US starts pulling out troops from Afghanistan – report
rt.com | 2020-03-09
American troops have reportedly begun their initial troop withdrawal as part of the US-Taliban peace agreement, with hundreds of soldiers leaving the country on Monday with no plans for replacements. | Speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, a US official confirmed the beginning steps of the withdrawal process have begun, with plans to drop the number of US troops in the country from 13,000 to 8,600. | According to the signed peace agreement, the withdrawal process for US troops had to begin 10 days within the signing of the agreement, which took place on February 29. Defense Secretary…
rt.com/news/482686-us-afghanistan-troops-pullout/
How the New US-Afghanistan Peace Deal Rekindled a "Business Friendly Taliban"
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-09
America's relationship with the Taliban has always been determined by how useful they are at advancing US interests in the region and the Trump administration's recent efforts to make "peace" with the group are no exception.
mintpressnews.com/us-afghanistan-peace-deal-rekindled-business-friendly-taliban/265573/
There Have Been Nearly 80 Attacks in Afghanistan Since US Signed "Peace Deal"
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-09
Since last month's U.S.-Taliban peace plan, there have been nearly 80 attacks in Afghanistan. The violence could derail the deal that calls for U.S. troops to withdraw over the next 14 months. This comes as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and top political leader Abdullah Abdullah both claimed that they won the presidential election at dual inauguration ceremonies today in Kabul, and members of the Taliban and the Afghan government were set to start direct negotiations on Tuesday. We speak with Was…
truthout.org/video/there-have-been-nearly-80-attacks-in-afghanistan-since-us-signed-peace-deal/
PSL Public Forum: A Women's Place is in the Struggle: Honoring IWD
Jon Britton | indybay.org | 2020-03-09
San Jose Peace & Justice Center, 48 S Seventh Street, San Jose, CA 95112…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/09/18831402.php
"It's a Real Mess": Afghan Rivals Both Claim Presidency as Ongoing Attacks Could Derail Peace Deal
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-09
Since last month's U.S.-Taliban peace plan, there have been nearly 80 attacks in Afghanistan. The violence could derail the deal that calls for U.S. troops to withdraw over the next 14 months. This comes as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and top political leader Abdullah Abdullah both claimed that they won the presidential election at dual inauguration ceremonies today in Kabul, and members of the Taliban and the Afghan government were set to start direct negotiations on Tuesday. We speak with Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock, who recently won the George Polk Award for Military Reporting for his in-depth in…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/9/afghanistan_papers_craig_whitlock_washington_post
No sustainable development or peace without women: UN deputy chief
news.un.org | 2020-03-08
The world will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if half the planet is left behind, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said in Papua New Guinea on Sunday: International Women's Day.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1058951
Brazil, US Sign Agreement to Increase Military Cooperation
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-08
Brazil's far-right populist President Jair Bolsonaro signed Sunday a military agreement with the United States (U.S.) for the development of defense projects, according to officials. | RELATED: | Brazil's Diplomats Left Venezuela Prior Bolsonaro-Trump Meeting | The agreement, which was signed -on the U.S. side- by Admiral Craig Faller, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, aims to prepare the path for future joint projects "to improve or supply new military capabilitie…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-US-Sign-Agreement-to-Increase-Military-Cooperation-20200308-0012.html
One tweet shows exactly why Dominic Raab shouldn't be foreign secretary
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2020-03-08
One country is showing its intent to create chaos in the Middle East. From sparking conflict in the one area in Syria where there was previously peace, to creating a humanitarian crisis in an attempt to bribe Europe to support its war in the region, Turkey is engaged in a dangerous power game that is killing people and putting lives at risk. | But Turkey is a NATO ally. And the UK is desperate for post-Brexit trade partners. So it's perhaps no surprise that foreign secretary Dominic Raab is sucking up to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And in one tweet, Raab showed dangerous contempt for the thousands of…
thecanary.co/opinion/2020/03/08/one-tweet-shows-exactly-why-dominic-raab-shouldnt-be-foreign-secretary/
Trump Regime Blocks UN Security Council Support for Syria Ceasefire Already Breached
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-08
The US under both right wings of its war party wants endless conflict, instability, and chaos continuing in all its war theaters
One tweet shows exactly why Dominic Raab shouldn't be foreign secretary
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2020-03-08
One country is showing its intent to create chaos in the Middle East. From sparking conflict in the one area in Syria where there was previously peace, to creating a humanitarian crisis in an attempt to bribe Europe to support its war in the region, Turkey is engaged in a dangerous power game that is killing people and putting lives at risk. | But Turkey is a NATO ally. And the UK is desperate for post-Brexit trade partners. So it's perhaps no surprise that foreign secretary Dominic Raab is sucking up to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And in one tweet, Raab showed dangerous contempt for the thousands of…
thecanary.co/opinion/2020/03/08/one-tweet-shows-exactly-why-dominic-raab-shouldnt-be-foreign-secretary/
Venezuela 2020 Elections Guarantee After Equipment Destroyed
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-08
Venezuela's President of the National Electoral Council (CNE) Tibisay Lucena said Sunday that the electoral system is far from being destroyed and that the entity guarantees the celebration of parliamentary elections despite the fire that destroyed the institution's equipment. | RELATED: | Venezuela Denounces Terrorist Attack Against Cantv, Movilnet Telecom Warehouse | The president of the electoral body reassured Venezuelans that "if there are small groups think…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Officials-Guarantee-2020-Elections-After-Fire-Destroys-Equipment-20200308-0009.html
Johnstone Brings her Moral Compass to our Dantesque World
Eric Walberg | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-07
First, Diana Johnstone's memoir is a classic, and will be read and quoted as long as we keep struggling for peace and justice. It is one of the great personal accounts of the anguished decline of our uncivilization, both a riveting eye-witness account of many of the horrors and perfidies, and a primer for students …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/johnstone-brings-her-moral-compass-to-our-dantesque-world/
Women's Rights and Social Justice: Julia Ward Howe's 1870 Anti-War Mother's Day Proclamation, A Day of Peace
Dr. Gary G. Kohls | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-07
Julia Ward Howe was a humanist who cared about suffering people, a feminist, a social justice activist & suffragette, and it was because of her anti-war commitment that she wrote the famous "Mother's Day Proclamation" 5 years after the Civil War, which resulted in 600,000 dead American soldiers…
globalresearch.ca/womens-rights-and-social-justice-julia-ward-howes-1870-mothers-day-proclamation-a-day-of-peace/5589245
A "win-win" over Afghanistan and Syria
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-03-07
Two peace agreements within a week are a bit too much. Hot on the heels of the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in Doha on February 9, Russia and Turkey have signed a peace agreement over the Syrian conflict in Moscow on March 6. On the face of it, the two are unconnected events but they …
iranian.com/2020/03/06/a-win-win-over-afghanistan-and-syria/
'We Have to Get a Climate President in Office': Jane Fonda Says Bernie Sanders Is the Only Climate Candidate
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-07
Octogenarian actor and activist Jane Fonda declared ahead of a climate action protest in California Friday that the United States needs a "climate president" and she is now backing Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is leading a grassroots movement challenging the Democratic Party establishment coalescing around former Vice President Joe Biden. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/janefonda_firedrillfridays_greenpeace.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/07/we-have-get-climate-president-office-jane-fonda-says-bernie-sanders-only-climate?cd-origin=rss
Yes, Trump Should Talk with the Taliban
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-06
On March 3, US president Donald Trump spoke (via telephone) with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, chief of the Taliban's Doha diplomatic office and signer, on behalf of his organization, of the recently concluded Afghanistan "peace deal." "The direct contact between an American president and a top Taliban leader would once have been unthinkable," writes Michael…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/06/yes-trump-should-talk-with-the-taliban/
The US-Taliban Deal Changes Little on the Ground
Adam Wunische | thenation.com | 2020-03-06
The US-Taliban Deal Changes Little on the Ground…
thenation.com/article/world/us-taliban-peace-deal/
The US-Taliban Deal Changes Little on the Ground
Adam Wunische | thenation.com | 2020-03-06
The US-Taliban Deal Changes Little on the Ground…
thenation.com/article/world/us-taliban-peace-deal/
Yes, Trump Should Talk with the Taliban
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-06
On March 3, US president Donald Trump spoke (via telephone) with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, chief of the Taliban's Doha diplomatic office and signer, on behalf of his organization, of the recently concluded Afghanistan "peace deal." "The direct contact between an American president and a top Taliban leader would once have been unthinkable," writes Michael…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/06/yes-trump-should-talk-with-the-taliban/
Circle in the Darkness: Memoir of a World Watcher (2020)
Eric Walberg | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-06
First, Diana Johnstone's memoir is a classic, and will be read and quoted as long as we keep struggling for peace and justice. It is one of the great personal accounts of the anguished decline of our uncivilization, …
globalresearch.ca/circle-darkness-memoir-world-watcher-2020/5705714
Guyana: Granger's APNU-AFC Wants Him Sworn in Quickly
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-06
The APNU + AFC coalition is hoping that the President's oath will occur "very quickly" and that a court will dismiss tomorrow the request for a court order that has prevented the announcement of the results in favor of its leader, David Granger. "We would like this matter resolved very quickly. So that there is calm, stability, moderation, we must make the President take an oath very quickly, and that his government can take the necessary measures to guarantee the peace, stability, and security of the people of this country," said Joseph Harmon, Secretary-General of UNPA + AFC, in a video statement. | In the m…
telesurenglish.net/news/Guyana-Grangers-APNU-AFC-Wants-Him-Sworn-in-Quickly-20200306-0018.html
Former Nobel Peace Prize Nominates Morales for 2020 Distinction
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-06
"It is an honor for me to inform you that I have nominated comrade Evo Morales Ayma for the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2020," the Argentinian Adolfo Perez Esquivel announced on his Twitter account. | *** | The Argentinian activist …
globalresearch.ca/former-nobel-peace-prize-nominates-morales-2020-distinction/5705700
Another Farcical Ceasefire in Syria
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-06
Time and again, ceasefires agreed to on Syria were breached straightaway by US/NATO/Turkish supported terrorists. | Is this time different? Will belligerent Trump and Erdogan regimes turn a page for restoration of peace and stability in Syria? | Will they renounce years …
globalresearch.ca/another-farcical-ceasefire-in-syria/5705729
Nuclear non-proliferation treaty an essential pillar for peace and security
news.un.org | 2020-03-05
Countries meeting in New York next month to review progress on nuclear non-proliferation are being urged by the UN Secretary-General to use the opportunity to strengthen global peace and security.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1058801
Denver students celebrate Black History Month
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-04
Denver, CO – Denver Students for a Democratic Society hosted local Denver activist Shareef Aleem for an event about radical Black history in the U.S., Feb. 25, as a part of Black History Month. At the event, Aleem discussed the history of radical Black activism, as well as how Black art and culture has been seized and stolen for generations. Aleem, an activist for over 20 years, has been involved in numerous groups, particularly in the peace movement and in the movement for police accountability. | "Anything Black people have in this country, somebody spilled their blood over," Aleem noted in his speech. Aleem th…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/3/denver-students-celebrate-black-history-month
Deadlock broken, South Sudan on road to 'sustainable peace', but international support still key
news.un.org | 2020-03-04
Positive developments in South Sudan have "moved the country further along the road to sustainable peace", the top UN official there told Security Council members on Wednesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1058621
Can the World's Second Superpower Rise From the Ashes of Twenty Years of War?
Medea Benjamin | zcomm.org | 2020-03-02
If there is a lesson for peace-loving Americans in the Obama and Trump presidencies, it is that we cannot just walk out of the voting booth and leave it to a champion in the White House to end our wars and bring us peace. In the final analysis, it really is up to us…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/can-the-worlds-second-superpower-rise-from-the-ashes-of-twenty-years-of-war/
Breakthrough U.S.-Taliban Deal Signed, But Airstrikes Likely to Continue & Mercenaries to Remain
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-02
The U.S. has signed a deal with the Taliban aimed at drawing down its military presence and ending its 18-year war in Afghanistan. The long-anticipated deal comes after a year and a half of negotiations and following a week-long partial truce. Officials hope the accord will set the stage for a more detailed peace plan that creates a power-sharing arrangement and lasting ceasefire, but the deal did not include a key player: the U.S.-backed Afghanistan government. The Taliban has long refused to speak to the government, calling it a "puppet regime." Under the deal, nearly 5,000 of the 12,000 U.S. troops still in Af…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/2/us_taliban_peace_deal
"Dead Bodies Everywhere": Hindu Nationalist Violence Rocks Delhi as Trump Visits Modi in India
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-27
In India, the death toll from anti-Muslim violence in Delhi has risen to at least 34, with police accused of turning a blind eye to assaults on Muslims committed by Hindu nationalist mobs. The violence began Sunday, when groups of Hindus attacked peaceful sit-ins of Muslims protesting against Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new citizenship law, which widely restricts Muslim immigration to India. Modi said nothing as the violence continued for days, instead hosting President Donald Trump on a two-day state visit in which Trump heaped praise on the Indian prime minister. We speak with Neha Dixit, i…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/27/india_antimuslim_violence_modi_trump
Peace Action: Senate Reclaims War Powers to Thwart Iran War
Paul Kawika Martin | peaceaction.org | 2020-02-13
Washington, D.C.
US Deploys 'Mini-Nukes' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace
Strategic Culture | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
These so-called "mini-nukes" represent–despite the diminutive-sounding name–an increased risk of nuclear war.