Implementing Stability in Iraq and Syria 3
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14664 Time to Woo India
October 2004 A Strategy for Nuclear Iran By Thomas Donnelly Regardless of who is elected to the presidency in November, the growing threat posed by a nuclear Iran is certain to be at the top of the next administration’s national security agenda. Unfortunately, neither a “grand bargain” with Tehran nor a conventional military strike against its nuclear facilities offers much hope of preventing one of the world’s most dangerous regimes from acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons. In the short term, at least, the United States must instead work to isolate Iran not only militarily but ideolog- ically, by succeeding in the democratic transformation of Afghanistan and Iraq. The Islamic Republic in Iran continues to speed The anxiety raised by the prospect of nuclear- toward acquiring nuclear weapons, with every armed Iran is creating a “Do Something!” week, it seems, bringing further evidence of its moment in Washington. Boot, a strong supporter progress. In late September, the head of Iran’s of the Bush administration’s strategy for the Atomic Energy Organization, Gholamreza greater Middle East, allows that, “on Iran, as in Aghazadeh, announced his country had begun so many other areas, the administration seems to enriching a “test amount” of uranium—enough, be paralyzed by disagreements between Defense that is, for several nuclear weapons. Soon, there Department hawks and State Department will be no insurmountable hurdles left; it is sim- doves.”3 The Democrats, by contrast, have made ply a matter of engineering, time, and Tehran’s a point of advocating a “grand bargain” with the choice. -
In the Supreme Court of the United States
No. 17-965 In the S upreme Court of the United States DONALD J. TRUMP , PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES , ET AL ., petitioners v. STATE OF HAWAII , ET AL ., respondents On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE EVAN MCMULLIN, ANNE APPLEBAUM, MAX BOOT, LINDA CHAVEZ, ELIOT COHEN, MINDY FINN, JULEANNA GLOVER, NORMAN ORNSTEIN, MICHAEL STEELE, CHARLIE SYKES, AND JERRY TAYLOR IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS R. REEVES ANDERSON JOHN B. BELLINGER , III ARNOLD & PORTER Counsel of Record KAYE SCHOLER LLP ELLIOTT C. MOGUL 370 Seventeenth St. KAITLIN KONKEL Suite 4400 ARNOLD & PORTER Denver, CO 80202 KAYE SCHOLER LLP (303) 863-1000 601 Mass. Ave., NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 942-5000 [email protected] Counsel for Amici Curiae TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Interest of Amici Curiae .............................................. 1 Introduction and Summary of Argument ................... 2 Argument ..................................................................... 4 I. EO-3 contravenes the prohibition on nationality-based discrimination that Congress, with support from almost all Republicans, adopted in 1965 ................................ 5 A. Congress intended to eliminate “all vestiges of discrimination against any national group” from our immigration system ............................................................... 6 1. Members of both parties, and Republicans in particular, strenuously repudiated the discriminatory policies that predated the 1965 Act ......................... 7 2. The 1965 Act rectified missteps in U.S. immigration policy ............................ 12 3. The principles underlying the 1965 Act are now fundamental to our national identity ........................................ 16 B. EO-3 runs afoul of Congress’s nondiscrimination guarantee ......................... 18 II. The President may not substitute his alternative policy judgments for Congress’s comprehensive statutory immigration scheme .. -
Of Iraq's Kirkuk
INSTITUT KURDDE PARIS E Information and liaison bulletin N° 392 NOVEMBER 2017 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Culture This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Misen en page et maquette : Ṣerefettin ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 392 November 2017 • ROJAVA: PREPARING MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE • TURKEY: THE REPRESSION EXPANDS TO LIBER- AL CIRCLES; THE VIOLENCE IS INCREASING • IRAQI KURDISTAN: UNCONSTITUTIONAL DEMANDS FROM BAGHDAD, ARABISATION OF KIRKUK RESTARTED ROJAVA: PREPARING MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE. broad the “World Day for beginning to return to Raqqa, liber- the 17th with a suicide attack on a Kobani” was celebrated ated on 17th October. Regarding checkpoint that caused at least 35 on 1st November largely Deir Ezzor, the SDF fighters from victims in the Northeast of Deir as a symbol of this Syrian the “Jezirah Storm” operation, Ezzor Province, between the hydro- A Kurdish town’s unremit- launched on 9th September, liberated carbon fields of Conoco and Jafra. It ting resistance to the attack 7 villages near the town and about was, nevertheless, not able to pre- launched by ISIS in 2014 with fifteen km from the Iraqi borders, vent the SDF from reaching the Iraqi Turkish connivance. -
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Viewpoints No. 99 Mission Impossible? Triangulating U.S.- Turkish Relations with Syria’s Kurds Amberin Zaman Public Policy Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center; Columnist, Diken.com.tr and Al-Monitor Pulse of the Middle East April 2016 The United States is trying to address Turkish concerns over its alliance with a Syrian Kurdish militia against the Islamic State. Striking a balance between a key NATO ally and a non-state actor is growing more and more difficult. Middle East Program ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ On April 7 Syrian opposition rebels backed by airpower from the U.S.-led Coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) declared that they had wrested Al Rai, a strategic hub on the Turkish border from the jihadists. They hailed their victory as the harbinger of a new era of rebel cooperation with the United States against ISIS in the 98-kilometer strip of territory bordering Turkey that remains under the jihadists’ control. Their euphoria proved short-lived: On April 11 it emerged that ISIS had regained control of Al Rai and the rest of the areas the rebels had conquered in the past week. Details of what happened remain sketchy because poor weather conditions marred visibility. But it was still enough for Coalition officials to describe the reversal as a “total collapse.” The Al Rai fiasco is more than just a battleground defeat against the jihadists. It’s a further example of how Turkey’s conflicting goals with Washington are hampering the campaign against ISIS. For more than 18 months the Coalition has been striving to uproot ISIS from the 98- kilometer chunk of the Syrian-Turkish border that is generically referred to the “Manbij Pocket” or the Marea-Jarabulus line. -
Operation Inherent Resolve, Report to the United
OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS JULY 1, 2019‒OCTOBER 25, 2019 ABOUT THIS REPORT In January 2013, legislation was enacted creating the Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) framework for oversight of overseas contingency operations. This legislation, which amended the Inspector General Act, requires the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of State (DoS), and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide quarterly reports to Congress on overseas contingency operations. The DoD Inspector General (IG) is designated as the Lead IG for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The DoS IG is the Associate IG for OIR. The USAID IG participates in oversight for the operation. The Offices of Inspector General of the DoD, DoS, and USAID are referred to in this report as the Lead IG agencies. Other partner agencies also contribute to oversight of OIR. The Lead IG agencies collectively carry out their statutory missions to: • Develop a joint strategic plan to conduct comprehensive oversight of the contingency operation. • Ensure independent and effective oversight of programs and operations of the Federal Government in support of the contingency operation through either joint or individual audits, inspections, and evaluations. • Report quarterly to Congress and the public on the contingency operation and activities of the Lead IG agencies. METHODOLOGY To produce this quarterly report, the Lead IG agencies submit requests for information to the DoD, DoS, and USAID about OIR and related programs. The Lead IG agencies also gather data and information from open sources, including congressional testimony, policy research organizations, press conferences, think tanks, and media reports. -
Transcript of Episode 9, “U.S. Electoral Constraints, Military Strategy, and the Iraq War”
Transcript of Episode 9, “U.S. Electoral Constraints, Military Strategy, and the Iraq War” Originally released June 18, 2020 [Note: This is a rough transcript of the audio recording, based on digital transcription and human review.] [00:00:00] One, two, three go. Morgan: [00:00:18] Hello, and welcome to International Security’s Off the Page. On today's episode, we are talking about U.S. electoral constraints and military strategy. I'm Morgan Kaplan, the Executive Editor of International Security. And we will be speaking with Andrew Payne, author of the recent International Security article, “Presidents, Politics, and Military Strategy: Electoral Constraints during the Iraq War.” And a little later, we'll go off the page with Emma Sky, who served as an advisor to the commanding general of U.S. forces in IraQ from 2007 to 2010. Belfercenter.org/offthepage is where you can find past episodes [00:01:00] as well as supplemental reading materials. It’s also where you can subscribe to get the newest episodes of Off the Page on your favorite podcast platform. Morgan: [00:01:10] Andrew Payne is the Hedley Bull Research Fellow in International Relations at the University of Oxford. Joining us now, we have Andrew Payne, who's written for International Security a fascinating article called “Presidents, Politics, and Military Strategy: Electoral Constraints during the Iraq War.” Andy, thank you so much for joining us. Andy: Thanks for having me here. Morgan: So tell us a little bit about the argument you're presenting here in this paper. Andy: [00:01:33] So the article looks at the impact of electoral politics on presidential decision-making in war, and the starting premise of it is quite simple. -
Statement of Max Boot Senior Fellow in National Security Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations1 Before the House Armed Servi
STATEMENT OF MAX BOOT SENIOR FELLOW IN NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES, THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS1 BEFORE THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRORISM, UNCONVENTIONAL THREATS, AND CAPABILITIES JUNE 29, 2006 Chairman Saxton, Congressman Meehan, members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the future of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the war on terror, along with two men for whom I have great admiration—Wayne Downing and Mike Vickers. I will begin by suggesting what kind of force we need to defeat our Islamist enemies, then review the deficiencies of our current force structure, and finally conclude with a suggestion for how a major organizational overhaul—the resurrection of the Office of Strategic Services--could address some of these shortcomings. My starting point is the assumption that in the years ahead key competencies for the U.S. armed forces will be knowledge of foreign languages and cultures, skill at counterinsurgency warfare, and the ability to work with a wide range of foreign allies, ranging from advanced NATO militaries and constabularies to primitive militias in places like Afghanistan and Somalia. All of these needs are dictated by the nature of the global war being waged on the U.S. and our allies by Al Qaeda and various other Islamist terrorist groups. Our enemies in this struggle cannot be defeated with conventional military force. Indeed, there is a distinct danger that indiscriminate application of violence will only create more enemies in the future. To defeat this Islamist insurgency we must be able not only to track down and capture or kill hard-core terrorists but also to carry out civil affairs and information operations to win the “hearts and minds” of the great mass of uncommitted Muslims. -
October 2014
www.rbs0.com/syria14.pdf 8 Nov 2014 Page 1 of 86 Syria & Iraq: October 2014 Copyright 2014 by Ronald B. Standler No copyright claimed for quotations. No copyright claimed for works of the U.S. Government. Table of Contents 1. Chemical Weapons in Syria Alleged Use of Chlorine Gas at Kafr Zeita on 11 April Alleged Use of Chlorine Gas in Iraq on 15 Sep 2. Syria United Nations Diverted from Syria death toll in Syria now over 193,000 (31 Oct) Rebels in Syria, including U.S. Military aid Recognition that Assad is Winning the Civil War New U.N. Negotiator for Syria U.N. Security Council Resolutions 2139 and 2165 (24 Sep, 23 Oct) Henning beheaded 3. Iraq Iraq death toll atrocities in Iraq ISIL bombings in Iraq ISIL executions in Iraq Islamic public relations problem No Criminal Prosecution of Cowardly Iraqi Army Officers Iraqi Parliament meets ministers approved (18 Oct) 4. Daily News about Syria & Iraq (including press briefings & press conferences, speeches) Turkey Parliament votes to fight ISIL (2 Oct); Turkey vs. Kurds more Daily News (3-7 Oct) siege of Kobani suggestions that airstrikes ineffective (begins 7 Oct) Anbar province to fall? (begins 9 Oct) more Daily News (9-22 Oct) 5. U.S. Airstrikes in Iraq & Syria, U.S. Military Policy 39 airstrikes near Kobani during 14-15 Oct airdrop in Kobani on 19 Oct www.rbs0.com/syria14.pdf 8 Nov 2014 Page 2 of 86 6. Conclusions Foreword I have posted an annotated list of my previous eleven essays on Syria. That webpage also includes links to historical documents on the Syrian civil war and a table of dates of removals of chemical weapons from Syria. -
Euphrates-Tigris Case Study Olcay Ünver, Dursun Yıldız, Ayşegül Kibaroğlu, Hamza Özgüler
Euphrates-Tigris Case Study Olcay Ünver, Dursun Yıldız, Ayşegül Kibaroğlu, Hamza Özgüler Key messages • Droughts are a regular and not an exceptional feature in the region. They have significant adverse social, environmental, health, and economic impacts, mainly where rainfed farming is practiced and places where there are existing pressures on water resources. • These impacts have played a significant role in population movements, including migration, and will continue to do so, possibly with increasing speed, in the future. • Droughts can play an exacerbating, catalytic, or triggering role in social unrest and political instability when they precede or occur at the same time with social and humanitarian crises such as mass migration, widespread malnutrition, and rural poverty, as in Syria, following the 2006-2010 drought. • Social unrest and political instability make proper drought management very difficult to implement. • It is imperative to address the mutually exacerbating relationship between droughts and social and humanitarian issues with a broad approach to food security and water availability, including measures to increase resilience, manage risk, and establish/expand safety nets. • Tackling droughts at a basin-scale can help facilitate cooperation among the riparians. Evidence from the past involves attempts for cross-border cooperation over coping with droughts and drought management. However, drought resilience dwindles in the region due to prolonged conflicts and economic decline. • Innovative drought strategies can significantly support resilience building and adaptive capacity development at a regional scale at national and sub-national levels. • There is good room to align policies for disaster risk reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development. Bio-physical and socioeconomic characteristics of the basin area The Euphrates–Tigris River Basin (ETB), shown in Fig. -
Operation Inherent Resolve, Report to The
OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS JULY 1, 2019‒OCTOBER 25, 2019 ABOUT THIS REPORT In January 2013, legislation was enacted creating the Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) framework for oversight of overseas contingency operations. This legislation, which amended the Inspector General Act, requires the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of State (DoS), and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide quarterly reports to Congress on overseas contingency operations. The DoD Inspector General (IG) is designated as the Lead IG for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The DoS IG is the Associate IG for OIR. The USAID IG participates in oversight for the operation. The Offices of Inspector General of the DoD, DoS, and USAID are referred to in this report as the Lead IG agencies. Other partner agencies also contribute to oversight of OIR. The Lead IG agencies collectively carry out their statutory missions to: • Develop a joint strategic plan to conduct comprehensive oversight of the contingency operation. • Ensure independent and effective oversight of programs and operations of the Federal Government in support of the contingency operation through either joint or individual audits, inspections, and evaluations. • Report quarterly to Congress and the public on the contingency operation and activities of the Lead IG agencies. METHODOLOGY To produce this quarterly report, the Lead IG agencies submit requests for information to the DoD, DoS, and USAID about OIR and related programs. The Lead IG agencies also gather data and information from open sources, including congressional testimony, policy research organizations, press conferences, think tanks, and media reports. -
The Russian Federation
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION Topic area proposal for the 2019-2020 National High School Debate Resolution Ruth Kay Detroit Country Day School Beverly Hills, Michigan AUTHOR’S NOTE: Because of the evolution of issues with regards to Russia, this draft should serve as an introduction to potential topic areas. The issues addressed in this paper will be updated as we get closer to August. 1 There has never been a better time to debate a topic that revolves around Russia. Not a day goes by that something doesn’t pop up in the news regarding Putin, U.S. Election tampering, collusion, trade, and a multitude of other issues. By the time this topic would be debated we will have been through the mid-term election cycle which will probably give us even more fodder for debate, along with heading into the 2020 Presidential election cycle. Russia was last debated as a national resolution in 1998-99 when the resolution was: Resolved: That the United States should substantially change its foreign policy toward Russia. It was again on the ballot for top five in three more years: 2010-11 Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its military and/or economic engagement toward Russia, 2013-14 Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its engagement toward the Russian Federation in one or more of the following: nuclear arms reduction, missile defense cooperation, trade barrier reduction. Most recently in 2017-18 Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase economic, diplomatic, and/or military pressure on the Russian Federation. -
Operation Inherent Resolve Report/Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines, Report to the United States Congress, January 1, 2018-Mar
LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL I REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE OPERATION PACIFIC EAGLE–PHILIPPINES JANUARY 1, 2018‒MARCH 31, 2018 LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL MISSION The Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations coordinates among the Inspectors General specified under the law to: • Develop a joint strategic plan to conduct comprehensive oversight over all aspects of the contingency operation. • Ensure independent and effective oversight of all programs and operations of the Federal Government in support of the contingency operation through either joint or individual audits, inspections, and investigations. • Promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness and prevent, detect, and deter fraud, waste, and abuse. • Perform analyses to ascertain the accuracy of information provided by Federal agencies relating to obligations and expenditures, costs of programs and projects, accountability of funds, and the award and execution of major contracts, grants, and agreements. • Report quarterly and biannually to the Congress and the public on the contingency operation and activities of the Lead Inspector General. (Pursuant to sections 2, 4, and 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978) FOREWORD We are pleased to submit the Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) quarterly report to the U.S. Congress on Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) and Operation Pacific Eagle- Philippines (OPE-P). This is our 13th quarterly report on OIR and 2nd quarterly report on OPE-P, discharging our individual and collective agency oversight responsibilities pursuant to sections 2, 4, and 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978. The United States launched OIR at the end of 2014 to militarily defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Combined Joint Area of Operations in order to enable whole-of-governmental actions to increase regional stability.