October, 2019
Berlin – Last week there was a large demonstration here, coursing through the streets of Berlin's Neukölln and Kreuzberg neighborhoods on behalf of Rojava, the Kurdish homeland in northern Syria. Many Kurds live in Berlin. Signs of support hang from windows.
At least some of the many Turks who also live in Berlin are not happy with the Turkish invasion of Rojava, or with the Turkish government generally. At a sundries shop in Kreuzberg, the owners engaged us about our respective homelands. We said we were Americans from Washington, DC, but at the moment not proud of our country's actions in the Middle East. They identified their hometown in Turkey and said they were not happy with their government, either.
Russia, with Turkey's help, is moving in on Syria, to expand territories under the Syrian tyrant Assad. Rojava is threatened with genocide.
The Russian threat also looms in Ukraine, abetted by feckless Americans, which include not only the president but his so-called base. It casts a shadow over Europe, as described so well yesterday by Ambassador William Taylor in his testimony to Congress:
"...if Ukraine succeeds in breaking free of Russian influence, it is possible for Europe to be whole, free, democratic, and at peace. In contrast, if Russia dominates Ukraine, Russia will again become an empire, oppressing its people and threatening its neighbors and the rest of the world."
I look for some sign that my all-Republican Nebraska congressional delegation will come to its senses, but they seem paralyzed by fear of the money and power being amassed to discipline any Republican who steps out of line. Whose money and power it is, is not clear. Some of it, recent developments show, is foreign.
What with Ambassador Taylor's testimony, the impeachment inquiry may move from definitions of high crimes and misdemeanors to what constitutes bribery and even treason. How is withholding military aid for a political favor not bribery? How does advancing Russia's interests above America's, repeatedly, not raise issues of treason? Let's not dance around the issues. Ambassador Taylor has done America a great service and we need to make the most of it, the sooner the better.
