Reader’s Links for December 2, 2020

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

80 Replies to “Reader’s Links for December 2, 2020”

  1. US pulls dozens of diplomats out of Iraq ahead of Soleimani’s killing anniversary
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/600996/World/Mena/US-pulls-dozens-of-diplomats-out-of-Iraq-ahead-of-Soleimanis-killing-anniversary

    “The Trump administration ordered a drawdown of diplomats at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, until some time in January due to risks of a potential attack, according to a new report.

    Anonymous officials told The Washington Post that some staff members were withdrawn from the embassy for a “de-risking” period that will extend until after the one-year anniversary of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a US airstrike on Jan. 3, 2020.

    The drawdown will include “dozens” of people — up to half the staff at the Baghdad embassy and other diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Politico also reported, citing a US official and a State Department Official…”

  2. US senators and activists push to block huge arms deal with UAE
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-senators-activists-push-block-huge-arms-deal-uae

    “Opposition in Washington is mounting against an enormous arms deal with the United Arab Emirates that would introduce new weapons systems to the Gulf region, including advanced killer drones, F-35 jets and $10bn of munitions.

    The proposed package, approved by the US State Department in November after Abu Dhabi agreed to formalise diplomatic relations with Israel, is facing pushback from US lawmakers and rights groups.

    Late on Tuesday, key Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Chris Murphy, joined by Rand Paul, a Republican, introduced legislation to block the 23$bn deal.

    “The Emiratis are an important security partner, but their recent behavior indicates that these weapons may be used in violation of US and international law,” Murphy said in a statement…”

  3. Egypt to penalise fathers of child brides
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201202-egypt-to-penalise-fathers-of-child-brides/

    “Egypt’s Cabinet is planning to issue a new law imposing more penalties for the marriage of underage girls and child labour, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said during a Cabinet meeting on the national strategic population plan.

    The new law is set to toughen the penalties and broaden the scope of those penalised for child marriage to include the child bride’s father or guardian.

    The law will also penalise the fathers or guardians of working children.

    Egypt has the thirteenth highest number of child brides in the world. According to Girls Not Brides, child marriage is in part driven by gender inequality. In 2017 UNICEF said that 17 per cent of girls in Egypt are married before their 18th birthday.

    Despite the fact that Egypt has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which stipulates 18 should be the legal age for marriage, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which says marriage should be undertaken with free and full consent, child marriage continues.

    Rights groups have said that Egypt needs to be tougher on criminalising child marriage. Often, neither the groom nor the parents of the child bride are charged, which has led to an increase in the practice…”

  4. Kuwait ministry sacks 80 expat employees
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-ministry-sacks-80-expat-employees-1.75624361

    “Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works has decided to terminate the service of 80 expatriate employees, as the country is seeking to curtail hiring of migrant workers, a local newspaper said Wednesday.

    The ministry’s undersecretary Esmail Al Felakawi has issued the decision to end the service of the 80 as of March, Al Anba reported.

    The ministry aims at implementing a Kuwaitisation plan, empowering national employees, the official said.

    The terminations comprise advisers, accountants, engineers and other expatriates working on temporary or special contracts, the official elaborated.

    Foreigners account for nearly 3.4 million of Kuwait’s over 4.8 million population.

    In recent months, there have been increasing calls in Kuwait for curbing foreigners’ employment to redress a demographic imbalance amid accusations that migrant workers have strained the country’s infrastructure facilities.

    Several state institutions in Kuwait have recently disclosed plans to limit hiring foreigners, prioritising Kuwaitis’ employment.”

  5. Morocco’s FM: COVID-19 Will Pass, Migration Issues Will Remain
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/12/327625/moroccos-fm-covid-19-will-pass-migration-issues-will-remain/

    “The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, reiterated on Tuesday Morocco’s enduring commitment to tackling migration issues and their origins.

    At the High-Level Meeting to Launch the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the migration compact, Bourita said Morocco is sparing no effort to contribute to the implementation of the objectives of the Global Pact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, also known as the Marrakech Pact.

    Global leaders convened last December in Marrakech, Morocco, renewing their shared commitment to addressing migration issues with a humanitarian approach.

    The Moroccan official extolled the UN report on the migration compact, which calls upon leaders to reflect their attachment to realizing the promise and vows of the Marrakech Pact.

    The pact raises the importance of enhancing the global governance of migration.

    Bourita emphasized that the world is now busy with the impacts of COVID-19, but warned that the pandemic will pass while migration issues will remain.

    The official, therefore, called for a global commitment to prioritize migration issues.

    He offered examples of Morocco’s approach to migration issues, saying that Rabat’s strategies protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of foreigners residing in Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora. Bourita said Rabat strives to promote the conditions for the economic and social integration of migrants and to fight against human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse.

    “Morocco has promoted the adoption of a regional roadmap to establish the principles of the Marrakech Pact on the scale of the Western Mediterranean, during the 9+8th Ministerial Conference of the 5+5 Dialogue on Migration and Development,” Bourita continued.

    The diplomat also emphasized the application of the strategies at the continental level.

    He recalled the African Agenda for Migration under King Mohammed VI, which enabled the building of a continental consensus around an integrated vision of migration.

    “The implementation of the Marrakech Pact must remain our ‘mantra,’” Bourita said.

    He argued that the pact is the “credibility of multilateralism and the effectiveness of international cooperation.”

    The official emphasized the importance of registering and implementing the pact and build on its momentum: “The Marrakech Pact has generated an unprecedented momentum to establish a methodology and initiatives based on facts and data.””

  6. Greece, Greek Cyprus ‘abusing’ solidarity of EU: Turkish FM
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greece-greek-cyprus-abusing-solidarity-of-eu-turkish-fm-160543

    “The European Union’s solidarity often gets abused as the most recent example of the interception of a Turkish-flagged merchant ship by the bloc’s military Operation Irini has shown, Turkey’s top diplomat said on Dec. 2.

    “Recently Irini operation was used as a tool against Turkey. The operation on Nov. 22 gave the order to embark a Turkish flagged merchant ship without our preliminary consent. This was a clear violation of international law,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu said, speaking at the TRT World Forum.

    He said that as far as geopolitics is concerned, this interstate is a permanent fact of the relationship, and this case will be valid even after the COVID-19 period. “A few actors are actively destabilizing our region. Turkey plays a key role in stopping these initiatives,” Çavu?o?lu stated.

    In the eastern Mediterranean, Greece and Greek Cypriots unilaterally try to impose their maximalist approach, the minister said, noting that Turkey’s primary issue is to protect the rights of Turkish Cyprus and Turkey.

    “We often see how EU solidarity is abused to support the nationalist agenda of these members,” he stated.

    Çavu?o?lu noted that in any case, Ankara is ready for dialogue and cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean. “That is why we called for an Eastern Mediterranean Regional Conference with the participation of all coastal states, including Turkish Cypriots,” he added.

    NATO members Turkey and Greece have conflicting claims over continental shelves and rights to potential energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions flared in August when Ankara sent Oruç Reis to map out energy drilling prospects in waters also claimed by Greece.”

  7. Turkey: July 15 coup plotter gets 3,900+ years
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-july-15-coup-plotter-gets-3-900-years/2063317

    “An ex-military officer in Turkey who provided fuel to pilots who hit Ankara in the deadly July 15 coup attempt by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), received 79 aggravated life sentences and over 3,900 years in jail.

    In a trial last week of officers at the Akinci Airbase, which served as a headquarters for the failed 2016 attempt, the court in the capital Ankara on Thursday handed aggravated life sentences to several officers, including former Incirlik 10th Tanker Base Commander Bekir Ercan Van, and civilians who helped plot and carry the scheme out.

    Former Brig. Gen. Van received 79 aggravated life sentences and was sentenced to 3,901 years in prison.

    Van, who mobilized all the means of the base command stationed in the region where NATO troops were serving, sent military personnel who were not members of the organization to missions outside the base and ordered the pilot and flight crew to stand by in full readiness for the coup attempt.

    He also directed tanker aircraft to provide fuel to pilots that would bomb targets in Istanbul and Ankara.

    Van warned the crew of the tanker aircraft not to respond to radio calls from other airbase units and not to contact anyone other than himself, despite the order of then-Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar to close the country’s airspace to warplanes on the day.

    The coup-plotters had planned to appoint Van as so-called “martial law commander” of the southern Adana province, according to a list by the terror group.

    Escape attempt to Germany

    Realizing the attempt had been defeated, Van sought refuge with the US personnel stationed at the NATO Incirlik Base with plans to flee to Germany.

    In the early hours of July 16, Van was seized from the office of Col. John Walker.

    During his interrogation by prosecutors, he claimed that he received orders to direct tanker aircraft, though he failed to recall which superior officer they came from.

    According to the indictment, the tanker aircraft that took off on Van’s orders provided fuel to the war planes a total of 10 times as they bombed the presidential complex, the parliament and special operations police headquarters.

    Despite Van’s denial in court, Hizir Ozyuva, one of the tanker aircraft’s pilots, confirmed that it had been Van who ordered him to supply fuel to the jets on the night of July 15.

    The Turkish court handed 79 aggravated life sentences to Van for attempting to violate the constitutional order, attempting to assassinate the president and martyring 77 people.

    He was also sentenced to 3,901 years and six months in prison for “attempting to intentionally kill,” “attempting to deprive a person of liberty” and “depriving a person of liberty.”

    Separately, 1,511 convicts were handed jail terms ranging from 14 months to 20 years, while some defendants were acquitted in nationwide cases.

    The remaining cases continue in the capital Ankara, Istanbul and seven other provinces.

    FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and some 2,200 injured.

    Turkey accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.”

  8. Turkey sees its future in EU: Top diplomat
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/turkey-sees-its-future-in-eu-top-diplomat/2063295

    “Turkey’s top diplomat on Wednesday reiterated the country’s position that it saw its future with the EU, but that before its accession could take place, existing issues would need to be overcome

    Speaking at the fourth TRT World Forum in a panel titled New Realities and Interstate Relations After COVID-19, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu delivered remarks on diplomatic interactions under the shadow of the novel coronavirus outbreak, as well as multilateralism and Turkey’s foreign policy in general.

    “Turkey is a strong NATO ally and sees its future in the European Union,” Cavusoglu said. “Once we overcome the current confusion existing mostly on the European side, I believe that the historic step of Turkey’s accession to the EU can be taken.”

    He suggested that the resolution of ongoing disputes between Ankara and Brussels would have a “transformative effect” on Turkey’s wider neighborhood as well…”

  9. Suspects ‘used citizenship wage to finance terrorism’
    https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2020/12/02/suspects-used-citizenship-wage-to-finance-terrorism_52ed9c04-6221-4edd-ac90-d0d6a8a3e4d3.html

    “Finance police in Bologna have filed charges against two Tunisian citizens accused of illegally benefitting from the ‘citizenship wage’ basic income to finance Islamic terrorism, investigative sources said Wednesday. The suspects are accused of using some 12,000 euros they had received as basic income to finance a dangerous Islamic ‘foreign fighter’ who is wanted by Belgian anti-terror authorities, the sources said. The man was last located in Tunisia in April. The money was allegedly transferred through a service in the province of Ferrara, according to investigators.”