This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Russia to send ‘non-military’ aid truck convoy into eastern Ukraine
- Hamas restricts foreign media reporting after NDTV shows rocket launch
- U.S. sending weapons directly to Kurds in Iraq
Russia to send ‘non-military’ aid truck convoy into eastern Ukraine
Russia says that it will send a truck convoy with humanitarian aidacross the border into east Ukraine, into the region around Donetsk,which is currently being held by pro-Russian separatist militias. Theannouncement said that the convoy will be non-military, and that theaid will be provided in conjunction with the International Committeeof the Red Cross (ICRC).
The ICRC responded cautiously, saying,without undue delay from the authorities of the Russian Federation allnecessary details concerning the aid, including the volume and type ofitems, and requirements for transport and storage.”
The Ukraine government in Kiev has surrounded the pro-Russian militiasin Donetsk, cutting off travel and supplies, with analyst opinionsmixed about whether Kiev is close to defeating them. Thousands ofpeople are believed to be short of water, electricity, and medical aiddue to the fighting. It’s feared that Russia will use thehumanitarian convoy as a pretext for military action to support thepro-Russian militias. Reuters and Ria Novosti (Moscow) and Itar-Tass (Moscow)
Hamas restricts foreign media reporting after NDTV shows rocket launch
On Sunday, Hamas announced that it will severely restrict reporting ofthe Gaza war by foreign journalists, possibly in retaliation for theairing a week ago of a video of the assembly and launch of a rocketfrom a heavily populated area of Gaza. (“10-Aug-14 World View — New Delhi TV accidentally gets video of Hamas rocket launch in Gaza”)
Hamas has been harassing reporters since the beginning of the war, andhas threatened reporters with retaliation for publishing news that wasnot favorable to Hamas. On Sunday, Paul T. Jørgensen of Norway’s TV2reported that:
[S]everal foreign journalists have been kicked out ofGaza because Hamas does not like what they wrote or said.
We have received strict orders that if we record that Hamas firesrockets or that they shoot, we will face serious problems and beexpelled from Gaza.
The Foreign Press Association on Monday denounced the newHamas restrictions in a statement:
The FPA protests in the strongest terms the blatant,incessant, forceful and unorthodox methods employed by the Hamasauthorities and their representatives against visitinginternational journalists in Gaza over the past month.
The international media are not advocacy organizations and cannotbe prevented from reporting by means of threats or pressure,thereby denying their readers and viewers an objective picturefrom the ground.
In several cases, foreign reporters working in Gaza have beenharassed, threatened or questioned over stories or informationthey have reported through their news media or by means of socialmedia.
We are also aware that Hamas is trying to put in place a “vetting”procedure that would, in effect, allow for the blacklisting ofspecific journalists. Such a procedure is vehemently opposed bythe FPA.
According to the new rules, announced on Sunday, Hamas will requireforeign journalists covering Gaza to provide information aboutPalestinian translators and fixers, as well as the address where theyare staying. Camera.org and Jerusalem Post and Foreign Press Association
U.S. sending weapons directly to Kurds in Iraq
The U.S. is sending weapons directly to the Kurds in Iraq to help theKurdish Peshmerga forces fight militias from the Islamic State. Islamic State hopelessly outguns the Peshmerga,since they have advanced American-made Humvees and other heavy weaponsthat were acquired from warehouses when IS captured the city ofMosul. The intention is that the U.S. weapons shipments will eventhings out a little, though the light arms being shipped are still nomatch for Humvees and tanks.
Army Lt. Gen. William C. Mayville Jr. on Monday said that nothing thatAmerica is doing, including airstrikes, is expected to have mucheffect on IS:
I in no way want to suggest that we have effectivelycontained, or that we are somehow breaking, the momentum of thethreat.
They’re very well-organized, They are very well-equipped. Theycoordinate their operations. And they have thus far shown theability to attack on multiple axes. This is notinsignificant.
It’s beginning to look like we’re using what what might be called the
What I mean by that is that George H.W. Bush took a firm decision andfought Iraq to extract it from Kuwait. Bill Clinton took a firmdecision, and bombed Iraq to protect the Kurds and preventdevelopment of weapons of mass destruction. George W. Bush took afirm decision and invaded Iraq to get rid of Iraq’s reported weaponsof mass destruction.
However, no firm decisions are being made now with respect to Iraq,and we’re being pulled into Iraq more and more in a reactive mode, onestep at a time. This is how Presidents Kennedy and Johnson got usinto the Vietnam War, and we appear to be repeating that strategy.Washington Post
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk,International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC,Hamas, NDTV, Paul T. Jørgensen, Foreign Press Association,Iraq, Kurds, Peshmerga, William C Mayville Jr
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