Tag Archives: Istanbul

Was Donald Trump blackmailed into pulling U.S. troops out of Syria by Turkish President Erdoğan?

By Mark | November 3, 2019

I don’t generally pass along news items that I can’t verify, but the U.S. outlet of the conservative British political publican The Spectator just posted a story alleging that Donald Trump was essentially blackmailed into pulling U.S. troops out of Syria by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who apparently threatened to release a recording of […]

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged blackmail, Donald Trump, foreign affairs, foreign policy, Jamal Khashoggi, Jared Kushner, Kurds, MBS, Mohammad bin Salman, murder, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tayyip Erdogan, The Spectator, Turkey | 13 Comments

Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and permanent resident of the United States, has likely been murdered by the Saudis, and the Trump administration seems reluctant to act. Why?

By Mark | October 15, 2018

On October 2, Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi, as you can see in the above photo, was observed entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, where he’d made plans to pick up documents that he needed concerning his recent divorce. It’s now nearly two weeks later, and he has yet to be observed leaving the building. […]

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged Adam Schiff, corruption, Donald Trump, emoluments clause, Jamal Khashoggi, journalism, Mohammed bin Salman, our friends the Saudis, Richard Blumenthal, Saudi Arabia, threats to journalists, Turkey, Vladimir Putin | 40 Comments

What you should know about the uprising in Turkey

By Mark | June 3, 2013

Saturday night, I posted something on Facebook about the recent uprisings in Turkey, expressing both my support and frustration. (My support because, from what I can tell, the people taking to the streets across the country are largely folks who, like me, are interested in fighting for secular government, and the rights of individuals to […]