Who are the Kurds and what role could they play in the war with Iran? | PBS News

The 9 million Kurds in Iran live mainly in a stretch of land along the country's western borders with Iraq and Turkey. They have a long history of grievances and rebellions against both the current Islamic Republic and the monarchy that preceded it. 

Before the war, Amnesty International said Kurds face "systemic discrimination" in Iran and that in the past "security forces killed or injured many unarmed Kurdish cross-border couriers (kulbars) with impunity."…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/who-are-the-kurds-and-what-role-could-they-play-in-the-war-with-iran 

 

Fact Checker: Trump’s false claim of ‘centuries’ of fighting between Turks and Kurds - The Washington Post

Over and over, the president says the Turks and Kurds have been flighting for hundreds of years. This is not only simplistic, but historically ignorant and false....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/04/trumps-false-claim-centuries-fighting-between-turks-kurds/

Is Trump repeating one of the worst foreign policy blunders in history? - The Washington Post

Why appeasement is likely to backfire.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/10/28/is-trump-repeating-one-worst-foreign-policy-blunders-history/

Abandoning Our Allies In Syria (Pod Save the World)

Tommy and Ben discuss Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria and let Turkey begin a military campaign against the Kurds, a key US ally in the fight against ISIS. Then they try to understand why Republicans are only willing to criticize Trump’s Syria policy, explain why the NBA and Chinese government are fighting, and try to understand why Gordon Sondland, the US Ambassador to the European Union, was part of the quid pro quo with Ukraine. Finally they cover the latest on North Korea, Russia, and Boris Johnson’s Brexit. Then Washington Post Beirut bureau chief Liz Sly calls in to talk about protests in Iraq and the view from the ground in Syria.
Interview:
https://crooked.com/podcast/abandoning-our-allies-in-syria/

Send Rudy Giuliani To Syria (Pod Save the World podcast)

Tommy and Ben talk about disaster unfolding in Syria, fact check Trump’s claim that he’s ending wars, explain who the Kurds are and why they’re US allies, survey the international reaction to Turkey’s offensive in Syria, and explain why nuclear weapons make everything more complicated. Then they talk through the latest on impeachment and the corruption of US foreign policy, evaluate the détente in the trade war with China, highlight some good news out of Ethiopia, and talk about the latest in the dispute between the NBA and China. They end with a discussion of soccer diplomacy and how Senator Lindsey Graham got prank called. Then Vice News’ Isobel Yeung joins to talk about her reporting on the ground in Syria, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang, China.
Interview:
https://crooked.com/podcast/send-rudy-giuliani-to-syria/

U.S. and European Leaders Condemn Trump in Joint Statement | Law & Crime

Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) on Monday issued a joint statement with his counterparts from several European allies condemning both President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeast Syria and the Turkish government’s subsequent military offensive in the region.
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/in-rare-joint-statement-u-s-and-european-lawmakers-resoundingly-condemn-trump/

The News Roundup – International (Joshua Johnson, The 1A) 2019-10-18

Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that Turkey had agreed to a ceasefire at the border of northern Syria. However, Turkish leaders didn’t agree. Instead, they said it was a pause in operations, and they’ll start again if the Kurds don’t abide by the agreed-upon terms.

According to CNN, the terms dictate that “the Syrian Kurds/Syrian Democratic Forces must dismantle their defensive fortifications and pull troops from the border to appease Turkey.”

The impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukranian leaders continues this week as several officials went to Capitol Hill to offer testimony.

The president’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, took questions yesterday, and NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe asked him about President Trump’s request to a foreign leader to investigate his political opponents.
Interview:
https://the1a.org/shows/2019-10-18/the-news-roundup-international

Week In The News: Syria, Brexit Deal, Democrats Debate, Impeachment (On Point)

Trump’s gambit in Syria leads to fears of massacres of Kurds — and a backlash at home. Warren in the hot seat. Giuliani rejects a congressional subpoena. The roundtable is here.

Interview: 

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019/10/18/syria-trump-kurds-brexit-eu-democrats-debate-giuliani

ISIS Reaps Gains of U.S. Pullout From Syria - NYTimes

The troop withdrawal ends American operations against the terrorist group conducted jointly with a Kurdish-led militia......
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/world/middleeast/isis-syria-us.html

No, the Kurds aren’t more threatening than ISIS: Fact-checking Trump’s recent comments - The Washington Post

Trump's recent statements on the matter have been, to quote the office of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, "highly unusual." Other comments have been downright wrong or misleading.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/10/19/fact-checking-trump-kurds-yes-they-are-more-unsafe-now-no-they-arent-more-threatening-than-isis/

‘They are livid’: Trump’s withdrawal from Syria prompts rare public criticism from current, former military officials - The Washington Post

Unusual flurry of commentary exposes an internal debate over the military's role in foreign policy and the responsibility of uniformed officials to speak out publicly.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/they-are-livid-trumps-withdrawal-from-syria-prompts-rare-public-criticism-from-current-former-military-officials/2019/10/19/d9455f08-f1ba-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html

'Meltdown': Donald Trump and the impeachment week from hell - the guardian

On his 1,000th day as president, Barack Obama flew to North Carolina to launch a bus tour through smaller communities, selling a jobs act he hoped to get through Congress. Those were the days of politics as usual. Donald Trump spent his 1,000th day seemingly hellbent on self-immolation.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/19/meltdown-donald-trump-impeachment-pelosi-romney-mulvaney

Does Trump understand how grossly he just insulted the president of Turkey? - The Washington Post: Opinion

Trump's letter to Erdogan will have consequences for years to come.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/19/does-trump-understand-how-grossly-he-just-insulted-president-turkey/

The Memo: Trump's sea of troubles deepens - The Hill

The swirling troubles around President Trump got deeper this week thanks to a series of missteps...
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/466545-the-memo-trumps-sea-of-troubles-deepens

Romney raises troubling theory about Trump, Turkey - The Washington Post: Analysis

Romney suggested Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have given Trump an ultimatum --
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/17/mitt-romney-raises-very-troubling-theory-about-trump-turkey/

Cartoon: The great and unmatched wisdom war - Daily Kos

Video President Trump's unprepared, off-the-cuff phone calls are now resulting in war crimes instead of just old fashioned high crimes and misdemeanors. It's amazing what you can do when you throw your own allies and diplomats under the bus. Trump is digging his grave deeper at a furious pace, with impeachment staring him in the face and a foreign policy crisis of his own making — and now a truly disturbing exchange in the White House with Democratic leaders. ....
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/10/18/1893038/-Cartoon-The-great-and-unmatched-wisdom-war

Trump's 'meltdown' meeting with Nancy Pelosi reportedly went off the rails when she called him out for helping Putin in Syria - Business Insider

A meeting between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went off the rails after Pelosi accused Trump of helping Russia, according to reports. The meeting was about Trump's sudden withdrawal of troops from Syria, which gives Russia a backdoor to the region as vulnerable Kurds, who are US allies, face assault from Turkey. ....
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-meltdown-after-pelosi-implied-aided-russia-syria-reports-2019-10

In a month, Trump has destroyed ‘America First - The Washington Post

However, there's cause for relief about some of the president's many broken policies and promises....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/in-a-month-trump-has-destroyed-america-first/2019/10/13/0fa390cc-eb6e-11e9-9306-47cb0324fd44_story.html

Are you happy now, Trump supporters? - The Washington Post

No president has ever sold out America's allies as nonchalantly and unnecessarily as Trump has done with the Syrian Kurds.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/14/are-you-happy-now-trump-supporters/

Former U.S. general rages: 'There is blood on Trump's hands for abandoning our Kurdish allies' - Daily Kos

Since Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from northern Syria, media outlets have turned to politicians and military strategists to break down exactly what it all means—and all of it is bad news. The real-life ramifications of Trump's ineptitude are having dire consequences. In short, with a weak-minded president like Trump, world leaders are willing to call his bluff. ....
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/10/14/1892327/-Former-U-S-General-rages-There-is-blood-on-Trump-s-hands-for-abandoning-our-Kurdish-allies