Headlines:
- Vote Recount Reveals Democratic Doubt
- India Protests
- Iraqi Troops Increasingly Bogged Down in Mosul Invasion
Vote Recount Reveals Democratic Doubt
This week hasn’t phased well for the US as an advert for Democracy. We have heard of vote rigging all over the Muslim world but the situation has surprisingly played out in the US where Green Party lead Jill Stein is raising funds for a recount in three US states where new president Donald Trump narrowly defeated Hilary Clinton. Russian hacking, rigged elections and an honest mistake in counting have been cited as reasons but a discontent with the election result is for the world to see.
India Protests
Continued protests erupted in India this week, following Narendra Modi’s ban on higher valued currency. Roughly 86% of total rupees have been wiped from the Indian economy, forcing riots in Lucknow, Kolkata and Bangalore, whilst eastern states such as Tripura and Kerala saw a near total shutdown. Many are coming to grips with the decision Modi has made with no consent from the people, which has created total chaos in the Indian market. In fact, the 28th of November is being referred to as a ‘day of rage’ in which opposition parties have come together to voice their anger against Modi himself. Twenty millions banknotes have been rendered worthless, whilst 90% of transaction are actually built upon them. Economists expect the Indian economy to fall by roughly 2% as a direct result of this monetary mismanagement.
Iraqi Troops Increasingly Bogged Down in Mosul Invasion
Iraqi officials presented the invasion of Mosul as a matter of inevitability. Bragging about being well ahead of schedule early on in the invasion of the major city, their 50,000+ fighters were seen as simply overwhelming for ISIS’ defences, even given months to set up obstacles and tunnels around the area. It’s not working out that way. Six weeks in, the Iraqi Special Forces have managed to reach the outskirts of the city itself, where there has been tense fighting. They claim to continue to advance, albeit at a snail’s pace, but these small special forces are not an indicator of the overall battle. The ordinary military units are still stalled far outside of the city, unable to handle even the limited resistance they’ve seen that far away. Commanders are blaming inexperience and saying that most of the troops aren’t properly armed for urban warfare.
It should have been a surprise that urban warfare would take place in Iraq’s second largest city, and while the failures underscore Iraq’s military limits, they also suggest profound mistakes in the US-led planning of the invasion. Prime Minister Hayder Abadi says that six months is the “maximum time cap” for occupying Mosul. While that seemed like a huge amount of time when the offensive began, and officials insisted it was deliberately long just to seem safe, the lack of progress is now making this long time-frame seem more realistic.