A Frightening US President

29 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by michelinewalker in Aboriginals, Middle East, United States

≈ Comments Off on A Frightening US President

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Avoiding an Armed Conflict, Biblical Israel, Embassy moving to Jerusalem, provocation, Safety, Security Council Resolution 2334, the environment, the Keystone Pipeline

More on the Keystone Pipeline

The Keystone Pipeline
If the planet dies, we all die

These are frightening times. The Canadian economy could use an infusion of money, but the Keystone Pipeline should be safe before crude oil travels to the United States. I hope President Donald Trump is not considering using the very pipeline President Obama had to close because it wasn’t safe. If that pipeline has been closed, exporting crude oil is not advantageous to Canadians until the pipeline is safe. I am certain former President Obama asked experts to assess the safety of the pipeline before closing the project. If it isn’t safe on the Canadian side of the border, the side Canadians control, prudence dictates vigilance and the construction of a safe pipeline, one that will not leak or threaten the environment in any way. So I had to edit my views. Exportation of crude oil may benefit Canada, but not if it uses an unsafe pipeline.

The First Nations and other Canadians must make sure they are drinking uncontaminated water and protecting the life of animals and the soil. Canada ratified the Paris Agreement. If the planet dies, we all die.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-formally-ratifies-paris-climate-accord/article32267242/

Israel

building in the occupied territories
moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem
scriptures vs international laws

President Trump is also endangering relations between Israel and Palestinian authorities. According to Isabel Kershner of the New York Times, Israeli are feeling “emboldened” by Mr Trump’s election to the presidency. Israel is therefore beginning to build housing units in the “conquered territories.” Naftali Bennet, Israel’s education minister, is encouraging Prime Minister Netanyahu to begin “a process of annexing the West Bank settlements to Israel.” Annexation would be a violation of the United Nations Security Council’s resolution calling for an end to the encroachment of land not allotted Israel. The United States did not veto the United Nations Security Council‘s resolution 2334 (23 December 2016) condemning encroachments by Israel on territory it was not given in 1948, when Israel was created.

The New York Times also quotes Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s “hard-line” defense minister: “We are going back to normal life in Judea and Samaria[.]” These are the West Bank’s biblical names. Israel seems to be claiming Palestine, on the grounds that it was home to Israelites two thousand years ago. In fact, the Jewish diaspora started before the Jewish-Roman wars, the last of which was fought by Emperor Hadrian (24 January 76 – 10 July 138). There is no Judea. The only territory Israeli can claim is the territory it was allotted by the United Nations in 1948. With respect to annexing territory, priority is given international laws, not scriptures. (See Jewish diaspora, Wikipedia.)

Yet, last Sunday, 22 January 2017, the Jerusalem City Council approved 566 new housing units in East Jerusalem. Oded Revivi, who represents the more than 400,000 settlers in the West Bank, says that settlers “hope that this is just the beginning of a wave of new building across our ancestral homeland after eight very difficult years.” President Obama was cautious, but President Trump could be helping Israel provoke Palestinian authorities, the United Nations and the Arab world.

bust_hadrian_musei_capitolini_mc817_cropped

Bust of Hadrian Musei Capitolini MC817 cropped (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Conclusion

The United States may also move its Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. People are protesting. The Middle East is a very sensitive area. At the moment, the conflict in Syria is abating but it could be reignited if the United States supports expansion. Peace is the main goal. Former President Obama was simply very cautious. Isil is the target of the Coalition fighting terrorism.

Millions have fled the Middle East creating a crisis in Europe. Peace and reconstruction are the current objectives.

Having made his views regarding Muslims and Mexicans public knowledge, President Trump’s only option is to help stop the crisis. I fear a resurgence of terrorist attacks. In fact, war could erupt. Europe cannot accommodate every refugee and Europe must not be imperiled.

President Trump is impetuous. Climate change and peace in the Middle East are sensitive issues. The new President should be careful.

RELATED ARTICLES

Israel & the Growth of Nationalism (7 January 2017)
Israel & Palestine (3 January 2017)
Nationalism & Genocides (28 September 2016)

Love to everyone ♥

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-embassy-jerusalem-stoffel-1.3946938

Demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv against President Donald Trump on Jan. 21, 2017. Among their messages: don’t move the embassy to Jesuralem (Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)

Amazing Grace

Moses breaking the Tablets of the Law by Rembrandt, 1659 (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Syria, cont’d

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in The Middle East, United States

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Aberdeen Bestiary, al-Assad, chemical weapons, interview, Le Figaro, provocation, Rwandan genocide, Syria, The Middle East, the United Nations, war as the greater evil

The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776, by John Trumbull, 1817 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

John Drumbull (6 June 1756 – 10 November 1843)

When I posted my previous article on Syria, I was afraid. I thought that my colleagues at WordPress would not look upon my post as a call for peace. I was wrong. Many of my WordPress colleagues also think the US should not enter into war. Banishing the use of chemical weapons can be addressed without entering into a military conflict.

However, I then watched CNN and heard many individuals express the view that America should saddle up — knights in shining armour — and enter Syria as though it were America’s mission to save the World. It is not America’s mission to save the world and I still feel the gassing to death of 1,429 Syrians by fellow Syrians could be provocation.

Provocation

Given the confidence the Syrians are expressing, I suspect they have powerful allies. It is therefore possible that the intended “narrow” intervention of a coalition led by the United States would escalate into a war and that the United States would again be seen as the “ugly American” who meddles into the affairs of the Middle East. Under Barack Obama’s Presidency, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won diplomatic victories that should not be jeopardized.

An Illegal Act of War

It is incumbent upon the World to make sure the “criminals” who gassed to death 1,429 innocent individuals are brought to justice. “Punishing” criminals is legitimate. Nobody wants a reenactment of the Rwandan genocide. However, attacking a sovereign “nation” could be construed as an illegal act of war.

The International Community

Consequently, it remains my opinion and conviction, that the US should continue to leave the Middle East, where it has long been despised, and let the World deal with the criminal acts committed under al-Assad’s dictatorship. The World has institutions, the UN and other agencies, whose duty it is to look after such matters.

I can understand that President Obama and his administration are motivated to intervene because 1,429 innocent individuals were gassed to death near Damascus. But it could be that 1,429 innocent citizens were gassed to death so President Obama and his administration would be motivated to intervene?

All things considered and as horrible as this may sound, war is a greater evil than the despicable gassing to death of 1,429 individuals. In the event of a war, there would soon be 14,429 victims, and then 144,299 victims.

Howard Chandler Christy‘s Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, 17 September 1787 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Howard Chandler Christy (10 January 1873 – 3 March 1952)

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was interviewed by France’s Le Figaro.

“President Assad: From my perspective, power lies in your ability to prevent wars not in igniting them. Power comes from ones ability to stand up and acknowledge their mistakes; if Obama was strong, he would have stood up and said that there is no evidence that the Syrian government used chemical weapons, he would have stood up and said that the right way forward is to wait for the results of the UN investigations and work through the UN Security Council. However, as I see it, he is weak because he succumbed to internal pressure from small groups and threatened military action. As I said strong leaders are those who prevent wars not those who inflame them.

Malbrunot: What do you say to members of congress whose vote will determine whether or not there will be any military action?

President Assad: Members of congress are entrusted to serve in the best interests of their country. Before they vote, they need to weigh up their decision in the interests of their own country. It is not in the interests of the US to perpetuate instability and extremism in the Middle East. It is not in their interests to continue – what George Bush started – spreading wars in the world.

If they think logically and in the interests of their country, they will not find any benefits to these wars. However many of them they have not mastered the art of logic in their political decision-making.

Malbrunot: How will you respond to these strikes, should they happen?

President al-Assad: If we think of the Middle East as a barrel of explosives close to a fire that is coming ever closer, then it becomes clear that the issue is no longer contained to a Syrian response, but rather what will happen after the first strike. The architects of the war can define the first strike – in other words they can determine what they will do, but beyond that it is impossible for anyone to predict what will follow. Once the barrel explodes, everyone loses control; nobody can determine the outcome, however what is certain is the spread of chaos, wars and extremism in all its forms everywhere.”

http://www.syriaonline.sy/?f=Details&catid=12&pageid=7073

4 September 2013

WordPress

Syria

01 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in History, The Middle East

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Alex Colville, chemical weapons, congenital malfaesance, playing dead, provocation, Syria, The Middle East

Photo credit: The Emyoku Project and Google images

The Battle of Ager Sanguinis, 1119

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Syria: the Use of Chemical Weapons

As reported by Secretary of State John Kerry, on 21 August 2013, Syria “gassed to death” 1,429 of its citizens including 426 children. It has therefore made it imperative for the entire world to stand up and oppose the death of innocent people.

President Obama is absolutely right: “We cannot accept a world where women and children and innocent civilians are gassed on a terrible scale.”

provocation

However, I now suspect a motivation on the part of Syria to provoke the West in general and the United States in particular into entering endless hostilities, as though the Crusades had not ended. This, I believe, was provocation: see agent provocateur. Under such circumstances, the US needs to consider “playing dead.” Something has to be done, but it would be my opinion that the United States’ best option is to be part of an international mission and to address, with partners, the use of chemical weapons.[i] They kill quickly and may harm an already ailing planet.

9/11

Please remember the brutal attacks of 9/11. There had to be a response on the part of the United States. However, these attacks were perpetrated by a global terrorist organisation: Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden. These attacks were not perpetrated by a nation. Therefore, President Bush’s best recourse was to track down Osama bin Laden, thereby

sparing the United States and the world two wars
while avoiding the near collapse of an economy that has gone global. He chose war and he spent trillions.

The Current Conflict

In the eyes of some US citizens, barging in to avenge the misdeeds of the Middle East might seem the “American” thing to do. Such a belief is rooted, at least in part, in the antiquated Manifest Destiny. But the truth is that the US does not have to solve the problems of the World. Moreover, I doubt that it can enter a sovereign nation. The Syrians killed 1,429 of their own people and it may well be that they were trying to provoke the West, especially the United States. However, although I suspect provocation, there was no attack on the United States. The temptation to enter Syria and punish the barbarians who killed 1,429 of their own citizens, using chemical weapons to boot, must be enormous. Yet no nation can elbow its way into another nation to teach it a lesson? The Syrians acted criminally and should face the International Court of Justice.

Negotiations

Moreover, may I suggest that one does not help those who will not help themselves. It is the duty of the embattled countries of the Middle East to put an end to their own misery. These factious nations are perfectly capable of finding their way to the negotiating table, if there is anyone left. For instance, the United States has long tried to broker a deal that would be acceptable to both the Israeli and the Palestinians. However, whatever deal has been proposed has also been opposed. So why try to resolve conflicts the belligerents themselves want to perpetuate? In the case of Syria, why should any nation punish the malfaesants who killed their own people? They may have wanted to infuriate the West, but in doing so they committed a horrible crime. They must face the consequences of this crime, but need it be war? There’s a tribunal.

Conclusion

Too intense a degree of engagement on the part of the United States in the conflicts of the Middle East would harm Americans and I doubt it would help the Middle East. I am not saying that the US should contemplate isolationism, but it would be my opinion and conviction that it should 1) continue to pull out of the Middle East, where it remains the “ugly American,” 2) let congenital belligerents face an indignant world and, 3) when a nation has acted criminally, make sure the concerned individuals are brought to trial.

I very much fear another war, the evil that followed 9/11. I’m so glad the White House is still Barack’s house.

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