Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of a pub when Serbia bumps into Austria and spills Austria’s pint. Austria demands Serbia buy it a whole new suit because of the new beer stains on its trouser leg. Germany expresses its support of Austria’s point of view…..read the whole “fight” in the link.
Bipolar Jewish Mystic, Messiah, Traitor, Leader. This article explores all these aspects of Sabbatai Zevi’s life.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-61020866
Angered by Europes inaction during the Hamidian Massacres, The Armenian Dashnak party devised a plan to hold an Ottoman bank hostage to raise awareness for their cause. Ultimately, the Europeans sought peace between the two groups, promising to condemn the Ottomans for their actions. Unfortunately, the Europeans had no intention of stopping the massacres and thus violence persisted.
Grandson of Muhammad Ali, one of the most influential men in Middle Eastern history, Said Halim Pasha was assassinated due to his role in the Armenian Genocide. A core member of Turkey’s CUP(Committee of Union and Progress) Said Halim Pasha, signed the deportation documents for the Armenian people. In 1921, after attempting to flee back to Turkey after the assassinations of other key CUP figures Said Halim was assassinated in the streets of Rome by Arshavir Shirakian, a young Armenian revolutionary working for “Operation Nemesis.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Said_Halim_Pasha
Operation Nemesis, by Eric Bogosian
As the 106th anniversary of the Armenian mass killings passed on Friday, president Biden declared it a “genocide.” While this statement isn’t inherently contentious, it sparked fears that Turkey would identify it as a veiled threat. The country had been silent throughout the day, save for a critical comment dismissing this affair’s importance and status as a genocide. Whether this bespeaks a bigger conflict to come is difficult to tell. Turkey has been reproving of sanctions President Trump placed on them in 2017, and Biden’s continued support of Kurdish fighters in Syria. Will all this come to a head in later months? Only time will tell.
This Friday (4/16), there is a web event examining the interaction between state institutions and societal divisions in Iraq’s modern political history. It includes some of what we covered last class on post-colonial state formation and the Ba’ath party. If anyone is interested and free at 6 pm, the form to register is in the link above.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/afghanistan-troop-withdrawal-biden-looks-for-exit.html
Following Biden’s inauguration on January 20, he assumed responsibility for a deal Trump made with the Taliban to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. While it is no secret he is against prolonged armed conflict with the country, the 46th President is cautious about several parts of the agreement. Firstly, the Taliban has failed to hold up on their end of the bargain. They have been unable to denounce Al Qaeda publicly and reduce the scale and severity of recent attacks. There is also fear that the Afghan government is incapable of defending itself without U.S. aid. All of these concerns have convinced Biden to hold off on making strong statements about the deal, save for vague comments about ‘not being able to see American troops in the country by next year.’ This evasiveness follows a string of requests by Congressmen and veterans’ groups to entirely remove soldiers from the country, increasing pressure on him to make a decision. Whether Biden meets this goal is yet to be seen, but at the current time, it seems unlikely he will.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/suez-canal-ship-stuck-block-fifth-day-effort/
As most people know, a large cargo ship has been stuck in the Suez Canal for the past 5 days. Officials have sent several tugboats to realign it but to little avail. Workers inside the vessel have been draining it of water, hoping that it will regain buoyancy; however, these attempts have also failed. Currently, Egyptian leadership hopes that an imminent high-tide will allow the ship to steer itself. Far from a joke, the Suez Canal’s blockade has resulted in billions of dollars worth of trade being lost. Oil prices are shooting up as a result of this quagmire, leaving many wondering when this boat will un-stick itself.
By: Theron Gertz
