Gulf states and Turkey warned Trump strikes on Iran could lead to major conflict

US allies' lobbying appears to have helped persuade president to hold off for now on military assault

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/gulf-states-and-turkey-urged-trump-not-to-launch-strikes-against-iran

 

Turkey issues genocide arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu | Benjamin Netanyahu | The Guardian

PM, ministers and army chief accused of crimes against humanity that Israel has 'perpetrated systematically' in Gaza…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/07/turkey-issues-genocide-arrest-warrant-against-benjamin-netanyahu  

Mamdani's Grocery Stores Might Be More Realistic Than You Think - POLITICO

Politicians on both the right and the left have used urban subsidies to rise to power in countries around the world...

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/10/20/mamdani-groceries-politics-turkey-00613292 

 

Middle East Crisis: Turkey Halts Trade With Israel as Relations Deteriorate - The New York Times

Turkey said late Thursday that it had halted all trade with Israel until "uninterrupted and adequate humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza," signaling further deterioration in relations between the two countries…

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/02/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas

Dems in Congress push for a more progressive foreign policy (Pod Save the World podcast)

A leadership fight in Congress that could help make the Democratic Party’s foreign policy more progressive. A far-right nationalist wins reelection in Poland. How other countries are reopening schools during COVID. Egypt cracks down on press freedom. China, the NBA and why ESPN suspended a reporter. Turkey tries to silence critics abroad. China sanctions Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and may sign a strategic deal with Iran. And the US keeps its border closed.
Interview:
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9513168/dems-in-congress-push-for-a-more-progres

Far-Right Terrorists Want Syria Crisis to Bring on Race War

It’s time to pay attention. The fighting in Syria’s Idlib province is sending refugee shock waves surging toward a Europe that’s unprepared politically—or morally—to receive them.....
https://www.thedailybeast.com/far-right-terrorists-want-syria-crisis-to-bring-on-race-war

'We are not animals': Refugees caught between Turkey and Greece have nowhere to turn | CBC News

Refugees tell of Greek border guards taking their belongings and sending them back into Turkey ...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/greece-turkey-syria-refugees-1.5488845

Bolton book highlights another Trump action that demands investigation

Did Trump give Erdogan a bye on Iranian sanctions ... until he needed to be "tough"? ....
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/1/28/1914628/-Bolton-book-highlights-another-action-from-Trump-that-demands-investigation

Bolton Was Concerned That Trump Did Favors for Autocratic Leaders, Book Says - NYTimes

The former national security adviser shared his unease with the attorney general, who cited his own worries about the president’s conversations with the leaders of Turkey and China. ....
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/us/politics/john-bolton-trump-book-barr.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Turkish media paints White House visit as Erdoğan triumph over Trump | TheHill

Turkish media are seizing on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s comments that President Trump had “no reaction” to his returning the American leader’s notorious letter to him, saying it shows a clear victory over Trump. A headline in Sabah Daily, a pro-government media outlet, said that international media were reporting that Erdoğan returned the “scandalous” letter to Trump and the American president was “silent.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/470559-turkish-media-paints-white-house-visit-as-erdogan-triumph-over-trump

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/

Trump's False Claim about Syrian 'Safe Zone' - FactCheck.org

In explaining his decision to pull U.S. forces from northern Syria and allow Turkey to set up a “safe zone” in Syria, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Turkey has lost “thousands and thousands of people from that safe zone.” “This is entirely fictional,” Asli Aydıntaşbaş, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told us in an email. https://www.factcheck.org/2019/10/trumps-false-claim-about-syrian-safe-zone/

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/

Bill Taylor’s Got The Ukraine Receipts (Pod Save the World podcast)

Tommy and Ben talk about the latest on impeachment and about Turkey’s invasion of Syria. Then they run through a whirlwind week of news that included Brexit updates, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s narrow election victory, and Israel’s ongoing government formation process. They also discuss the treatment of US diplomats in China, Facebook’s handling of disinformation campaigns, protest movements in Haiti and Lebanon, and some great reporting about the war in Afghanistan. And in this week’s interview, National Security Advisor Susan Rice joins the pod to talk about Trump and Syria, General Mattis, Benghazi, and leading Bill Clinton’s Africa policy.
Interview:
https://crooked.com/podcast/bill-taylors-got-the-ukraine-receipts/

The News Roundup – International (Joshua Johnson, The 1A) 2019-10-25

This week, President Donald Trump doubled down on his decision to pull troops from northern Syria.

He says America is done trying to police the world. The withdrawal has left a power vacuum that Russia and Turkey are filling.

From The Economist:

Russian military police and Syrian border guards will enter areas to the east and west to ensure that the YPG vacates them as well. The Kurds will have until October 29th to withdraw to a depth of 30km along the whole border and disarm. Russian and Turkish forces will then begin patrolling the border together.

Also, protests rock Chile, Spain, Iraq and Lebanon.

And the Chinese government has reportedly drawn up a plan to replace Hong Kong’s embattled leader. However, Chinese officials pushed back on that story, calling it a rumor.

We wrap up the global news from around the world (and play some Drake).
Interview:
https://the1a.org/shows/2019-10-25/friday-news-roundup-international

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

'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/