Bashar Al-Assad Sentenced To Death

 

Former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has been sentenced to death. This was done in absentia seeing as Assad now resides in Russia. The circumstances surrounding this verdict are questionable. The ruling could be a deterrent for stopping him from ever returning to Syria. The government is a combination of terrorist organizations and armed groups. This is not a legitimate government and was not elected by the citizens of Syria. The charges against him include premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity. The presence of foreign human rights groups generates suspicion. Other countries or NGOs could be influencing the trial. The trial itself is questionable considering President Ahmed al-Sharaa is guilty of war crimes by the HTS. The Syrian Civil War saw atrocities committed by various armed factions. Syria still is operating under an authoritarian model of government this time under Islamism. Russia refuses to extradite Assad, because they provided him asylum. The only reason they recognize the al-Sharaa government is to preserve their military bases. Bashar Al-Assad would not have a fair trial. His execution would be more of warning to those who still support the Baath Party or any other political opposition. Elections or democratic government is not coming to Syria. Assad would be used as test for normalizing show trials.      

The Failed Coup In The DRC

 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo foiled a coup. A number of African nations have been experiencing coups in the 2020s. The difference with the DRC was that it was not against a longtime regime. During this coup attempt, the presidential palace was attacked. The leader of this coup was Christian Malanga. He was killed during the coup attempt according to authorities in the DRC. Video shown shows the group with flags of the former Zaire. Those who were in the coup group appear to have nostalgia for the Joseph Mobutu dictatorship. Christian Malanga was involved in opposition politics and gold mining prior to the coup attempt. Malanga based on the information gathered was a refugee who settled in the United States. This was in the 1990s when Zaire was falling into civil war. His political activities were working for the United Congolese Party. The political party has been described as a movement to remove the current government. Questions have arisen about possible US involvement in the plot. No evidence has been uncovered of a CIA operation. Three American were allegedly were part of the coup group. The DRC is facing challenges from M23 rebels, Rwanda, and external powers seeking to exploit its natural resources. The coup attempt no matter how small was a demonstration of political instability. When this transpired political factionalism had reached record levels in the DRC. The New Zaire Government in Exile another organization wanted to revert the DRC to the years of 1971 to 1997. If enough evidence is gathered it could implicate the New Zaire Government in  Exile as being an accomplice to the coup.  

Chinese Balloon Incident

 

The United States has accused China of sending a surveillance balloon into its air space. Eventually, it was shot down. There has not been an investigation  discovering if this was a genuine act of espionage. Making assumptions without evidence will result to incorrect conclusions. China has stated that it was a weather balloon blown off course. Other balloons have even reached Latin America. China would have no reason to spy on Latin American countries seeing as diplomatic relations are better compared with the US. A surveillance balloon is not an effective tool for espionage. Hacking, satellites, and having agents infiltrate a country would provide more information. That is why the parts must be gathered to determine if this was a spy balloon. The Chinese Balloon incident could be a scare campaign to get the American public to embrace anti-Chinese sentiment. The FBI so far has claimed the balloon was capable of electronic surveillance. Considering it was shot down much of the equipment will be damaged. Using a balloon is not effective, because it lacks control by a person. A drone would have better capabilities at gathering intelligence. If this was some type of Chinese intelligence operation, then it might be a reaction to US actions in Asia. The United States has undermined the One China policy and continues to be active in Taiwan. The United States does not acknowledge that actions in Asia could have wider international consequences. 

The Biden Administration And The Uncovered Classified Documents

 

The Biden administration has another concern. Classified documents were found in the residence and offices of President Biden. Most are from the period when he served as vice president from 2009 to 2017. The second set was uncovered in his residence in Wilmington, Delaware. This has generated controversy. Former President Trump had his home raided in order to get classified documents. Critics accuse a bias in application of the law. The minor difference is that so far the Biden administration has been cooperative with investigations. Donald Trump claimed that he gave all the documents he had. The classified documents of the second set have been transported to National Archives. The Justice Department has been altered. It cannot be ignored that President Biden mishandled documents. What this appears to be is more so incompetence, than genuine criminal intent. The case of former president Trump was that he was resisting the Department of Justice. That can be interpreted as obstruction of justice. The Biden administration is still guilty in mishandling classified documents and it is clear that the law will not be equally applied. Although what President Biden has done would be deemed a crime, it is not enough to be an impeachable offense. The US Justice Department has a policy in which a president is immune from indictment and criminal prosecution. The policy was reaffirmed in the year 2000. The reason it came into existence was due to the Watergate scandal in 1973. The concern was that prosecuting a president in office would give the judicial branch too much power. The revelation about classified documents exposes that both political parties have become more corrupt.