Thẻ: Middle East

Turkey, the United States, and the Israel-Hamas War

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

President Erdogan’s recent troubles with the United States have prevented Turkey from playing a potentially constructive role in the early phases of the Israel-Hamas war.

Article by Henri J. Barkey

October 25, 2023 2:17 pm (EST)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers remarks at a youth organization’s convention in Ankara, Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers remarks at a youth organization’s convention in Ankara, Turkey. Murat Kula/Anadolu/Getty Images

The timing and scope of the war between Israel and Hamas have put Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a challenging situation.

At first, shocked by the violence perpetrated by Hamas, Erdogan reached out to his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog. However, the strength of public support for Hamas in Turkey, the mobilization of the Israeli military, and the start of the Israeli aerial offensive in the Gaza Strip almost immediately made him shift his position. The tone of his criticism of Israel for its campaign in the Gaza Strip has progressively become more strident.

This has not prevented Erdogan from seeking to play a mediation role; he initiated several phone calls to regional leaders, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Missing was U.S. President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched a whirlwind tour of regional capitals as soon as the crisis erupted, seeking ways to prevent further deterioration. He appears to have deliberately sidestepped a visit to Ankara, preferring to confer with the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, by telephone. The Biden-Erdogan relationship has been strained for some time; Biden, too, has limited his contacts with Erdogan and been unwilling to invite him, for instance, for a state visit to Washington.

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From Nazism to the Creation of Israel vs Palestine 1920: The Other Side of the Palestinian Story. Then what is Hamas?

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In 1948, the State of Israel was created. For Jews around the world, it is the end of 2000 years of exile. For the 700,000 Palestinians present on these lands, this is the beginning of injustice.

Documentary

Palestine 1920: The Other Side of the Palestinian Story

“A land without a people, and a people without a land” is how the relationship between Palestine and the Jewish people was described by Christian writers in the 1800s. And the 20th-century history of the Middle East has largely been written through these eyes.

But this film from Al Jazeera Arabic looks at Palestine from a different angle. It hears from historians and witness accounts, and features archive documents that show Palestine as a thriving province of Greater Syria and the Ottoman Empire at the dawn of the 20th century. The evidence suggests that its cities had a developing trade and commercial sector, growing infrastructure, and embryonic culture that would enable it to meet the challenges of the decades ahead. However, the political ramifications of the Balfour Declaration, San Remo Conference and British Mandate set in motion a series of events that profoundly affected this vibrant, fledgeling society and led to the events of 1948 and beyond.

This film is the other side of the Palestinian story.

What is the armed Palestinian group Hamas?

Israel has declared war on the Palestinian armed group, Hamas. But where did the group come from, who supports it and what is it fighting for? Here’s what you need to know:

Why Sudan’s conflict matters to the rest of the world

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By The Associated Press April 21, 2023

Fighting in Sudan between forces loyal to two top generals has put that nation at risk of collapse and could have consequences far beyond its borders.

Both sides have tens of thousands of fighters, foreign backers, mineral riches and other resources that could insulate them from sanctions. It’s a recipe for the kind of prolonged conflict that has devastated other countries in the Middle East and Africa, from Lebanon and Syria to Libya and Ethiopia.

RELATED COVERAGE

The fighting, which began as Sudan attempted to transition to democracy, already has killed hundreds of people and left millions trapped in urban areas, sheltering from gunfire, explosions and looters.

A look at what is happening and the impact it could have outside Sudan.

WHO IS FIGHTING?

Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces that grew out of Darfur’s notorious Janjaweed militias, are each seeking to seize control of Sudan. It comes two years after they jointly carried out a military coup and derailed a transition to democracy that had begun after protesters in 2019 helped force the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir. In recent months, negotiations were underway for a return to the democratic transition.

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Saudi Arabia và Iran: Bán anh em xa…

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SÁNG ÁNH 25/03/2023 13:32 GMT+7

TTCT – Saudi Arabia làm lành với Iran mở ra hy vọng về một Trung Đông bớt đi những tang thương bom đạn.

4 h sáng 14-9-2019, quân Houthi (thân Iran) từ Yemen bắn qua Saudi 25 máy bay không người lái, có lẽ giá thành là 15.000 USD một chiếc, tức tổng trị giá 375.000 USD. 19 chiếc trúng đích là khu Nhà máy dầu Abqaiq-Khurais, làm tê liệt sản xuất trong hai tuần. 

Khu nhà máy này chiếm 1/2 sản xuất dầu của Saudi (mà dầu của Saudi thì chiếm 5% của thế giới) – khoảng 5,7 triệu thùng/ngày.

Cuộc tấn công khiến Saudi mất 365 triệu đô la một ngày với giá dầu lúc đó là 64 USD/thùng. Tuy dần dà cũng khắc phục được, thị trường chứng khoán Saudi mất ngay 40 tỉ USD. 

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Sykes-Picot: Lines in the Sand (2 Eps)

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ 1 bình luận

Sykes-Picot: Lines in the Sand (Ep 1) | Al Jazeera World

Sykes-Picot: Lines in the sand (Ep 2) | Al Jazeera World

Al Jazeera English – 21-5-2016

This is the story of the secret deal between the British and French, concluded in May 1916, which aimed to carve up the Middle East in ways that most benefited the two European powers.

Modern world history has been heavily influenced by events in the Middle East, whose strategic importance has been magnified by both a global dependence on oil and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Tiếp tục đọc “Sykes-Picot: Lines in the Sand (2 Eps)” →

The 1960s in the Arab World (3 episodes)

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Al Jazeera English – 3 thg 8, 2022

The 1960s was a decade of change that hugely impacted the Arab world.

This first of three episodes follows the politics of the time: The rise of Arab nationalism, the newfound independence of former French colonies, and the defeat of Arab armies in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

The stories of the shifting sands of the 60s are told by many who were there, including former government ministers, broadcasters, activists and writers.

They recall a decade whose end was profoundly different from the beginning, where loyalties shifted and old certainties were challenged. Later episodes chart the culture and society of this transformative decade.

The 1960s in the Arab World – Episode 1: Politics | Al Jazeera World Documentary

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How America Can Win the Middle East

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Beijing’s forays in the region present Washington with a test—and an opportunity.

By Kim Ghattas

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi sign agreements
Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu Agency / Getty

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Since taking office, President Joe Biden has talked repeatedly about competition with China. To fight off Beijing and other autocracies, he has said, democracies must uphold their values. He has talked much less about the Middle East in that time, and although he has never phrased it in so many words, Biden appears to be trying to deprioritize a region that he believes has consumed too much of America’s attention and resources.

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Vùng Vịnh: Gương vỡ lại lành?

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SÁNG ÁNH 12/1/2021 9:05 GMT+7

TTCT – Sau 3 năm rưỡi giận lẫy, nguýt xéo, xúc xiểm, gièm pha và xô đẩy, đầu năm 2021, tại đại hội thượng đỉnh Hội đồng hợp tác vùng Vịnh (Gulf Cooperation Council – GCC), 6 nữ anh hào dầu hỏa của khu vực lại chị chị em em thắm thiết ôm hôn nhau.

GCC là tổ chức quốc tế quy tụ Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, UAE và Kuwait. 6 quốc gia độc lập này có nhiều lý do để hợp tác thân thương. Họ cùng một khu vực địa lý là vùng Vịnh, cùng sống nhờ một nguồn tài nguyên là dầu hỏa, cùng một dân tộc là Ả Rập, cùng một văn hóa là đạo Hồi và cùng một thể chế là quân chủ chuyên chế. 

Họ còn cùng một bảo mẫu là đế quốc Ottoman cho đến Thế chiến I. Sau đó họ lại được đế quốc Anh đỡ đầu và sau Thế chiến II, vì trở về quê thu vén, cần bán nhà, Anh quốc đã nhượng lại giá hời cho đế quốc Mỹ. Trong 6 nước này, về phần diện tích và dân số, chị hai là Saudi. Các tiểu quốc còn lại, nếu không nhờ Anh quốc khéo chia để trị thì đã biến mất: Qatar nhập vào Saudi, Kuwait trở về với Iraq, Bahrain bị Iran thôn tính và UAE thì là cái quái gì.

Thượng đỉnh GCC là nơi để các nước vùng Vịnh giàn hòa. Ảnh: middle-east-online.com

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How the War Party Lost the Middle East

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The American Conservative
January 01, 2019

By Patrick Buchanan

 
“Assad must go, Obama says.”

So read the headline in The Washington Post, Aug. 18, 2011.

The story quoted President Barack Obama directly:

“The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way. … the time has come for President Assad to step aside.”

France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain’s David Cameron signed on to the Obama ultimatum: Assad must go! Tiếp tục đọc “How the War Party Lost the Middle East” →

Jerusalem: Trump move prompts negative world reaction

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ 1 bình luận
BBC

US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has been met with a wave of disapproval.

Leaders from within the Muslim world and from the wider international community were swift to criticise the move, and some warned of the potential for violence and bloodshed as a result.

Mr Trump also approved moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, making America the first country in the world to officially recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Tiếp tục đọc “Jerusalem: Trump move prompts negative world reaction” →

What effect did the Crusades have on the Middle East?

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ 1 bình luận

The Europeans besiege Jerusalem, seeking to "liberate" it from Muslim rule, 1099.
The Crusaders or Franks attack Jerusalem during the First Crusade, 1099. Getty Images

TC – by Kallie Szczepanski – Updated June 13, 2017

Between 1095 and 1291, Christians from western Europe launched a series of eight major invasions against the Middle East. These attacks, called the Crusades, were aimed at “liberating” the Holy Land and Jerusalem from Muslim rule.

The Crusades were sparked by religious fervor in Europe, by exhortations from various Popes, and by the need to rid Europe of excess warriors left over from regional wars.

What effect did these attacks, which came from out of the blue from the perspective of Muslims and Jews in the Holy Land, have on the Middle East? Tiếp tục đọc “What effect did the Crusades have on the Middle East?” →

Khủng hoảng Qatar: Bẫy hiểm của Mỹ với đồng minh

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ 3 bình luận

BĐV – Những gì đã xảy ra với Saddam Hussein trong cuộc chiến tranh Iran – Iraq cho thấy cái bẫy của người Mỹ luôn rất nguy hiểm với đối tác, đồng minh…

Cuộc khủng hoảng xoay quanh quân cờ di động Qatar đang đưa Ả-rập Saudi vào thế nguy hiểm
Cuộc khủng hoảng xoay quanh quân cờ di động Qatar đang đưa Ả-rập Saudi vào thế nguy hiểm

Cuộc khủng hoảng ngoại giao Qatar vẫn còn nóng và sẽ còn nóng. Vấn đề bắt đầu và xoay quanh việc Ả-rập Saudi khởi xướng và nhanh chóng kéo đồng minh vào “đánh hội đồng” Qatar với nghi ngờ quốc gia này đồng phạm khủng bố.

Tuy nhiên, cái đích mà mũi tên của Riyadh hướng tới là Tehran – kẻ thù lớn nhất của Riyadh, còn tiểu quốc Trung Đông thực ra chỉ là một quân cờ di động. Tiếp tục đọc “Khủng hoảng Qatar: Bẫy hiểm của Mỹ với đồng minh” →

Arab states cut Qatar ties in major diplomatic crisis

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channelnewsasia

 
File photo of a Qatari waving the national flag in Doha. (Photo: AFP PHOTO/MARWAN NNAAMANI)

05 Jun 2017 11:16AM (Updated: 05 Jun 2017 08:23PM)

RIYADH: Arab nations including Saudi Arabia and Egypt on Monday (Jun 5) cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism, in the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the region in years.

Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives joined Saudi Arabia and Egypt in severing relations with gas-rich Qatar, with Riyadh accusing Doha of supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, “that aim to destabilise the region”. Tiếp tục đọc “Arab states cut Qatar ties in major diplomatic crisis” →