elsewhere. Awards to several dozen developing scholars over the last five years will pay further dividends in the future. Nearly 80 US institutions established library/research collections relating to Turkey, or added significantly to existing resources, thanks to ITS funding, and 19 American universities received seed money to support the establishment of new, Turkey-related teaching positions.”

In recent years, the ITS was located at the offices of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The Honorary Chairman of the Institute was the Turkish Ambassador in the U.S., confirming the close supervision of ITS grants by the Turkish government.

The Institute of Turkish Studies has been embroiled in a number of scandals, starting with Heath Lowry who was the founder and executive director of the Institute from 1983 to 1993. Lowry was instrumental in preparing and publishing full-page ads in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Washington Times on May 19, 1985, signed by 69 ‘scholars’ who denied the occurrence of the Armenian Genocide. Lowry subsequently became the Ataturk Professor of Ottoman & Modern Turkish Studies at Princeton University, funded by a $750,000 Turkish government grant.

I was the first target of a legal confrontation with the Turkish Institute, after I wrote an editorial in 1985 in The California Courier listing the names of the U.S. scholars and the amount of money they had each received from the Turkish Institute. Interestingly, many of these scholars were the same ones who were given grants by the Turkish Institute. I received a letter from the attorneys of ITS stating that they will sue me for libel unless I published a lengthy retraction which I refused to do. My attorneys informed the Turkish Institute lawyers that their allegation of libel had no merit and informed them that we will file a counter lawsuit. In response, the ITS dropped its threatened lawsuit!

Then in 1995, an article titled “Professional Ethics and the Denial of Armenian Genocide,” was published in Holocaust and Genocide Studies exposing a letter sent to Prof. Robert Jay Lifton, drafted by ITS Executive Director Heath Lowry in 1990 on behalf of the Turkish Ambassador Nuzhet Kandemir, denying the facts of the Armenian Genocide. Lowry’s draft letter in the name Ambassador was inadvertently sent to Prof. Lifton, causing a major academic scandal.

In 2006, American professor Donald Quataert resigned from the chairmanship of ITS Board after refusing to obey the Turkish Ambassador’s orders that Turkey would revoke the ITS funding unless Prof. Quataert retracted a scholarly book review in which he had written “what happened to the Armenians readily satisfies the U.N. definition of genocide.” Several other ITS Board members resigned shortly in protest.

With the announced closing of the Institute of Turkish Studies, there will be one less outlet for Turkish propaganda in the United States distorting the tragic truths of the Armenian Genocide.

June 12, 2019
The Funniest Protest Signs From Trump’s Visit To The UK
As you’ve probably noticed, we love reporting posting about Trump’s adventures on this site. Currently he’s visiting UK, so here are the funniest protest signs made by some brilliant UK citizens…

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If you enjoyed this gallery, you will probably also like Trump With an Extremely Long Tie, Trump Toilet Paper, and Frog-Chinned Trump.

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39 Comments

Add your comment
1. Anonymous June 3, 2019Love these. Gonna save this as inspiration for 2020 signs!
2. Frann June 3, 2019This made my morning so much brighter,Thanks!
3. cecile June 3, 2019ha ha ha….
4. Dense Pence June 3, 2019He’s a “Looney Tune” that ISN’T funny!
5. MC/DC June 3, 2019Just Brilliant!
6. Mike P. June 3, 2019Shoot him and I’ll be president!
7. Roger Collins June 3, 2019Brilliant- our sense of humour is one of the last good things in the UK?
8. Anonymous June 3, 2019This made my morning
9. Jeanne June 3, 2019Well done, you Brits!!
10. Anonymous June 3, 2019Useful idiots gonna useful idiot…
11. DP June 3, 2019Love it UK 🇬🇧. Thanks for the laugh, we need it here in the US 🇺🇸. It’s embarrassing to admit I’m from here these dark days. 😪
12. Patti June 3, 2019Thanks for all the giggles, UK! These are wonderfully amusing. I needed a laugh today.
13. Antoinette June 3, 2019Love your signs and your enthusiasm. We hate him in the United States as much as you do. Your cousin across the pond,
14. maura June 3, 2019These are just great! Speaking as a U.S. citizen!
15. Anonymous June 3, 2019From this Californian….THANK YOU!These are absolutely golden!
16. Anonymous June 3, 2019These are great! Gave me smiles and giggles and we’ve had few of those since Trump was elected.
17. Jenny June 3, 2019LOVE IT!!! And I’m glad that the comments I’ve read here aren’t from any trumper humpers. I pray and pray that there are enough of us that will stop a revolution if it happens. These people really do scare me even more than rump because they give him the power, lie for him by passing around HIS fake news, feed his ego and ones that I’ve talked to (which I avoid at all costs) are downright hostile He really is doing almost exactly what adolph hitler did in Germany,
18. Harvey June 3, 2019Most of the people here in the U.S. can’t believe he hasn’t been impeached ! I can’t gut him , he makes me sick to my stomach !
19. Sher Holtz June 3, 2019WE LOVE THE BRITS. WE HATE THE SOB TOO BUT IT’S NICE TO KNOW WE HAVE COMPANY!! THANKS GUYS!
20. Cherilyn June 3, 2019Sooooo awesome! So glad someone can do this! Please continue!
21. Patriot June 3, 2019Ignorant brainwashed leftys.. Traitorus propaganda media… If you understand anything about politics and the world stage then you would not be slandering this man you would be showering him with respect and thankfulness.
22. Tootie June 3, 2019I almost spewed my coffee across the room when a friend shared and I saw the cover photo. Thank you Brit’s, you didn’t let us down AND your cleverness will appear on our signs on this side of the pond. Come visit Montana and will show you around
23. Anonymous June 3, 2019These are great. And they made my day. I wish we could do this. I’d be first in line.
24. Rose M. June 3, 2019This made my day also. The right is crying. 😁
25. Glenn June 3, 2019No Respect for the US president. These people would be speaking German if it weren’t for the US
26. rseimone June 3, 2019Bless the Brits, we can always count on them! This made my morning 100% better!
27. Anonymous June 3, 2019Love all the signs. I don’t understand why the Queen even invited him- lost respect for her! Sad
28. Anonymous June 3, 2019No Glenn, in case you didn’t know, the Brits held their own in WW2 and the Canadians{ also the UK} helped defeat the enemy. Heck, even the Russians did their share.Typically American to think anybody owes you anything.
29. Anonymous June 3, 2019Glenn – many Brits are very grateful to the US for their part (along with many others, and slow as it was in coming) in WWII. Remind again how Trump contributed to that? Or anything about his honorable military service…?
[tumbleweed]

Janet June 3, 2019

Love the signs Hate TRUMP too

Anonymous June 3, 2019

Thank you Brits for making my day!! So hilarious and enlightening. Most of my friends can’t stand him either! 😀

Anonymous June 3, 2019

The signs were AWESOME!! The UK rocks!!! Btw, if the orange infant gets re-elected (God forbid) can I come back (2 lines were English who came to the US way back)? PLEASE???????????

iamcart June 3, 2019

FANTASTIC! Thanks England!

Pam June 3, 2019

Wow! I was hoping my blood was not that stupid. Thankful my branch of the family left your island, worked hard and created a country that would elect President Trump. And you have Khan. LMAO!

Anonymous June 3, 2019

Let him have it! Thank you UK from your friends in San Francisco!

Dorcas Smith June 3, 2019

Love these signs! Go Brits!

Faith June 3, 2019

Thanks so much made my day… We promise to get rid of him, trying hard. Maybe since he doesn’t read he can sell the first edition and buy gum in jail. jus sayin….

Tony June 3, 2019

And of course our illustrious British prime minister (not) and her boy’s club are so much better than Trump? More honest, caring when it comes to the electorate, really listen to the people, fulfil their promises and give the people what they vote for!!! I don’t think so! I’ll take a leader with guts over the yellow bellied lot here any day.

OgburnMobileOgburn June 3, 2019

From Alabama, Bless you all! Brilliant!
June 3, 2019