lørdag den 21. november 2015
fredag den 20. november 2015
lørdag den 14. november 2015
remove the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from the list of ..Terrorist Organizations.
KURDISTANA BAKUR-BIJI KURDISTAN » Kurdistan
April 16, 2015 To Barak Obama, President; John Kerry, Secretary of State, and United States Congresspeople
Lucina Kathmann
International Vice-President, PEN International
1132 W. Lunt Av. #3B Chicago IL 60626
lucina.kathmann@gmail.com
www.sanmiguelpen.com/kathmann.html
International Vice-President, PEN International
1132 W. Lunt Av. #3B Chicago IL 60626
lucina.kathmann@gmail.com
www.sanmiguelpen.com/kathmann.html
April 16, 2015 To Barak Obama, President; John Kerry, Secretary of State, and United States Congresspeople
Dear Mr. President, dear Mr. Kerry, dear Congresspeople,
I am writing to urge you to remove the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This organization presents no threat to the United States nor any of its citizens. It never has. In fact, as time has gone on, it has become clear to more and more US citizens that the Kurdish people are important allies of the United States. They are essential to the control of the spread of extremist Islamic forces in the near east, and they are a key force in creating and maintaining the stability and safeguarding of Iraq and Syria. In recent months, there have been talks between the Turkish government and jailed PKK head Abdullah Ocalan, who is a prime mover for an end to armed conflict in the Kurdish region in Turkey. Declassifying his organization from the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list would help a great deal in letting this group emerge as a force for peace and stability. It would further expedite the movement of its military wing to places where it truly is needed. It may not be necessary to underscore the threat that ISIS presents to democracy and peaceful development. Whether in the form of ISIS, IS, Daesh, al-Nusrah etc. a glance at what happened to the Yezidi on the plains of Nineveh, particularly the Yezidi women now being sold at auction, or to the beleaguered people of Rojava in Syria should make this clear. As a person with more than 20 years of experience through constant contact with groups of writers in the area and many trips there, I am convinced that it is not a good time to maintain obstacles in the way of competent Kurdish allies. Please declassify the PKK.
I am writing to urge you to remove the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This organization presents no threat to the United States nor any of its citizens. It never has. In fact, as time has gone on, it has become clear to more and more US citizens that the Kurdish people are important allies of the United States. They are essential to the control of the spread of extremist Islamic forces in the near east, and they are a key force in creating and maintaining the stability and safeguarding of Iraq and Syria. In recent months, there have been talks between the Turkish government and jailed PKK head Abdullah Ocalan, who is a prime mover for an end to armed conflict in the Kurdish region in Turkey. Declassifying his organization from the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list would help a great deal in letting this group emerge as a force for peace and stability. It would further expedite the movement of its military wing to places where it truly is needed. It may not be necessary to underscore the threat that ISIS presents to democracy and peaceful development. Whether in the form of ISIS, IS, Daesh, al-Nusrah etc. a glance at what happened to the Yezidi on the plains of Nineveh, particularly the Yezidi women now being sold at auction, or to the beleaguered people of Rojava in Syria should make this clear. As a person with more than 20 years of experience through constant contact with groups of writers in the area and many trips there, I am convinced that it is not a good time to maintain obstacles in the way of competent Kurdish allies. Please declassify the PKK.
Sincerely,
Lucina Kathmann
International Vice-President, PEN International
[for identification purposes only]
Lucina Kathmann
International Vice-President, PEN International
[for identification purposes only]
torsdag den 12. november 2015
onsdag den 11. november 2015
tirsdag den 10. november 2015
"Lifetime Brothers: Jaish Sanadid from the #Syria'n Arab Coalition, participating in the #SDF Campaign near #Hasakah https://t.co/H7ypEKGDNK"
Rojava Defense Units on Twitter: "Lifetime Brothers: Jaish Sanadid from the #Syria'n Arab Coalition, participating in the #SDF Campaign near #Hasakah https://t.co/H7ypEKGDNK"
Lifetime Brothers: Jaish Sanadid from the #Syria'n Arab Coalition, participating in the #SDF Campaign near #Hasakah
Lifetime Brothers: Jaish Sanadid from the #Syria'n Arab Coalition, participating in the #SDF Campaign near #Hasakah
lørdag den 7. november 2015
onsdag den 4. november 2015
Why Now? The Syrian Refugee Flow to Europe - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Why Now? The Syrian Refugee Flow to Europe - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/why-now-the-syrian-refugee-flow-to-europe
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https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/why-now-the-syrian-refugee-flow-to-europe
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WHY SYRIANS FLEE
The great majority of Syrians fleeing their homes leave because of regime attacks. Over the past month alone, figures from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that increased fighting in the northwest has displaced around 120,000 people since the Russian intervention began, and these numbers will grow so long as the regime offensive continues. Previously, civilians have sought to flee violence all over the country, such as the bombing of East Aleppo, the destruction of Yarmouk, Bab al-Amr, and other neighborhoods, and the army's reconquest of al-Qusayr and Yabroud.
The latest Russian/Iranian-backed offensive has exacerbated the deteriorating economic situation and further quashed hopes for a quick end to the conflict. In particular, the Russians have targeted efforts to restore normalcy in rebel-held areas. With markets, schools, and hospitals being destroyed, the new offensive is a clear application of Moscow's repressive counterinsurgency strategy in Chechnya. Vladimir Putin is not out to win hearts.
Most of the refugees have lost hope of seeing peace in Syria, but even if they wanted to return, many of them are prohibited from doing so by the regime. For instance, all people from Bab al-Amr, a Sunni Arab rebel stronghold in the city of Homs, are now on a regime blacklist, and they would expect no mercy if they or their families attempted to return.
To be sure, the imposition of supposed "Islamic law" by ISIS has pushed secularist Sunnis and religious minorities out of certain areas. On the whole, however, the jihadist group forbids Sunni Arabs from leaving the areas it controls, so relatively few of the refugees bound for Europe were pushed out by ISIS." Source: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/why-now-the-syrian-refugee-flow-to-europe#.Vjk7fremB1A.twitter