Today’s Headlines and Commentary
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for immediate talks on "the statehood" of southeastern Ukraine, a "vague and provocative turn of phrase," notes the New York Times, that comes only days after Putin upped the rhetorical ante with an address hailing the success of “the militias of Novorossiya,” or New Russia.
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On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for immediate talks on "the statehood" of southeastern Ukraine, a "vague and provocative turn of phrase," notes the New York Times, that comes only days after Putin upped the rhetorical ante with an address hailing the success of “the militias of Novorossiya,” or New Russia. Reuters writes that while the Western media has interpreted the statement as Putin's backing for the pro-Russian separatists' demand for independence, the Kremlin has so far stopped short of express public endorsement for the rebels' position. Hours after Putin's statement, Ukraine stated that land-based forces attacked a border guard vessel in the Azov Sea, reports the Associated Press; pro-separatists have recently begun a new offensive along the coast.
Over the weekend, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN that the U.S. should be providing Ukraine with defensive weapons to fight Russian aggression. Reuters notes that on Sunday Senator John McCain also called for the U.S. to offer Ukraine intelligence data and weapons and Representative Mike Rogers stated that the U.S. and Europe need to lend strategic help.
Iraqi government forces broke a six-week siege by the Islamic State on the Shiite town of Amirli, where at least 12,000 people were trapped for over two months and had threatened mass suicide if the city fell to IS. Al Jazeera reports that it is unclear whether the U.S. provided air support for the coalition that broke the siege, while the Wall Street Journal writes that the breakthrough was aided by three U.S. airstrikes conducted in apparent coordination with ground attacks by Shiite militias, local civilian fighters and Kurdish troops.
Germany's Parliament has just voted to approve the delivery of machine guns, hand grenades and anti-tank missiles to Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State, a move that the Times describes as "an indication of Germany’s growing role on the world stage."
Charles Blow had an op-ed in the Times over the weekend criticizing the "war hawks" and "right-wing media machine" for pushing the U.S. to escalate military operations against the Islamic State and using fear tactics to turn the tide of public opinion in favor of war. A ballpark price tag for the military mission in Iraq: the U.S. has spent over $600 million since mid-June on airstrikes and humanitarian operations in the country, estimates the Washington Post, citing average figures offered last Friday by Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary.
The U.S. is urging Israel to reverse its decision to lay claim to almost 1,000 acres in the Etzion settlement bloc near Bethlehem, reports the Guardian, in the latest of a series of Israeli settlement activities that have come under intense international criticism.
On Sunday, the Israeli military shot down a drone that flew from Syria into Israeli-controlled airspace over the Golan Heights, reports Reuters.
Violent clashes continued over the weekend in Islamabad between police and protesters demanding the resignation of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The BBC reports that police used tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse protesters marching toward Sharif's residence with batons, gas masks and slingshots.
Less than a month after the U.S. evacuated its personnel from a U.S. embassy compound in Tripoli, the compound has been taken over by the Dawn of Libya, an umbrella group for Islamist militias, writes Al Jazeera America. And the Guardian reports that Libya's head religious authority, the grand mufti Sheikh Sadik al-Ghariani, is believed to have fled the UK for Qatar after the government began examining evidence that he was helping to direct the capture of Tripoli.
Last week, one of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer's, Maj. Jason Wright, resigned from the Army after denial of his request to defer completion of a required graduate course---which he regarded as being asked to abandon his client in violation of his ethical obligations as a lawyer. NPR reports that Wright has accused the U.S. government of "abhorrent leadership" on human rights and "stacking the deck" against the defense.
This morning the Times zeroes in on the physical decay of facilities at Guantanamo, a fitting backdrop to the continuing political deadlock over the future of the prison.
Only a matter of time before Hollywood gives this AP story the silver-screen treatment: in the early days of the Cold War, the U.S. government apparently recruited and trained fisherman and other private citizens across Alaska to feed wartime intelligence to the military and ward off a Russian invasion. Spoiler: there was no invasion.
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Jane Chong is former deputy managing editor of Lawfare. She served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and is a graduate of Yale Law School and Duke University.
