Arabian Nights, Like Arabian Assassins | Remembering World War I but Forgetting World War II’s Lessons

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

“We are citizens of the world. The tragedy of our times is that we do not know this.”

– Woodrow Wilson

It’s Like Raaaain On Armistice Day: President Trump spent the weekend in Paris on what was supposed to be a trip representing America in honoring Armistice (Veterans) Day. November 11 was the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. But a meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron apparently did not go down well, as Trump aimed a Twitter blast against his host and later scrapped a plan to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. On Sunday Macron led a large coterie of world leaders down a rain-soaked Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe, where he delivered an expansive tribute to the fallen soldiers. Macron used the ceremony to denounce self-interested nationalism, and extol globalism and international institutions of the sort President Trump has spent the last two years pulling the US away from.

Trump sat stone-faced as he listened to the translation of Macron’s words: “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying ‘our interest first, who cares about the others?’” Trump recently declared himself a nationalist, arguing that other nations have taken advantage of the US, and it was time to look after American interests first. Since becoming president Trump has abandoned a number of international agreements on trade, nuclear proliferation, and climate change, and disparaged decades-old alliances like NATO and the European Union. As we remember World War I, it is incredible to witness how in the span of 2 years the entire world from Brexit to Trump’s election and foreign policy has forgotten the lessons of World War II and sought to dismantle the western world order.

Additional Reads: “Armistice Day: Growing criticism of Trump WW1 no-show: A British minister has appeared to join growing criticism of US President Donald Trump’s decision to miss a memorial event on Saturday due to rain.” Parisians’ message to Trump: Trump Trump go away, come aga-wait. (BBC & WaPo)

Coming Together, If Only For A Moment: Sunday marked the 100 anniversary of the re-establishment of Poland’s independence in 1918. It was observed by nearly 200,000 participants in simultaneous marches through central Warsaw. One was organized by elected politicians and government officials; the other one was organized by nationalists who marched with burning flares and carrying fascist flags. Andrzej Duda, Poland’s right wing president was heard to say: “I want us to walk under our white-and-red banners together and in an air of joy. To give honour to those who fought for Poland, and to be glad that it is free, sovereign and independent.” Meanwhile, the far-right All-Polish Youth posted a video of an EU flag being set on fire on the march, as some people chanted “down with the European Union.” (Guardian)

ISIS Starts To Grow And Fester: The number of Islamic State fighters appears to be growing on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, increasing concerns of a renewed bid to declare a caliphate. Last May ISIS fighters overran the Mindanao city of Marawi and declared a caliphate. The army waged a five month bloody battle before regaining control of the island; 1200 lives were lost. Current estimates say there are 40 to 100 foreign fighters from neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, also Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Middle East, and their presence energizes and emboldens local pro-ISIS groups. (Guardian)

Yemen is an American Bipartisan Mistake: Thirty former senior officials in the Obama administration, including then national security adviser Susan Rice and CIA director John Brennan, have drafted a letter to the Trump administration acknowledging their role in initiating US participation in Yemen’s destructive civil war, and urging the administration to immediately end America’s involvement. The letter says the purpose behind the 2015 decision was to provide limited support to a Saudi-led coalition in order to facilitate a prudent operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen and steer the conflict toward a diplomatic resolution. “We did not intend US support to the coalition to become a blank check…(but) it is clear that is precisely what happened… rather than learning from that failure, the Trump administration has doubled down on support for the Saudi leadership’s prosecution of the war, while removing restrictions we had put in place,” the authors said. “It is past time for America’s role in this disastrous war in Yemen to end.” (WaPo)

– “‘Entire Families Wiped Out’: U.S. Airstrikes Killed Many Civilians In Syria” (NPR)

– “Rome Mayor Acquitted on Lying Charge, to Relief of Five Star Movement: A judge found that no crime had been committed when the mayor, Virginia Raggi, appointed the brother of her top aide to a prestigious tourism position at the beginning of her tenure in 2016.” (NYT)

Saudi Arabia’s Fiasco: In March 2017 a small group of businessmen met in Riyadh with top Saudi Arabian intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. George Nader, a Lebanese-American, arranged the meeting, the purpose of which was to discuss a $2 billion plan to use private intelligence operatives to try sabotaging Iran’s economy. Joel Zamel, an Israeli tied to his country’s intelligence and security agencies, participated, as did Saudi Maj. Gen. Amed al-Assiri. During the meeting the discussion took a turn. The Saudis asked the businessmen whether they “conducted kinetics”—lethal operations—saying they were interested in killing senior Iranian officials. At the time the prince was in the process of consolidating his power and directing his advisers to escalate military and intelligence operations outside the kingdom. After consulting their lawyers, both men declined to participate in assassinations.

Both Nadar and Zamel had had contact with the Trump campaign and transition team in 2016. A company owned by Zamel had pitched the Trump campaign on a social media manipulation plan. After the election, Nadar and Zamel traveled to New York to pitch the Iran economy-sabotaging plan to the Trump transition team and Saudi generals, including Amed al-Assiri. Assiri was perhaps the crown prince’s closest adviser; he had become the public face of the military campaign in Yemen beginning in 2015. But by 2017, the campaign was not succeeding. After the October 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Assiri was handed the blame, and fired. Prosecutors in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation have questioned both Nadar and Zamel about their Iran proposal.

Additional Read: “Turkey Says Recordings Of Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder Have Been Given To The U.S.” (NPR)

Sometimes we here at Daily Pnut put the world in a nutshell to protect it. Did you know 94,000 trees are cut down in the US every day to make toilet paper and paper towels? Grove.co is doing their part to help ensure that our planet is well taken care of while providing us with everyday essentials. For instance, check out Seedling– Grove’s 100% tree-free paper towels, toilet paper and tissues that are made from bamboo and sugarcane. It’s a a practical solution to one of the world’s big environmental problems: deforestation. Not only can you help save the Earth, you can save some cash too. Spend $20, and they’ll throw in a 30-day supply of household products for free.

The Fires In California Claim 25 Lives: Wildfires are once again ravaging California; 25 lives are lost as of this writing. In the northern part of the state, the Camp Fire, the most destructive fire in state records utterly destroyed the town of Paradise, just 81 air miles from Sacramento. In the southern part of the state the Woosely Fire tore through celebrity mansions in Malibu and working-class homes in LA. Santa Ana wind gusts are exceeding 40 mph around San Diego, and threatening to feed the Woosley Fire in Ventura and LA counties. (Guardian)

Additional Read: “This is what our future looks like: Hellfire (Guardian)

Trump’s Hail Mary Pass: President Trump’s new acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, a 49-year-old former tight end for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, is described as an attack dog with ambitions beyond just protecting Trump from the Mueller investigation. (NYT)

– “The Russia Investigations: Who’s Running The Justice Department?” (NPR)

– “10 Notable People Leaving Congress” (NPR)

– “Florida Elections For Governor And U.S. Senate Heading For Recount” (NPR)

– “For 10 years, a chemical not EPA approved was in their drinking water:The state government was adding a substance to one of the city’s four wells, trying to regulate naturally occurring iron bacteria that can leave red stains or rust-like deposits in the water. The substance, known as HaloSan, was not approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency to disinfect drinking water.” (CNN)

– “Growing the future: High-tech farmers are using LED lights in ways that seem to border on science fiction” (WaPo)

– “Limit your own screen time, parents are urged: Setting aside time to ensure children are ready for school should be a priority, says minister” (Guardian)

– “Why Doctors Hate Their Computers: Digitization promises to make medical care easier and more efficient. But are screens coming between doctors and patients?” (New Yorker)

– “Joseph Stiglitz: ‘America should be a warning to other countries’: In the lead-up to his Australian visit, the renowned economist warns of the triple threat of rising inequality, the undermining of democracy and climate change” (Guardian)

Please consider making a donation to Daily Pnut, an independently operated and bootstrapped publication. Many thanks to everyone who already supports us!