Headlines:

• 9/11 Deaths: A Thousand Deaths
• Russia’s Syria Initiative
• Germany’s U-turn: Germany Closes Borders

9/11 Deaths: A Thousand Deaths

In line with the anniversary of 9/11 a study by the nonprofit journalism project Airwars found that since 9/11, the “War on Terror” has killed some 14,000 Afghans, 35,000 Pakistanis, and 120,000 Iraqis – excluding indirect deaths from destruction of power, water, sanitation and medical facilities: 150,000 people overall. That is fifty 9/11s. The events of 9/11 saw a massive military expansion of America’s war machine in order to secure its stranglehold over the world. Massive US military spending, wars, regime change and the death and destruction of millions of people and property. After 14 years, much of the Muslim world remains marred in the results of ‘spreading democracy.’ Iraq remains a mess with the US going back in in 2014, Afghanistan remains a mess, and the Middle East, Somalia and Sudan all remain at breaking point as the US continues with its attempts to expand its influence in these countries.

Russia’s Syria Initiative

After a flurry of meetings throughout the month of August, Russia has been increasing its military activity in Syria. Reports from satellite imagery show an increase in Russia’s military presence in its base at Tartus and an airfield a few kilometres away. In a three way meeting in early August US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrof and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir met in Doha. It was at this meeting Russia proposed an initiative where talks should be organised between the Syrian opposition and the al-Assad regime. This was then proceeded by a flurry of meetings which have now led to an increase in Russian military presence in Syria. Russian news agencies reported Sergei Lavrof of saying: “There were military supplies, they are ongoing and they will continue. They are inevitably accompanied by Russian specialists, who help to adjust the equipment, to train Syrian personnel how to use these weaponry.” The events that preceded all of this were the string of losses by the al-Assad regime against the rebel groups. Bashar al-Assad’s defeats in Idlib, Eastern Homs and Deraa, combined with renewed pressure in Aleppo and Deir el-Zour and the loss of a number of gas fields, left the regime in a desperate situation. It is this situation that Russia is attempting to salvage the al-Assad regime from, through its initiative. Interestingly there has been little condemnation by the international community on the Russian military escalation, a very different response to what took place in Ukraine. This is because all the international powers, agree al-Assad should remain in power.

Germany’s U-turn: Germany Closes Borders

After Germany continued to surprise everyone by welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees, Germany reversed its position this week saying the country could no longer cope with the unending flow of asylum seekers coming into the country and would reinstate border controls with Austria. This announcement even surprised Austria as just last week the two countries had worked together to freely let refugees enter their countries as tens of thousands have been arriving through Hungary and other Balkan countries. No sooner had Germany announced this U-turn Austrian officials announced that the country would deploy soldiers to its border with Hungary and toughen their border controls. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Austrian Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner said at a news conference in Vienna that it was a direct consequence of Germany’s decision. “If Germany does border controls, then Austria must also strengthen border controls — in the interest of the domestic population — and we are doing this now,” he said. After weeks of castigating EU nations for not taking on refugees Germany turned out to be no different to them by joining its EU partners in closing its borders and deploying its military.