Latest world news

Now Trump has blood on his hands

Published

10 years ago

April 8, 2017

POINT OF VIEW : A girl holds a sign that reads "We are Syria, Trump killer" during a protest against the US military strike against Syria, in front of the US Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, Reuters/UNI

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The friendship with Putin is over for now as the US president makes a policy turnaround and bombs Syria, post the deadly chemical attack there by the Assad government

By Sujit Bhar

Those were the days when former US President, Peace Nobel Laureate Barack Obama, so badly wanted to bomb the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. He thought it would be a cool idea to help the ‘rebels’, who were sometimes closing in on and sometimes being bombed by Assad’s forces, by providing strategic air support. Of course, he never thought about boots on the ground.

He sent the planes soaring, and it was then that somebody drove a different type of sense into him: The banned militant group of Muslim Brotherhood had mingled with the rebels and was aiming to drive up Assad’s lawn. Helping the ‘rebels’ would also mean helping this banned group of extremists, giving rise to more problems for the Middle East, the US and for the world.

The fighter jets were ordered back.

Then, shocking the world, Donald Trump assumed the presidency of the US. A known Vladimir Putin admirer and Russia backer, Trump had courageously set his eyes away from Syria. “See no evil,” he said.

But good times never last. Assad had to go and use the deadly Sarin gas on his people, killing at least 85 in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4. Trump, of course, is educated on the evils of chemical weapons, and how even the children—at least two dozen of them—had to suffer immensely, till their bodies were paralysed and their diaphragms collapsed before they died. It was too much, even for Trump.

DASTARDLY ACT: Men gather near bodies, after a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria, by government forces

Sarin is a banned chemical agent and the world’s Sarin stores are being destroyed. Except Assad’s.

In a matter of 24 hours, Trump had made a 180-degree turn and ordered a missile strike against Assad. US destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross, stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, fired 59 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, wreaking havoc within the Assad administration. That possibly indicated the end of the US’s hands-off policy in the region.

The Pentagon has reportedly said that the missiles targeted “aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defence systems, and radars” located at the al-Shayrat airbase in Syria. This was the first time since 2011, when the Syrian civil war began, has the US taken direct action.

The problem with firing missiles into any populated region is that it also delivers collateral damage, one reason why the US had the hands-off policy in the first place. Now a Syrian news agency reports that nine civilians, including four children, were killed in the strike. There is nobody to verify if those people were actually in the vicinity of al-Shayrat airbase during the strike. But bad news, even if it is fake, does travel fast.

US intelligence, according to reports, had believed that the al-Shayrat airbase was used to launch the chemical attacks. And Trump’s official response did little to dispel doubts of local tragedy. His statement, issued from his Mar-a-Lago holiday estate, said: “Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in the vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread of chemical weapons.”

That didn’t seem concomitant with general US foreign policy of “protecting” the weak around the world. While it was nearer Trump’s stated position of “protecting the interests of America”, what American interest in a distant airfield these strikes were protecting would be difficult to explain.

So why is Trump scared of assuming a position of strength, in admitting America’s “tradition” of spreading foreign policy throughout its administrations, including its defence and security establishments? Media reports points at his “narrow” thinking, which fails to realise a broader perspective and of greater good.

However, there could be another reason: Russia.

The Trump administration has been in jitters through its connections with Russia and America’s bogeyman Vladimir Putin, president of that Republic. Russia, Assad’s protector, has reacted angrily despite the Pentagon’s pre-strike information to Russia “using its established ‘deconfliction channel’”, as per reports in the media.

But Putin has come out and said the strike was “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law”. Tongue-in-cheek media reports have quoted Russian news agency Sputnik, which quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that the Russian president thinks this strike was under a “trumped-up pretext”.

Two things emerge. First, Trump has to stick to his stance on Assad. It is understandable that he can well turn around tomorrow and call Assad a good boy. But he has to strike a balance between what he does and what he says, as well as with how he wants to treat Putin.

Secondly – and this can go to Trump’s advantage – Putin may cry himself hoarse over bombing a sovereign nation, but he cannot, in civil society, condone the use of Sarin gas on innocent civilians, especially children. That jeopardises his position around the world.

Technically, while Trump would be on a diplomatic high from these attacks – Democrats would find it hard to find fault in this, especially when Obama failed to take any proactive stance and action on Assad—he could also be pressured from his early view of Putin.

The Cold War seems to have been revived, albeit through a back door.

According to a Pew Research Center report of January this year, when people were asked how much confidence they had in Putin to do the right thing in world affairs, the general trend in Western Europe was an upward one. France was up at 20 percent positive, UK at 20 and Germany and Italy both at 31. These figures have risen sharply since 2016.

On the other hand a March Gallup poll found that Trump’s job approval rating had slumped to 37 percent. It said that 58 percent of Americans didn’t like his presidency.

Not that such polls really make any difference to overall world geopolitics, but if Trump has to take the Congress’ green light for further spending on defence production (he wants a $ 30 billion raise), he will have to play a bit of the game by their rules. Executive orders may try and ban entry into the country (even that the courts have not agreed to), but they surely do not fetch funding from the treasury.

So Trump finally has blood on his hands, and when the Putin towel isn’t around to wipe it on, he will have to learn to live with it. Diplomacy at the top level can’t always be about pontificating from Trump Towers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Cristiano Ronaldo announces retirement from international football

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The decision marks the end of one of the most decorated international careers in men’s football. Ronaldo has made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored 146 goals, both records at international level.

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Ronaldo made his Portugal debut in 2003 and went on to represent the country across more than two decades.

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Ronaldo reflects on 23 years with Portugal

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His 146 goals came across 234 appearances for Portugal. He also became one of only two players, alongside Lionel Messi, to feature at six World Cups.

His international career included major individual records as well as team honours, making his departure one of the biggest moments in modern international football.

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US sanctions Indian couple over alleged support for Iran’s shadow fleet

The US has sanctioned an India-based couple and associated entities over allegations that they helped Iranian vessels evade international restrictions through fraudulent maritime registrations.

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The United States has imposed sanctions on an India-based couple and several associated entities, accusing them of helping Iran’s shadow fleet transport petroleum while evading international restrictions.

The US Treasury identified the individuals as Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid. According to the department, the couple operated a network that provided false maritime flags and certifications to vessels involved in transporting Iranian petroleum, including ships linked to Iran’s military and its proxies.

The sanctions were announced as part of the Trump administration’s Operation Economic Outcast, a campaign aimed at disrupting Iran’s economic networks and oil revenues.

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According to the US Treasury, Sharma and Shahid allegedly established fraudulent maritime registries and classification societies by creating websites that claimed to provide services on behalf of countries that had not authorised them.

The department said the couple’s activities went back to at least 2014, when they allegedly attempted to impersonate the maritime flagging authority of Dominica.

The Treasury further alleged that their network provided registration and certification services to vessels transporting Iranian petroleum, helping them circumvent international restrictions.

False ship flags and maritime certifications can allow vessels to operate while avoiding regulatory and sanctions-related scrutiny, according to the US authorities.

India-based firms also face sanctions

The US action also covers several India-based companies and entities associated with the alleged network.

Among those designated are Oceaniek Technologies India and Aryavart Ship Management Private Limited. Other entities named by the Treasury include Precept Trends Private Limited, Polynesia Maritime Private Limited, Alexarya Finserv Private Limited, Alexarya Media and Entertainment Private Limited, Viharaboating Private Limited and Aryavart Maritime and Educational Trust.

The Treasury imposed the measures under Executive Order 13902, which targets key sectors of Iran’s economy, including petroleum, petrochemicals and aviation.

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that Washington would continue targeting people and organisations it believes are supporting Iran.

“Under Operation Economic Outcast, you are either with us or against us,” Bessent said, adding that the US would sanction those it believes continue supporting the Iranian regime, whether by land, sea or air.

Separately, the US also sanctioned Turkey-based Fugo Ground Services Inc, accusing it of providing ground-handling and other services to US-sanctioned Iranian airlines.

The latest action therefore extends Washington’s sanctions campaign beyond Iranian entities to foreign individuals and companies that the US alleges are helping Tehran’s sanctioned oil and aviation networks.

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Mojtaba Khamenei warns against expecting US policy shift after midterms

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has warned against expecting a change in US policy towards Tehran following the Democratic Party’s victory in the US midterm elections. He said those hoping that political changes in Washington would lead to a shift in America’s approach towards Iran were seriously mistaken.

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In a message posted on the social media platform X on Wednesday, November 4, Khamenei said Iranians understood their position towards the United States more clearly than ever. He also said that examining the reasons behind what he described as US hostility and Iran’s resistance would provide guidance for the country’s future course.

Khamenei cautioned against viewing changes in the political balance in Washington as an indication that American policy towards Iran would become less hostile.

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“Should such aggressions be repeated, its (the war) scope will become much wider,” he said.

His warning comes amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the conflict involving the two countries remaining a major issue in US politics.

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The party benefited from public dissatisfaction with Trump and gained greater power to scrutinise and challenge his administration during the final two years of his presidency.

Trump, meanwhile, struck a conciliatory tone in an interview with The New York Times, saying he was “absolutely willing to accept those results” and was prepared to work with Democrats.

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The war involving Iran was among the major issues during the US midterm election campaign.

Democratic candidates criticised Trump over the conflict and linked it to economic difficulties that had contributed to frustration among voters across the country.

Khamenei’s remarks, however, indicated that Tehran does not expect the change in congressional control to result in a fundamental shift in Washington’s approach towards Iran.