Statements, comments and forecasts that have no substance, but just might turn out to be relevant.
1.Russia and Turkey carried out joint airstrikes against the Islamic State near the Syrian town of al-Bab on Jan. 18, the first time the two countries have launched joint strikes against the militant group, BBC reported. The coordinated strikes come months after Turkey launched operation Euphrates Shield, seeking to block advances by Kurdish forces and push back the Islamic State. COMMENT: One of the first orders of the day for the Trump admin will be to support the Russians and Turks in the war against ISIS. The dawn of a new era.
2. Is NATO obsolete? George Friedman: "The issue is that the U.S. was engaged in wars for 15 years, and there was no automatic support from NATO or major European countries in those wars. The countries that wanted to participate fought, with as much or as little as they chose to send. Those that wanted to fight in one war and not the other did. Europeans must face two facts. First, this is 2017, and the wars that matter to the U.S. are being fought in the Islamic world. Second, this is not 1955, and Europe is not struggling to recover from World War II. It is a wealthy region, and its military capabilities should be equal to those of the U.S.
COMMENT: It appears that the age of automatic US support of the EU and NATO are over. Perhaps the EU should have understood that the demonization of Israel and the embrace of multi-culturism (one big happy family eh?) might have unforeseen consequences.
3.Michael Diamond on moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem: So I say move it, and do it right away, with the full support of most of Congress which will support it, and against the yelling and screaming of most of the State Department, many of whom need to be removed from their positions anyway. Enough of this accommodation. The leader of the western world deserves to have its embassy in the capital of any state with which it has relations, particularly allies! And if the threat from the Palestinians is that they will “open up the gates of hell!” then the only reaction must be “those who open up the gates of hell will have hell to pay!” COMMENT: Couldn't agree more!!!
4.The United States will be invited to upcoming talks aimed at resolving Syria's conflict due to be held in Kazakhstan on Jan. 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Jan. 19, Reuters reported. This follows on Lavrov's Jan. 17 statement calling for U.S. attendance at the peace negotiations, which were organized chiefly by Russia and Turkey. The U.S. response is unclear at the moment given the power transition Jan. 20. COMMENT: Like I said before....The dawn of a new era.
5.The daily TIP: Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed a water cooperation agreement on Sunday, the fourth major infrastructure deal agreed to in the past year and a half. The agreement, which will restart the Israeli–Palestinian Joint Water Committee, was signed by Gen. Yoav Mordechai, head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) office, and Hussein al-Sheikh, the Palestinian Authority’s Civil Affairs Minister.
The committee is charged with modernizing the water infrastructure in the West Bank, giving Palestinian villages and towns better access to water. COMMENT: It matters what you do...not what you say Mr. ex-president Obama!
6.Start-up Israel: Big data company Oracle said Monday it would open a Startup Cloud Accelerator program in Israel, the second of several it plans to open soon in a multimillion dollar global program. The center, based in Tel Aviv, will help promote local innovation in cloud technology, the company said. COMMENT: Who's afraid of the big bad UN wolf?
7.China’s borrowings hit 168.48 trillion yuan ($25.6 trillion) at the end of last year, equivalent to 249% of economic output, Li Yang, a senior researcher with the leading government think-tank the China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), has told reporters. But the huge number, which includes government, corporate and household borrowings, was lower than some non-government estimates. COMMENT: Corporate loans are 156% of GDP. This truly looks like an accident waiting to happen.
8.Ynet: Israel opens first ever NATO office - IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Yair Golan was in Brussels for the official opening of the Israeli office at NATO headquarters after it was decided that the two sides should have a closer working relationship. Roni Leshno Yaar, who submitted his credentials to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, is the first Israeli representative to NATO since the Jewish state was accepted as a partner to the organization (not a member). While in Brussels, Maj. Gen. Golan also met with the head of the Turkish Armed Forces General Hulusi Akar. COMMENT: Apparently NATO is not as perturbed by Israeli settlements as is ex-Secretary of State John Kerry.
Maturity is when you have the power to destroy someone who did you wrong but you just breathe, walk away and let life kill them - Alyssa
Don't trust everything you see. Even salt looks like sugar - anonymous
Sometimes it's not the people who change, it's the mask that falls off - The Good Vibe
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