Headlines:
- Trump Continues with US Drone Policy
- Ukraine in the Spotlight Again
- Attack on Chinese Consulate in Karachi
Trump Continues with US Drone Policy
According to data provided to The Daily Beast by US Central Command (CENTCOM) President Donald Trump in his first two years in the White House has launched 238 drone strikes. Obama launched 186 drone strikes on Yemen, Somalia, and especially Pakistan during his first two years in office. In 2017 and 2018 to date, Trump has launched 238 drone strikes there.” Trump ran a whole presidential campaign on untangling the US from foreign conflicts bit it looks like ‘America first,’ really is fire first and ask later. Using signature strikes has become the mainstay of US was, where it has become judge, jury and executioner.
Ukraine in the Spotlight Again
After a long lull, matters have escalated again in Ukraine. Back in September Ukraine. But in September Russia declared the 4.5 kilometres wide Kerch Strait, to be part of the Crimean Peninsula, This meant the sea of Azov was now controlled by Russia and effectively pout out Ukraine main ports that access the Black Sea. Matters escalated on 25 November when two small Ukrainian naval vessels and a tugboat attempting to pass through the strait. Six of the 24 Ukrainian crew members detained by Russia were injured in the forced boarding. The Ukrainian government immediately denounced the Russian actions and accused Moscow of military aggression. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also declared that a state of martial law would begin November 28 and last for 30 days. According to Russia, its annexation of Crimea in 2014 invalidated the 2003 agreement with Ukraine over the use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. Ever since Russia invaded East Ukraine and annexed Crimea matters settled with this status quo as Russia got busy with Syria. This has left much of East Ukraine out of the Kiev governments hands and this has now become the normal situation. Given Ukraine’s military weakness in comparison to Russia, it is in Kiev’s interest to highlight Russian aggression to the rest of the world.
Attack on Chinese Consulate in Karachi
Three gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi on recently killing two policemen and two bystanders before security forces shot and killed them. The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack and labelled China – whose signature Belt and Road Initiative includes major projects in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province – an oppressor exploiting local resources. The incident is just the latest in a string of sporadic attacks on Chinese assets in Pakistan.