The Afghanistan Question and the Reset in US-Russian Relations
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Yerevan, Armenia October 14, 2020 As the Conflict in the Nagorno
Yerevan, Armenia October 14, 2020 To stop disinformation surrounding the current conflict with Turkey and Azerbaijan and spread awareness in the international community, Armenia's tech community leaders came together to form the Global Awareness initiative. As the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh continues to escalate, more awareness is now being spread by both international media outlets and world leaders. Azerbaijan continues to violate human rights by actively bombing Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital. This has resulted in many civilian casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure, garnering the attention of the international community. Further updates on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: ● In the afternoon of October 14, the Minister of Defense of Armenia reports that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have targeted hospitals in Artsakh where civilians also receive medical treatment. During the day, there has been more shelling in the town of Martuni, their artillery hit a local kindergarten. These are violations of the humanitarian ceasefire and gross violation of international humanitarian law. ● On October 14, Azerbaijan targeted the territory of the Republic of Armenia adjacent to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The attack was made on sheer assumptions that the military equipment, which was on Armenian soil, “intended” to start fire towards Azerbaijan. As a result of Azerbaijan’s unprovoked aggression on the territory of Armenia, a 14-year-old teenager was wounded. ● The Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris both issued separate statements on the escalating military conflict in Karabakh. In his statement, Joe Biden particularly said, “I am deeply concerned by the collapse of the October 10 ceasefire and the resumption of fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.” Biden also added that the Trump Administration must tell Azerbaijan that it will not tolerate its efforts to impose a military solution to this conflict. -
Resolution on Impeachment of Bush and Cheney Whereas George W
Resolution on Impeachment of Bush and Cheney Whereas George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney: 1. deliberately misled the nation and doctored intelligence, as described in the Downing Street minutes, http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/memos.html about the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war of aggression and an occupation of Iraq, as further described in House resolution H. Res. 333 http://kucinich.house.gov/UploadedFiles/int3.pdf and as listed in House Resolution H. Res. 635 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hr109-635 2. committed crimes against peace by initiating war against Iraq in violation of the UN Charter http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/; 3. committed crimes against humanity in their conduct of the occupation of Iraq in which they killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians and created millions of refugees http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1892888,00.html and http://edition.cnn.com/2 006/WORLD/meast/10/13/iraq.main/index.html; 4. killed over 3700 American soldiers and severely wounded nearly 30,000 more in the pursuit of an illegal, immoral, and unjust occupation of Iraq. While Bush and Cheney have stated no truthful noble cause for the war, one of the central purposes appears to be to take control of Iraq's immense oil reserves to financially benefit private corporate interests. See Bush's benchmark listing fact sheet released the same day Bush announced the "surge" that expressly called on the Iraq parliament to "enact hydrocarbons law to promote investment . " http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110- 3.html and http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/56672/; 5. -
The Mujahedin in Nagorno-Karabakh: a Case Study in the Evolution of Global Jihad
The Mujahedin in Nagorno-Karabakh: A Case Study in the Evolution of Global Jihad Michael Taarnby 9/5/2008 WP 20/2008 The Mujahedin in Nagorno-Karabakh: A Case Study in the Evolution of Global Jihad Michael Taarnby Summary The current volume of publications dealing with Islamist militancy and terrorism defies belief in terms of its contents. The topic of this paper is a modest attempt to direct more attention and interest towards the much overlooked sub-field of historical research within Jihadi studies. Introduction The current volume of publications dealing with Islamist militancy and terrorism defies belief in terms of its contents. This can be perceived as part of a frantic effort to catch up for the lack of attention devoted to this phenomenon during the 1980s and 1990s, when this field of research field was considerably underdeveloped. The present level of research activity is struggling to keep pace with developments. Thus, it is primarily preoccupied with attempting to describe what is actually happening in the world right now and possibly to explain future developments. This is certainly a worthwhile effort, but the topic of this paper is a modest attempt to direct more attention and interest towards the much overlooked sub-field of historical research within Jihadi studies. The global Jihad has a long history, and everyone interested in this topic will be quite familiar with the significance of Afghanistan in fomenting ideological support for it and for bringing disparate militant groups together through its infamous training camps during the 1990s. However, many more events have been neglected by the research community to the point where most scholars and analysts are left with an incomplete picture, that is most often based on the successes of the Jihadi groups. -
COIN in Afghanistan - Winning the Battles, Losing the War?
COIN in Afghanistan - Winning the Battles, Losing the War? MAGNUS NORELL FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency, is a mainly assignment-funded agency under the Ministry of Defence. The core activities are research, method and technology development, as well as studies conducted in the interests of Swedish defence and the safety and security of society. The organisation employs approximately 1000 personnel of whom about 800 are scientists. This makes FOI Sweden’s largest research institute. FOI gives its customers access to leading-edge expertise in a large number of fields such as security policy studies, defence and security related analyses, the assessment of various types of threat, systems for control and management of crises, protection against and management of hazardous substances, IT security and the potential offered by new sensors. FOI Swedish Defence Research Agency Phone: +46 8 555 030 00 www.foi.se FOI Memo 3123 Memo Defence Analysis Defence Analysis Fax: +46 8 555 031 00 ISSN 1650-1942 March 2010 SE-164 90 Stockholm Magnus Norell COIN in Afghanistan - Winning the Battles, Losing the War? “If you don’t know where you’re going. Any road will take you there” (From a song by George Harrison) FOI Memo 3123 Title COIN in Afghanistan – Winning the Battles, Losing the War? Rapportnr/Report no FOI Memo 3123 Rapporttyp/Report Type FOI Memo Månad/Month Mars/March Utgivningsår/Year 2010 Antal sidor/Pages 41 p ISSN ISSN 1650-1942 Kund/Customer Försvarsdepartementet Projektnr/Project no A12004 Godkänd av/Approved by Eva Mittermaier FOI, Totalförsvarets Forskningsinstitut FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency Avdelningen för Försvarsanalys Department of Defence Analysis 164 90 Stockholm SE-164 90 Stockholm FOI Memo 3123 Programme managers remarks The Asia Security Studies programme at the Swedish Defence Research Agency’s Department of Defence Analysis conducts research and policy relevant analysis on defence and security related issues. -
The Regime Change Consensus: Iraq in American Politics, 1990-2003
THE REGIME CHANGE CONSENSUS: IRAQ IN AMERICAN POLITICS, 1990-2003 Joseph Stieb A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences. Chapel Hill 2019 Approved by: Wayne Lee Michael Morgan Benjamin Waterhouse Daniel Bolger Hal Brands ©2019 Joseph David Stieb ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Joseph David Stieb: The Regime Change Consensus: Iraq in American Politics, 1990-2003 (Under the direction of Wayne Lee) This study examines the containment policy that the United States and its allies imposed on Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War and argues for a new understanding of why the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. At the core of this story is a political puzzle: Why did a largely successful policy that mostly stripped Iraq of its unconventional weapons lose support in American politics to the point that the policy itself became less effective? I argue that, within intellectual and policymaking circles, a claim steadily emerged that the only solution to the Iraqi threat was regime change and democratization. While this “regime change consensus” was not part of the original containment policy, a cohort of intellectuals and policymakers assembled political support for the idea that Saddam’s personality and the totalitarian nature of the Baathist regime made Iraq uniquely immune to “management” strategies like containment. The entrenchment of this consensus before 9/11 helps explain why so many politicians, policymakers, and intellectuals rejected containment after 9/11 and embraced regime change and invasion. -
The American Legion 61St National Convention: Official Program And
AMERICANTHE LEGION 61st NATIONAL CONVENTION gss® DAVIESS COUNTY. Welcomes We salute your Filled with Daviess great organization, the County Bourbon made State of Texas . site of from the original family your 61st annual recipe, this decanter will convention . and the keep memories of friends Cowboy who represents and fellowship always with the state’s individualist you. So enjoy your con- spirit. vention and take home This one of a kind a memory of Daviess collector decanter County Bourbon is made of genuine . Kentucky’s finest. Hurstbourne China with 24 kt. gold leaf. After the convention, the mold will be destroyed, making it truly DAVIESS a | I COUNTY collectors item. KENTUOff Collectors Series • Limited Edition Daviess County Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 80 proof: a product of Daviess County Distilling Co. Owensboro, Kentucky THE AMERICAN LEGION FOR GOD AND COUNTRY 61st National Convention WE ASSOCIATE OURSELVES TOGETHER FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; to aintain law and order; to foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism; to preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great Wars; to SONS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION obligation to the community, state and nation; inculcate a sense of individual 8th National Convention to combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses; to make right the master of might; to promote peace and good will on earth; to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship AMERICAN LEGION our devotion to mutual by AUXILIARY 59th helpfu Iness. -
Download Windows Live Messenger for Linux Ubuntu
Download windows live messenger for linux ubuntu But installing applications in Ubuntu that were originally made for I found emescene to be the best Msn Messenger for Ubuntu Linux so far. It really gives you the feel as if you are using Windows Live Messenger. Its builds are available for Archlinux, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva and Windows. At first I found it quite difficult to use Pidgin Internet Messenger on Ubuntu Linux. Even though it allows signing into MSN, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk. While finding MSN Messenger for Linux / Ubuntu, I found different emesene is also available and could be downloaded and installed for. At first I found it quite difficult to use Pidgin Internet Messenger on Ubuntu Linux. Even though it allows signing into MSN, Yahoo! Messenger. A simple & beautiful app for Facebook Messenger. OS X, Windows & Linux By downloading Messenger for Desktop, you acknowledge that it is not an. An alternative MSN Messenger chat client for Linux. It allows Linux users to chat with friends who use MSN Messenger in Windows or Mac OS. The strength of. Windows Live Messenger is an instant messenger application that For more information on installing applications, see InstallingSoftware. sudo apt-get install chromium-browser. 2. After the installation is Windows Live Messenger running in LinuxMint / Ubuntu. You can close the. Linux / X LAN Messenger for Debian/Ubuntu LAN Messenger for Fedora/openSUSE Download LAN Messenger for Windows. Windows installer A MSN Messenger / Live Messenger client for Linux, aiming at integration with the KDE desktop Ubuntu: Ubuntu has KMess in its default repositories. -
World Powers Rivalry in Afghanistan and Its Effects on Pakistan Muhammad Karim
World Powers Rivalry in Afghanistan and Its Effects on Pakistan Muhammad Karim Abstract Afghanistan, a landlocked country, has been the focus of great powers since 19 th century due to its strategic locations. Soviet Union and Great Briton were engaged in Afghanistan before the World Wars. After Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the U.S. led West with the support of Muslim countries compelled the Red Army to withdraw in 1988. The country became a battle field of proxy wars among the regional and extra regional powers, creating instability in entire region. In aftermath of the 9/11, Afghanistan once again attracted attention of the world powers. Nature and complexity of Great Powers’ rivalry in Afghanistan has changed overtime. Instead of fighting against a nation state the world powers are fighting against the potential threats of extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking that makes the war more complicated, problematic and challenging. Currently, apart from Al-Qaeda and Taliban, Islamic State (IS) is also becoming an active stakeholder in Afghanistan. These developments make the Afghan problem more complicated and ripening the grounds for another civil war. The study argues that since Pakistan not only shares long borders but also history, culture, interests, happiness and sorrows with Afghanistan, therefore situation in Afghanistan always have direct bearing on the security matrix of Pakistan. US and NATO forces withdrawal from Afghanistan has provided an open field to Al-Qaeda/Taliban and IS in one hand and encourage regional and international players on another, creating security dilemma for Pakistan. Keywords: World powers rivalry, Afghan war, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Islamic State (IS), Pakistan. -
Downloadable Email Program for My Pc 32 Best Free Email Clients
downloadable email program for my pc 32 Best Free Email Clients. Here are 32 best free email client software . These let you manage and access all of your email accounts in one single place easily. All these email client software are completely free and can be downloaded to Windows PC. These free software offer various features, like: can be used with IMAP, SMTP, POP3 and Gmail, keeps your emails safe and secure, lets you open various emails simultaneously, provide protection from spam, lets you view your emails offline, manage and access all of your email accounts in one single place, supports PH, LDAP, IMAP4, POP3 and SMPT mail protocols etc. So, go through this list of free email client software and see which ones you like the most. Thunderbird. Thunderbird is a free and handy email client software for your computer. It can be used with IMAP, SMTP, POP3 and Gmail. It will also work with email accounts provided by MS Exchange Server. The user interface of Thunderbird is tabbed. It lets you open various emails simultaneously. Thunderbird keeps your emails safe and secure. It also has special filters for filtering the mail. Windows Live Mail. Windows Live Mail is a free email client for your computer. It works with various email accounts. It lets you access Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail and emails from different servers which supports POP3 and SMTP. Its security features are excellent it will also provide protection from spam. You can also view your emails offline in this freeware. Zimbra Desktop. Zimbra Desktop is a free email client. -
Strange Victory: a Critical Appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan War
30 JANUARY 2002 RESEARCH MONOGRAPH #6 Strange Victory: A critical appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan war Carl Conetta PROJECT ON DEFENSE ALTERNATIVES COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS Contents Introduction 3 1. What has Operation Enduring Freedom accomplished? 4 1.1 The fruits of victory 4 1.1.1 Secondary goals 5 1.2 The costs of the war 6 1.2.1 The humanitarian cost of the war 7 1.2.2 Stability costs 7 2. Avoidable costs: the road not taken 9 3. War in search of a strategy 10 3.1 The Taliban become the target 10 3.2 Initial war strategy: split the Taliban 12 3.2.1 Romancing the Taliban 13 3.2.2 Pakistan: between the devil and the red, white, and blue 14 3.3 The first phase of the air campaign: a lever without a fulcrum 15 3.3.1 Strategic bombardment: alienating hearts and minds 15 3.4 A shift in strategy -- unleashing the dogs of war 17 4. A theater redefined 18 4.1 Reshuffling Afghanistan 19 4.2 Regional winners and losers 20 4.3 The structure of post-war Afghan instability 21 4.3.1 The Bonn agreement: nation-building or “cut and paste”? 22 4.3.2 Peacekeepers for Afghanistan: too little, too late 24 4.4 A new game: US and Afghan interests diverge 25 4.4.1 A failure to adjust 26 5. The tunnel at the end of the light 28 5.1 The path charted by Enduring Freedom 28 5.2 The triumph of expediency 29 5.3 The ascendancy of Defense 29 5.4 Realism redux 31 5.5 Bread and bombs 32 5.6 The fog of peace 34 Appendix 1. -
AI for Testing:The Development of Bots That Play 'Battlefield V' Jonas
AI for Testing:The Development of Bots that Play 'Battlefield V' Jonas Gillberg Senior AI Engineer, Electronic Arts Why? ▪ Fun & interesting challenges ▪ At capacity ▪ We need to scale Why? Battlefield V Multiplayer at launch Airborne Breakthrough Conquest Domination FinalStand Frontlines Team Deathmatch Aerodrome 64 64 32 64 32 32 Arras 64 64 32 64 32 32 Devastation 64 64 32 64 32 32 Fjell 652 64 64 32 64 32 32 Hamada 64 64 64 32 32 32 Narvik 64 64 64 32 32 32 Rotterdam 64 64 64 32 32 32 Twisted Steel 64 64 64 32 32 32 Test 1 hour per level / mode – 2304 hours Proof of Concept - MP Client Stability Testing Requirements ▪ All platforms ▪ Player similar ▪ Separate from game code ▪ No code required ▪ DICE QA Collaboration Stability Previously... Technical Lead AI Programmer Tom Clancy’s The Division Behavior Trees, server bots etc.. GDC 2016: Tom Clancy’s The Division AI Behavior Editing and Debugging Initial Investigation ▪ Reuse existing AI? ▪ Navmesh – Not used for MP ▪ Player scripting, input injection... ▪ Parallel implementation Machine Learning? Experimental Self-Learning AI in Battlefield 1 Implementation Functionality Fun Fidelity Single Client Control Inputs? Input (abstract) Movement Game • Yaw/Pitch Player Hardware Context • Fire Code • Actions • Jump • Etc • Etc UI Combat ▪ Weapon data=>Behavior ▪ Simple representation ▪ Closest target only ▪ Very cheap – good enough ▪ Blacklist invalid targets Navigation ▪ Server Pathfinding ▪ Not to be trusted ▪ Monitor progress ▪ No progress ▪ Button Spam (Jump, interact, open door) Navigation ▪ Server Pathfinding ▪ Not to be trusted ▪ Monitor progress ▪ No progress ▪ Button Spam (Jump, interact, open door) ▪ Still stuck - Teleport Visual Scripting – Frostbite Schematics AutoPlayer Objectives Objective Parameters ▪ MoveMode • Aggressive: Chase everything • Defensive: Keep moving – shoot if able • Passive: Stay on path – ignore all ▪ Other Parameters: • Unlimited Ammo • GodMode • Teleportation.. -
1 ELECTRONIC ARTS Q4 FY16 PREPARED COMMENTS May 10
ELECTRONIC ARTS Q4 FY16 PREPARED COMMENTS May 10, 2016 Chris: Thank you. Welcome to EA’s fiscal 2016 fourth quarter earnings call. With me on the call today are Andrew Wilson, our CEO, and Blake Jorgensen, our CFO. Please note that our SEC filings and our earnings release are available at ir.ea.com. In addition, we have posted earnings slides to accompany our prepared remarks. After the call, we will post our prepared remarks, an audio replay of this call, and a transcript. A couple of quick notes on our calendar: we plan to deliver our next earnings report on Tuesday, August 2. And our press conference at EA PLAY will take place at 1pm Pacific Time on Sunday, June 12. Coming up next week, on Tuesday, May 17, is our Investor Day – if you haven’t registered already, please contact me so that we can send you an invitation. This presentation and our comments include forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future financial performance of the Company. Actual events and results may differ materially from our expectations. We refer you to our most recent Form 10-Q for a discussion of risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed today. Electronic Arts makes these statements as of May 10, 2016 and disclaims any duty to update them. During this call unless otherwise stated, the financial metrics will be presented on a non-GAAP basis. Our earnings release and the earnings slides provide a reconciliation of our GAAP to non-GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures are not intended to be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or superior to our GAAP results.