Trump will keep Guantanamo Bay open and may add new detainees

  Obama never was able to follow through on his promise to  close the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. In his presidential campaign far from promising closure Donald Trump promised to keep the detention center open. Trump appears to be taking action to keep his promise.

In March, Trump asked Congress for additional funding for the facility. A request for $115 million to be incorporated in a 2018 spending bill is under consideration.The money would build a new military barracks for US troops but it also contains language that prevents the facility from being closed and also bans the transfer of any detainees to the United States mainland.

In his campaign in February of 2016 Trump said of Guantanamo: "We're going to load it up with bad dudes." The acting Pentagon comptroller John Roth said that it did not seem as if the facility would close anytime soon. Trump has not as yet sent any new detainees to Cuba but Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that he saw no legal problems with sending more detainees to the facility. Sessions said in a radio interview this March: "I've been there a number of times as a senator, and it's just a very fine place for holding these kind of dangerous criminals. We've spent a lot of money fixing it up, and I'm inclined to the view that it remains a perfectly acceptable place."

While Obama did not close Guantanamo he vastly reduced the population. Trump said in January of this year that there should be no further releases from Gitmo because the detainees were extremely dangerous and should not be allowed back on the battlefield. There are only 41 detainees left. A majority 26 are being held without charge, three have been convicted, and seven others face charges. There are another five recommended for transfer  in spite of Trump claiming they are all dangerous.

David Rivkin, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of  Democracies, who served under both President Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the Justice Department said: “We have taken off the table the silly ideas that the previous administration had about Guantanamo.” After Trump's inauguration there were various draft executive orders floating around that would have revoked Obama's executive order that the facility be closed and suspend any existing transfers pending a review. The orders also called for the facility to continue to operate to hold members of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces including those of the Islamic State. But for some reason none of the orders have yet been signed. Perhaps Trump is too busy playing golf. The issue of Guantanamo appears to be off the press radar for the most part.

Wells Dixon, a lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights who represents some detainees says that business is going ahead as usual at the facility although no one new has been cleared for transfer. A US Department of Justice spokesperson, Ian Prior said of a visit by officials to the facility: “In addition to the Department of Justice's role in handling detainee-related litigation, it is important for the Department of Justice to have an up-to-date understanding of current operations...Keeping this country safe from terrorists is the highest priority of the Trump administration. Recent attacks in Europe and elsewhere confirm that the threat to our nation is immediate and real, and it remains essential that we use every lawful tool available to prevent as many attacks as possible.” Sessions has claimed there is plenty of space for new prisoners at Guantanamo and it is well equipped to handle them. Experts have pointed out that the authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) that is used to justify the indefinite detention of suspected Al Qaeda members etc. does not mention the Islamic State. Dixon said any arrival of a suspected IS member would face a legal challenge.

The election of Trump has led to loss of hope for many detainees who fear they will never be released. Dixon said: “The men are very aware of fact that no one has left Guantanamo since end of the Obama administration, and that takes a tremendous psychological toll,” he said. “It is torture by any reasonable measure.”

Trump vastly expands drone program compared to Obama

Former president, Barrack Obama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, earned the ire of anti-war activists by expanding on President George Bush's use of drones.

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During his term, Obama ordered ten times more drone strikes than Bush. By one reckoning up to 90 percent of drone casualties were not the intended targets. No doubt they could still be described as suspected terrorists. President Trump campaigned on a policy of less intervention, often complaining of failed attempts at nation-building and invasions that were misguided. Yet Trump has himself vastly expanded the drone program.

Michael Zenko an analyst with the Council on Foreign Relations summarised the situation:During President Obama’s two terms in office, he approved 542 such targeted strikes in 2,920 days—one every 5.4 days. From his inauguration through today, President Trump had approved at least 36 drone strikes or raids in 45 days—one every 1.25 days.The increase is well over 400 percent. The January 28 Navy Seal attack was included. There is a recent acount of that attack in the Intercept based on a visit to the village atttacked. The article brings the official description of the attack as a success into question.

Zenko points out that there were 3 drone attacks in Yemen on January 20, 21, and 22. There were more than thirty strikes in Yemen on March 2 and 3, and another on March 6. There was also a rare strike in Pakistan on March 1st.

Trump appears to take no notice of the casualties in such strikes unless they involve Americans. In his speech to Congress, Trump praised the dead Navy Seal, Owens, but failed to mention the civilians including women and children also killed. As the Intercept notes:THE RAID IN Yemen that cost Owens his life also killed 30 other people, including “many civilians,” at least nine of whom were children. None of them were mentioned by Trump in last night’s speech, let alone honored with applause and the presence of grieving relatives. That’s because they were Yemenis, not Americans; therefore, their deaths, and lives, must be ignored (the only exception was some fleeting media mention of the 8-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, but only because she was a U.S. citizen and because of the irony that Obama killed her 16-year-old American brother with a drone strike).

While seen by some as a peace candidate no doubt in contrast to Clinton, his support for the military was also evident during the campaign as he openly and often advocated increasing the size of the military. He promised to act more aggressively to defeat the Islamic State. His rhetoric against intervention was obviously just a campaign tactic to woo some anti-war voters.

Trump actually made false claims about his position. He said he opposed the 2003 Iraq war when he supported it. He also claims to have opposed the Libya intervention, but strongly supported it. Trump has even suggested that he might favor US ground troops entering Syria. There already appear to be ground troops there. Zenko notes that Trump is continuing policies that he formally criticized himself policies that spawn the creation of more terrorists.

Former, National Security Advisor for Trump General, Michael Flynn, said: "When you drop a bomb from a drone… you are going to cause more damage than you are going to cause good." However, Flynn is gone and Trump is not likely to face much internal opposition to his intensification of the drone and other military progams.

Eleven US Republican Senators urge Trump to keep Guantanao operating

Barack Obama pledged to close Guantanamo during his campaign for president but when he left office on January 20th he still had not been able to keep his pledge.

It became clear as Obama's term neared its end that he was not going to be able to keep his promise to close the base or transfer out all the inmates. As a National Review article pointed out: " The president and his team have expressed frustration that it is now impossible for them to fulfill his 2008 campaign pledge to close detainee operations at Gitmo, which he backed with one of the very first executive orders he signed upon taking office."

Fox News reported last November that Trump had said as long ago as last April "we're gonna load it up with some bad dudes believe me. We're gonna load it up." He also said that he would support trying US citizens accused of terrorism at the base. In order to do that he would need to change federal law and he could still face constitutional challenges.

Now eleven Republican senators are encouraging Trump not just to keep Guantanamo open but to send any new captives to the facility. Also they urge that the review board that can clear prisoners for release be suspended. In a letter to Trump released on Monday the group said: “As you consider policies and actions that may affect [Guantanamo], we want to express our support for maintaining and expanding the utilization of the detention facility during your administration by detaining current and future enemy combatants who pose a threat to our national security.” All eleven senators who signed the letter had been strong opponents of Obama's attempts to close the prison.

Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas organized the letter but it was co-signed by 10 other senators: Roby Blunt (Missouri); Tom Cotton (Arkansas); Jame Inhofe (Oklahoma); John Boozman (Arkansas); Tim Scott (South Carolina): Thom Tillis (North Carolina); Cory Gardner (Colorado); Pat Roberts (Kansas); Steve Daines (Montana) and Orin Hatch (Utah). Since Trump was inaugurated, drafts of an executive order have been circulating. The drafts order that Guantanamo be kept open, and calls for ISIS captives to be sent there. However, Trump has yet to sign an order.

Referring to Guantanamo by its military acronym GTMO the senators' letter said: “During your campaign and transition to the presidency, we were pleased to learn you share our perspective that enemy combatants affiliated with ISIS, al Qaeda, the Taliban and other foreign terrorist organization captured during conflicts involving our armed forces should be housed at GTMO.” The letter also demanded that the Period Review Board that decided whether detainees should be transferred should be immediately suspended as well as the transfers of five detainees that the board already cleared for transfer. The letter pointed out that the director of national intelligence's assessment was that 30 percent of detainees released have been confirmed to be or are suspected of being re-engaged as terrorists. They claimed that the board process was "dangerously flawed by subjectivity and broad interpretation". The letter concluded: “As we continue to engage in conflicts and combat operations around the world, the critical mission the GTMO serves in detaining terrorists who threaten the lives of not only our servicemen, but all American, cannot be stressed enough.”

Obama creates difficulties for Trump as he leaves office

As Obama ends his term he has been busy trying to make relations with Russia worse and create other problems for Trump. His most recent move is to try to impose UN sanctions on Syria through the UN Security Council.

Earlier, Obama expelled five diplomats and before that expelled 35 Russian diplomats and closed two compounds in response to alleged hacking by the Russians. The Russians have not responded with similar actions, perhaps to set the stage for better relations with Trump. Trump praised Putin for not responding. Obama has also sent U.S. troops and tanks to eastern Europe including Poland.

The U.S. wants to impose sanctions on Syria due to alleged chemical weapons use by the regime early in the civil war. Both Britain and France have been working to delay the vote until Obama is out of office. As a result, the issue is almost dead for now. Nevertheless, Obama has carried on with unilateral sanctions in effect a recognition that no UN sanctions are going to be voted at this time.

There are two main reasons for resistance to the vote now. First, U.S. allies do not want to start off with the new Trump administration with arguments over the fresh sanctions. Secondly, the action against Syria might make the Syrian peace talks later this month more complicated. Even President Obama had previously delayed the resolution when he was trying to get the talks going. Since the Obama administration will not be part of the peace process, he seems to now think it is fine to sabotage the process for Trump. An announcement of the sanctions can be found here. A video is also appended on the sanctions.

Russia has already invited the U.S. under Trump to the Syrian peace talks which will also include Turkey and Iran. If the U.S. participates it will be the first sign of increased U.S.-Russia cooperation. If an agreement is actually reached it would be a feather in Trump's hat. Assad claims that he has placed no conditions on the talks which are to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan on January 23rd. Obama seems determined to do everything he can to do the opposite of what Trump claims he wants, create better relationships with Russia.

15th anniversary passes of Guantanamo Bay prison with no sign of closure in sight

On January 11, 2002 Guantanamo Bay detention center opened its cells to retain terror suspects. The facility became infamous for torture and indefinite detention without any charges being laid in many cases.

The facility was first opened under president George Bush in 2002 after the 9/11 attacks in September of 2001. At the time of its establishment its purpose was described as follows: "... Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the prison camp was established to detain extraordinarily dangerous people, to interrogate detainees in an optimal setting, and to prosecute detainees for war crimes. In practice, the site has long been used for indefinite detention without trial."

During his 2008 presidential campaign Obama said of Guantanamo that it was "a sad chapter of American history" and promised to close down the prison next year. Obama repeated his promise on 60 Minutes and the ABC program This Week after he was elected. From the very start, Obama tried to close the base but was always stymied mostly by the U.S. Congress that passed motions that forbade him from transferring any Guantanamo prisoners to U.S. soil. In January of 2009 he issued a request to suspend the operations of the military commission for 120 days and shut down the facility within the year. Of course, it never closed then nor in subsequent years.

Over the years the facility has held up to 800 prisoners who in some cases were tortured, with the overwhelming majority never having been charged. The euphemistically named "enhanced techniques" included water-boarding and being stripped naked and being confined in dark cells for long periods. A November 2016 study, by the Afghan Analysts network, found that many prisoners were retained on the basis of scant evidence. The group claimed that the eight longest-serving prisoners were being held on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations. Nine prisoners have died in custody, seven from apparent suicides. Over the years many prisoners have been cleared for release and Obama has been attempting to release all he can before his term is up on January 20th. Only 55 prisoners now remain and of those 19 have been cleared for release, five of them as long ago as 2009. The facility has housed at least fifteen children including Omar Khadr who was picked up in Afghanistan in 2002. Khadr is now back in Canada. He is a Canadian citizen. He returned to Canada in September of 2012 where he will serve out his sentence.

Omar Khadr is shown in an undated handout photo from the Bowden Institution in Innisfail, Alta.

Bowden Institution

Mohammed el Gharani was 14 when sent to Guantanamo. He was accused of fighting for the Taliban and being a member of a London-based Al-Qaeda cell. It turns out that Gharani has never been to the U.K. or to Afghanistan. He was finally released in 2009 after seven years in prison. There are many cases where supposed evidence turns out to be incorrect. Mustafa al-Shamiri has spent 14 years in Guantanamo. In a case of mistaken identity he was taken to be a senior Al-Qaeda trainer in Afghanistan. He was finally cleared for release more than a year ago but is still being held.

In July 2002 U.S. military forces raided a compound in Logar province Afghanistan. They were looking for a suspected fighter who went by the alias Abdul Bari who had ties to an Al-Qaeda bomb maker. They did find an Abdul Bari whose real name was Abdul Zaric with Bari just being his nickname. When captured the U.S. forces claimed he possessed unknown substances including a white powder, that were initially thought to be chemical or biological agents. He did work as a translator for the Taliban government to support his family. According to a 2015 report the substances in his possession were salt, sugar and petroleum jelly.

A Guantanamo detainee wears an orange jump suit at the Guantanamo Naval Base on January 17, 2002

Roberto Schmidt, AFP/File

President-elect Donald Trump has said that there should be no further releases from Guantanamo. He says they are extremely dangerous people who should not be allowed back on the battlefield. Trump has vowed to keep the prison open and load it up with some 'bad hombres'. The other day Obama announced the transfer of four detainees to Saudi Arabia perhaps the last to be released before September 20. Even if every detainee cleared for transfer is released there would still be about forty held at the prison.

There is a deep uncertainty among Guantanamo inmates as to what will happen in the future as Donald Trump becomes president. Pardiss Kebriaei, lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Right, that represents the prisoners said: “There is a great deal of anxiety and fear.”

About to leave office Obama sanctions 5 more Russians

The Obama administration announced a new round of sanctions against five Russian officials. Officials admit that technically the sanctions are not directly related to Russian alleged hacking of the recent presidential election.

The timing makes it clear that the sanctions are part of ongoing "retaliation". Earlier Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland. Donald Trump praised Putin for not reacting in a tit-for-tat fashion.

Kellyanne Conway, a top Trump aide, noted that a New York Times article had suggested that Obama was trying to "box-in" Trump and make it more difficult to execute his policy of pursuing better relations with Russia. Conway said:I will tell you that even those who are sympathetic to President Obama on most issues are saying that part of the reason he did this today was to quote 'box in' President-elect Trump. That would be very unfortunate if politics were the motivating factor here. We can't help but think that's often true. That is not the way that peaceful exchanges work in this democracy."

As well as the recent sanctions, Obama is moving tanks along with other equipment into Germany along with 3,500 troops. Operation Atlantic Resolve is aimed at protecting Eastern Europe against a possible Russian invasion.

When Trump takes office, he may rescind some of the moves against Russia but it may be politically damaging to try to do too much. Conway said that Trump could well "reconsider" any sanctions in the name of proportionality. This possibility may be one reason Putin did not engage in a strong response to Obama's move.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has also been pushing for more anti-Russia action claiming that the alleged Russian hacking was an "aggressive attack against our very democracy". Senator Ben Cardin even claims that Russia attacked the U.S. as the hacking was not just interference but an act of war. The U.S. complaints, even if justified, are a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Dov Levin an expert on the subject at Carnegie Mellon University claims the United States has interfered in foreign elections more than 80 times from 1946 to 2000 but Levin did not count coups such as that in Iran in 1953 and Guatemala in 1954.

Those sanctioned include a senior law enforcement official close to President Putin, Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia's main investigative agency. Bastrykin investigated the death of Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky's in 2009. Although the investigation determined that Magnitsky died while in custody, he closed the case after claiming that there was no evidence of a crime. There are now 44 Russians subject to U.S. sanctions. Two of the others sanctioned today are said to be complicit in trying to cover up Magnitsky's death, and the U.K. blames the other two for the murder of a former Russian spy.

Dmitry Peskov, a Putin spokesperson, claims that the U.S. hacking accusations had no substance:"They are amateurish and are hardly worthy of the high professional standards of top intelligence agencies. We categorically rule out the possibility that Russian officials or official bodies could have been involved. We are tired of such accusations. This is beginning to remind us of a full-fledged witch hunt."

Trump will have his hands full trying to reverse these late Obama administration efforts to worsen relations with Russia.

Obama refuses to declassify torture report

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, along with many human rights and transparency advocates have been pressing President Obama for some time to declassify the unabridged version of the Senate Intelligence Committee torture report.

 

The Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program as it is called is nearly 7,000 pages. The report was approved on December 13, 2012 by a vote of nine to six, with seven Democrats, one Independent and one Republican voting in favor of publication and six Republicans voting against.

Instead of declassifying the report or having it declared an official record of one of the agencies that has a copy, Obama has decided to place the report in his official presidential records. The records will be subject to public requests only after 12 years in 2029 which could then trigger a declassification process. Obama passed up options to declassify large swathes of the document. Far from being open and more transparent about the subject Obama has ensured that the public cannot learn the details of the torture program for more than a decade. A letter to Dianne Feinstein was sent by White House Counsel Neil Eggleston outlining Obama's decision. Eggleston wrote: "I write to notify you that the full Study will be preserved under the Presidential Records Act. The determination that the Study will be preserved under the PRA has no bearing on copies of the Study currently stored at various agencies. ... At this time, we are not pursuing declassification of the full Study."

Feinman reacted by reiterating her belief that the report should be declassified but was pleased that the report would go into Obama's archives and would not be subject to destruction. She also noted that one day it would be available for declassification. Feinstein was chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee that produced the report. The move does prevent incoming president Trump from destroying the document. Given Trump's statements approving torture, he along with a number of Republicans might favor destruction of the report. However, Trump is also at odds with the intelligence community, does not trust them or attend briefings, and is angry at their presentation of evidence of Russian intervention in the U.S. election. Perhaps Trump might actually want to preserve the report, change his tune on torture, and use the report against the intelligence community or as a defense against any attempt to attack him by the intelligence community. However, given his views on torture, Trump appears unlikely to declassify the report as he could if he wished.

An executive summary of the report was released back in 2014, but the Obama administration fought against a Freedom of Information lawsuit that requested release of the full report. The administration argued that it was a congressional record, and not a record of the executive branch. Courts accepted that argument.

The executive summary is about 500 pages but is heavily redacted. The entire report cost about $40 million to prepare. The report shows that the program failed on the whole to produce anything useful and it also shows that the CIA lied about the program. The current chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Senator Richard Burr far from wanting the full report declassified, would like to see the report destroyed.

Burr claims that the report is a Congressional Record not a federal one. He wants all copies to be returned. People in the executive branch are being told not to read it and not to enter it as a federal record. This keeps it away from Freedom Of Information Act Requests. Obama's move prevents Burr from destroying every single copy even if he manages to get them back. The CIA has somehow managed to destroy its only copy of the report, as indicated on the appended video.

Obama has refused to move ahead to declassify the report and the letter indicates there are no attempts at declassification at this time. Perhaps, Obama has a soft spot for incoming president Trump and does not wish to embarrass him by making public information that torture does not work.

Obama will break his promise to close Guantanamo Bay

Obama's top counterterrorism adviser appears to have ruled out any last minute dramatic move by the president to close down Guantanamo Bay before he leaves office.

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Obama has continually promised to close the facility since he has become president but Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Counter-terrorism and Homeland Security, said:

"At the end of the day, the domestic transfer restriction remains in place, so until Congress lifts that we’re not able to bring detainees here even to serve a life sentence, even to undergo prosecution to render a life sentence, so those restrictions remain in place. There will be some number that remain, absent an ability and a lifting of the Congressional restrictions to bring them to the Unuted States, they will remain in Guantanamo."She made the remarks at a discussion promoted by the Christian Science Monitor. This in effect acknowledges that prison at Guantanamo Bay will not be closed during Obama's term as president in spite of his continual promises that it would be.

Some advocates of closure have claimed that Obama can use his executive authority to transfer the remaining prisoners to the US, including two lawyers who had worked on the issue for Obama. They claim he can simply ignore the Congressional ban on transfers. Obama is expected to sign into law a defense spending authorization bill that will maintain a prohibition to transfer Guantanamo prisoners to the US, as well as put limits on transfers abroad as well. Republicans in Congress were concerned that Obama might use his executive powers to override the ban but Monaco said that Obama has no intention of doing so even though he disagrees with the restrictions.

Monaco said that the Obama administration would continue to try to shrink the prison population at Guantanamo. It has shrunk from 240 when Obama became president to 59 now. Monaco said that Obama would transfer as many as he could before leaving office on January 20th. Monaco complained that the Congress would not act on the Obama plan to close Guantanamo submitted in February of this year.

The most recently planned transfer is of a prisoner accused of bombing an Israeli hotel in Kenya. However, the transfer is being held up by the refusal of US authorities to release documentation used to show his guilt. The prisoner is being transferred to Israel to be prosecuted and Israel obviously wants evidence the US has of his guilt.

Far from closing Guantanamo Bay, President-elect Trump might even make it bigger. Trump's pick for head of Homeland Security is retired general John Kelly. Kelly was opposed to Obama's plans to close the base while he was in command of the area of which Guantanamo Bay was part. Under Trump Guantanamo Bay could thrive. Obama's plans would still have retained the worst feature of Guantanamo, imprisoning people indefinitely without benefit of any trial and with no charges being laid. Instead of injustice being perpetrated in Guantanamo Bay it would occur within the US itself.

US and Israel agree to $38 billion defense aid deal

According to the Times of Israel the U.S. and Israel have agreed to a defense aid deal that would be worth $38 billion over the course of the next ten years. Israel has pledged not to seek more funding from the U.S. Congress

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The report on the deal was broadcast on Channel 2 and claims the deal will be signed within days. The deal includes a provision which would see a reduction of U.S. spending on Israel's arms industry over the next six years.

In spite of the size of the deal, it was held up by Sen. Lindsey Graham who wanted an even larger aid program and objected to the lack of Congressional involvement in the deal. Graham said: “I’m offended that the administration would try to take over the appropriations process. If they don’t like what I’m doing, they can veto the bill. We can’t have the executive branch dictating what the legislative branch will do for a decade based on an agreement we are not a party to.” Graham said that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had told him that he was delaying the bill by not agreeing to change the appropriation markup back to the lower amount of $3.1 billion. Graham said: ‘Tell the administration to go F themselves.’” Apparently, Israel is siding with the administration on the matter. According to the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, the agreement would run until 2029 and would be the largest aid package to any other country ever.

While the present package comes to $3 billion annually, Israel has asked that for the next 10 years the amount be $3.7 billion annually. However, Israel has asked to a separate deal for missile defense spending. Israel sees the aid as allowing it to keep a qualitative edge over countries such as Iran seen as a threat. Missile defense techniques developed in Israel using the U.S. funds have been made available to U.S. defense contractors.

Both Israel and the White House would like to announce the completed deal before President Obama leaves office, and the sooner the better. Obama wants to establish a legacy of strong U.S. support for Israel and its security. While the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) has been agreed upon for several weeks, Obama wants assurance that Congress will accept the deal and not try to undermine it. In spite of being urged to agree to it by Israeli PM Netanyahu, Senator Graham still opposes it complaining that the Congress has no obligation to support the bill since it was not involved in negotiations. Graham also objected to a provision in the agreement that would not allow Israel to lobby Congress for more money during the life of the agreement. During wartime, it would still be allowed to do so. However, Graham also objected to missile defense funding being part of the agreement rather than being granted as requested. The amount granted in the deal should be a base amount but more should be granted if needed according to Graham. Every Democrat on Graham's committee had voted for his bil, and 37 senators signed a letter asking Congress to increase Israeli missile-defense funding above the administration's request. Apparently there is some concern within Israel that extending negotiations beyond Obama's last term could result in the issue of support for Israel being politicized within the U.S.

US General recommends more aggressive US policy in Libya

Marine Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser, who is President Barack Obama's nominee to head the US Africa Command, claimed that the U.S. military plans to counter the Islamic State (IS) in Libya "make no sense."

Waldhauser said the U.S. needs to take a tougher stance in Libya. The general appears a bit behind the times as IS is in dire straits in Libya, holding only part of the city of Sirte as its last territory in Libya. The entire city could fall within a few days. Waldhauser made the comments before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Tuesday. Waldhauser said: “I am not aware of any overall grand strategy at this point.” This is probably true, but the U.S. has been making some air-strikes against IS in the past in Libya and has a few Special Forces working with the mostly Misrata militia who are attacking the IS. There may be a few in Benghazi as well helping the Haftar forces of the Libyan National Army.

Waldhauser said that instability in Africa was to the IS advantage and that the group was shifting focus on the Libyan city of Sirte as a backup as it was failing elsewhere. The general should realize that the IS is failing In Sirte now as well and has lost all the surrounding territory it had previously occupied. He said that "despite a growing Daesh presence in the conflict-ridden country, the US military was not conducting any airstrikes." "Daesh" refers to the Islamic State. He said that targets were being developed but no flights had been flown. He said such attacks would be wise and he would welcome the authority to carry them out without having to receive permission from the White House. Notice there is not a word about seeking permission for the attacks from the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA). He fails to mention that GNA-loyal planes have carried out attacks and that the IS is virtually defeated except as an underground terrorist organization.

In response to Walhauser's remarks, Peter Cook, a Pentagon spokesperson, said that "we don't make a decision to carry out a military strike lightly." He said the U.S. had carried out airstrikes in the past and would consider doing so in the future. Last month, Marine General Joseph Dunford of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said the U.S. could deploy troops and equipment to Libya "any day now." Such plans have been put on hold. The GNA has asked only for help with training of its forces. No aid has been forthcoming for the militia, who have successfully encircled the IS in Sirte. The militia do not have basic equipment such as helmets and bullet proof vests that could reduce casualties from snipers. CIA Director John Brennan said that the IS had between 5,000 to 8,000 militants in Libya. This appears to be an estimate that is far too high.

Although suggesting a more aggressive policy Waldhauser said that the small number of troops on the ground in Libya are sufficient for the present. He claimed the troops were performing only advisory roles. He said he was not aware that the US had any "grand strategy" for Libya. If confirmed by the US Senate, Waldhause would replace Army Gen. David Rodriguez who has been head of the Africa Command since 2013.

When Waldhauser was asked by John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, how he was "going to make a chicken salad" out of the situation in Libya, Waldhauser replied: “We have two significant objectives for the United States: one is to get the government of National Accord up and running, and the second is to disrupt [Islamic State or IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] inside Libya.” The latter aim appears to have been almost accomplished already by Libyans themselves with very little help either from inside or outside Libya.

US sending 250 more troops to Syria but no mission creep

Although the Pentagon admits it is sending 250 more troops to Syria, it denies that this represents any mission creep in the war against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The deployment is said to be needed simply to meet current requirements.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said:

“These are specific capabilities ... specific needs right now as we talk to our partners. And including our assessment, talking to local leaders on the ground in Syria, these are decisions that we think makes sense to accelerate this campaign and to further enable those local forces.This is not a question of putting in thousands of American forces to wage this fight. We are looking to others to carry this fight out but to do what we can to support them.”Before sending these troops there were only 50 special operations troops said to be in Syria.

Last week the Pentagon announced it was sending 200 troops to Iraq as well. Some members in both parties criticized the incremental increases in troops numbers being sent to the region. Some Republican hawks say that the number of troops being sent are too few. On the other hand, some Democrats describe the increases as mission creep that will draw the U.S. deeper into conflicts.

As usual, the authorities deny that the new troops represent "boots on the ground." Cook said those sent to Syria will not be on the front lines. Their role will be to train and assist local forces, as well as provide intelligence on the ground. There will also be medical and logistical personnel included in the group. Military commanders had recommended that 250 troops be sent. Cook explained:“Force multipliers is the best way to look at this. A small number of Americans with these kinds of capabilities can bring an enormous weight to bear in this fight and in support of these forces. And those forces who have come into contact and worked with U.S. forces, I think would attest to that.”

The troop deployment came less than 24 hours after Obama said on the BBC that he ruled out sending more ground troops to Syria. He said that military efforts alone could not solve Syria's problem: "It would be a mistake for the United States, or Great Britain... to send in ground troops and overthrow the [Bashar al-] Assad regime. We can slowly shrink the environment in which they operate."Obama is constantly trying to assure Americans that he will not involve the U.S. in extensive combat operations like those earlier in Iraq and Afghanistan. These more extensive actions result in casualties that are politically damaging. Obama prefers actions such as the drone program, proxy wars, and use of special forces, that involve almost no casualties and are not noticeable to many in the general public.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the strong YPG militia of the Kurds, is the main partner of the U.S. fighting the Islamic State in Syria. It welcomed the plans of the U.S. but claimed it needed more support, including guided anti-armor missiles. Spokesperson Talal Sito said: "Any support they offer is positive but we hope there will be greater support. So far we have been supplied only with ammunition, and we were hoping to be supplied with military hardware, and this is something we were promised." The alliance was formed last October and has been successful at wresting territory away from the control of the Islamic State. However, Turkey opposes the YPG and worries that a Kurdish enclave is being formed on its border.

United States to send more troops to Iraq

- The United States is to send more troops to Iraq. The troops will be put closer to the front lines of the battle against the Islamic State.

Most of the troops will serve as advisers for Iraqi forces who are advancing towards Mosul, the main city in Iraq still held by the Islamic State. In an interview with CBS news U.S. president Barack Obama said: "As we see the Iraqis willing to fight and gaining ground, let's make sure that we are providing them more support, My expectation is that by the end of the year, we will have created the conditions whereby Mosul will eventually fall." Earlier, Obama had been saying that Mosul would fall this year.

The advisers will be accompanying Iraqi units of about 2,500 troops moving closer to the front lines of the battle for Mosul. Until now the advisers have been with larger units far behind the lines The move could leave U.S. advisers more vulnerable to enemy mortar and artillery fire. Without mentioning the increased danger of casualties U.S. Defense Secretary, Ash Carter, said: "This will put Americans closer to the action. Their whole purpose is to be able to help those forces respond in a more agile way."

Another source claims the Pentagon said the U.S. would send 217 more ground troops, along with attack helicopters, and that they were heading for the front lines near Mosul. The new deployment makes the violation of the agreement with Iraq to cap U.S. troop numbers in Iraq quite clear:The deployment is the formal point at which the US will be violating its deal with the Iraqi government, wherein US ground troops were to be capped at 3,870. The Pentagon has admitted having almost 5,000 troops in Iraq for months, but didn’t count many, listing them as “temporary” even though they have no end date for their deployment. Today’s move will put the “official” figure at over 4,000.During previous escalations Ash Carter pressed for Apache attack helicopters to be sent but this was alway rejected by the Iraqi government.

The U.S. move could add even more problems to those faced by Iraq PM Abadi who is under pressure not to allow further US ground troops in Iraq. Abadi hopes to gain approval of a cabinet of technocrats to avoid the corruption and graft of the present system. Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has held huge demonstrations demanding reform. If the government allows in more U.S. troops this could lead to even more unrest as Al-Sadr is opposed to more U.S. ground troops.

Obama administration to forgive student debt of nearly 400,000 permanently disabled Americans

Nearly 400,000 permanently disabled Americans will have their student loans totaling $7.7 billion forgiven by the Obama administration.

According to U.S. law, anyone with a severe disability is eligible to have the U.S. government discharge their federal student loans. Four years ago the government made it easier for the disabled to apply for the discharge by allowing anyone totally and permanently disabled to use their Social Security designation to apply. However, few took advantage of the regulation. The U.S. Department of Education is now trying to identify those who are elgibile for forgiveness and guide them through the application process. The new plan follows on Obama's announcement last year of a Student Aid Bill of Rights designed to reform the way in which student loans are repaid.

Ted Mitchell, Education Under Secretary said:“Too many eligible borrowers were falling through the cracks, unaware they were eligible for relief. Americans with disabilities have a right to student loan relief. And we need to make it easier, not harder, for them to receive the benefits they are due.”Persi Yu, director of the Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project at the National Consumer Law Center, said many disabled students simply do not know they are eligible for debt relief:“Borrowers just frankly don’t know about this program. In the past it’s been incredibly complicated to apply and that process has been getting better over time, but some people just assume that it’s not going to work.”The Department of Education, working with the Social Security Administration has identified 387,000 who meet the criteria for discharge of their loans. Of those, about 179,000 are in default on their loans. This could put them at risk of losing any tax refunds and of having Social Security benefits garnished.

Borrowers who are identified as eligible for relief will receive a letter from the government explaining how to receive a discharge. They will not be required to submit any documentation as would be the case if they had applied on their own. The letter will note that the government still has the right to tax the loan amounts that were discharged.

Obama critical of UK lack of follow up action after Gadaffi overthrown

In an interview in the April issue of Atlantic, Obama lashes out at David Cameron for losing interest in developments in Libya after the coalition bombing campaign.

Rather than being burdened with being the leader in military interventions after problems and casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Obama administration has attempted when possible to ensure that other countries lead interventions and serve as proxies fighting for U.S. interests in return for a share in power and any benefits that might result.

In the case of Libya, it was countries such as the UK and France who were anxious to overthrow Gadaffi and Obama encouraged them to take the lead. While the UK and France did support the campaign to degrade the power of Gadaffi's forces, after the war was over, they lost interest, allowing the present chaotic situation to develop.

Obama made his criticism of the UK and David Cameron in a long article and interview in The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for the magazine. Obama told Goldberg that free riders aggravated him. Obama even warned the UK that if it did not increase its spending on defense to at least 2 percent of GDP, then the UK will no longer be able to claim a "special relationship" with the U.S. Obama told UK Prime Minister David Cameron: "You have to pay your fair share." The UK has since reached the two percent spending level on defense.

Obama insisted the anti-Gadaffi campaign receive a UN mandate, and European and Gulf countries should be actively involved in the coalition, although with its unique capabilities the U.S. would be a key player. Other countries, however, were expected to carry their weight. Obama said:'And we worked with our defense teams to ensure that we could execute a strategy without putting boots on the ground and without a long-term military commitment in Libya. So we actually executed this plan as well as I could have expected: We got a UN mandate, we built a coalition, it cost us $1 billion—which, when it comes to military operations, is very cheap.

We averted large-scale civilian casualties, we prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict. And despite all that, Libya is a mess.'

Obama claims he had too much faith in the Europeans investing more in followup operations. For his part, Cameron defended the coalition Libya action in December 2015, telling the Spectator magazine that Libya was better off without Gadaffi: “What we were doing was preventing a mass genocide. Then, as you say, the coalition helped those on the ground to get rid of the Gaddafi regime and it’s very disappointing that there hasn’t been an effective successor regime.”

US allows US-owned factory to be set up in Cuba

For the first time since the Cuban revolution the U.S. has approved the first American-owned factory to be set up in Cuba. The two-man company based in Alabama will assemble as many as 1,000 small tractors a year for sale to private Cuban farmers.

The partners, Horace Clemmons and Saul Berenthal, claim they will be able to legally build tractors and other equipment in a special economic zone set up by the Cuban government to attract foreign investment. Cuban officials have been enthusiastic about the project and fully endorse it. The two partners expect to be building tractors in Cuba by 2017.

Clemmons said: "Everybody wants to go to Cuba to sell something and that's not what we're trying to do. We're looking at the problem and how do we help Cuba solve the problems that they consider are the most important problems for them to solve, It's our belief that in the long run we both win if we do things that are beneficial to both countries."

The plant will cost $5 to $10 million. This will be the first significant investment by the U.S. in Cuban since the revolution in 1959 which nationalized billions of dollars of US corporate and private property. This move provoked the embargo that prohibited almost all forms of commerce and even fined U.S. companies for doing business in Cuba.

On December 17, 2014 presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama met and agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and move also to normalize trade, travel, and other relationships. While the embargo still exists, Obama has used executive orders to carve out exceptions. The U.S. will now allow manufacturing at the Mariel port and special economic zone. The area is about 30 miles west of Havana. Another exception allows U.S. companies to export products that are of benefit to private and co-operative farmers in Cuba. However, Berenthal and Clemmons maintain they will sell their products only to the private sector.

A number of other moves indicate a lessening of tensions between the two countries and further liberalization in Cuba. The Cuban government intends to double the number of Wi-Fi access points to about 100 and also allow Cuban homes to have broadband. Formerly this was illegal. Soon regular flightsare planned between the U.S. and Cuba.

The new plant will be called the Oggun tractor plant. It will assemble parts into a durable and easily maintainable 25 horsepower tractor that will cost less than $10,000. The company believes it can sell hundreds of the tractors.

Berenethal was born in Cuba but left when he was 16. He met Clemmons from Alabama in the 1970s when both worked for IBM. They left and formed a successful cash register company that they sold at a considerable profit and Clemmons went into semi-retirement. They already have sufficient financial backing to begin the operation. The two believe they will be able to export the tractors to other Latin American countries that have no tariffs on Cuban products. They expect to earn between 10 and 20 percent on each tractor. Their company, Cleber LLC, based in Alabama already builds tractors for small farms. The company's attorney is already in Havana finalizing the agreement with the Cuban government. Berenthal said:"I have two countries that for 60 years have been in the worst of terms, anything I can do to bring to the two countries and the two people together is tremendously satisfying,..I think it'll have a tremendous impact on their ability not only to help their economy but to set an example across the Caribbean and Latin America,

While at first many of the components will be exported from the U.S. they hope to eventually manufacture many of the parts in Cuba. At the start, they plan to have 30 Cuban employees, but within five years they hope to have a many as 300. The men are already planning to expand into the production of backhoes, trench-diggers, and forklifts. Cuba is badly in need of such equipment. It is estimated that small private farmers now account for almost 70 percent of Cuba's agricultural production. Caterpillar is already selling earth-moving equipment through a distributor in Puerto Rico.