FOLLOWING THE TARGETED KILLING OF Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the military response by Iran three days later, things are deceptively quiet in West Asia. After a barrage of Iranian missiles hit the two United States military bases in Iraq, U.S. President Donald Trump reacted immediately by tweeting that Iran had “decided to step down” and that there were no U.S. military casualties.
But now, the Pentagon has admitted that 11 of its troops suffered concussion injuries and had to be taken to hospitals in Kuwait and Germany for treatment. The injuries happened despite sufficient warning of an imminent Iranian missile attack. It was true that Iran wanted to keep U.S. military casualties to a minimum while sending the message that it had the wherewithal to successfully target U.S. bases and installations in the region.
Satellite pictures show that Iran’s targeting of the Ain al Asad airbase was precise. The strike damaged or destroyed seven buildings, of which three were aircraft maintenance hangars. The missiles hit only the portion of the base occupied by the Americans, leaving the area occupied by the Iraqi Army untouched. The 1,500 U.S. soldiers at the base were safely ensconced in bunkers as they were notified two hours in advance of the missile attacks. It was a message to the Trump administration that a war with Iran would not be a cakewalk.
Meanwhile, Trump has been busy backtracking on his claims that Soleimani was planning an “imminent” attack on U.S. targets in the region. His latest claim is that the killing of the Iranian military hero was justified because of his “horrible past”. Trump added that Soleimani had said many disparaging things about him and his administration. Now Trump is saying that it “really did not matter whether Soleimani posed an imminent threat” or not.
Esta historia es de la edición February 14, 2020 de FRONTLINE.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición February 14, 2020 de FRONTLINE.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
