Author: Steven Sahiounie

Washington and Seoul must produce new solutions for the current standoff on the Korean Peninsula, a senior North Korean military official said on Monday, adding that that “hostile policies” towards Pyongyang would lead to serious consequences. Kim Hyong-ryong, North Korea’s Vice Minister of the People’s armed forces, said at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing that Pyongyang has worked to build lasting peace. However, the situation has relapsed into a “dangerous, vicious cycle” of exacerbating tensions because of the actions of the US and South Korean governments, Reuters quoted the official as saying. He also accused South Korea of a “double-dealing…

BY FEDERICO PIERACCINI Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops who had been protecting the SDF (Syrian democratic forces) in the northeast of Syria, prompting Kurdish leadership and the Damascus governed to strike a deal allowing Syrian Arab Army to retake control of the border with Turkey after nearly six years. With the US troops withdrawn numbering around 150 to 200 (out of the 2,000 to 3,000 illegally squatting in Syria), it is understood that Trump’s decision is for reasons other than those stated. The primary impression Trump wishes to convey to his voters is that of keeping his electoral promises, including…

By Askiah Adam That national interests determine foreign relations is the received norm and has been operating, especially under Western hegemony, forever. Hence, the inability of Western foreign relations experts to perceive of a win-win configuration of the Chinese kind in Africa and Asia. And, nothing has changed. American imperialism today, is no less about its own interests. This premise denies the possibility that the recent US withdrawal from Northeast Syria is anything but self-interest. That reports suggesting American troops are still in the oil rich areas east of the Euphrates signals this unequivocally. Ultimately, this could be the spanner in…

By Sarah Abed Monday marks the thirteenth day since Turkey began its third cross border military operation in Syria ironically named “Operation Peace Spring”. In the past two weeks civilian and militant lives on both sides have been lost, a large exodus has taken place, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution that opposes US troop withdrawal, a five-day ceasefire was brokered between Turkey and the United States, and Kurdish militias have withdrawn from the “safe-zone”. On Wednesday, there was overwhelming bipartisan approval for a measure that opposes President Trump’s U.S. forces withdrawal from Syria. The resolution was introduced by Reps.…

By Steve Brown  If on October 10th a Saudi vessel had been struck by a missile in the Red Sea there is absolutely no doubt that US State and its major media outlets would immediately identify Iran as the culprit. So far, we’ve seen no hysteria from US State claiming that Iran was the source of the attack on the Sabiti tanker, originally claimed to be the Sinopa.  Despite a spreading oil spill related to the attack, according to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), “No help was offered to assist by any country” even if Saudi Arabia claimed otherwise. To…

On late Saturday, Lebanon’s minister of finance said that the government had agreed on a final budget which did not include any additional taxes or fees in a bid to appease nationwide protests. People are holding anti-government protests in Beirut, Lebanon amid a government decision to agree on the final budget without imposing additional taxes. Mass protests in Lebanon erupted earlier in the month after the government moved to introduce a $6 monthly tax on online calls made via WhatsApp and other mobile applications. Even though the tax was scrapped as the protests gained momentum, the rallies continue, with dozens of people injured in…

by Tim Korso The reported destruction of the base comes amid a redeployment of American troops to Iraq that was announced on the same day by Defence Secretary Mark Esper. The US Air Force has delivered airstrikes on the Al-Qulaib military base in the north-eastern Syrian province of Al-Hasakah, which American forces themselves occupied not long ago, Syria’s SANA news agency reported. The base had a runway that was used to receive military shipments from cargo planes and helicopters. The base had just recently been abandoned by US troops due to their withdrawal to Iraq amid a Turkish offensive in northern Syria, which has…

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri has reportedly given the nod on a package of reforms with government partners in an attempt to tackle an economic crisis that has triggered nationwide protests in the recent past. Official sources told Reuters on Sunday that a cabinet meeting would be held on Monday to approve the reforms. The package urges a 50-percent reduction in the salaries of current and former officials and $3.3 billion in contributions from banks to achieve a “near zero deficit” for the 2020 budget. It also includes a plan to privatize Lebanon’s telecommunications sector and an overhaul to its…

By Stephen Lendman One of the trilogy’s most memorable scenes was in pre-liberated Cuba where mafia dons are seen carving up a cake representing the country. The Hyman Roth character explains that “all of you will share” in plundering the island state in collaboration with its ruling authorities, adding: “These are wonderful things that we’ve achieved in Havana, and there’s no limit to where we can go from here.”“This kind of government knows how to help business to encourage it…(W)e have now what we have always needed —real partnership with the government.” Cuba’s strongman despot Fulgencio Batista was like Nicaragua’s Anastasio Somoza, a figure Franklin…

The Syrian army clashed on Saturday with the Turkish-backed militants near the border city of Ras al-Ayn, the SANA news agency reported. According to the outlet, the incident took place in the Tall Tamr district in the Al-Hasakah province, with the army having prevented the militants from seizing a village, controlled by Damascus. At the same time, the militants reportedly managed to seize two villages on the road, connecting Tall Tamr with Ras al-Ayn. The situation in northern Syria sharply escalated in October after Turkey had launched a military operation against the Kurdish units in the area. On October 9, Turkey began “Operation…