At the beginning of this week, when most Americans were watching the play off games taking place in Denver and Seattle, three events were about to take place on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, which are worth discussing.
On Sunday, two Iranian naval vessels started through the Suez Canal. Apparently Iran intends to take these ships through the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is suspected that the Iranians will begin operations in the Atlantic and could end up off the eastern coast of the United States.
It is apparent to this writer that the recent nuclear agreement with Iran has emboldened that country, and they are now willing to get in the face of America and begin challenging the United States. This started after we lifted sanctions and gave Iran some seven billion dollars to jump start their economy.
On Monday, January 20th European Union ministers were meeting trying to decide whether to send an EU military force to assist the 1600 French troops in the Central African Republic (CAR). France sent the troops into that country last month to help CAR troops quell a rebellion going on there.
It seems 600 additional troops were being requested to aid in the humanitarian mission. They would only remain there for six months. Meanwhile Poland has offered a transport plane and the personnel to fly and maintain it.
On Tuesday, January 21st Fox News reported that three international war crimes prosecutors reported that the Syrian government has systematically killed some 11,000 detainees. The government of Qatar, who has been financing rebel groups, financed this report.
Apparently a military police photographer secretly working with a Syrian rebel group smuggled images of “killed detainees” out of the country on memory cards. The photographer took pictures of as many as 50 bodies a day so that death certificates could be produced without families being able to see the bodies. The bodies have been described as being mostly young, emaciated men, blood stained, and showing signs of strangulation or electrocution.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch stated, “The pictures will make it that much harder to ignore the mass atrocities being committed by Assad. So far (Secretary of State John) Kerry’s only answer to the atrocities has been: “Oh we’re trying to build peace, when we have peace the atrocities are going to stop.” But that’s not an adequate answer when peace is going to be a long time coming and people are being killed every single day.”
All three of these events will be worth watching over the weeks and months ahead.
Quote for the Week: “Make yourself a lamb and the wolves will eat you.”----Unknown.
Jim's Corner is posted with permission from the writer. It is from a local paper thus no website link.
