Greta Thunberg and Donald Trump Cross Paths at the United Nations Climate Summit

At Center: Greta Thunberg and U.S. President Donald Trump at the United Nations

September 25, 2019



By Faris K. Barhoum


  World leaders have converged on the United Nations in New York for the General Assembly Meeting. Just two days ago, [September 23] the U.N held a Climate Summit to bring awareness on the topic of climate change. The Swedish teen and climate activist Greta Thunberg was a keynote speaker at the Climate Summit on Monday and she gave a scolding speech, specifically going after world leaders for their in action, in combating climate change. In her speech Greta chastised the leaders of the world for doing little to address the issue head on and giving young generations a climate that is in complete shambles.
   Once Greta gave her bombastic speech at the Climate Summit she had a chance encounter that was unexpected. U.S. President Donald Trump surprised those at the Climate Summit, yet some were not thrilled with the sudden arrival of the president. Upon entering the room at the United Nations, the media caught the expression of the trailblazing Swedish teenager and her expression said it all. As President Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence arrived Greta had a dissatisfied and glaring stare down, that seemed to be directed at President Tump, although it is unclear what Greta was staring at.
   Many reacted to Greta's expression and quickly come to the conclusion she was staring down the president for his continual denial of climate change, rolling back environmental protections in the United States, and pulling out of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. It is still unclear what prompted the teen to stare down the president, but it would not be a surprise if it had to do with President Trump believing China made up climate change and the fact that the president is one of the biggest climate change skeptics. According to Justin Wise of The Hill.com, "Thunberg said last month [August, 2019] that Trump 'obviously' doesn't listen to science when assessing global warming" (Wise, 1). It would not be outlandish to consider Greta was in fact staring at President Trump.
   Reaction on Monday to Greta's stare down got unanimous support by many and elicited plenty of jokes. Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson of Texas retweeted a Twitter post that read, "We are all Greta Thunberg." Greta's fight is admirable and many have applauded her efforts to make climate change a priority. Climate change is of grave concern for many around the globe and should be a top priority of all world governments and their leaders. As stated by Mr. Wise, "Thunberg has gained a high profile over the past year for her consistent efforts to address the problems that climate change pose for future generations" (Ibid, 2-3).
   The state of our climate is an issue more people should be involved in fighting because it is our children's children that will be inheriting this planet. We must leave them something that is  sustainable, or else the future of our planet will be in jeopardy.


Article,

Wise, Justin. The Hill.Com,"Video of Greta Thunberg Crossing Paths With Trump At U.N. Goes Viral."
    https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/462662-video-of-greta-thunberg-crossing-paths-
   with-trump-at-un-goes-viral 9/23/19.

U.S. Satellites Allegedly Detect Iran Prepping To Attack ARAMCO

Pictured from left to right: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

September 18, 2019


By Faris K. Barhoum


   This past Saturday, [September 14, 2019] the ARAMCO oil facility in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia was attacked and bombed by drones. Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of carrying out the attack. The attack  dealt a significant blow to Saudi oil production and rocked the financial markets. Saudi Aramco officials have stated that the attacks on its plants in Abqaiq and Khurais were "a result of terrorist attacks with projectiles," and the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen took responsibility for the attack (NPR, 2). Saudi Arabia has been at war with Yemen since the spring of 2015 fighting Houthi rebels, which are allegedly trained and backed by Iran. Saudi Arabia and Iran have had a regional rivalry in the Persian Gulf or Arabian Gulf for decades. Both countries are supporting proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

The Saudi Aramco Oil Facility, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia burning after being attacked on Saturday, September 14, 2019.  

   The U.S. Defense Department stated today, [September 17, 2019] that "U.S. surveillance satellites detected Iran readying drones and missiles at launch sites in Iran before Saudi oil facilities were attacked on Saturday." The Defense Department has yet to release any imagery. Additionally, Defense Department officials have told NPR, "that U.S. intelligence views the activity as 'circumstantial evidence' that Iran launched the strike from its own soil" (Ibid, 2). The Houthi rebel movement in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack as previously stated, but American officials have claimed Iran played a major role in Saturdays attack on ARAMCO. Iran denied taking part in the attack.
   The U.S. Defense Department "has sent a forensic team to Saudi Arabia to examine wreckage of drones and missiles used in the attack." Intelligence experts believe that "examinations could provide 'compelling and convincing' evidence that Iran was behind the attack" (Ibid, 2). As of Tuesday, [September 17, 2019] Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated Iran "will hold no talks at any level with the U.S." Khamenei blamed the Trump administration "for requiring too many conditions," as it pertains to coming to the negotiating table with the United States (Ibid, 3). Some had mentioned the U.S. and Iran could hold an upcoming meeting in New York at the coming U.N. General Assembly in New York.
   As of late, the Trump administration has imposed crippling sanctions in an effort to force Iran to end its support for militant groups and proxies throughout the Arab world, and to make Iran end its development of ballistic missiles. The Trump administration pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal last year, which many believe was a mistake and has brought on renewed tension between Iran and the United States. Many analysts are worried that Washington and Tehran's rhetoric, coupled with attacks such as these, could lead to a regional conflict in the Arab world. Many in the international community and in the Arab world are anxiously waiting to see what comes next.


Article,

NPR.com. "U.S. Satellites Detected Iran Readying Weapons Ahead Of Saudi Strike, Officials Say."
   https://www.npr.org/2019/09/17/761539212/saudi-crisis-irans-supreme-leader-says-no-talks-with-u-
   s-during-u-n-visit. 9/17/19. 

Mr. Tough Guy, The John Bolton Saga

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, pictured in the Oval Office, the
White House.

September 11, 2019



By Faris K. Barhoum







   Well-known Neocon and conservative foreign policy maker and foreign policy official John Bolton recently and abruptly left his position as National Security Advisor to the current Republican administration. Mr. Bolton has served in several administrations, spanning three Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and most recently Donald Trump. Mr. Bolton's surprising exit has left many in Washington perplexed as to what went wrong. Two days after Mr. Bolton stepped down, it was widely reported that Mr. Trump had no appetite for a hawkish National Security Advisor, the likes of Bolton. Mr. Trump also blamed Bolton for his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in the pursuit of supposed weapons of mass destruction. The United States never found WMDs in Iraq.
    On Wednesday [September 11th], President Trump was asked questions by reporters in the Oval Office and many of the questions asked by the White Press Corp centered around Bolton's resignation. According to President Trump, Mr. Bolton & he got along well and maintained a working relationship, yet President Trump did not hold back in his attacks and criticism of Mr. Bolton. For those looking in from the outside, it would seem odd that Trump would fire such a senior official, especially the likes of John Bolton because Secretary of State John Pompeo is no less a hawk and a Neocon than Mr. Bolton.
   As stated by Quint Forgey of Politico.com, "Trump again claimed later in his remarks that it was he, not Bolton, who at times advocated for a more muscular foreign policy approach, despite Bolton's perceived proclivity for foreign intervention and championing of the 2003 invasion of Iraq from within former President George W. Bush's administration" (Forgey, 2). There is validity to Trump's argument when it comes down to John Bolton's foreign policy and his hawkish views. With that being said, Trump has no moral standing when it comes down to criticizing and attacking John Bolton because Trump vowed not to get involved in foreign entanglements around the globe. It is fair to point out the Trump has continued to widen American involvement in numerous countries, although his campaign called for putting America first.
   U.S. involvement in Syria and Iraq is ever widening. President Trump bombed Syria twice in 2017 and 2018 (U.S. Special Forces have been in Syria in a limited role since 2015, under President Obama), & Mr. Trump has continued to aid Saudi Arabia in their war against Yemen through intelligence and arms exports (the war in Yemen started under President Obama); and U.S. involvement in Afghanistan has entered into its eighteenth-year. Trump has also advocated for a military coup in Venezuela on numerous occasions in the last year, & this past summer Mr. Trump called off a limited strike on Iran.
   The Trump administration is fooling no one, especially those who are critical of is foreign policy. President Tump is trying to separate himself from Mr. Bolton, but President Trump's foreign policy is no different than that of previous Republican presidents, and for that matter Democratic presidents as well.


Article,

Forgey, Quint. Politico.com, "Mr. Tough Guy: Trump Delivers Vicious Take Down Of Bolton,"
   https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/11/trump-takedown-bolton-national-security-
  1489690.  9/11/19. .

Uncertain Times in the U.K. U.K. Lawmakers Defy Johnson on Election, Delivering Another Brexit Blow

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson debating his colleagues in
British Parliament, September 4, 2019.

September 4, 2019

By Faris K. Barhoum 

    The British government in the Spring of 2016 proposed and pushed for a vote for the U.K. to part ways with the EU or European Union. Ultimately, the citizens of the U.K. voted to leave the EU and since then the government of the U.K has yet to formally come to a vote as it pertains to leaving the EU. Since the spring of 2016, the British government has seen two prime ministers come and go without delivering on a Brexit vote to leave the EU. Ex-Prime Minister Theresa May stepped down this past July and Boris Johnson, the former Foreign Secretary and former mayor of London took over as the prime minister in July. Since taking over on 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Johnson has called for the U.K. to vote to leave the EU.

    Several U.K. lawmakers are vehemently opposed to leaving the EU, all the while Prime Minister Johnson is determined to have the British Parliament vote on leaving the EU entirely. Many U.K. lawmakers are not happy with Prime Minister Johnson because he has no plan for what comes after his proposed Brexit vote. With no clear plan after Brexit many in British Parliament are not comfortable with such uncertainty. To complicate matters further, last week Prime Minister Johnson called for British Parliament to disband, & called for a snap election. As of today, [Wednesday, September 4, 2019] the opposition in British Parliament refused Johnson's Brexit vote and his call for a snap election.

   As of Wednesday, the British Parliament blocked Johnson's vote to withdraw from the EU. As stated by Stephen Castle of The New York Times, "After opposition and rebel Tory lawmakers seized control of the Brexit process from Mr. Johnson on Tuesday, they doubled down on Wednesday by advancing a bill to block a withdrawal from the European Union without a deal. Then, just hours later, they rejected Mr. Johnson's request for a snap election, at least until their no-deal Brexit measure becomes the law of the land" (Castle, 1). It remains to be seen what will happen in the U.K., but it is safe to say there is quite a bit of uncertainty and anxiety as it pertains to Brexit.  

    Many believe that Johnson has lost the British Parliament all together. Several analysts have stated "that Mr. Johnson could still get his election soon, but the latest rebuff was a stark indication that he had lost control of Parliament," Castle continues, "It was a sobering day [Wednesday, September 4, 2019] for Mr. Johnson, a politician whose bombast and supreme self-confidence finally met a wall of opposition amid a fierce backlash over his decisions to suspend Parliament for five weeks and to expel 21 lawmakers who rebelled against him on Tuesday. And with the purge, he may have fractured his Conservative Party" (Ibid, 1). It is clear that Prime Minister Johnson is at odds with many of his fellow lawmakers, as well as with some of his fellow citizens. Additionally, the Brexit debate will not be solved if some British lawmakers are suspended for mere disagreement. Nonetheless, the debate will continue and we shall see where this debate leads if and when it is resolved. Till then as they say, "God Save the Queen," but in this case, "God Save the U.K."

Article,

Castle, Stephen. The New York Times, "U.K. Lawmakers Batter Johnson Again, Defying Him

  On Brexit & Election,"

  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/world/europe/brexit-boris-johnson-parliament.html. 9/4/19.