As the World Turns: From Yemen to Jakarta to Kirkuk to San Francisco.
| IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ |
US Drone Attacks In Yemen: The Pentagon released a statement Monday saying, “US forces killed dozens of ISIS members in a strike on two ISIS training camps, Oct. 16, in Al Bayda Governorate, Yemen, disrupting the organization’s attempts to train new fighters.” The statement described the training camps in al-Bayda province as locations to train new fighters using AK-47s, machine guns and rocket-propelledgrenade launchers. Yemen has been devastated by an ongoing civil war, and the Islamic State (ISIS) uses ungoverned areas in the country to plot, direct, instigate, resource, and recruit for attacks against America and its allies around the world. The US has been conducting drone attacks since 2015 against ISIS, and the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Shortly after President Trump took office in January he ordered an air raid in al-Bayda province that resulted in the deaths of several Yemeni civilians and a US Navy SEAL. |
| NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ |
New Jakarta Governor Takes Office As Ethnic and Religious Tensions Linger:On Monday, Anies Baswedan was sworn in as governor of Jakarta, ending a highly contested election that has tested the tolerance for ethnic and religious minorities in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Anies beat incumbent Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is ethnic Chinese and Protestant. Basuki was sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy after being defeated by the Muslim Anies. In his post-inaugural speech, Anies addressed religious and ethnic tensions: “Indonesia is not based on only one religion. Unity should also be celebrated.” Basuki was popular among Jakartans and had a “get-things-done” reputation while he was the city’s governor, overseeing huge infrastructure projects and addressing chronic flooding. “People think [Basuki] was a quick fixer—quick and effective. People will compare, and if people see that Anies doesn’t listen, it will be a disaster,”said Fabby Tumiwa, executive director at the Institute for Essential Services Reform in Jakarta. Iraqi Forces Take Kirkuk: Iraqi security forces took direct control of the strategic city of Kirkuk, which has been under Kurdish control for over two years. In the advance, Iraqi forces took control of several assets, including the key Baba Karkar oil and gas field and the K1 military base. The province has one of the biggest oil fields in the country, with greater than 6 percent of the world’s oil coming from the area. The military operation was ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who sent forces to the region to “impose security” and called on Kurdish Peshmerga forces for cooperation. Most of the local Kirkuk police have remained and are working with Iraqi officers. The military advance came just weeks after the Kurdish referendum for independence in which Kirkuk was claimed as part of Kurdish territory. Predictably, this did not go over well in Baghdad. Kirkuk is outside the borders of the internationally recognized autonomous Kurdish region in northwestern Iraq. |
| KEEPING OUR EYE ON |
Weah and Boakai Headed For Presidential Run-off in Liberia: Nearly all the votes from last Tuesday’s election in Liberia have been counted after 20 candidates ran to replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female elected president and winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Former soccer star George Weah, 51, and Vice-President Joseph Boakai, 73, are headed for a run-off that will take place on November 7. Weah, the first African to win the Ballon D’Or soccer award, leads with 39 percent of the votes, while Boakai is in second place with 29 percent. Boakai was vice-president during Sirleaf’s entire tenure, but has distanced himself from her record, stating that “a lot more needs to be achieved.“ Taking A Knee: Protected Protest Right or Punishable Insult to Patriotism? Colin Kaepernick was the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers last December when he chose to kneel during the playing of the national anthem before the start of a game, supposedly to raise awareness of social injustices. His peaceful protest was condemned by President Trump as an intentional insult to America patriotic symbols.Kaepernick, with over $43M earned in a 6-year career, opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March and has not found a team willing to sign him. He stands to earn $2.4M for sitting out 2017 and has now filed a grievance against the National Football League (NFL), accusing all 32 teams of colluding to keep him out of the league, all but guaranteeing he will never suit up in the NFL again. The grievance will be heard by an arbitrator under the terms of the labor agreement between the players union and the league. |
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