Author: yreape

Current protests in Iraq may be due to an ailing economy. The 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement defined the spheres of control and influence in Iraq and beyond, instigating the eventual partition of the middle east; and according to legislation by Britain and France with assent from the Russian empire and Italy.
At the end of world war I, Britain selected administrators in Iraq from the Sunni Arab elite which, according to some beliefs, was the beginning of a fateful alliance.
Relations are ambiguous since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, that is, diplomatic relations have not been severed on an elite level inspite of the slaughter on the ground.
Current protests in Iraq began in early October. An Iraqi woman spoke to Western contingents on film saying, “You steal from us, we will fight, men and women together.”

Romania is a south eastern European country. It borders Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. The end of communism in Europe began spontaneously in 1989. The Romanian revolution of that year culminated with the execution of Nicolae Ceauşescu, a Romanian communist politician and leader, and his wife Elena.
Austerity policies which were introduced in the 1980’s may have been a factor, supposedly to pay foreign debt although previously the country had a good economy reported to be growing at one of the fastest rates in the world. There is a belief that Romania was a victim of exploitation.
The treaty of Bucharest, 1913 marked the end of sovereignty for Romania. Communist rule began in 1947 with a reported coup, deposing Michael I, who’s cousins are said to be both queen Elizabeth II and her husband, who formerly held the title of prince of Greece and Denmark.
In 2004 OMV Austria acquired 51% of Romanian Petrom, said to be the largest acquisition in their history. OMV are now thought to be market leaders in central and eastern Europe. Romanian Petrom is listed as a subsidiary. OMV’s net income in 2017 was reported to be 853 million euros.
Despite Romania being one of the best performing economies in Europe in 2017, it remains mainly underdeveloped. It has been criticised by the world bank for not allocating its resources to politically connected contingents: Supposed land reforms after 1989 are reported to have constituted the allocation of small farms to people who fought on the side of the, as called national salvation front who seized power after the death of Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu, both who died by firing squad.
The prime minister of Romania since 2018 is Viorica Dăncilă who is said to be head of government, although the president represents the country internationally and the judiciary being independant of both the executive and legislator.

Protesting Lebanese citizens, according to Western news, are complaining about government corruption. It might be the world bank want to charge Lebanon for restructuring work which has been the subject of controversy. Lebanon is described by western media as being on the brink of collapse.
The borders of contemporary Lebanon correspond to the ancient Phoenican city states. Following the collapse of the Ottoman empire after the first world war, Lebanon became the subject of a league of Nations mandate. The mandate is reported to differ from colonialism in that the governing country is given the power to act as administrators until such a time as Lebanon becomes independant. Various documented wars have been about soveregnity.

An attack on a military base in the middle of the Sahara, in Mali, began with shellfire from heavily armed unidentified men according to news. Fifty three soldiers and one civillian are believed to have been killed before the attackers retreated.
The military presence in Mali is a u.n. security council initiative and multi dimensional. This has resulted in various insurrections in the mineral rich region. Around twenty people were killed last month on a gold mining site in nearby Burkina Faso bringing the total death toll believed to be 204 out of an estimated 15,000 u.n. peace keepers deployed in the region:
Mali, formerly Sudan, is believed to be the third largest producer of gold in Africa.

What is described by some as the Armenian genocide refers to the massacres and supposed forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during the first world war.
A series of Muslim Arab armies conquered the area from the middle ages culminating in the Ottomon dynasty which ruled Eastern Armenia. Western Armenia was part of the Russian empire from 1828.
Russia entered the first world war against Germany in 1914.
An estimated million and a half, said to be mainly Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces who backed Germany, from about 1914-1917. Many are reported to have had their properties consficated and were marched away to various areas. There were accusations of atrocities.
Present day Armenians are believed to be local to the highlands of Armenia, then Eastern Armenia. Muslim Kurds in present day Armenia are recognised as Armenian and assimilated. Conversion to Islam in the middle east is thought to have been mandatory. There may be around 37,000 Kurdish people living in Armenia according to some statistics, and an estimated 30-40 million worldwide, fourteen million living in what is sometimes known as Kurdish Turkey and used to be western Armenia.

Eighteen people are reported to have been shot on Monday night in the shiite residential area of Karbala, Iraq. Protests and civil unrest in Iraq and Lebanon have been blamed on corruption and western influences. Shiite leaders have complained of excessive use of force and have advised protesters to seek changes legally.
Hundreds are reported to have ransacked protester’s tents and stalls in Beirut this week and amid the chaos the Lebanese prime minister has threatened to resign.
The prime minister of Iraq since October last year is Adil Abdul Mahdi who was a critic of the 2010 election. The newly elected council of representatives of Iraq, previously the united Iraqi alliance, once the largest Shia party, won elections in 2005 but fell apart when factions who were said to be seeking reform, left.
The council of representatives of Iraq, the unicarmel legislature have been meeting in the as called Baghdad international zone. The Iraqi national movement was formed to contest the 2010 elections and is said to consist of both shia and sunni leaders. The government was said to be under pressure to pass legislation concerning oil and gas; and supposed pressure to vote against the nationalisation of the oil industry but despite opposition from the Kurds, new legislation concerning oil was passed in 2009.

The u.k. are adamant that there should not be a border between northern and Southern Ireland in the wake of Brexit, but an eu outer border has to appear somewhere and northern Ireland are either in or out. The acting MP for northern Ireland in Westminster has stated that the north stays with Britain unless they want to do otherwise. In view of this why not formally invite the north to join Ireland instead of waiting passively for more unlikely deals? Their acceptance or refusal would then demark the border.

The UK are criticising the US for getting out of Syria yet are praised for their insensible announcement describing the killing of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. All this when Syria now have to work towards living peacefully together again.
The as called prisons which hold women and children who have been described as isis by the UK media might be food stations. Charities have described the situation in Syria as a crisis of homelessness but it may be that the widespread displacement of people may be due to no food.

Not to be outdone, the UK have founded the european council which they describe as the collective body that defines the eu’s overall political direction and priorities. The president is believed to be Donald Tusk.
Their role may be advisory, in the same vein as the un.

When Israel withdrew from Gaza on 2005 as per agreement, according to news all hell let loose as the Palestinian authority, at large in Samaria or the West bank as called, were challenged by HAMAS, who are thought to be affiliated to Egypt and beyond.
Nine thousand Israeli citizens were forcibly evicted yet Israelis continue to maintain strict external control.
The Gaza blockade denies freedom of movement and some have implied that HAMAS are paramilitaries who are definitively anti-Israel, and have been accused of various atrocities in Gaza, including executions. It is a concern that children may grow up to blame Israel because of the blockade.