Iraq . ” Trump ’s response in September 2002 , before the war began : “ Yeah , I guess so . ” “ You heard him with Howard Stern say “ yeah , I guess so , ’ ” Conway said . “ Had he been in the United States Senate , he would have casted a vote against the Iraq war . ”
The country ’s envoy to NATO , Alexander Grushko , told state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta that the Black Sea would not become a “ NATO lake . ” Russia sees the region as vital to its foreign policy — since the annexation of Crimea two years ago more than a dozen warships have been stationed there . Earlier this month Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Financial Times that Russia was trying to tighten its grip on the Black Sea and the area is one of several zones where NATO allies will discuss reinforcement in the upcoming summit in Poland . Erdogan expressed fear that Russia is trying to encroachconflict.attack.invadeon the Black Sea and treat it as a “ Russian lake . ” NATO has three members with Black Sea ports in Romania , Bulgaria and Turkey , as well as two more aspiring members in Ukraine and Georgia . Both have faced serious challenges from Russia in response to their NATO and EU aspirations .
Stoltenberg said NATO had no choice but to respond In fact , the Baltic states would have liked NATO to commit more troops to their border areas , Gressel argued . " Since 2009 , Russia has trained its forces in scenarios of invadingconflict.attack.invadethe Baltic countries , " he said . " For the Baltic countries , this is a real thing , this is not something that might at some point happen . " Even though it is economically isolated and can ill afford to take new territory , Russia 's political system requires shows of military power for its own population , Gressel argued .
“ Believe me , she has tremendous hate in her heart , ” Trump said . Clinton accused Trump of launching distractions and diversions : “ Anything to avoid talking about your campaign and the way it 's exploding . ” It was nearly nonstop name - calling and nastiness — they opened by dispensing with the traditional handshake , and an agitated Trump repeatedly encroachedconflict.attack.invadeon Clinton ’s physical space as he paced the debate stage . There were only brief reprieves of policy discussion , which soon devolved back into a contentious affair , even as they had to balance their attacks with flashes of geniality before a town - hall audience of undecided voters . From its earliest moments , the debate was colored by the events of the previous two days , beginning Friday with the appearance of a decade - old tape in which Trump described in graphic and sexually aggressive terms making unwanted advances on women , which he said he was entitled to do because he was a “ star . ” Legions of Republicans have abandoned his campaign over the lecherous remarks , which co - moderator Anderson Cooper described to Trump on Sunday night as amounting to “ sexual assault . ”
Another contender could be the former NATO commander James Stavridis , reportedly a finalist to be Clinton ’s running mate . There is precedent for a military man to run the State Department : former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Colin Powell did so in George W. Bush ’s first term . But many Democrats and foreign service officers believe the military has encroachedconflict.attack.invadeon traditional diplomatic roles over the past decade , and they might object to putting a general in the job . John Kerry , seen watching tennis at the Olympics in Brazil on Saturday , continues to travel the globe at age 72 . | AP Photo
! » turns out to have been more the start of a US defeat in an unprovoked invasion , than the start of a US victory against any authentic provocation by ‘ the enemy ’ . Obama ’s current plan to turn his defeat into victory there has no more reason to succeed than his predecessor , George W Bush ’s plan to do likewise in Iraq did after he had , on 1 May 2003 , declared victory there , aboard the warship USS Abraham Lincoln . Then , his famous 2007 « troop surge in Iraq » utterly failed to produce peace and to end the sectarian war the US and its allies had generated by their thoroughly counter - productive and shameful invasion against a nation that ( like Libya ) had n’t invadedconflict.attack.invadenor threatened to invade the United States – nor its allies . There , as in Syria , too , America ’s aggression produced only mass death and misery – and trillions of dollars in US federal debt , which has n’t yet resulted from America ’s invasions of Libya and Syria , but might . And , of course , millions of refugees .
At the beginning of World War II , the small Baltic country of Lithuania saw two major shocks . First , in 1940 , it was invaded and conquered by the Soviet Union . Just the next year , in June 1941 , it was invadedconflict.attack.invadeand conquered by the Nazis . In the city of Kaunas , the Nazi invasion triggered a spontaneous wave of attacks against Jewish residents , who had gained an unusual amount of power under the Soviets . The perpetrators were n’t the Nazis , who had n’t yet had time to set up .
Of the three leading candidates , only Bernie Sanders has the sound judgment to avoid further war and to cooperate with the rest of the world . Clinton is intoxicated with American power . She has favored one war of choice after the next : bombing Belgrade ( 1999 ) ; invadingconflict.attack.invadeIraq ( 2003 ) ; toppling Qaddafi ( 2011 ) ; funding Jihadists in Syria ( 2011 till now ) . The result has been one bloodbath after another , with open wounds until today fostering ISIS , terrorism , and mass refugee flows . In her speech , Clinton engaged in her own Trump - like grandiose fear mongering : " [ I]f America does n't lead , we leave a vacuum -- and that will either cause chaos , or other countries will rush in to fill the void .
Donald Trump is again insisting he opposed the Iraq War before it started . But despite his repeated claims , the facts are clear : He did not . There is no evidence Trump expressed public opposition to the war before the U.S. invadedconflict.attack.invade. Rather , he offered lukewarm support . The billionaire businessman only began to voice doubts about the conflict well after it began in March 2003 .
Saudi Arabia is discussing plans to deploy ground troops with regional allies , including Turkey , for a safe zone in Syria , in a last - ditch effort to keep alive a rebellion at risk of collapse as a Russian - backed offensive by Syrian regime forces encroachesconflict.attack.invadeon the northern province of Aleppo . Although western officials have dismissed the plans as lacking credibility , they are a sign of the desperation that many of Syria ’s opposition backers feel towards what looks like an increasingly bleak outcome to the war . Two people familiar with Saudi plans told the Financial Times that high - ranking Gulf officials are in Riyadh meeting Turkish officials to discuss options for deploying ground troops to head a coalition of fighters inside Syria .
Since the end of World War II , NATO allies have stood with each other , on the core notion that an attack on one is an attack on all ; the principle was invoked in the wake of 9/11 , when allies rushed to America ’s side in the war in Afghanistan . Trump sees NATO as just another contract to be broken . Asked whether he would provide military aid to NATO members Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania if Russia encroachedconflict.attack.invadeon them , Trump suggested the U.S. would honor treaty obligations only if an invaded country was appropriately paying into NATO ’s budget . It is little wonder why 50 Republican national security officials wrote an unprecedented joint letter saying that Trump “ would be the most reckless President in American history . ” 13 . Trump the misogynist The videotape heard round the world confirmed that Donald Trump ’s misogyny is even deeper and more repulsive than he had long displayed .
Shen Dingli , the deputy head of Fudan University ’s institute of international affairs , described Trump as a “ foolish ” man who was taking advantage of a “ naive America ” . But he said he was a foolish man Beijing should welcome in the White House . George W Bush had done huge damage to America ’s standing in the world by invadingconflict.attack.invadeIraq , Shen argued . A Trump administration would continue that trend . “ Everybody knows that American aggression has made China rise more rapidly .
It is one incident in my long career . “ ) She also insisted that no ground troops would go to Iraq or Syria , making the cardinal error of ruling out options and , worse , ignoring the 5,000 or so troops already there . None of that — if you can believe it — was anywhere as awful as Trump ’s rambling , incoherent and at times jaw - dropping performance . He once again fawned over Vladimir Putin , who has invadedconflict.attack.invadehis neighbors and repressed his citizens . Besides , Putin has an 82 percent approval ! ( That ’s like saying Bashar al - Assad is the world ’s most popular ruler since he gets 99 percent of the vote . )
Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz has said that Russia was being aggressive towards the European region as a whole , adding that Crimea " would not be invadedconflict.attack.invadeif Ukraine became a NATO member . " " We are seeing aggression by one state against another , as well as an occupation . Crimea is occupied , part of Donbass is also occupied , " Macierewicz told a Polish broadcaster on Wednesday .
! » turns out to have been more the start of a US defeat in an unprovoked invasion , than the start of a US victory against any authentic provocation by ‘ the enemy’ . Obama ’s current plan to turn his defeat into victory there has no more reason to succeed than his predecessor , George W Bush ’s plan to do likewise in Iraq did after he had , on 1 May 2003 , declared victory there , aboard the warship USS Abraham Lincoln . Then , his famous 2007 « troop surge in Iraq » utterly failed to produce peace and to end the sectarian war the US and its allies had generated by their thoroughly counter - productive and shameful invasion against a nation that ( like Libya ) had n’t invaded nor threatened to invadeconflict.attack.invadethe United States – nor its allies . There , as in Syria , too , America ’s aggression produced only mass death and misery – and trillions of dollars in US federal debt , which has n’t yet resulted from America ’s invasions of Libya and Syria , but might . And , of course , millions of refugees .
This report deserves continuous monitoring , especially in light of last week ’s military maneuvers and movements conducted by Russia ’s infantry and airborne forces , as well as their naval assets and air force in and around the borders of the Baltic nations , primarily Latvia , Lithuania , and Estonia , as well as Ukraine and Poland . Recent reliefs of command ( and/or purges ) of several senior members of the Kremlin and the Russian military suggest ( as can be read in detail in other articles ) that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin may be clearing out any of his advisors that may oppose future military operations in Europe . To increase tensions further , it has been reported that on Wednesday , August 24th , Turkish military forces have invadedconflict.attack.invadeSyria . The offensive has been comprised of Turkish armored units , special forces teams , and aircraft supported by “ coalition ” aircraft of the U.S. The purported objective was to dislodge ISIS from proximity to the Turkish border and to stem advances made by Kurdish militia .
Video There is nothing new about intelligence services for the United States and Russia hacking each other ’s computer systems or trying to covertly influence other countries ’ domestic politics . In recent years , Mr. Putin has invadedconflict.attack.invadeUkraine , stoking political tensions there and in the Baltic States , and financed right - wing politicians across Europe ; during the Cold War , the United States secretly tried to influence elections in Indonesia , Italy , Chile and Poland . What seems new here is the idea that a government would publicly disclose information it got from hacking into the computers of an American political party in order to influence an election . The Democrats are eager to exploit a Trump - Putin connection .
He confronted Mr. Trump with a crass Twitter message from 2013 in which the future candidate suggested that sexual assaults in the military were a logical result of men and women serving together . “ It is a correct tweet , ” Mr. Trump said . When Mr. Lauer asked if Mr. Trump actually believed he knew more about the Islamic State than American generals , the candidate replied : “ The generals have been reduced to rubble . ” When Mr. Lauer brought up Mr. Trump ’s admiration for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia , noting that Mr. Putin had invadedconflict.attack.invadeUkraine and was suspected of hacking Democratic emails , Mr. Trump refused to say a negative word about him . “ Do you want me to start naming some of the things that President Obama does ? ” Mr. Trump asked . Still , with the formal debates set to begin on Sept. 26 , Mr. Lauer ’s performance seemed to preview the troubles that television moderators could face in balancing fairness with accountability .
Former Minnesota Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann said on Saturday that the Syrian Civil War is paving the way for an apocalyptic war between Israel and foreign powers . Bachmann , who has previously claimed that President Obama and the gay rights movement are ushering in the Last Days , told radio hosts Jan Markell and Eric Barger that “ the world is about to give legitimacy to the Islamic State ” while , at the same time , Russian and Iranian military intervention in Syria on behalf of its dictator Bashar Assad has paved the way for a future invasion of Israel by the two countries in order to seize its energy resources , just as laid out in the Bible . “ I believe that they are positioning themselves so that someday they could invade Israel to be able to take over the vast stores of oil and natural gas that Israel is controlling , ” she said , adding that “ this very unique new partnership between Iran and Russia in Syria ” with the support of China “ lines up with scripture . ” All of these powers , she said , are seeking “ a global world order to keep their game going into the future and to support them if they would invadeconflict.attack.invadeagainst Israel . ” And who will lead this global world order ? Why , none other than Obama .
Tenet later said he was taken out of context , but that does n’t seem to be the case and , in any event , Tenet does n’t deny he was fundamentally confident that Iraq possessed W.M.D.s . 3 . ) General Tommy Franks , who led the invasion of Iraq in 2003 , writes in his book that he was not only told by Egyptian and Jordanian leaders that Iraq possessed W.M.D.s , he was also told that Saddam would use them against invadingconflict.attack.invadeAmerican troops . 4 . ) Former CIA agent Kenneth Pollock has noted that the world ’s most vaunted intelligence agencies , including some of those who opposed the war in Iraq , all believed Saddam Hussein possessed W.M.D.s .
Were they doing war games in the Caribbean ? No they were not , but that ’s what we ’re doing right now to Russia . So from our point of view it may not seem so bad , but from Russia ’s point of view , they ’ve been encroachedconflict.attack.invadeupon , there have been missiles that have surrounded them now . And this has been going on for years . Now there are war games going on and exercises , and our negotiations have absolutely broken down .
The EU meanwhile is grappling with the worst migrant crisis since the end of World War II and the bloc wants increased cooperation with NATO to tackle the problem , notably in bolstering the UN - backed government in Libya where ISIL has recently gained ground . Russia 's intervention in Ukraine and its 2014 annexation of Crimea stung NATO into action after years of complacency and defence cuts following the fall of the Soviet Union . Moscow says NATO 's response is just a cover for encroachingconflict.attack.invadeon its borders , while Washington builds a European missile defence shield which undercuts Russia 's nuclear deterrent . " I think you have to remember where this started , " said a senior US official . " NATO took these measures because Russia chose to invade and occupy Crimea and then move into eastern Ukraine .
A major point of concern is Afghanistan ’s largest province of Helmand , which is almost completely under the control of insurgents . Read more “ Despite heavy U.S. airstrikes in the area , the Taliban – who already control 80 percent of the region – have steadily encroachedconflict.attack.invadeon the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah , ” Stratfor warns . The group is now engaged in a large - scale offensive to seize the remaining territories in Helmand . Despite joint efforts by the Afghan army and US Air Force , insurgents continue to push forward in other provinces .
Of course , Capehart does not have any problem with this because his concerns about race generally lack a class analysis and are steeped in liberal politics , which have failed to uplift millions of people of color in the United States . The Post editorial board was not too pleased with Stein when she questioned American empire and advocated for closing hundreds of U.S. military bases . But then again , this is the same media organization that published stories that promoted the case for invadingconflict.attack.invadeIraq and claimed Iraq ’s oil could be seized by America to pay for the war . Stein understandably asked the editorial board , “ Do n’t people deserve to be informed ? What is it that our institutions of the press and media are supposed to do ?
Clearly , he loves the semi - useful information hacked from Democratic officials , the Clinton Foundation , and state election systems . But Trump curiously refuses to acknowledge that this love originates with Russian criminals , and he still has n't explained his pro - Kremlin sympathies . He has n't explained why he repeatedly calls a kleptocrat a " stronger leader " than President Obama , other than poll numbers ; why he claims Russia had not invadedconflict.attack.invadeUkraine or annexed Crimea ; why he has n't denounced its intimidation of the Baltic states , or has n't pledged his allegiance to NATO allies against Russian aggression ; why he rejected Mike Pence 's call for Putin 's provocation to be " met with American strength " ; and why he calls for Russians to commit more cyber - espionage . Nor has he acknowledged how he was bankrolled by Russian investors , when American banks closed the spigot after his multiple bankruptcies ; and how his three advisors - Paul Manafort , Carter Page , and Lt . Gen. Michael Flynn - have connections to Russian oligarchs . The Clinton transcripts are interesting reading , but little else : She seems wobbly on fracking , trade and Keystone , but she largely comes across as a smart and pragmatic politician .
A person who can not admit a mistake can not learn from his mistakes . Such a person would make a very dangerous president , indeed . The most infamous example is Trump 's continued claim – repeated in the recent debate – that he opposed President George W. Bush 's 2003 decision to invadeconflict.attack.invadeIraq . On this issue and others , Trump either is knowingly lying or is delusional . Against that backdrop , Trump 's refusal to release his tax returns raises bright red flags .
Former Minnesota Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann said on Saturday that the Syrian Civil War is paving the way for an apocalyptic war between Israel and foreign powers . Bachmann , who has previously claimed that President Obama and the gay rights movement are ushering in the Last Days , told radio hosts Jan Markell and Eric Barger that “ the world is about to give legitimacy to the Islamic State ” while , at the same time , Russian and Iranian military intervention in Syria on behalf of its dictator Bashar Assad has paved the way for a future invasion of Israel by the two countries in order to seize its energy resources , just as laid out in the Bible . “ I believe that they are positioning themselves so that someday they could invadeconflict.attack.invadeIsrael to be able to take over the vast stores of oil and natural gas that Israel is controlling , ” she said , adding that “ this very unique new partnership between Iran and Russia in Syria ” with the support of China “ lines up with scripture . ” All of these powers , she said , are seeking “ a global world order to keep their game going into the future and to support them if they would invade against Israel . ” And who will lead this global world order ? Why , none other than Obama .
Who the candidates meet also could offer hints about their foreign policy goals — and invite backlash from critics . Clinton 's teams said she plans to see Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el - Sisi and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko . The meeting with Poroshenko is a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin , who has invadedconflict.attack.invadeUkraine , of Clinton 's pledge to be tough on Moscow if elected . It also would be a veiled slap at Trump , who has spoken kindly of Putin and insisted he would get along with the Russian leader . ( Putin is expected to skip the U.N. meeting this year . )
His campaign for president , frankly , looks a lot like his parenting . Trump has n't bothered to develop a real policy agenda ; his website has a few buzzwordy blurbs on a handful of subjects . He has n't learned the most basic facts about how the world operates ; he suggested abandoning NATO allies and had no idea Russia had invadedconflict.attack.invadeUkraine . Just as his children speak of his parenting in bland generalities , so Trump talks about what he 'd do as president in near - meaningless rambles . He has no understanding of the task he 's undertaking as president , and if his parenting is any guide , he has no desire to take on responsibilities he does n't enjoy .
NATO is slow to respond : Trump does not want America to be involved , and a large part of Europe is indifferent or blocking any action . “ Russia , seeing no real resistance to their actions , move further into Latvia , and then into eastern Estonia and Lithuania . The Baltic States declare war on Russia and start to retaliate , as they have now been invadedconflict.attack.invadeso have no choice . Half of Europe sides with them , a few countries remain neutral , and a few side with Russia . Where does Turkey stand on this ?
A Trump administration would continue that trend . “ Everybody knows that American aggression has made China rise more rapidly . So if another American president would invadeconflict.attack.invadePanama , would invade North Korea , would invade Vietnam , that would give China superpower status because America would weaken itself , ” Shen predicted , adding : “ So [ we would be ] happy to see it . ” Obama ’s work in building bridges in Latin America , symbolised by his recent visit to Cuba , would also be jeopardised . The former president of Brazil , Fernando Henrique Cardoso , told the Guardian a Trump presidency would be bad for Brazil and would push Latin America closer to China .
1/10 The Mini The 1959 classic , that is , perhaps our greatest piece of industrial design , a miracle of packaging and revolution in motoring . Its genius designer was Sir Alec Issigonis , who was an asylum seeker . His family , Greek , fled Smyrna when Turks invadedconflict.attack.invadethis borderland in around 1920 , and he wound up studying engineering at Battersea Polytechnic . He went on to create that most English of motor cars , the Morris Minor , as well as the Austin - Morris 1100 , all much loved products of his fertile imagination . Getty Images
Despite that , it ’s not clear that these missteps render Johnson “ unfit ” to run for president , as many have suggested . It ’s easy to forget that former presidents and candidates alike have made similar mistakes . President Gerald Ford ’s insistence that there was “ no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe ” ranks high among the most memorable blunders of past presidential debates , while Sarah Palin ’s short - lived stint as John McCain ’s running mate saw a plethora of errors , including the improbable assertion that Vladimir Putin might want to singlehandedly invadeconflict.attack.invadeAlaska . This year ’s election has seen foreign policy gaffes from both Republican and Democratic candidates , most notably Donald Trump ’s highly questionable statement that there are no Russian troops in Ukraine . His campaign has been riddled with implausible plans and inaccurate assertions , from his belief that the United States should simply “ take all the oil ” in Iraq and Syria , to his contention that Hillary Clinton has spent her entire adult life fighting the Islamic State .
The 2009 Goldstone Report of the UN found that Israel violated international humanitarian law in its war against Gaza in 2009 . Palestine was gaining more support and sympathy internationally and was successfully putting to rest Israeli propaganda disinformation . After Hillary : Hillary Clinton rejected the Goldstone Report as “ one - sided . ” Clinton ’s unbridled support for expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and its silence on the dehumanizing Israeli blockade of Gaza , emboldened Israel ’s theocratic right - wing government to further encroachconflict.attack.invadeon Palestinian territories and cementing into place an apartheid - like series of Palestinian “ Bantustans ” in the West Bank and an open - air ghetto in Gaza . 18 . Paraguay
One of the understated moments of Monday ’s debate came when Trump marked Clinton as one of the politicians who ’s helped turn the Middle East into an out - of - control fire . Clinton responded by saying Trump has cheated workers he ’s hired , which paled a bit in comparison . She also noted that Trump had said in passing the idea of invadingconflict.attack.invadeIraq made sense and flip - flopped on Libya , good points when looking to temperament and decisiveness , but clearly a move away from squarely defending her own record . Indeed , Clinton had little of substance to offer apart from a perma - smirk and accusations against the " grand godfather " of all that 's maligned , Vladimir Putin . She came across confident and well - versed , but not exactly inspiring .
The superpowers would therefore quickly be put on a path toward a never - ending offensive - defensive arms race , as each tried to balance its counterpart ’s actions . Until Bush took office , the Treaty was referred to as a “ cornerstone of strategic stability ” because it facilitated later agreements , reducing U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals . The US , assuming that a weakened Russia will never again be in a position to counter US hegemonic power , proceeded to encroachconflict.attack.invadeon Russia ’s borders through its manipulation of NATO objectives . Today , there is no instrument in international law that prevents the possibility of mutually assured destruction . Putin has been sending out warnings for over 10 years – all of which fell on deaf ears .
Putin is despised by millions of Polish Americans , as well as Czech , Slovak , Ukrainian , Hungarian , Lithuanian , Latvian and Estonian Americans , who either escaped to this country from behind the Iron Curtain or whose parents or grandparents did . These voters know what it is like to live in a police state . Thus , many were appalled when , at NBC ’s Commander - in - Chief Forum last month , Trump stated with apparent admiration how Putin “ has very strong control over a country ” and declared him “ a leader , far more than our president has been . ” When host Matt Lauer pointed out that Putin “ annexed Crimea , invadedconflict.attack.invadeUkraine , supports Assad in Syria , supports Iran ” and asked , “ Do you want to be complimented by that former KGB officer ? ” Trump was unfazed . “ I ’ll take the compliment , okay ? ” he replied , pointing out that Putin “ does have an 82 percent approval rating . ” Not with Americans of Eastern European heritage , he does n’t .