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The first says: "I'm the most powerful man in the room -- 33 million people follow me on Twitter."

And the third says: "No, I'm the most powerful man in the room -- I've got all the passwords."

The punch line, of course, is that no one can tell any of them that they are wrong.

The G20 summit in Hamburg comes at time of particular global disunity. Elder statesmen and women of diplomacy have declared that the post-WWII world order is over, potentially leaving decades of dependable stability in terminal decline.

As today's most powerful 20 leaders gather in Germany's northern port city, some among them may cast an eye across the city's skyline remembering when much here looked as Mosul does today: crumpled and broken by war.

In July 1943, allied bombers began an aerial bombing campaign, Operation Gomorrah. In just eight days, 42,000 civilians were killed and 37,000 were injured.

The awfulness of that war and the international desire to never again allow megalomaniacs to hold complete global sway is part of what makes the meeting of world leaders at the G20 today so important. It is, partly, why we should all care that some of the many grievances that these leaders will grudgingly discuss here do get resolved.

It doesn't help that some of those arriving in Hamburg toting the biggest bags of diplomatic gripes and animus are world leaders buried so far in their own beliefs that they've lost sight of the art of compromise.

He comes to the G20 a global outlier on climate change. Shortly after the G7 summit in May, he snubbed the other leaders by dumping Barack Obama's commitment to the Paris climate accord.

And like Putin, Trump's disruptions are not singular. He has recently ratcheted up tension with China, courting controversy over weapon sales to Taiwan and testing waters around disputed islands -- not to mention his tough talk on trade.

All of that baggage seems to sink any hope of a meeting of minds on North Korea, something other G20 leaders were hoping might walk the region back from the risk of nuclear-tipped confrontation.

Of course this is exactly the impact North Korea's Kim Jong Un will have hoped for.

They will both likely agree that the other outsized strongman attending -- Turkey's President Erdogan -- is an emerging problem child. Not only because he administered a referendum that delivered the powers of Parliament to his hands in the presidency, but also his penchant for riotous assembly.

Trump's problems with Erdogan are bigger than Merkel's. As fighting in the Syrian war appears to be reaching its conclusion -- ISIS is losing its grip of its previous stronghold and de facto capital in Raqqa -- Trump's arming of Kurdish fighters to kill ISIS fighters angers Erdogan, who considers both ISIS and the Kurdish forces to be terrorists.

For his part, Putin is happy to have Trump and Erdogan squabble over this -- it allows his ally Assad to reap the rewards.

But beyond the fight for Raqqa, the real strategic end game in Syria is the race for the ISIS-riddled eastern town of Deir Ezzor. It'll be the hidden subtext of any G20 talk over Syria.

If Assad gets there first, then he, Russia and Iran control the vital highways that turn the Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut axis into one smooth tarmac ride from the Persian mountains and Iran's mullahs to their seaside proxies Hezbollah, more than 1,000 miles away in Lebanon.

This outcome is unpalatable to G20 member Saudi Arabia. As King Salman has canceled his visit, the diplomatic stakes are already raised. His son, the young, ambitious and recently promoted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is likely to be far tougher to tame at the top table of global politics.

MBS, as he is known, arrives already exercised by tiny Gulf state Qatar's refusal to fall into line with his and the UAE's recent demands to cut its ties with terrorist groups, among other things. His peers at the summit will no doubt encourage the young prince to cool his jets and try to reach a deal.

This backdrop makes it unlikely that he will be in any sort of mood to compromise on Syria and see his nemesis Iran gain more traction in the region.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is up for making friends and getting deals done, but her clout is on the wane.

Yet it's not all doom and gloom. A rising international star, the fresh-faced French President Emmanuel Macron, can be expected to inject some optimism. He believes Trump can be brought in from the isolationism of "America First."

His first G20 could be his fellow europhile centrist Angela Merkel's last.

Germans go to the polls in the next few months. While she seems to enjoy something of a lead, not to mention the respect of many of the leaders, she could still use a positive summit to boost her popularity.

But even on this Trump is a disruptor.

He has talked Merkel down so much -- criticizing her refugee policy and slamming German car sales to the US -- that she has decided to let his German critics be heard by holding the G20 in a city center building that can and likely will be surrounded by protestors.

Suffice to say, rarely in the field of recent global diplomacy have so many relied on so few for so much.

Therefore it's a shame, in a way, about the strongmen.

A few less of those might just have tipped the balance towards a more favourable G20 outcome.

Talking of which, did you hear about the three world leaders who left the meeting room? They all agreed that they were the best leaders at the meeting and had won all their arguments.

Originally posted here:
Trump, Putin and Erdogan: the three men upending global diplomacy - CNN

A member of the Iraqi security forces runs with his weapon during a fight between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq.

A U.S. MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile is fired during the combined military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea against North Korea at an undisclosed location in South Korea

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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un looks on during the test-fire of inter-continental ballistic missile Hwasong-14

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony following the talks at the Kremlin

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Belarussian servicemen march during a military parade as part of celebrations marking the Independence Day in Minsk, Belarus

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Ambulance cars and fire engines are seen near the site where a coach burst into flames after colliding with a lorry on a motorway near Muenchberg, Germany

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Protesters demonstrating against the upcoming G20 economic summit ride boats on Inner Alster lake during a protest march in Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg will host the upcoming G20 summit and is expecting heavy protests throughout.

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Protesters carry a large image of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo as they march during the annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong. Thousands joined an annual protest march in Hong Kong, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his visit to the city by warning against challenges to Beijing's sovereignty.

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Jockey Andrea Coghe of "Selva" (Forest) parish rides his horse during the first practice for the Palio Horse Race in Siena, Italy June 30, 2017

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A man takes pictures with a phone with a Union Flag casing after Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) inspected troops at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison as part of events marking the 20th anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China June 30, 2017

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A protester against U.S. President Donald Trump's limited travel ban, approved by the U.S. Supreme Court, holds a sign next to protesters supporting the ban, in New York City, U.S., June 29, 2017

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Israeli Air Force Efroni T-6 Texan II planes perform at an air show during the graduation of new cadet pilots at Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, near the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva

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An aerial view shows women swimming in the Yenisei River on a hot summer day, with the air temperature at about 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit), outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia, June 28, 2017

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A Libyan coast guardsman watches over as illegal immigrants arrive to land in a dinghy during the rescue of 147 people who attempted to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, 45 kilometres west of the capital Tripoli, on June 27, 2017. More than 8,000 migrants have been rescued in waters off Libya during the past 48 hours in difficult weather conditions, Italy's coastguard said on June 27, 2017

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Investigators work at the scene of a car bomb explosion which killed Maxim Shapoval, a high-ranking official involved in military intelligence, in Kiev, Ukraine, June 27, 2017

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A man leaves after voting in the Mongolian presidential election at the Erdene Sum Ger (Yurt) polling station in Tuul Valley. Mongolians cast ballots on June 26 to choose between a horse breeder, a judoka and a feng shui master in a presidential election rife with corruption scandals and nationalist rhetoric

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People attend Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at a play ground in the suburb of Sale, Morocco

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A plain-clothes police officer kicks a member of a group of LGBT rights activist as Turkish police prevent them from going ahead with a Gay Pride annual parade on 25 June 2017 in Istanbul, a day after it was banned by the city governor's office.

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Pakistan army soldiers stands guard while rescue workers examine the site of an oil tanker explosion at a highway near Bahawalpur, Pakistan. An overturned oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan on Sunday, killing more than one hundred people who had rushed to the scene of the highway accident to gather leaking fuel, an official said.

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Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a landslide that occurred in Xinmo Village, Mao County, Sichuan province, China

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Student activists shout anti martial law slogans during a protest in Manila on June 23, 2017

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A diver performs from the Pont Alexandre III bridge into the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017 as Paris transforms into a giant Olympic park to celebrate International Olympic Days with a variety of sporting events for the public across the city during two days as the city bids to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

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Debris and smoke are seen after an OV-10 Bronco aircraft released a bomb, during an airstrike, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who have taken over parts of Marawi city, Philippines June 23, 2017

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) stands under pouring rain during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the Nazi German invasion, by the Kremlin walls in Moscow, on June 22, 2017

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Smoke rises following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, on June 22, 2017

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Iraqis flee from the Old City of Mosul on June 22, 2017, during the ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group

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Girls stand in monsoon rains beside an open laundry in New Delhi, India

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People take part in the 15th annual Times Square yoga event celebrating the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, during classes in the middle of Times Square in New York. The event marked the international day of yoga.

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Faroe Islanders turn the sea red after slaughtering hundreds of whales as part of annual tradition

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A firefighting plane tackles a blaze in Cadafaz, near Goes, Portugal

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A person participates in a journalists' protest asking for justice in recent attacks on journalists in Mexico City, Mexico, 15 June 2017

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Poland's Piotr Lobodzinski starts in front of the Messeturm, Fairground Tower, in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

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A runner lies on the ground after arriving at the finish line in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

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A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

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A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform on the tarmac at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

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French President Emmanuel Macron with his wife Brigitte Trogneux cast their ballot at their polling station in the first round of the French legislatives elections in Le Touquet, northern France

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A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoist

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A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoists

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem. An Israeli court has ordered a journalist to pay more than $25,000 in damages to Netanyahu and his wife Sara for libeling them. The magistrate court in Tel Aviv ruled Sunday that Igal Sarna libeled the couple for writing a Facebook post that claimed the prime minister's wife kicked the Israeli leader out of their car during a fight

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Parkour enthusiasts train on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Originally developed in France, the training discipline is gaining popularity in Brazil

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Jamaica's Olympic champion Usain Bolt gestures after winning his final 100 metres sprint at the 2nd Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships

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Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack

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Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack

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Protesters stand off before police during a demonstration against corruption, repression and unemployment in Al Hoseima, Morocco. The neglected Rif region has been rocked by social unrest since the death in October of a fishmonger. Mouhcine Fikri, 31, was crushed in a rubbish truck as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season and his death has sparked fury and triggered nationwide protests

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A man looks on at a migrant and refugee makeshift camp set up under the highway near Porte de la Chapelle, northern Paris

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Damaged cars are seen stacked in the middle of a road in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood during ongoing battles to try to take the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Smoke billows following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa

Read more from the original source:
Recep Tayyip Erdogan says 'Germany is committing suicide' by not allowing him to speak to German Turks - The Independent

BBC News

Turkey protesters stage long march against Erdogan BBC News At 08:00, the motorway tarmac was radiating heat. There was no shade from the 30C heat, just the exhaust fumes of passing cars. Not the most pleasant route for a walk. But spirits were high. "Adalet!" chanted the thousands gathered - "Justice!" Their ... March for 'justice' by Erdogan opponents in Turkey gains momentum and alarms governmentWashington Post On the Road With Protesters Marching Across Turkey to Condemn Erdogan's PurgeNew York Times Turkey: opposition leader appeals to ECHR over Erdogan referendumeuronews FRANCE 24 -Reuters all 150 news articles »

View original post here:
Turkey protesters stage long march against Erdogan - BBC News

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday reaffirmed Turkeys support for Qatar in its dispute with four other Arab states, saying their demands against the Gulf nation were unacceptable. When it comes to this list of 13 items ... its not acceptable under any circumstances, Erdogan said in an interview with France 24 television. Some of the terms were tantamount to stripping Qatar of its statehood, he added. We remain loyal to our agreement with Qatar. If it requests us to leave, we will not stay where we are not wanted, he said. Erdogan was quoted as saying in an interview with German weekly Die Zeit published yesterday that "what is being done with Qatar runs counter to international law." He said the demand for the Turkish base to be closed shows "a lack of respect towards us and Qatar" and added that "the Americans are also there, with 9,000 soldiers, and so are the French." He asks: "Why are the Saudis disturbed by us and not by that? This is unacceptable." Erdogan also criticised a demand for the closure of broadcaster Al Jazeera, saying Ankara "will support Qatar in every way, because we share the same values, have good relations and we cannot be silent about the injustice."

Excerpt from:
Turkey and Qatar share same values: Erdogan - The Peninsula Qatar

Tens of thousands have been killed over 40 years of bloodletting between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and tragically there seems to be no end in sight. In May 2016, President Erdogan stated that military operations against the PKK will continue until the very last rebel is killed. What is alarming about Erdogans statement is that he still believes he can solve the conflict through brutal force. Erdogan does not understand that he cannot wish the Kurdish problem awaya problem that will continue to haunt him and the country for countless more decades unless a solution is found that respects their cultural and fundamental human rights.

There are 15 million Kurds, representing nearly 18 percent of the Turkish population. Like their Turkish counterparts they are largely Sunnis, but their cultural distinction trumps their religious beliefs. They are fighting to preserve their ethnic identity, fearing that otherwise their culture and language would fade away and die.

The history of the conflict is long, complicated, and painful. In the 1970s Abdullah calan raised awareness about the Kurds plight, which was followed by crackdowns by successive Turkish governments, leading to the formation of the PKK and further escalation of violence over the years.

Under intensifying domestic and EU pressure, Erdogan agreed to restart negotiations in late 2012, which collapsed by July 2015. In the wake of the failed military coup in July 2016, Erdogan moved to crush the PKK and Kurdish aspirations, even though to date there has been absolutely no proven connection between the Kurds and the coup plot. His rampage against the Kurds continued despite the US and EUs call to stop his heavy-handed approach that grossly violated their basic human rights. Only recently, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir that around 14,000 Kurdish teachers will be suspended, falsely accusing them of having ties with the PKK.

What made matters worse was Erdogans authorization to launch a fierce attack on PKK forces who were embedded in a civilian Kurdish-majority community in the southeast. A UN report documented human rights violations including killings, disappearances, torture, destruction of houses, and prevention of access to medical care, while leaving the area in ruins.

Between July 2015 and December 2016, more than 2,000 were killed, including 1,200 civilians and 800 members of Turkish security forces, and more than 500,000 were displaced. Hundreds of members of the Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) were put behind bars on charges of collaborating with the PKK. Erdogan continues to refuse to negotiate, insisting that the PKK is a terrorist organization and must be brought to heel by military force.

Certainly, what is wrong or right matters, but what we must face here is a reality that neither side can ignore and expect to find a solution that can exclusively meet the requirements of either side. After more than four decades of bloody conflict that has claimed the lives of so many, and the destruction from which hundreds of thousands of Kurds and Turks have suffered, when will Erdogan come to his senses that the solution lies only in peace negotiations?

What is worse is that the international community, especially the EU and the US, has been publicly silent about Erdogans transgressions and ruthlessness. They often cite Turkeys role in fighting ISIS, its NATO membership, and its geostrategic importance as an energy hub as the reason behind their unwillingness to pressure him to change direction.

That said, and regardless of the challenges that Turkey facesincluding the fight against ISIS, a deteriorating economy, domestic upheaval aggravated by the failed coup, and the pressure of hosting three million refugeesnothing justifies Erdogans outrageous purges.

His utter disregard for human rights by jailing scores of Kurdish journalists, arresting a dozen Kurdish parliamentarians, employing collective punishment tactics against Kurdish towns and villages, and attacking Syrian Kurds whom he accuses of providing aid to the PKK, only further heightens tensions throughout the country, invites terrorism, and leads to increasing social and political polarization.

As a believer who preaches the gospel of Islamic values, he vilifies and violates these values and conveniently justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent Kurdish men, women, and children, and still shamelessly claims self-piety.

Erdogans demagoguery is second nature to him. As President Kennedy said in the 1960, Voices preaching doctrines wholly unrelated to reality [delude themselves that] strength is but a matter of slogans. Erdogan claims that Turkey is a full-fledged democracy, but he is dismantling the last vestiges of the countrys democratic governance that he himself promoted during his first and second terms in power.

He claims that the Kurds have equal political and human rights like any other Turkish citizen, and points out the fact that there are 110 Kurdish parliamentarians. True, they are equal under the Turkish constitution, but in practice are systematically discriminated against in government appointments, business contracts, job opportunities, and education.

Erdogan simply does not grasp the fact that even if the Kurds were treated equally in every walk of life, what they want is in line with and even complimentary to the framework of Turkish democracy. They are not seeking a state of their own, but simply to live freely as loyal Turkish citizens and enjoy their customs, folk music and dance, and way of life consistent with their long and rich cultural heritage.

The irony is that while Erdogan wants the Kurds to be loyal citizens, he never understood that their allegiance to the country depends on the way they are treated, the rights they are granted, and the civility they are accorded. To demand from the Kurds unconditional loyalty while robbing them of their basic rights only further alienates them and forces them to seek, fight, and die for autonomous rule if not independence, which he is bent on preventing.

I do not support, and I condemn any individual or group who uses brutal force for political or social gains regardless of its source, motivation, ideology, or belief. Erdogan and the PKK are equally guilty, and must pause and think where all this killing and destruction will lead to, when at the end of the day they will still have to coexist and face one another.

When violent extremism is on the rise, when human rights are fair game, when terrorism is surging, when ethnic violent conflicts are escalating, and when thousands of men, women, and children are slaughtered, leaders of conscience must not add fuel to the raging regional fires that have been consuming us unmercifully and relentlessly.

The PKK must not play into the hands of dictators like Erdogan by killing innocent civilians; as long as they are viewed as a terrorist group, they will not receive any support from influential civic organizations and the Turkish population in general.

To shed the stigma of being a terrorist organization, the PKK must declare a unilateral ceasefire and express its readiness to enter peace negotiations unconditionally, which would increase public pressure on Erdogan to resume peace talks.

Absent American leadership, the EU must assume upon itself the responsibility to use its enormous political and economic leverage to stop Erdogan from pursuing ruthless methods and policies not only against the Kurds, but his own fellow Turkish citizens. Erdogans nationalist zealotry is dividing the country and could potentially lead to widespread violence among the Turks, while further intensifying regional instability.

Mr. Erdogan, wake up. You will not succeed in killing every PKK fighternot only because of the nature of guerilla warfare, but primarily because of the Kurds determination to preserve their rich cultural heritage, language, and fundamental human rights. They will remain resolute and will outlast you, regardless of how much pain and suffering they endure under your tyrannical governance.

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See the article here:
The Kurds Under Erdogan's Tyrannical Governance - HuffPost