Ankara and Moscow have put forward potential solutions to reopen Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, with Russia offering safe passage to grain ships while Turkey said it could help guide vessels around Ukrainian naval mines deployed to stall the Russian advance.
United Nations
Turkey Offers to Host Russia-Ukraine Talks to End War
As the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine slowly progresses, Ankara is offering to host another round of talks between Kiev and Moscow. Turkey is among a few nations that have attempted to broker a diplomatic end to the conflict.
Russia Sets Conditions to Ease Black Sea Blockade
Russia has offered to relax its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, but only in exchange for sanctions relief from the West, amid fears that the war raging in Eastern Europe is driving a major international food crisis.
NATO States Seek to Prolong Ukraine War to ‘Weaken Russia,’ Turkish FM Says
Some members of the NATO alliance favor continued bloodshed in Ukraine over peace, believing the conflict will diminish and weaken Russia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
Zelensky Says 3,000 Troops Killed Since Russian Invasion
As many as 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as the two sides continue to offer radically different casualty estimates.
Biden Breaks Off Talks with Afghan Government Despite Raging Hunger Crisis
The White House has canceled meetings with the Taliban over its refusal to allow young girls to attend high school, scrapping talks intended to address Afghanistan’s crumbling economy and a looming humanitarian catastrophe.
UN Human Rights Report Says Israel Guilty of ‘Apartheid’
The UN’s human rights body has accused Israel of the “crime of apartheid,” saying it has established a “regime of systematic racial oppression and discrimination” against Palestinians.
Top Polish Official Wants Armed NATO ‘Peace Mission’ for Ukraine
Poland’s deputy prime minister and the head of the country’s ruling party has urged for a “peace mission” in Ukraine led by the NATO bloc, proposing an operation geared toward humanitarian aid but backed up by “armed forces.”
Salafis Throwing Bombs: How American and British Planners Partnered With Al-Qaeda Affiliated Groups At the Start of the Syrian Civil War
Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front. Additionally, al-Qaeda allegedly did not carry out any military operations until December 2011 and did not announce its establishment until January 2012. However, there is evidence that al-Qaeda affiliated militants were involved in the Syrian conflict much earlier. Saudi intelligence...
For One Day, Protestors Stopped the War Machine
I’ve attended most of the major antiwar protests in Washington since 9/11. At a 2005 protest, a cop tried to whack me on the head with a wooden pole. At a 2007 protest, I snapped a picture showing George W. Bush hanging next to the U.S. Capitol. But my favorite protest was a potent little ruckus that I almost missed. On a sunny late summer day in 2013, I ambled to downtown Washington to hike with a bunch of folks who enjoyed bantering as much as I did. The route for the jaunt started on the National Mall, passing by the Smithsonian, heading toward the World War II Memorial and points...