There was no "perfect" option in Syria. Limited strikes clearly don't deter the Assad regime from using nerve agent again. Massive strikes would create power vacuums, prolong the civil war and risk dragging U.S. down in Syria and possible conflict with Russia.
It is now clear that nearly 120 Tomahawk missiles were used tonight. This is apart from French and British strikes. This limited campaign that does nothing to degrade Assad's war machine will result in increased support by Russia and Iran.
This type of "we only hit Assad's chemical weapons-producing facilities" directly signals green light to other atrocities by the Syrian regime that kill far more than chemical gas.
The best policy would have been to significantly increase tensions, threaten with massive military campaign, and eventually push Syria and Russia into negotiations that could include a peace process to end the civil war. More on this: theglobepost.com/2018/04/08/syr…
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Study shows that a simple act of asking yourself whether you will remember something significantly improves the odds that you will remember, in some cases by as much as 50 percent. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21443325/
8 experiments revealed that pronouncing words aloud, instead of reading them silently, improves explicit memory.
Another study shows rehearsing content of events, like replaying an event in your mind, going over what someone said in a meeting, or mentally mapping out a series of steps, dramatically boosts memory consolidation. jneurosci.org/content/35/43/…
Erdogan is arguably one of the history’s most cunning politicians. He is such a magician that Turkish opposition falls for his tricks every single time.
Nearly a decade ago, Erdogan tried to limit alcohol sale late at night, introducing restrictions that were not necessarily harsher than the ones in US. Instead of justifying it with reasonable arguments, he insulted Ataturk & said laws “created by two drunks” aren’t respectable.
The opposition was furious. Now they started defending being “drunk” in a Muslim-majority nation, granting Erdogan unparalleled political fodder in his quest to trap the opposition. He buried the opposition with just two incendiary words.
Just like the militaries of Egypt, Pakistan, Thailand, Burma etc., Turkish military had been the fundamental tenet of the establishment that wanted to create a society that were Sunni (No Alawites/Shia), secular (No conservatives) and Turk (no Kurds or other nationalities).
Every time there was a threat to the Turkish state, either through communism or Islamism, the military acted. It is in the army’s DNA to “protect” the nation as a Sunni, secular and Turkish entity. Those genes still exist in the military.
Every time things “went wrong”, the military contemplated the possibility of overthrowing the government. In the mid-1990s (against Islamist govt), in 2003 (to protest Annan’s Cyprus plan), in 2007 (against Erdogan) and in 2016 (against Erdogan).
Azerbaijani Presidents signs a deal that ensures the surrender of Armenian forces and the end of the war in Karabakh. Azerbaijani president says it is a 'historic day' and 'very happy' over the agreement.
Armenia agrees to surrender the province of Aghdam to Azerbaijan by November 20.
Russian peacekeepers will be deployed to Lachin corridor that will ensure the link between Karabakh Armenians and Armenia for 5 years.
A lot of people have been asking me about the latest flare-up between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Here is what happened and why:
Let me start with a little background. Throughout the history, Armenians were scattered around the region in the Middle East and South Caucasus, including eastern Turkey, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and some lands in South Caucasus.
Ironically, today's Armenia, including its current capital Yerevan were predominantly populated by Muslim Turks, or Azerbaijanis. After twin Iran-Russia wars in the early 1800s, the demographic landscape in the South Caucasus had been changed significantly.
Many people keep asking me what is going on regarding Trump-Erdogan meeting and why Trump seems like taking a step back in imposing sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of Russian S400 systems. Here is what's happening:
Almost ten years ago, Turkey started negotiations with U.S. and European defense contractors to buy air defense systems to bolster its three-tiered Mediterranean air defense system and integrate into NATO's existing ones.
Around this time, several pro-Iranian groups in Turkey organized a humanitarian aid flotilla to confront Israel's blockade of Gaza. The bloody brawl on Mavi Marmara ship pitted Turkey and Israel against each other for many years to come.