Trump Victory a Repudiation of Obama Presidency
USA Today wrote on November 9:
“Donald Trump’s victory… was nothing less than a repudiation of the Obama presidency… With Republicans maintaining control of the House and Senate, President-elect Trump would be in a position to repeal large parts of Obama’s legislative agenda, repeal his executive orders with a stroke of a pen, and install conservative Supreme Court justices…
“Trump’s election represents a ‘hostile takeover’ of the White House… Judging from his whirlwind campaigning of the past few weeks, no one was more aware of Trump’s threat to his legacy than Obama himself…
“With this loss, President Obama loses the opportunity to go down as one of America’s great presidents… It looks like Obama has failed to exploit his opportunity to be a transformation president.”
Obama Is To Be Blamed
In a biting commentary, Bild Online wrote on November 6, prior to the election outcome:
“Obama is mainly responsible for the conditions of his country… The self-declared healer Obama is to be blamed for the divide… Eight years Obama have radicalized America… Obamacare, so Bill Clinton, is ‘the craziest thing in the world.’ Even more than domestically, Obama leaves behind a field covered with ruins on the international front. America’s foes are no longer afraid of the US President, and America’s friends have no more confidence in him…
“The differences between Trump and Obama are: In Trump’s case, his declarations are frightening; in Obama’s case, his political deeds (or his omissions, such as in Syria) are frightening. America’s weakness in the world… is not a product of Trump’s imagination, but it is because of Obama’s politics…
“I hope the world has learned from eight years of Obama that politicians are dangerous if they present themselves as Saviors.”
Dark Times Await America
The Berliner Zeitung wrote on November 7 (prior to the election):
“One could mention many reasons for (America’s) downfall… It is clear: The status of America’s society will not change, regardless as to who will win the election. For the considerable future, America is paralyzed politically, if not something worse happens. Even without Trump, dark times await America…”
EU in Fear
BBC News wrote on November 9:
“The ‘sincere’ (their word) letter of congratulations to Donald Trump… from the European Commission and the European Council oozes EU angst from every line. Messers Juncker and Tusk rushed to remind the US president-elect of ‘shared values of freedom, human rights, democracy and a belief in the market economy’ in a way that lays bare their very clear fear that Mr Trump doesn’t prioritise these values at all…
“Key EU nations France, Germany and the Netherlands are steaming towards elections next year… Italy’s prime minister risks losing his job in a matter of weeks, depending on the results of a referendum he called on changing the Italian constitution. In what is possibly the political understatement of the morning, Matteo Renzi mused after Donald Trump’s declaration of victory that ‘we are in a new (political) season’.
“By far and away the most effusive European reaction to the US elections came from the jubilant leaders of populist anti-establishment parties from Budapest, to Berlin, Vienna and beyond.
“Mr Trump certainly made waves during his election campaign when he indicated that US military support for Nato member states could be conditioned on whether countries meet their financial obligations to the bloc. If he keeps his word, only four of Nato’s 28 members would qualify for support from Washington in the case of a war.
“Donald Trump’s rhetoric… propelled him to election victory on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a moment that changed the course of European history. On Wednesday former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, a man rarely associated with hyperbole, described the US vote as the biggest political rupture since then…”
November 9 – an Extraordinary Day in German History
The Local wrote on November 9:
“November 9th is known as the ‘Day of Fate’ (Schicksalstag) in Germany because… different but momentous events in German history occured on that day. After the Berlin Wall was pulled down on November 9th 1989, it seemed to many a logical day to celebrate the reunification of Germany. However, there is good reason why October 3rd was ultimately chosen as der Tag der deutschen Einheit (German Unity Day)…
“German democratic politician and activist Robert Blum was executed on this day [November 9] in Vienna [in 1848]. He had joined revolutionary fighters in the capital of the then Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was arrested on the November 4th before being condemned to death by a military tribunal. Blum, who was born in Cologne and rose from being an apprentice gardener to sitting in the preliminary democratic parliament in Frankfurt, was a popular advocate of democracy and greater gender equality, condemning Prussian militarism and anti-Semitism… his death… marked the end of the democratic stirrings in Germany in the 1840s.
“During the final days of the First World War, on November 9th [in 1918], the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany from the throne was announced, and he boarded a train to the Netherlands the following day. In the revolutionary spirit that followed, Social Democrat politician Philipp Scheidemann rushed to a window of the Reichstag in Berlin to declare the new republic before his communist competitor Karl Liebknecht was able to…
“During the early years following the war, there was much instability in Germany, and challenges took place from both the far left and far right against the new democratic Weimar government. [On November 9, 1923, the] leader of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), Adolf Hitler, marched with First World War General Erich Ludendorff and other party members into the centre of Munich to take control of the southern city. The attempt was quashed by the police: 16 demonstrators and four policemen died, and Hitler was arrested and then imprisoned for five years. The NSDAP was then banned…
“On the night of November 9th, [1938,] SA troops as well as German citizens carried out violent attacks on Jewish populations across Germany. 267 synagogues were destroyed in Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland, and it is estimated that 7,500 German Jewish shops were laid waste to. At least 91 Jews were killed between November 9th and 10th. On the following day, over 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps such as Dachau, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen. The day marked the true beginning of state persecution of the Jewish race…
“Exactly a month after huge demonstrations against the East German government in Leipzig, November 9th [1989] became the defining landmark of the end of communism. Following a mistake by East German government spokesman Günter Schabowski in a press conference, announcing that new, more relaxed border regulations were to come into effect ‘ab sofort’ (instantly), thousands of East Berliners rushed to the wall. Hours later they had forced their way through the checkpoints, and the concrete barrier that had divided the city for over 28 years was no more…”
Germany, France and Russia React with Shock and Hope
Time wrote on November 9:
“Leaders and officials across the world reacted with shock, hope and congratulations, as Donald Trump confounded polls and surged to victory over Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential elections early on Wednesday morning… In Russia, President Vladimir Putin reportedly offered his congratulations, and ‘expressed confidence that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, in keeping with each other’s views, meets the interests of both Russia and the U.S.,’ according to Russia Today.
“German Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted, ‘The world won’t end, but things will get more crazy,’ while his colleague, Defence Minister Usula von der Leyen, told Reuters the result was a ‘huge shock’ and asked Trump for clarification on whether the U.S. would remain committed to NATO…”
Deutsche Welle added on November 9:
“German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel called Trump’s victory ‘a warning for Germany and Europe,’ urging policy makers to listen more closely to people’s concerns. ‘Trump is the pioneer of a new authoritarian and chauvinist international movement. He is also a warning for us,’ Gabriel [said].”
The Mirror wrote on November 9:
“… the French ambassador to the United States tweeted that the ‘world is collapsing before our eyes’…”
What President Trump May Mean for Germany
The Local wrote on November 9:
“Donald Trump’s election as the next US president shocked many in Germany, and on Wednesday people across the world woke up wondering what may happen next…
“While Merkel extended an olive branch to Trump on Wednesday, saying she would offer him ‘close cooperation,’ after Trump had previously accused her of ‘ruining Germany,’… her top diplomat seemed more pessimistic. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier [who had called Trump a “hate preacher”] said that foreign relations would become ‘more difficult’ with Trump. Leading foreign policy experts also raised their fears that a Trump presidency could make life extremely awkward for Berlin.
“Sylke Tempel, US expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), described the Republican as ‘poison for fruitful foreign policy’ in an interview with DPA. ‘With Trump in the White House, a man has been elected to the most important office in the world who can’t control himself, who has no political experience, who takes criticism as personal assault, and who is clearly motivated by vengeance.’…
“The German government has been eagerly pushing the major Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal between the EU and the US. But Trump’s campaign has been critical of international trade agreements, saying they cost his country jobs… International Relations expert Josef Janning told The Local that Germany ‘can forget about TTIP’ after Trump’s election.”
It Is Now Up to Germany to Lead
The Local wrote on November 9:
“German policy experts are unanimous in saying that Trump is bad news for Berlin… For Olaf Boehnke, a freelance expert on international affairs, ‘with the US election results, the pressure on Germany has increased dramatically.’ Multiple crises in the world, including in Ukraine and Syria, are likely to escalate in the uncertain period after Trump takes power, he argues to The Local. ‘There is a need of leadership, and if the US will not be the leader for the time being, then everybody looks to other leading nations or those with the potential,’ he says. ‘It is up to Merkel and to Berlin to step up at least for the European crowd and take on much more responsibility than she already has.’…
“If Trump follows on a campaign pledge to reduce his country’s financial commitment to NATO, Berlin would have to up its defence spending every year, a highly unpopular political decision among the German electorate, says Boehnke. But, Europe ‘will not be able to hide behind the US anymore’ when it comes to dealing with a more aggressive Russia, and thus Merkel will have to push a common defence ‘at a really fast pace’…”
“Juncker Calls for an EU Army”
Deutsche Welle reported on November 10:
“Jean-Claude Juncker has insisted on closer military and security cooperation between EU member states. The EU Commission president insists the need for an European army is irrespective of Trump’s election victory.”
Great Britain Reacts—“We all Face Dark, Uncertain and Fearful Times”
The Guardian wrote on November 9:
“The unthinkable is only unthinkable until it happens. Then, like the sack of Rome, it can seem historically inevitable. So it is with the global political earthquake that is the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. If he is true to his campaign pledges, which were many and reckless, Mr Trump’s win will herald America’s most stunning reversal of political and economic orthodoxy since the New Deal in the 1930s, but with the opposite intention and effect…
“The parallel with Britain’s Brexit vote is obvious and real… The result will be lamented by liberals across America and beyond. But it will be cheered in Moscow and Damascus, which will feel emboldened. This is not a good week to be a Latvian or a Ukrainian, and another dire one to be a Syrian oppositionist…
“But this is primarily an American catastrophe that America has brought upon itself. When it came to it, the US was unable to find a credible way of rallying against Mr Trump and what he represents. Hillary Clinton failed that crucial test both in herself and in what she offered; for her this is the end. But she was the symptom, not the cause. Mr Trump was not taken seriously and was widely not expected to beat Mrs Clinton throughout the long, bitter campaign. At each stage, his candidacy was deemed certain to crash and burn. The opinion polls and the vaunted probability calculus rarely trended in his direction; both are now discredited…
“Mr Trump’s victory was total… It was the most stunning upset in modern US history… He won most of the battleground states into which the Clinton campaign had poured money – Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin…
“Meanwhile, Republican congressional candidates who had scrabbled to put distance between themselves and their nominee after the ugly TV debates found themselves riding to victory on Mr Trump’s coattails. Republicans held most of their seats in the Senate races… predictably, the House remained firmly in Republican hands too…
“President Trump is the shock heard round the world… Mr Trump’s win means uncertainty about America’s future strategy in a world that has long relied on the United States for stability. But Mr Trump’s capacity to destabilise is almost limitless. His military, diplomatic, security, environmental and trade policies all have the capacity to change the world for the worse. Americans have done a very dangerous thing this week. Because of what they have done we all face dark, uncertain and fearful times.”
Israel’s Reaction—No Palestinian State, and US Embassy to Move to Jerusalem
JTA wrote on November 9:
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on his presidential victory, calling him a ‘true friend of the State of Israel.’… ‘I am confident that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the unique alliance between our two countries and bring it to ever greater heights.’
“Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, head of the opposition Zionist Union camp, offered his congratulations in a post on Facebook. ‘American democracy today elected a leader who surprised the pundits, and showed that we are in an era of change and new direction. You did the unexpected, against all odds,’ Herzog wrote…
“Likud lawmaker and Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick congratulated Trump and invited him to ‘ascend the Temple Mount…’
“In his congratulations to Trump, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Jewish Home party, claimed ‘The era of a Palestinian state is over.’ Bennett said in a statement: ‘Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the center of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause. This is the position of the president-elect, as written in his platform, and it should be our policy, plain and simple.’
“Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in a congratulatory letter sent to Trump reminded the president-elect of his promise to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something his three predecessors have failed to do since the passage of the Jerusalem Act in 1995…”
President Obama Encouraged Illegal Aliens to Vote!
BRP wrote on November 5:
“In a jaw-dropping move, lame duck Barack Obama told illegal aliens they can vote, citing the ‘sanctity of the vote’… Obama made the bizarre declaration that it’s okay to commit voter fraud and break the law by voting in a U.S. election even if you’re in the country illegally.
“A woman interviewer asked Obama: ‘I call [illegal aliens] citizens, as they contribute to this country. They are fearful of voting and wonder: “If I vote, will Immigration know where I live? Will they come for my family and deport us?”’ ‘This is not true,’ Obama said in the live TV interview. ‘First of all, when you vote, there’s not a situation where voting rolls are transferred over and people start investigating. The sanctity of the vote is strictly confidential.’
“The shocking video clip first aired on Neil Cavuto‘s Fox Business News show ‘Coast to Coast.’ After hearing Obama tell illegal aliens they won’t get caught if they commit voter fraud, a disgusted Cavuto exploded. ‘I can’t believe that I heard what I heard!’ Cavuto said. ‘It was very clear that the question that was being asked was about illegals voting and them being afraid they might be reported to Border Security.’
“Cavuto said Obama missed the entire premise of the question: ‘You’re ignoring the fact that you are being questioned about illegal voting, which you can’t do. Why? Because you’re not a citizen of this country!’ Cavuto added: ‘You’re illegal! You cannot vote. The President of the United States is saying no one will be spying on you, catching you.’
“Voter fraud has taken center stage this election cycle, as instances of voter fraud were recently reported in California and in other states…”
The Dirtiest Campaign in American History
Der Spiegel wrote on November 4:
“Trump versus Clinton will go down in American history as the dirtiest campaign of all time. It seemed at times as though script writers had let their imaginations run wild. But the consequences for democracy in the United States will be long lasting…
“For the last year, American democracy has become a circus, one in which the most outlandish gag gets the most applause. And it won’t be without consequences: The country will have to live with the scars of this ugly campaign for quite some time to come. Make no mistake: When the advances of civilization are set aside, even if only temporarily, fractures are the result and they aren’t easy to repair. When arguments don’t count and lies are accepted as truth, when politicians have entire teams working to spread disinformation, democracy as we understand it ceases to exist.
“Clinton and Trump have managed to drag US politics — already not the purest of spectacles — into the muck. With the help of the hysterical media, they have transformed the race into a soap opera, and this time, reality has far exceeded even our wildest imaginations.”
Sadly, the political circus will have lasting consequences for a country being alienated already from the true God.
Der Spiegel added on November 7:
“When Americans go to the polls on Tuesday, there will be no chance left to salvage this election. All that remains is picking the lesser of two evils. But the damage has already been done…
“How could the entire country have allowed the democracy for which it stands to fall into this degree of decline?… bankruptcy is around the corner…”
America—a Laughing Stock Around the World
On November 8, Piers Morgan wrote for the Daily Mail:
“Elections are supposed to be momentous events in a nation’s history, filled with hope, excitement and optimism for the future. This one feels like the complete opposite. Many Americans feel repulsed, sickened, angry and thoroughly depressed by what has been happening over the past 18 months… nobody in this race… has fought fair. It’s been shockingly nasty and appallingly mean-spirited… The combined effect of all this has been to render America a laughing stock around the world…
“70% of Americans don’t like the direction the country is headed… Who, after all, wants to be an object of ridicule?… Trump and Clinton are the two most unpopular candidates in US presidential history… So whoever wins tonight, the absolute first priority of the new President must be to work urgently to restore some dignity and respect to this great country. Millions of Americans feel lost, helpless, abandoned and resentful…
“[America] IS breaking and it needs re-setting. When you break a bone, you go see a doctor and get it healed… The Dis-United States of America must be United again.”
Sadly, it won’t be healed again. It is far too late for that.
The Epitome of Human Foolishness
The Sun wrote on November 5:
“SCIENTISTS have claimed that death may not be as final as we once feared – and that humans have souls that can leave the body after their hosts kick the bucket. It may sound like a supernatural myth, but the idea that human consciousness lives on after death has been put forward by a number of well-respected scientists.
“We may not know exactly what consciousness is, but physicist Sir Roger Penrose believes that it’s just a packet of information stored at a quantum – or sub-atomic – level… Sir Roger has argued that when a person dies temporarily, this quantum information is released into the universe, only to return to the body’s cells if the host is brought back to life. He argues that this explains why people can have near-death experiences, and believes that this quantum information amounts to a soul leaving the body.
“And Sir Roger is not alone in believing this, since his theory is backed by researchers at the renowned Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich. Experts there argue that our physical universe is just a perception, and that once our bodies die there is an infinite life beyond…. Dr Hans-Peter Dürr, former head of the institute, has said: ‘… The body dies but the spiritual quantum field continues. In this way, I am immortal.’
“Earlier this year, another remarkable claim about the afterlife was made by a terminally-ill violinist who survived 17 near-death experiences, and claims to have been to the other side… During one near-death experience, he claimed he was blocked from entering heaven by a group of laughing angels who smelled of aftershave. Another vision saw him bathed in the aura of an ‘Asiatic goddess’, whilst he claims a further supernatural encounter made him believe he was a husky dog bounding through the Arctic.’
This is such utter nonsense that one must shake one’s head at such foolishness and demonic deceptions, but sadly, many people believe in these ridiculous concepts. And now, even so-called “scientists” support this ungodly idea, albeit from quite a different equally preposterous angel.
For the biblical truth, please watch Norbert Link’s recent sermon, “Is the Soul Immortal?”
How Poland Fights the Curse of Abortion
The Associated Press wrote on November 6:
“Polish lawmakers approved a plan Friday to pay a bonus to families whose child is born disabled — part of a policy aimed at curbing the number of abortions. The ‘For Life’ plan, which is expected to take effect next year, gives a one-time payment of 4,000 zlotys ($1,000) upon the birth of a disabled child or one with a life-threatening disease.
“Government official Elzbieta Witek said the money is intended as the ‘first step’ of government support for families with disabled children. Such families have long been demanding higher aid, which currently stands at 1,300 zlotys a month for a parent taking care of the child full-time.
“The conservative Law and Justice government, backed by the Catholic church, is seeking to ban abortions of deformed or sick fetuses, or even those with no chance of survival, to make possible their baptism and burial.
“Polish law now bans abortions except in cases when the woman’s life or health is threatened, when the pregnancy results from rape or incest or when the fetus is irreparably damaged. But amid the threat of prison terms, doctors often refuse to perform even admissible abortions.
“Government figures say 1,040 abortions were performed in Poland last year, while experts say some 150,000 abortions a year are done illegally and secretly. The government says most of the legal abortions are performed on fetuses with genetic defects like Down syndrome and wants that stopped.”
Abortion is sin, without exception. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Are You Already Born Again?”
The False Human Wisdom of Pope Francis
The website of Americamagazine.org wrote the following on November 6:
“In a speech delivered at the Vatican just three days before the U.S. presidential election, Pope Francis urged social justice activists from around the world not to give into the politics of fear by building walls but instead work to build bridges… The pope did not mention the Nov. 8 U.S. election, but many of the themes he touched on have played out in debates between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton in recent months.
“For example, the pope reiterated his plea for nations to respond more generously to the global refugee crisis, which he blamed on ‘an unjust socio-economic system and wars.’
“… It is not just Republicans on the receiving end of Catholic criticism around immigration. Some Catholic immigration activists have been critical of the Obama administration for its mass deportations of undocumented people living in the United States and for what they say are human rights abuses in U.S. detention centers along the southern border…
“Christians have a duty, he said, to be active in political life…”
The truth is, Christians have a duty NOT to be active in political life. For more information, please view our StandingWatch program, “Are You Voting for World War III”?
Divine Punishment for Gay Unions?
The Sun wrote on November 5:
“AN Italian priest has branded recent earthquakes that have shaken the country, killing hundreds and leaving tens of thousands homeless, as ‘divine punishment’ for gay civil unions. The controversial comments have now sparked the wrath of the Vatican who have moved quickly to refute the outspoken views spoken by theologian Father Giovanni Cavalcoli…
“Cavalcoli said on Radio Maria that the seismic shocks were ‘divine punishment’ for ‘the offence to the family and the dignity of marriage, in particular through civil unions’. The radio station distanced itself from his views with the Vatican also quick to come out with a stinging rebuke, saying the idea of a vengeful God was ‘a pagan vision’ dating from ‘the pre-Christian era’…
“But Cavalcoli has refused to back down, insisting to another radio station that earthquakes are indeed caused by ‘the sins of man’ and telling the Vatican to ‘read their catechism’. Legislation allowing gay civil unions in Italy only took effect last month, making it the last country in Western Europe to legally recognise same-sex relationships.”
Even though we are not saying that the current earthquakes in Italy were directly caused by God, the notion that divine punishment for sin is a “pagan vision from a pre-Christian era” shows a completely dumbfounding lack of biblical understanding by the Catholic Church. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Punishment for Our Sins.”
Pope Addresses the Habsburg Family
Zenit wrote on November 7:
“Pope Francis [spoke to] 300 members of Austria’s Habsburg family, when he received them in the Vatican on Saturday as they make a family pilgrimage to Rome, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Mercy.
“[The Pope said this:] ‘In this happy circumstance, you are remembering especially Blessed Karl of Austria, who in fact one hundred years ago or so ascended the throne. May his spiritual presence in your midst be such that the Habsburg family does not turn today to the past nostalgically but, on the contrary, is actively present in today’s history with its challenges and needs. In fact, some of you play leading roles in organizations of solidarity and human and cultural promotion, as well as in supporting the European project as a common home founded on human and Christian values…
“‘Karl of Austria was first of all a good family man, and as such a servant of life and of peace. He had known war, having been a simple soldier at the beginning of World War I. He assumed the kingdom in 1916 and, sensitive to the voice of Pope Benedict XV, he spent himself with all his strength for peace, at the cost of being misunderstood and derided. In this also he gives us an ever more timely example, and we can invoke him as intercessor to obtain from God peace for humanity…’”
Trade Between India and UK Will Suffer Because of Brexit
The Guardian wrote on November 5:
“Trade between India and the UK will suffer a ‘double hit’ as a result of the Brexit vote and the decline in sterling, the head of India’s largest business lobby has warned, ahead of a three-day visit by Theresa May. The prediction by the head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) echoes those of other analysts…
“Ficci’s secretary general, A Didar Singh, said the Brexit vote would ‘obviously’ have consequences for about 800 Indian businesses operating in the UK, as many used the country as a gateway into Europe. ‘The EU is India’s largest trading partner … but exports from the UK to India have been declining,’ he said, adding that trade would also be hit by the drop in sterling, which rallied on Friday. ‘Now, exports from India to the UK will also decline because you’ve lost 18% of your pound’s value…’
“London has been a hub for drug companies because the European Medicines Agency, which sets standards across the bloc, is headquartered in Canary Wharf. Spain and Sweden are reportedly among those already lobbying to be its new home. India’s largest carmaker, Tata, will also be sweating over negotiations between Britain and the EU. About 90% of its value is tied up in the UK-based Jaguar Land Rover, which is dependent on European supply chains and markets that might soon attract steep duties…”
Theresa May to the High Court: Accept the Decision of the People
On November 5, the Telegraph published the following editorial by Prime Minister Theresa May:
“On Thursday, the High Court decided that the government could not begin the process of withdrawing from the European Union without the permission of MPs and members of the House of Lords. It is a decision the government will challenge in the Supreme Court.
“This may appear to be a debate about process, and the legal argument is complex, but in reality there is an important principle at stake. Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided. Instead of re-fighting the battles of the past, we should be focusing on how we can come together as a country to make the most of this great national opportunity…”
Russian Warships in the Mediterranean
The Guardian wrote on November 4:
“A Russian frigate armed with cruise missiles has passed through the Bosphorus on its way to the eastern Mediterranean in a potentially ominous development for the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo.
“The Admiral Gligorovich, part of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, arrived off the Syrian coast on Friday as the latest pause in the Russian bombardment of eastern Aleppo came to an end, adding to an emphatic Russian show of naval force in the Mediterranean. Three Russian submarines from Russia’s northern fleet capable of firing Kalibr missiles are also reported to have arrived in the Mediterranean…
“The arrival of the Grigorovich and the Russian submarines armed with cruise missiles could add to the devastation being wreaked on eastern Aleppo, home to 275,000 people. However, if that was Russia’s only aim, it could easily increase the number of planes it bases at Hmeimim air base, near Latakia. The flexing of naval muscle is about geopolitical image as much as military firepower…”
Deutsche Welle wrote on November 8:
“Russia has said it will soon begin airstrikes on Syria launched from its flagship aircraft carrier… Jets from Russia’s flagship aircraft carrier will launch airstrikes from the eastern Mediterranean around the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo… Warplanes from the Admiral Kuznetsov will target rebels on the outskirts on the city, where they have launched a counter offensive against the Syrian government-controlled western part of the city…
“The deployment of the Admiral Kuznetsov, the first active combat mission for a Russian aircraft carrier, is the latest escalation since Russia intervened in Syria last September. Moscow has used the conflict to test its capabilities and flex its military muscles, including by launching cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea and using strategic bombers to pound targets. Russia has a naval facility in the Syrian port city of Tartus.”
“Will the Turkish Conflict Come to Germany?”
Deutsche Welle wrote on November 5:
“Anger and desperation motivated many Kurds living in Germany to march in Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund and Hanover…
“Hundreds of people joined spontaneous protests over the jailing of Kurdish politicians Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Thousands aired their grievances on social media platforms. ‘This is Erdogan’s final declaration of war on the Kurdish people,’ said Ali Ertan Toprak, head of Germany’s large Kurdish community when talking with DW.
“Both politicians have been in the crosshairs of the Turkish government since it began jailing over 30,000 people that it called ‘enemies of the state’ in the wake of July’s failed military coup. The government in Ankara accuses the leftist-liberal HDP of supporting the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) and thus supporting terrorism. The party denies the accusation. Nevertheless, over the past several weeks numerous oppositional Kurdish politicians have been removed from office, journalists have been persecuted and pro-Kurdish media outlets have been closed down. The HDP’s electoral success last year made it a serious political force in Turkey and Demirtas one of Erdogan’s most important rivals…
“Toprak is certain that the situation ‘will spill over into Germany, where Turks and Kurds live.’ When he speaks of Turks and Kurds in Germany, he is talking about 1.5 million people – secular, Muslim, conservative and liberal. The Turkish diaspora is just as fractured as Turkish society itself…
“One trend, more than any, is clear: many Germans with Turkish roots still strongly identify with their country of origin. A comprehensive study published this June by Detlef Pollack, a sociology of religion professor at the University of Münster, showed that Turks in Germany feel well integrated but at the same time do not feel as if they are fully accepted as equal members of German society…
“‘There are groups within Germany’s Turkish community that defend everything that Erdogan does because they long for a different Turkey,’ explains Toprak. He says that Erdogan is pushing the country towards an Islamic dictatorship… The head of the Kurdish community in Germany adds: Those who are of a different opinion are ‘declared terrorists and handled as such.’…
“Toprak goes a step further: ‘If Turkish nationalists take to the streets in the next few days and call for counter-demonstrations, one cannot rule out the possibility that there will be rioting in Germany.’ Toprak says that Germany’s federal government has a special obligation to deescalate the situation by ‘condemning Erdogan’s actions in unmistakable terms.’ Demands from the Kurds are clear: immediately suspend EU accession talks with Turkey, end all economic aid and stop arms sales.”
This is not going to happen. Note the next article:
The EUObserver wrote on November 4:
“The EU has condemned the latest raft of arrests in Turkey, but is not yet considering changing its relationship with the country.”
Deutsche Welle added on November 9:
“The European Commission’s assessment of candidate country Turkey has sparked a heated standoff. With patience seemingly running short, each side has accused the other of stalling Turkish membership negotiations… The European Commission released a scathing report on Wednesday concerning Turkey’s accession progress. The Turkish government’s post-coup crackdown on civil rights, the judiciary and press freedom all made the prospect of EU-membership increasingly unlikely, the report said.
“In the escalating standoff, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later challenged European leaders to ‘go and make a final decision’ on Turkey’s membership… Erdogan told business leaders: ‘You know those 3 million refugees in Turkey? They say there is a problem. What if the negotiations end and they open the gates, where would we put those 3 million refugees? That is their worry. That is why they cannot come to the end point.’”
