Dear Friend,
Iraq is in turmoil again. Now it is Iraqi govt with the support of Shia militias against the Kurds. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an offensive by Iraqi army units and pro-government Shia militias Monday to capture the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and surrounding areas from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The attack, which reportedly provoked clashes in some areas between Iraqi units and Peshmerga fighters, threatens not only to further destabilize Iraq, but could prove the trigger for a broader catastrophic conflict that could quickly engulf neighboring Syria, drawing in regional and imperialist powers.
Kancha Ilaiah responds to the propaganda that he is a Christian supporter.
Andre Vltchek talks to Djokopekik, The Greatest Indonesian Painter.
Debjanee Ganguly writes about the #MeToo campaign
Also more stories from around the world.
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In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org
Iraqi Seizure Of Oil-Rich Kirkuk From Kurds Risks Broader War
by Jordan Shilton
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an offensive by Iraqi army units and pro-government Shia militias Monday to capture the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and surrounding areas from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The attack, which reportedly provoked clashes in some areas between Iraqi units and Peshmerga fighters, threatens not only to further destabilize Iraq, but could prove the trigger for a broader catastrophic conflict that could quickly engulf neighboring Syria, drawing in regional and imperialist powers.
Washington’s Face-Saving By Shifting Goalposts In Syria
by Nauman Sadiq
The allies of the US then tend to assume that they are negotiating from a position of strength with the weight of a global power behind them; and under the mistaken assumption, they overreach themselves and encroach upon the rights of their regional adversaries. This is exactly what has happened in Iraq and Syria. After securing the Kurdish-majority areas, the US-backed Kurdish Peshmerga overran Arab-majority regions, including the oil-rich Kirkuk, which has reportedly been retaken by the Iraqi government troops today after a rival Kurdish PUK faction defied MassoudBarzani’s orders and withdrew from their positions in the city.
The Greatest Indonesian Painter And ‘Praying To The Pig’
Co-Written By Andre Vltchek and Rossie Indira
“This man is simply brilliant! He is a true people’s artist! His style is his own, but he is also like some powerful fusion of Picasso and Diego Rivera!” Djokopekik felt flattered when I told him, but only for a few seconds. Soon he protested, half-jokingly: “I’m not like Picasso or Rivera. I’m Djokopekik!”
Clarification About My Association With Christians: Kancha Ilaiah
by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd
Kancha Ilaiah responds to the propaganda that he is a Christian supporter
#Metoo Breaking The Culture Of Silence
by Debjanee Ganguly
Silence acts like the catalyst. The silence of the survivor is not because they wish it away. Silence is imposed on them through fear and the normalization of such instances. Their silence is because they did not have enough support around them to be heard. The silence of the witnesses actually perpetuates patriarchy. Their complicit-ness is in their silence. Their silence has echoes of abuses they have been passively responsible for by not speaking up. It is this silence that needs shattering.
Dealing With Sexual Assault
by Sally Dugman
Obviously, the rapists need mental health support, such as the man who exposed himself to me was receiving. Obviously, too, do all of the victims!
The Real Reason Behind Trump’s Angry Diplomacy in North Korea
by Dr Ramzy Baroud
To understand the United States’ stratagem in the Pacific, and against North Korea in particular, one has to understand the fundamental changes that are under way in that region. China’s clout as an Asian superpower and as a global economic powerhouse has been growing at a rapid speed. The US’ belated ‘pivot to Asia’ to counter China’s rise has been, thus far, quite ineffectual.
North Korea: Who Is Threatening Who?
by Ghali Hassan
The U.S. threat against the DPRK is an intent to commit genocide in violation of international law and UN Charter. The DPRK has exerted every possible effort to live in peace, prompted by its sincere desire to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Instead of preparing for war, the U.S. should give up its gangster mentality, withdraw its (unwelcomed) troops in South Korea, sign a long-lasting peace treaty and a non-aggressive pact with the DPRK. Solving the Korean Peninsula crisis peacefully is in everyone’s interests and will contribute to world’s peace.
The Real Reasons Trump Is Quitting UNESCO
by Jonathan Cook
At first glance, the decision last week by the Trump administration, followed immediately by Israel, to quit the United Nation’s cultural agency seems strange. Why penalise a body that promotes clean water, literacy, heritage preservation and women’s rights?
The Distressed State Of The United States
by Dr Arshad M Khan
So it goes on. A nation in distress causes the same abroad.
Definitions: The Proletariat
by Gaither Stewart
Though the man who works for wages, blue collar or middle class, is a member of the working class, his wage earner status does not make him automatically a class-conscious revolutionary. He can be anything, from a priest to the blackest reactionary, which unfortunately is often the case in the USA.
The Missing Cases Of Humanity, Compassion And Justice In Pakistan
by Gulam A Mitha
This is not about justice or injustice, humanity or inhumanity, compassion or cruelty in a non-Islamic country Canada where I live where the true principles of Islam are being upheld in spirit; it is about injustice, inhumanity and cruelty in an Islamic country: Pakistan. I’ve chosen the media platform of countercurrents to publish this short article as I believe that its readership will try to broadcast my message with the hope of a change.
Misaligned Priorities In Development
by T Navin
The priorities of government in relation to ‘development’ therefore are completely misaligned in its concept of a ‘strong nation’.
The Dull Roll Of A Yatra
by Firos BF
In their insane alacrity to gain foothold in Kerala, BJP’s national leaders blithely airdropped into the state the same custom-made software of hatred and false propaganda which they have effectively deployed to their political advantage in north India. In this brainless bid to make political mileage in the state, the right-wing elements take Kerala for granted by ignoring the high-level literacy rate, sense of discernment of the people, communal harmony, and the superior social, political and economical advancements. The Hindu rightwing may need something else to win the hearts of the people of Kerala: something other than riots and lies.
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