US Military Strikes 100 Pro-Regime Dead in Syria

Recently, the US army coalition conducted an array of strikes against pro-regime forces in Syria. About 100 pro-regime fighters were killed. The report stated the alleged reason was that the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad carried out an unreasonable strike. This was on a well known Syrian democratic headquarters, where the leaders of the coalition had been working with US supported fighters. The attacks consisted of artillery, motor fire, and even Russian-made tanks. Because of so much force, the coalition decided to start targeting the aggressors with both air and artillery strikes. They later reasoned that all the killings were in self defense. And there were no US coalition fighters wounded or killed during the time of these strikes. The coalition also suspected that they wanted to seize territory or more specifically oilfields. Which gave them even more reason to attempt the strikes and over power them.  Of course, this is just one of the many examples of the coalition fighting back against the pro-regime fighters in Syria.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think that what the coalition did was appropriate? Is it justifiable because of the good intentions or are the actions uncalled for?
2. Was it worth the amount of forces that the coalition had to call in, especially since there were many air strikes occurring?
3. What motives do you think the pro-regime had in mind for targeting a Syrian democratic headquarters?

Assad's Government Accuses US of Massacre

Article Link

The US bombed the Middle Euphrates Valley, which acts as an informal border between the government-controlled west side, and the east side, controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The air and artillery strikes killed an estimated 100 pro-government fighters, along with Russian mercenaries in the area, though Russia denies them being there. The Pentagon reported that Russia had given the US the "green light" to launch strikes. The US claims that forces allied with the Syrian government crossed the demarcation line, and launched an "unprovoked attack" on SDF headquarters in Khusham. One US official stated that pro-Syrian forces were "likely seeking to seize oilfields in Khusham." In response to the strikes, the Syrian foreign ministry wrote to the UN, demanding "international condemnation," describing the air strikes as "a war crime and a crime against humanity."

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think that the Syrians are justified in accusing the US of a massacre? Why or why not?
2. Do you think that the US's response to the attacks was reasonable? If not, what would you have done differently?
3. How large is the impact of oil fields in this situation? What is your opinion on their significance?

Israeli minister 'honored' to be barred from Poland over Holocaust bill

Article Link

Poland is proposing a bill that would outlaw suggesting that Poland was complicit in the Holocaust. On Monday, Poland canceled Israel's education minister Naftali Bennett's visit to Warsaw because he refused to stop criticizing this bill. Bennett has since said that he is honored that Poland has canceled his visit and that Poland did so because he mentioned the crimes of its people. If the bill is passed the Polish government would force prison sentences of up to three years for mentioning the term "Polish death camps" as well as for suggesting "publicly and against the facts" that Poland was scheming in Nazi Germany's crimes. Poland's right-wing nationalist government says that the bill is needed to protect the reputation of Poles as victims of Nazi hostility. Israel says the bill would prohibit true statements about the role that some Poles played in Nazi crimes. During the Holocaust many Polish people collaborated with the Nazis and actively participated in the genocide of Jewish people. Israel has condemned the Polish Holocaust bill. It was passed in Parliament last week and is waiting for a settlement by President Andrzej Duda over whether to sign it. This bill has also stirred up disapproval from the United States, many international organizations, and Polish minority groups.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the possible consequences when people decide to rewrite history? 
2. If this law were to be passed how would it affect democracy? 
3. Do you think a bill like this could be passed into law in the United States?

Israeli man murdered in West Bank

Article Link

Ben Gal, an Israeli man, was stabbed to death near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. The suspect was identified as a Palestinian man. Israeli police call this a terrorist attack, but the militant group Hamas, which is often itself designated a terrorist group, referred to the attack as a "continuation of the resistance" to the US's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. However, previous articles on this blog reveal that most countries don't share this belief, and even the UN has deemed President Trump's declaration on the Israeli capital "null and void."

Discussion Questions:

1. After seeing the movie Promises, can you make an argument for why violence like this exists in this region?
2. What is your opinion on the growing number of Israeli settlements in Palestine-occupied territory, like the West Bank? How could this affect possible negotiations for a two-state solution?
3. What, if anything, should be done with existing Jewish settlements? 

The Tax Cut's Potential Benefits for the Democratic Party

Article Link

Tax cuts that President Trump campaigned upon and achieved in the end of 2017 may accelerate the demographic problems that threaten the Republican Party in its current form. If businesses and workers flock to Arizona, Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina due to cheaper real estate and lower taxes, Republicans may lose control of these states sooner than expected. The reason for this is younger voters are increasingly abandoning the Republican Party and they are the ones most likely to follow job creation in these Sun Belt states where Democrats have already been making gains.

Discussion Questions
1. Although the events of the next nine months will likely have a major impact, do you see the Democratic wave that began in Nov 2017 carrying through to the midterm election this November?
2. Will Republicans be able to counter potential Democratic gains in Sun Belt states by further gains of their own in Midwest states?
3. What will be the impact of Trump? Will he be able to attract independent voters by pointing to the nation's strong economy or will Republican pay an electoral price for his divisiveness and extreme rhetoric?

State of the Union

Article Link

President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union speech on January 30, 2018. He
began with restating his loyalty to Americans and how his job is to ensure he makes "America
great again". Trump covers many topics, but many believe he covered the wrong topics. He
gives examples of how Americans are strong,especially through all of the recent natural
disasters by glorifying certain people for their heroic deeds Trump reminds Americans
that veterans aren’t the only ones who can perform civic duties. Trump confidently announced
there are now 2.4M new jobs and minimum wages rose. He said his new tax reform will make
is possible for small companies to compete globally, for families to cut their tax bills in half, and
will provide “tremendous belief” for the middle class. President trump claims “for the last year
[the government] [has] sought to restore the bonds of trust between [the] citizens and their

Government”. He says he will focus on American interests when it comes to immigration and
to detain terrorists. He wants to strengthen international relationships but clearly said “American
foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests, and only go to America's friends”.

Trump introduces a 4-pillar plan.

1- Offering citizenship to over 1.8M people who were brought here by their parents

2- Securing the border

3- Ending the visa lottery

4- Ending chain migration (essentially limits the number of family members one can bring
into the country.

Discussion Questions

1. What are your thoughts on Trump’s Four Pillar Plan?
2. Do you believe Trump could have talked about different topics to have a better State of the Union Address? If so, what should he have addressed?
3. Do you think Trump had a successful year? Explain.

The Four Major Lapses about Foreign Policies in President Trump's State of the Union Speech

Article Link

         On Tuesday evening we had the pleasure to watch President Trump give us an overview of what he planned to do over the next year. In his foreign policy segment, he went over common topics many Americans are familiar with including the Israel-Palestinian conflict. His managed to brag about the military campaign against ISIS. However he neglected the other political issues occurring in the world. 

         Trump mentioned the Russia-China conflict with the US, which is considered one of America's highest priorities, only once. Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis clearly declared that, Great power, like Russia and China are our main threats, not terrorism. However Trump's disregard to the subject shows his naivety of presidency. He scarcely mentioned it before continuing on to gloat about all he has accomplished in the past year. This is due to the fact that he did not want to badmouth Beijing on such an international level, however a little more in-depth explanation of his plans would have been satisfying for the Americans.

          Trump also omitted to disclose details on the wars in Afghanistan and Syria, in which the US has been getting deeper involved in. He did not mention as to why he has sent so many troops to Syria in the past year nor did he explain the motive behind bombing Afghanistan three times as much than in 2016. As a candidate he promised to not involve the US in any more wars, however he is doing the exact opposite as a president.

           Newer conflicts such as the involvement in the Yemen wars were also not touched upon. Trump did not give his reasons as to why he has aligned with Saudi Arabia and is now sending troops there in fight brutally with the Yemenis. This war has cost a lot for both the US and especially the Yemenis as 20,000+ civilians do not even have basic needs, such as water and food. In this harsh war, many US troops also died and Trump gave no reason as to why the cost of these lives was necessary. 

           Lastly, Trump overlooked the morals of which America was built upon. He did not indicate what America stands for in the world. Both President Obama and President Bush gave reassuring statements about how they see America with the rest of the world and how they want to create peace and freedom. Overall Trump may have wanted to make his speech seem like it was more for the people of the United States however he neglected the ideology of America's foundation. 

              

Discussion Questions:

1. Did Trump talk sufficiently about foreign policies and the ideas that the US has for the next year? Why or why not?

2. Is the addition of more troops to wars that were hardly mentioned in his speech justified? Should the public be notified of the sending of troops to other countries? Why or why not?

3. Should the American people be satisfied with the amount of information that was presented in his speech? Should Americans be more informed on foreign policies? Why or why not?