Section: The Huffington Post (USA)
Al-Baghdadi Zeroes In On Libya: The Next Evolution of Islamic State
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has recently been reported to be in Sirte, Libya On November 12, during a televised interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, President Barack Obama famously announced that, “ISIL had been contained.” Less than 24 hours later Islamic State (IS) militants from three separate cells in Paris staged a...
Ukraine Parliament Turns Into ‘Fight Club’ As Legislator Attacks Prime Minister
If you think partisan bickering in Congress is tense, check out the Ukrainian Parliament. It makes Capitol Hill seem downright genial by comparison.A massive brawl broke out Friday in the Supreme Rada, Ukraine’s legislative chamber, when Parliament member Oleh Barna physically dragged Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk from the...
With Turkey Bashing, Putin Seeks to Save Face
Photo credit: Zaman, Turgut Engin Downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish jets on the Turkish-Syrian border has provided an enabling environment for Russian President Vladimir Putin to polish his image. Increasingly sharp rhetoric from the Russian side has two primary goals: To avoid hard military action and prop up the Russian leader. Russia...
Christmas Is Coming
This weekend in Gdańsk, Santa Claus, or, to be precise, Saint Nicholas, arrived on the boat amid fireworks and song to light up a huge Christmas tree, to take a ride in a special Christmas tramway, and to initiate a great motorcycle parade of Santa Clauses on motorcycles. Saint Nicholas’ Day, observed on December 6 in Central Europe, is the...
The Meaning of Montenegro’s NATO Membership
NATO’s invitation to Montenegro to become the alliance’s twenty-ninth member has significance far beyond the Connecticut-size Balkan country. First, despite current European crises, and in the face of Russian opposition, the alliance members held fast to a core element of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty, NATO enlargement, thereby...
How Facebook, Google And Twitter Are Combating Terrorism
Facebook, Google and Twitter are stepping up efforts to combat online propaganda and recruiting by Islamic militants, but the Internet companies are doing it quietly to avoid the perception that they are helping the authorities police the Web.On Friday, Facebook Inc said it took down a profile that the company believed belonged to San Bernardino...
Britain Beefs Up Its Military As It Joins The Fight Against ISIS In Syria
WASHINGTON — Britain has traditionally been considered the U.S.’s closest friend. Now it may once again be one of its most assertive.British Prime Minister David Cameron won strong parliamentary approval on Thursday to go to war in Syria, joining a U.S.-led coalition that is targeting territory there controlled by the Islamic State...
Syria: Mission Possible?
Imagine this new TV series coming to HBO in 2016. The planet faces an unprecedented peril. The international community brings together a team of experts, each one with a different specialty: the scientist, the general, the computer geek, the engineer, the spook. It’s their job to avert catastrophe.In the pilot episode, we see each member of...
Polio Outbreak In Ukraine Prompts WHO Call To Action
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The World Health Organization is urging Ukraine’s health ministry to declare a state of emergency due to a polio outbreak, a move meant to prompt more action from the government in Kiev.In September, Ukraine announced two polio cases – the first in Europe since 2010.The U.N. health agency recommended that...
The Russo – Turkish Crisis: Is the Syrian War Going Global?
Will the downing of the Russian fighter jet by the Turkish armed forces over Turkey’s war-torn border with Syria on 24 November go down in history as the ‘Franz Ferdinand moment’ of our century? Could it trigger a chain of events culminating in the next big confrontation between great powers? The short answer is no: despite the...
