Russian warplanes are bombing the civilian population of Aleppo, the country’s most populous city, to assist Syrian government forces attempting to take control of rebel-held areas. The world must not stand idly by in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe of historic proportions.
NEW YORK – The world is witnessing in Syria a humanitarian catastrophe of historic proportions. It is being perpetrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in support of his protégé, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russian warplanes are bombing the civilian population of Aleppo, the country’s most populous city, to assist Syrian government forces attempting to take control of rebel-held areas.
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The combined assault has, among other things, killed hundreds of people and wounded more than a thousand, put the city’s remaining hospitals out of commission, and deprived the population of drinking water.
Putin is moving aggressively to exploit the three months between now and the January 20 inauguration of the next US president, based on the callous calculus that the United States will be mostly immobilized by the political transition. As The New York Times puts it: “Putin calculates that the departing President Obama will be unlikely to intervene in the escalating Syrian conflict and a new American president who might consider a tougher policy will not yet be in office.” The Times then quotes Russian political scientist Nikolai V. Petrov: “The next American president will face a new reality and will be forced to accept it.”
Other reports in the Times and elsewhere have vividly depicted the suffering of Aleppo’s people and the heroic efforts of the doctors and civilians, like the White Helmets, who are risking their lives to help them. When the facts are fully established, Putin’s bombing of Aleppo will be viewed as among the modern world’s most egregious war crimes.
I appeal to the people of Russia, the US, Europe, and the rest of the world not to stand idly by, but to spread the word and voice their outrage. An outpouring of public opinion could induce Putin to call a halt to his heinous crime against humanity.
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It is too soon to tell whether the current wave of popular anger and disillusionment in Turkey will evolve into a coherent movement capable of mounting a credible opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But one thing should be obvious to the main opposition party: When the game is rigged, the only hope is to flip the board.
explains why popular resistance to the Erdoğan regime has sidelined the opposition parties.
More than just a popular mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu is a national symbol of the political pluralism and democratic possibility that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sought to quash. Given the precarious state of the Turkish economy, his sudden arrest and imprisonment may prove to be the last straw.
believes the current mass protests are about more than the arrest of the country’s leading opposition figure.
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NEW YORK – The world is witnessing in Syria a humanitarian catastrophe of historic proportions. It is being perpetrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in support of his protégé, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russian warplanes are bombing the civilian population of Aleppo, the country’s most populous city, to assist Syrian government forces attempting to take control of rebel-held areas.
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Access every new PS commentary, our entire On Point suite of subscriber-exclusive content – including Longer Reads, Insider Interviews, Big Picture/Big Question, and Say More – and the full PS archive.
Subscribe Now
The combined assault has, among other things, killed hundreds of people and wounded more than a thousand, put the city’s remaining hospitals out of commission, and deprived the population of drinking water.
Putin is moving aggressively to exploit the three months between now and the January 20 inauguration of the next US president, based on the callous calculus that the United States will be mostly immobilized by the political transition. As The New York Times puts it: “Putin calculates that the departing President Obama will be unlikely to intervene in the escalating Syrian conflict and a new American president who might consider a tougher policy will not yet be in office.” The Times then quotes Russian political scientist Nikolai V. Petrov: “The next American president will face a new reality and will be forced to accept it.”
Other reports in the Times and elsewhere have vividly depicted the suffering of Aleppo’s people and the heroic efforts of the doctors and civilians, like the White Helmets, who are risking their lives to help them. When the facts are fully established, Putin’s bombing of Aleppo will be viewed as among the modern world’s most egregious war crimes.
I appeal to the people of Russia, the US, Europe, and the rest of the world not to stand idly by, but to spread the word and voice their outrage. An outpouring of public opinion could induce Putin to call a halt to his heinous crime against humanity.