Headlines:
- America Attempts to Move UN Security Council to Back Iranian Protests
- America Risks Increases Pressure on Pakistan to Secure its Afghan Occupation
- Syria Revolution Gains Being Divided between Different Regional Powers
- ‘Fire and Fury’ Author Wolff calls Trump Least Credible Person who has Ever Walked on Earth
- Egypt’s Grand Mufti Issues a Fatwa on Bitcoin and Warns it could be Used by Terrorists
- Pakistan Ditches the Dollar for Trade with China
America Attempts to Move UN Security Council to Back Iranian Protests
America’s ambassador to the UN called a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday to garner its backing for protests in Iran but the other members were in opposition to the move. According to The New York Times:
Efforts by the Trump administration to marshal a muscular international response to Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protesters appeared to backfire on Friday, as members of the United Nations Security Council instead used a special session called by the United States to lecture the American ambassador on the proper purpose of the body and to reaffirm support for the Iran nuclear agreement.
It appears that America itself has a hand in the domestic protests in Iran, as part of its ongoing campaign to eject Iran from Syria and Iraq. Previously, it was America that actually welcomed Iran into both these countries. But America is now working towards a final settlement for these countries, and does not want Iran’s presence to complicate this. Other world powers are also aware of America’s ulterior motives, and used the UN Security Council meeting to criticise America for discussing the internal affairs of a sovereign country, as further explained in the above-quoted article:
But even before the session began, France’s ambassador, François Delattre, warned against “instrumentalization” of the protests “from the outside.”
Speaking before the Council, he went further.
“We must be wary of any attempt to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have a diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished,” Mr. Delattre said.
The Russian ambassador, Vasily A. Nebenzya, was more blunt. He asked rhetorically why the Security Council had not taken up the issue of Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson, Mo., which were at times also met with a violent police response.
“The real reason for convening today’s meeting is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interests of the Iranian people, but rather as a veiled attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine” the Iranian deal, Mr. Nebenzya said.
Indeed, America, and the West in general, use talk of ‘human rights’ only as a cover for pursuing their own national interests. This results from a defect in the secular liberal Capitalist ideology itself, which defines material benefit as man’s principal motivation in life.
But this also a lesson that the present rulers of Muslims fail to learn. They rush to carry out the Western agenda, in expectation of some benefits in return, but are then ejected as soon as their purpose is served.
America Risks Increases Pressure on Pakistan to Secure its Afghan Occupation
According to Reuters:
The United States is examining ways to mitigate any Pakistani retaliation as it piles pressure on Islamabad to crack down on militants, a senior U.S. official said on Friday, cautioning that U.S. action could extend beyond a new freeze in aid.
Pakistan is a crucial gateway for U.S. military supplies destined for U.S. and other troops fighting a 16-year-old war in neighboring, landlocked Afghanistan.
So far, the Pentagon says Pakistan has not given any indication that it would close its airspace or roads to military supplies and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis played down concerns on Friday.
But Washington has only just begun to work through its new plan to suspend up to roughly $2 billion in U.S. security assistance, announced on Thursday. It came days after U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that Pakistan had rewarded past U.S. aid with “nothing but lies & deceit.”
The senior Trump administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington hoped that the aid suspension would be enough to communicate its concern to Islamabad.
But the official cautioned that the freeze was also not the only tool that America had to pressure the country — suggesting it might resort to other measures, if needed.
“We are considering many different things, not just the (financial) assistance issue,” the official said.
“We are also looking at Pakistan’s potential response … and we are looking at ways to deal with that and to mitigate the risks to the relationship.”
The official declined to detail what steps were under consideration, including whether that might include possible unilateral U.S. military action against militants in Pakistan.
But as Trump allow the U.S. military to again ramp up its war effort in Afghanistan, including with the deployment of more U.S. troops alongside Afghan forces, the official acknowledged a sense of urgency.
The United States has long blamed the militant safehavens in Pakistan for prolonging the war in Afghanistan, giving insurgents, including from the Haqqani network, a place to plot attacks and rebuild its forces.
“We believe we owe it to the Americans in harms’ way in Afghanistan. We simply can’t ignore the sanctuaries if we are going to make progress in Afghanistan,” the official said.
America is failing in Afghanistan, and the extent of this failure can be gauged from the severe risk America is willing to take in alienating Pakistan despite the extreme importance of Pakistan for the occupation. Unfortunately, however, the Pakistani leadership continually fails to understand America’s inherent weakness, and so is easily threatened into complying with American demands.
Syria Revolution Gains Being Divided Between Different Regional Powers
American continues to closely coordinate and manage regional powers in Syria, allowing Assad to enter Idlib even though Turkey has assembled forces close to there. According to Reuters:
Rapid advances by the Syrian army into rebels’ largest remaining stronghold, Idlib province, have brought it closer to a key insurgent-held military airport and displaced tens of thousands of people struggling to find shelter in winter weather.
Supported by Iran-backed militias and Russian air power, President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have taken territory in northeastern Hama and southern Idlib provinces since beginning an offensive in late October.
Turkey entered Syria ostensibly to fight against Assad but actually only to secure a buffer zone close to its border. The Arab News reported earlier:
The National Army, Syria’s largest armed group since the breakout of the civil war in 2011, has reportedly formed under the guidance of Turkey.
About 30 sub-groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have reportedly come together to establish the country’s “National Army.”
The army, founded by the head of Syria’s Interim Government Jawad Abu Hatab, is set to fight against Daesh, the Assad regime and PKK terrorists.
The country’s new 22-000 strong army, or Al-Jaysh Al-Watani in Arabic, includes troops with fighting experience in the provinces of Raqqa, Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs, Hasaka, Deir Ezzor and Latakia. It is expected to potentially play a significant role in an eventual operation by Turkey in the Kurdish-held Syrian canton of Afrin.
Experts note that the aim of establishing this army is to create an alternative, more inclusive opposition fighting force, bringing in all ethnical groups, especially Kurds.
“During his visit to Ankara in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed this issue,” Ali Semin, a Middle East expert from Istanbul-based think-tank Bilgesam, told Arab News.
Unfortunately, the Muslim of Syria, despite their great sincerity and bravery, are being misled by their leaders into participating to further the agenda of one or other regional power. It is time for Muslims to place their trust in Allah (swt) alone, and give their allegiance to sincere, indigenous, ideological leadership that will establish the righteous Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate) State on the method of the Prophet ﷺ, liberating the entire Ummah from the domination of Western interest, implementing the noble Deen of Islam, and carrying its message to the entire world.
‘Fire and Fury’ Author Wolff calls Trump Least Credible Person who has Ever Walked on Earth
Michael Wolff, the author of a new book that gives a behind-the-scenes account of the White House, defended his work Friday, insisting he spoke with President Donald Trump on the record and calling the commander in chief “a man who has less credibility than, perhaps, anyone who has ever walked on earth.” Wolff, in an exclusive interview on NBC’s “Today,” said that everyone he spoke to for the book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” described the president the same way. “I will tell you the one description that everyone gave, everyone has in common: They all say he is like a child,” Wolff explained. “And what they mean by that is, he has a need for immediate gratification. It is all about him.” Wolff added that “100 percent of the people around” Trump, “senior advisers, family members, every single one of them, questions his intelligence and fitness for office.” [Source: NBC]
Wolff’s depiction of Trump confirms what most of the world thinks. However, who is dumber Trump or the millions that elected him into office and the Republican Party that continues to protect him?
Egypt’s Grand Mufti Issues a Fatwa on Bitcoin and Warns it could be Used by Terrorists
Egypt’s grand mufti Shawqi Allam has declared the trading of the digital currency Bitcoin unlawful – issuing an official fatwa and warning it could be used by terrorists. The theological leader, who is the country’s official interpreter for the religion, issued the fatwa because the trading of it could be used for criminal exchanges. Allam added that it could provide ‘stable and secure financial resources for terrorists and criminal groups’. Bitcoin, launched in 2009 and based on a peer-to-peer payment system, poses ‘high risks to individuals and states,’ Allam said in a published ruling. Suggesting his decision to declare a fatwa was based on discussions with economic experts, he concluded bitcoin is not permissible as it undermines the state – a central feature in Islamic sharia. Minting and issuing currency is an ‘absolute right’ of monetary institutions and ‘one of the most specific functions of the state,’ said the country’s official interpreter of Islamic law. [Source: Daily Mail]
It would have been much better for the Mufti to advocate strenuously the return of the gold standard, which is the only standard stipulated by Shariah. Furthermore, Allam should have called for its immediate implementation in Egypt, where it would immunize the people against rising inflation. Without specifying the alternative Islamic vision to crypto currencies, and fiat money, many are left asking the question what Islam has to offer.
Pakistan Ditches the Dollar for trade with China
A day after the U.S. leader slammed Islamabad for harboring terrorists in a New Year’s Day tweet, Pakistan’s central bank announced that it will be replacing the dollar with the yuan for bilateral trade and investment with Beijing. The same day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang defended Islamabad’s counter-terrorism track record, saying the country “made great efforts and sacrifices for combating terrorism” and urged the international community to “fully recognize this.” China has been watching closely as U.S.-Pakistan relations become increasingly strained. Trump has long demanded the frontier economy to do more on counter-terrorism while he simultaneously grew closer to its arch-rival, India. “Pakistan and the U.S. have had a fraught relationship for years, but the big change recently has been China,” said Simon Baptist, Asia regional director at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “China has really gone hard in cementing its existing relationship with Pakistan, it’s really the only place that’s seen significant investment under the Belt and Road initiative and China has been pushing for geopolitical advantage there.” Islamabad is home to one of Beijing’s central infrastructure schemes, a near $60 billion collection of land and sea projects known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor — a centerpiece of Belt and Road. And with a steady stream of Chinese capital under its belt, Pakistan may no longer be receptive to American threats, the most recent of which involves Washington cutting off security assistance. “Pakistan balks far less at reductions in American aid, which, as the former points out, has dwindled in recent years anyway. China, on the other hand, has promised Pakistan $57 billion in investments on infrastructure and energy under its Belt and Road Initiative,” Madiha Afzal, a nonresident fellow at Brookings, said in a recent note. “All this means that America has far less leverage over Pakistan.” “The history of Pakistan’s relationships with China and the United States also shows that Pakistan’s policy does not respond to strong-handedness, but to loyalty, and to being treated with dignity,” she continued. [Source: CNBC]
By embracing the Yaun, Pakistan risks accelerating China’s grand plan of colonizing countries through initiatives like CPEC and the Silk Road project. Just as Germany dominates the EU via the Euro, China will dominate Pakistan and other countries that have adopted the Yaun to conduct bilateral trade.