WASHINGTON: While former US President Barack Obama came to office in 2009 pledging to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his successor Donald Trump has embraced more aggressive rhetoric, promising to “knock the hell out of” Daesh and to “win so much” in the Middle East.
But rhetoric aside, and as the Trump administration starts to draft policy plans to fight Daesh, the options it has on hand might be similar in strategy and goals to Obama’s, experts argue, while utilizing more force.
Yesterday, the US Defense Department handed its draft plan for defeating Daesh to the White House, as Defense Secretary James Mattis convened meetings with senior officials to finalize a holistic strategy stamped by Trump to defeat both Daesh and Al-Qaeda in Syria and Iraq.
The review, which Trump tasked the Pentagon to draft a month ago, includes — according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford — military, diplomatic and financial measures against Daesh.
Dunford told a policy crowd at Brookings last Thursday: “We’ve been given a task to go to the president with options to accelerate the defeat of ISIS (Daesh) specifically, but also obviously other violent extremist groups as well (Al-Qaeda).” He added: “So we’ll go to him with a full range of options from which he can choose.”
Dunford emphasized the long list of options that the military will provide Trump with, allowing him as the “final decider” to work with different tactics. “I’m in the business of providing the president with options,” Dunford said, describing the war in Syria as “about as complex an environment as you can” get.
Faysal Itani, a resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, told Arab News that “the US has a broad spectrum of action to act along” against Daesh in Syria and Iraq. “The military capability is there, and none of the likely options will call for a long-term deployment of US ground troops.”
While Dunford did not take any option off the table, including ground troops, he emphasized the local component of any anti-Daesh plan. The goal would be “to drive the threat down to the level where local law enforcement and security forces can deal with that threat and, first and foremost, it’s incapable of conducting operations against the United States,” he said.
Itani described the options presented to the White House as “likely to be realistic,” including “the augmentation of special forces, looser rules of engagement, and increased material support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).” The SDF is a local Kurdish-majority force supported and equipped by the US to roll back Daesh.
Alternatively, Itani said the Trump administration could opt out “and drop the SDF strategy, and instead coordinate a new approach with Turkey,” whose relations with the SDF are strained. The Turkey route would take the US “through northern Raqqa and Aleppo provinces” in defeating Daesh.
These options of escalating the war against Daesh and pushing it out of Raqqa, while empowering local forces, “are an enhanced version of the Obama approach,” said Itani. The difference between Obama and Trump is that the former “had a lower threshold for risk, and therefore would’ve been happy for this fight to take its time provided casualties are lower, the footprint is smaller and civilian deaths are controlled.”
Trump, on the other hand, is “more aggressive and could deepen US investment in this fight while sharing Obama’s basic goals: That ISIS (Daesh) should be defeated, and the US shouldn’t be saddled with thinking too much about the aftermath.”
Dunford did not exclude the option of establishing safe zones on the list of recommendations to fight Daesh and contain the crisis. Trump has flirted with the idea of safe zones, pledging two weeks ago to build them and have the Gulf states cover the cost.
But finance is the easy part of the puzzle in any debate on safe zones in Syria. Harder questions, according to Itani, involve: “Who will police it? What will happen to the armed groups in the area? What if it’s breached?” These questions will likely be addressed in the White House strategy sessions and in talks with Syria’s neighbors, which could oversee these protected areas.
The US military leadership has also stressed the political aspect of any plan it presents to Trump against Daesh, viewing any escalation as a step toward reaching the negotiating table. That objective was also an Obama tactic, but one that had no legs to gain enough leverage and force a political settlement.
Trump’s potential anti-Daesh plan: Obama’s on steroids
Trump’s potential anti-Daesh plan: Obama’s on steroids
Dutch PM to skip climate summit during probe into soccer violence
“Violence and hate in all their manifestations have no place in sports,” the Palestine Football Association said
AMSTERDAM: Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof will miss the COP29 climate summit after clashes in Amsterdam this week between Israeli soccer fans and pro-Palestinian protesters as his government investigates if warning signs from Israel were missed.
“I will not be going to Azerbaijan next week for the UN Climate Conference COP29. Due to the major social impact of the events of last Thursday night in Amsterdam, I will remain in the Netherlands,” he said on social media platform X.
Dutch Climate Minister Sophie Hermans will still attend the Nov. 11-22 environment meeting while a climate envoy will replace Schoof, the premier added, saying Thursday night’s violence in Amsterdam would be discussed at Monday’s cabinet meeting.
At least five people were injured during the unrest involving fans of the visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team who lost 5-0 to Ajax in the Europa League.
Justice Minister David van Weel said in a letter to parliament that information was still being gathered, including on possible warning signs from Israel, and whether the assaults were organized and had an antisemitic motive.
Fast-track justice would be applied with maximum efforts to find every suspect, he vowed.
Four people remain in custody over the unrest, police said.
Political leaders from Schoof down have denounced the attacks as antisemitic and urged swift justice.
Videos of the unrest on social media showed riot police in action, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs.
Footage also showed Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before the match.
Israel sent planes to The Netherlands to bring fans home.
“Violence and hate in all their manifestations have no place in sports,” the Palestine Football Association (PFA) said.
Amsterdam banned demonstrations at the weekend and gave police emergency stop-and-search powers.
Antisemitic incidents have surged in the Netherlands during the Gaza war, with many Jewish organizations and schools reporting threats and hate mail.
Croatia arrests four over attack on foreign workers
- Police said on Saturday that the four arrested were being investigated over a “hate crime“
- The attack was immediately followed by three other incidents targeting foreign food-delivery workers, also in Split
ZAGREB: Police in Croatia on Saturday said that four men were arrested over a racially-motivated attack against foreign workers followed by three similar incidents that left one Nepali seriously injured.
The European Union country of 3.8 million people is struggling to overcome chronic labor shortage as it faces mass emigration and a shrinking population.
Traditionally reliant on seasonal workers from its Balkan neighbors, Croatia is increasingly counting on laborers from Nepal, India, the Philippines and elsewhere to fill tens of thousands of jobs notably in construction and its key tourism sector on the Adriatic coast.
Police said on Saturday that the four arrested, who are suspected of physically attacking a food-delivery worker in the coastal town of Split, were being investigated over a “hate crime.”
Late Friday, a 41-year-old foreign national and one attacker sustained minor injuries, a police statement said.
The attack was immediately followed by three other incidents targeting foreign food-delivery workers, also in Split, in which one Nepali was seriously injured.
Another victim was Indian, while the nationalities of the other two were not disclosed.
Police said a search for the perpetrators was ongoing.
The government condemned the incidents, labelling them “shocking and disturbing” and vowed on social media “not to allow Croatia to become a country where violence and hatred toward foreign workers are normalized.”
“Foreign workers filled a segment on the labor market that we obviously could not,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters citing construction and tourist sectors.
Croatia in 2023 provided nearly 120,000 non-EU nationals with work permits, 40 percent more than the previous year.
This year the figure will be surpassed as nearly 150,000 work permits have so far been issued to non-EU nationals.
The number of attacks on foreign workers, notably those delivering food has been increasing, police in the capital Zagreb said earlier this year.
In most cases, they were not racially-motivated but were robberies.
Migrants have been regularly pilloried online with the new labor force facing language barriers and negative attitudes toward foreigners.
Ethnic Croats make up more than 90 percent of Croatia’s population — nearly 80 percent of whom are Roman Catholics.
Bangladesh faces second-deadliest dengue outbreak amid climate, political crises
- Dengue used to be confined to main cities but transmission has been widespread since 2023
- Mosquito control measures hindered by July-August unrest and regime change
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s dengue fever outbreak this year is its second deadliest on record, raising concerns over widespread transmission as infection rates show no signs of slowing.
Each year, dengue fever becomes a major health concern in Bangladesh during the monsoon season between July and October, with thousands of people contracting the potentially deadly virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito.
The incidence of the disease has increased dramatically since the early 2000s, with the worst outbreak claiming 1,705 lives last year.
This year, the dengue toll is already the second worst in history, with 69,922 people hospitalized and 342 dengue-related deaths, according to Directorate General of Health Services data as of Saturday.
While previous outbreaks would normally end in October, this year it saw the highest infection numbers, with more than 30,870 people admitted to hospital.
“This trend of dengue infection will probably continue till next January. We can expect a decline in the infection rate in some two weeks from now, but it will still be higher in comparison with November and December in the previous years,” Prof. Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist from Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, told Arab News.
“There are various reasons for the rise of dengue outbreak this year. Among them, the impact of climate change is very prominent here. It has created a suitable environment for the breeding of the Aedes mosquitoes. Also, there are many dengue patients — they, too, are the virus’s carriers.”
While dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh have usually been confined to urban areas, with cities such as Dhaka reporting most of the cases, since last year, the virus has been reported in every district, even reaching remote and previously unaffected rural areas.
Rising global temperatures have accelerated the spread of the Aedes mosquito, the primary carrier of the virus, while heavy rainfall has created an ideal environment for the insects to breed.
An additional problem faced by Bangladesh this year was the lack of dengue control campaigns, with efforts disrupted by the sudden regime change in the country amid unrest in July and August that led to the ouster of the previous administration.
“The impacts of climate change and insufficient mosquito control measures by authorities have been key factors driving the increase in the dengue outbreak,” Bashar said.
“The most worrying issue is the high death rate. No other country has such high mortality. Our health authorities need to consider this issue very seriously.”
Deaths during the current outbreak are mostly occurring as patients come to hospitals at a late stage, often after a long time traveling, as most specialist and testing facilities are available only in major urban centers.
Since last year, many patients have contracted the virus for a second or third time — some even with multiple strains, which decreases their chances of survival.
“There are four strains of dengue. Last year, we also found patients infected with all of them. This year, too,” said Dr. Khondoker Mahbuba Jamil, virologist laboratory head of the Institute of Public Health in Dhaka.
“The disease becomes more severe when someone is infected for the second time, leading to immunological complications ... And when someone is infected with a different strain for the second time, their immunological response becomes excessive. That’s what is happening this time.”
French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas
- The unions are demanding a moratorium on the dismantling of Fret SNCF and protesting against the terms and conditions for opening up regional lines to competition
- Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays
PARIS: Trade unions at France’s railway operator SNCF on Saturday called for an indefinite strike from next month that could disrupt train services during the upcoming Christmas holidays.
The unions are demanding a moratorium on the dismantling of Fret SNCF, the freight division of the national rail operator, and protesting against the terms and conditions for opening up regional lines to competition.
In a joint statement to AFP, the CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots unions said the action would begin on December 11.
The unions also reiterated their call for shorter strike action from November 20 to November 22.
Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays.
In February, train controllers went on strike during a holiday weekend, leaving 150,000 people stranded. A Christmas strike in December 2022 affected some 200,000 holidaymakers.
In 2023, the European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into whether France breached EU rules on state support by subsidising the freight division of SNCF.
The French government launched a restructuring process which will see France’s top rail freight company disappear on January 1, 2025 and be replaced by two separate companies, Hexafret and Technis.
The plan was negotiated by the French government and the European Commission to avoid a reorganization procedure that could have led to the outright liquidation of the company, which employs 5,000 people.
In their statement, the trade unions “reaffirm that a moratorium is possible and necessary to allow the various players to get back to the table and find ways of guaranteeing not only the continuity of Fret SNCF, but also its development over the longer term.”
UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life
- A palace spokesperson said: “While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home“
- The events are being closely watched as they are set to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, take a major step in her recovery from cancer
LONDON: Queen Camilla, the wife of Britain’s head of state King Charles III, will miss two of the most important dates in the royal calendar this weekend because of a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said Saturday.
The 77-year-old will skip Saturday evening’s Festival of Remembrance commemorative concert and Sunday’s ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial, events that honor Britain’s war dead.
“Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events,” a palace spokesperson said.
“While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.”
British media reported that there had been no downturn in Camilla’s condition, and that she was mindful of minimizing the risk of passing any lingering infection to others.
The events are being closely watched as they are set to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, take a major step in her recovery from cancer as she attends her first major royal occasion since ending chemotherapy.
In March, the palace announced that Kate, as she is widely known, had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
The shock announcement came after the palace had announced the previous month that Charles had been diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer and would withdraw from public life to undergo treatment.
Both have since made limited returns to public duties, but Charles — who recently toured Australia and Samoa, — is still undergoing treatment.
Catherine, 42, said in September that she had completed her chemotherapy and was looking forward to undertaking more engagements “when I can.”
Charles, 75, will lead the royal family at the commemorative events, which will also be attended by his eldest son Prince William, heir to the throne and husband to Catherine.
Senior royals traditionally attend the solemn wreath-laying at the monument near parliament alongside political leaders, current and former members of the armed forces, including war veterans.
William said this week that the past year had been “brutal” and probably the “hardest” of his life because of the twin diagnoses.
“Honestly, it’s been dreadful,” he told reporters on Thursday at the end of a four-day visit to South Africa for his Earthshot prize initiative.
“So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.”
Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday that Camilla, who accompanied Charles on his Australia and Samoa tour, had been forced to postpone her engagements for the week with a chest infection.
It added that her attendance at the weekend events would be subject to medical advice nearer the time.
