On FPF #103, I discuss how we can prevent some disasters. I base my discussion on Jason Ditz’s article The Hurricanes You Control Vs. The Hurricanes You Don’t. In this article, Jason explains how some disasters, like hurricanes, are uncontrollable. While some disasters, like Yemen, are very controllable. I also discuss burn pits, Iraq, Syria, and North Korea.

Articles

• The US flew B1-B bombers over South Korea in a show of force. [Link]
• The President of Catalonia has signed a declaration of independence from Spain but suspended the independence process to allow talks with the Spanish government. [Link]
• Hundreds of Islamic State fighters are surrendering to the Iraqi Kurds. [Link]
• Kelley Vlahos discusses a new documentary about burn pits from the Iraq War. [Link]
• South Korea has added a graphite bomb to their arsenal. The graphite bomb is also known as a blackout bomb and targets electric infrastructure. [Link]
• Aid groups report that over 2,000 people in Yemen, including unborn babies, have died from cholera. [Link]
• Education in Yemen continues to suffer because of the civil war. Many teachers have not been paid in months and some are going on strike. Over 1,700 schools are unfit because of damage from the conflict. [Link]
• The US will not participate in war games with Saudi Arabia because of Saudi’s blockade of Qatar. US CENTCOM in the Middle East is located in Qatar. [Link]
• Trump says that the US will develop a “broad strategy” to punish Iran. [Link]
• The State Department approved a $15 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. The weapons deal includes THAAD missile defense systems. [Link]
• Gareth Porter explains the importance of supporting the bill to end support for Saudi’s war in Yemen. [Link]
• The Spanish government will lift restrictions on companies who move from Catalonia to other parts of Spain. [Link]
• An estimated 350,000 people took to the streets in Catalonia to protest Catalan independence. There are some reports that some of the protesters were bused in from other regions of Spain. [Link]
• Kim Jung Un says nuclear weapons are a powerful deterrent against the US. [Link]
• The body of a special operations soldier has been found in Niger. He is the fourth US soldier to die in last weeks ambush attack in Niger. The US now believes an Islamic State affiliate group was responsible for the attack. [Link]
• The Red Cross will scale back operations in Afghanistan after being targeted by militias. [Link]

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