Trump/Erdogan Meeting
US Airstrikes in Syria
Iran Presidential Election
Trump Saudi Visit
Egypt/Sudan Squabble
by Michael Isenberg
Trump/Erdogan Meeting: President Trump met with Turkish President Recep Erdogan in the White House on Tuesday. Trump was criticized for the warm welcome he gave Erdogan, despite the Turkish premier’s increasingly authoritarian rule. A letter from a bipartisan group of seventeen senators, including Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), stated “Erdogan and his allies have mounted an assault on the rule of law, particularly using sweeping state of emergency authorities to stifle fundamental rights including free speech, undermine the independence of the judiciary, and quash any opposition to their undemocratic actions.” They urged the president "to make support for Turkish democracy a priority, both in your meetings with Erdogan this week and in U.S. policy toward Turkey thereafter." But at least as far as his public remarks were concerned, Mr. Trump declined to do so. He said instead that his talks with Mr. Erdogan would focus on trade and the fight against terrorism.
The visit was marred by violence at the Turkish Embassy between anti-Erdogan protesters and Mr. Erdogan’s security detail. At least one protester was “seriously injured,” prompting Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to tell MSNBC’s Morning Joe, “We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America.”
Read more—
Trump welcomes Erdogan amid US-Turkey strains (CNN)
Lawmakers demand swift action for Turkish Embassy violence (Washington Post)
Syria: US air forces attacked Syrian government troops on Thursday to prevent them from moving toward rebels allied with the US, along with some US advisers, near the Jordanian border. Although the strike is “believed to be the first targeting Syrian personnel,” a Pentagon official assured the Associated Press, “There is no change in policy.”
Separately, in Geneva, peace talks resumed. President Assad, who continued to advance militarily with the evacuation of rebel forces from the Qaboun district of Damascus, called the talks “irrelevant.”
Read more—
US air strikes pound pro-Assad forces in Syria (Fox)
Syria war: Peace talks restart in Geneva (BBC)
Syria war: Rebels evacuated from Damascus stronghold (BBC)
Iran Elections: About 70% of voters turned out to cast their ballots for president on Friday. In what he called a rejection of “extremism and violence,” incumbent Hasan Rouhani easily beat hardliner Ibrahim Raisi, 57% to 39%, with other candidates splitting the remainder. Rouhani’s campaign was marked by extensive use of social media, including an Instagram photo of the candidate with rather unislamically dressed women that appealed to the young and the hip, and trolling of Raisi by Rouhani supporters. Rouhani was considered the moderate in the race. Granted, "moderate" is a relative term. The election was a referendum on his efforts to expand diplomatic and economic ties with the West, which Raisi opposed.
Read more—
Iran election: Hassan Rouhani says voters rejected extremism (BBC)
Iran's Instagram election sees rivals battle on social media (BBC)
After the presidential elections, will Iran still welcome trade with the West? (BBC)
Trump visit to Saudi Arabia: Mr. Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the first stop on his first foreign tour as president. Trump has already signed $350B worth of deals with Saudi Arabia, including a $110B arms deal, and is expected to deliver a speech on “hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam.” It remains to be seen how that will be received by the Saudi people, but there’s no doubt Ivanka is a hit. #Bint_Trump (Trump's daughter) is trending big as legions of Saudi men fall in love with the First Daughter.
Read more—
Trump in Saudi Arabia: First foreign trip starts as home troubles mount (BBC)
The Muslim Tweet: Daughter of Trump (Mike Isenberg)
Egypt/Sudan Tiff: In a March visit to Sudan, Sheikha Moza of Qatar referred to the country as “the mother of the world.” This led to a squabble between Sudan and Egypt, which claims that title for itself. Soon Angelina Jolie and the British ambassador became involved. An Egyptian talk show host ridiculed Sudan’s pyramids, claiming they look like cheese triangles.
Read more—
The Qatari princess, Angelina Jolie and the battle of the pyramids (BBC)
Michael Isenberg writes about the Muslim world, medieval and modern, exposing Islamists and supporting reformers. His forthcoming novel, The Thread of Reason, is a murder mystery that takes place in Baghdad in the year 1092 and depicts the battle for the Muslim soul between those who embraced science and tolerance, and those who threw in their lot with mysticism and persecution instead.
Photo credits: CNN, Instagram
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