“Screw It!” Is That What Little Marco Is Saying?

This is the feeling I get from the so-called talks that are going on about the conflict in Ukraine….it seems that after promising to end this conflict on day one the US has had about 100 days and we are NO closer to a ‘peace’ deal.

To make matters worse the SecState Rubio has is throwing up his hands and possibly walking away from the negotiations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the US may be ready to “move on” from efforts for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is not progress in the coming days. Speaking in Paris after a marathon day of landmark talks among US, Ukrainian, and European officials, Rubio said the discussions had been constructive and produced an outline for steps toward peace. “We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio said, per the BBC. The US, he said, has “other priorities to focus on.”

  • After weeks of efforts by the Trump administration to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have failed to bring an end to the fighting, Rubio said the US administration wants to decide “in a matter of days whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks,” the AP reports.
  • “The president has spent 87 days at the highest level of his government repeatedly taking efforts to bring this war to an end,” Rubio said, per the Washington Post. “We are now reaching a point where we need to decide and determine whether this is even possible or not, which is why we’re engaging both sides.”
  • The high-level talks hosted by France Thursday were the first time since President Trump’s inauguration that top American, Ukrainian, and European officials are known to have met together to discuss an end to the war. French officials said a new meeting in the same format is expected in London in the coming days. Rubio said he could join that meeting, expected early in the week.
  • Rubio and presidential envoy Steve Witkoff have helped lead U.S. efforts to seek peace. Several rounds of negotiations have been held in Saudi Arabia. Witkoff has met three times with Vladimir Putin, Rubio said.
  • Moscow has effectively refused to accept a comprehensive ceasefire that Trump has pushed and Ukraine has endorsed. Russia has made it conditional on a halt in Ukraine’s mobilization efforts and Western arms supplies, which are demands rejected by Ukraine.
  • At least two people were killed and dozens injured in Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities overnight, the Telegraph reports. “This is how Russia began this Good Friday—with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, Shaheds—maiming our people and cities,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Who knew well pretty much everyone that has a brain that his promise was nothing more than a fanciful LIE.

But then that is what is expected from Little Donny and his Merry band of sycophants….lies and broken promises

I am not surprised….are you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Jive Talkin’

The US-Ukraine-Russia mash-up has been in the news lately…..

After all the back and forth between the three [parties recently the Trump admin came up with a plan…Zelensky balked….then he was open to the talks between US and Russia to help end the war with a ceasefire…

But Zelensky held on to his strict policy of no territory for peace….

President Volodymyr Zelensky explained his understanding of the ceasefire proposed by Ukrainian and American officials this week, saying his country would not make any territorial concessions. Additionally, Kiev expects “strong steps” from President Donald Trump should Moscow reject the plan.

Discussing the ceasefire proposal on Wednesday, Zelensky said, “We are fighting for our independence. Therefore, we will not recognize any occupied territories as Russia’s,” adding, “Our people have fought for this, our heroes died. How many injured, how many passed. No one will forget about it… This is the most important red line. We will not let anyone forget about this crime against Ukraine.”

Zelensky’s refusal to give up territory makes it unlikely the Kremlin will agree to the ceasefire, as Russian officials insist the five Ukrainian provinces annexed by Moscow will never be returned to Kiev. Additionally, Russia says it is seeking a permanent end to the conflict, not a short-term truce.

https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/zelensky-kiev-wont-cede-territory-wants-strong-us-response-if-russia-rejects-ceasefire/

Then Putin said that he was open to the proposal of a ceasefire ‘but with condition’….

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled that he’s open to a ceasefire in Ukraine but that he has “questions” about the 30-day US-Ukraine proposal that need to be discussed.

“The idea itself is the right one, and we definitely support it,” Putin said, according to The New York Times. “But there are questions that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to talk them through with our American colleagues and partners.”

The Russian leader listed potential conditions for a 30-day truce, including a guarantee that Ukraine wouldn’t be supplied with more weapons. “We also want guarantees that during the 30-day ceasefire, Ukraine will not conduct mobilization, will not train soldiers, and will not receive weapons,” he said, according to RT.

Putin also questioned who would monitor the ceasefire. “Who will determine where and who has violated a potential ceasefire agreement along a 2,000-kilometer line? Who will attribute blame for any violations? These are all questions that require thorough examination from both sides,” he said.

The Russian leader said any long-term peace deal needs to address the “root causes” of the war. He made the comments as US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Russia to discuss the proposal. Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin official, said Witkoff would be holding a closed-door meeting with Putin.

(antiwar.con)

Then this happened….A joint statement between the US and Ukraine that was released after talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said that Ukraine had “expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation.”

All this back and forth…will he, won’t he made me think of the song by the BeeGees….Jive Talking.

This will fall apart because I do not think anyone really wants an end to this thing….Russia agreed to lift some of the sanctions and Zelensky agrees to keep the aid flowing…..but that is not a true reason for a ceasefire just a lull.

Is this real or is it just a dangerous game?

More to come.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Will It Last?

Since today is the big day this question could be about the upcoming 4 years but it is not rather it is about the ceasefire deal in the Middle East which began yesterday.

The AP reports Majid al-Ansari said in a post on X that the ceasefire will start at 8:30am local time Sunday. He advised people to exercise caution when the agreement goes into effect and to wait for directions from officials.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The exchange will begin Sunday at 4pm. During each exchange, prisoners will be released by Israel after the hostages have arrived safely. The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.

The plan says that during phase one, some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be released, in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, both alive and dead. Among the prisoners, 1,167 are residents in Gaza who were held by Israel but were not involved in Oct. 7. All women and children under 19 from Gaza held by Israel will be freed during this phase. All Palestinian prisoners who were convicted of deadly attacks will be exiled, either to Gaza or abroad, and barred from returning to Israel or the West Bank. Some will be exiled for three years and others permanently, according to the plan.

Despite the ceasefire news, sirens sounded across central Israel on Saturday, with the army saying it intercepted projectiles launched from Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis have stepped up their missile attacks in recent weeks. The group says the attacks are part of their campaign aimed at pressuring Israel and the West over the war in Gaza. There were also continued Israeli strikes into Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 23 people were killed in the previous day.

So will this ceasefire last?

Likely not…..

The ceasefire agreement regarding the Gaza Strip can be welcomed as a modest reprieve from the immense suffering that the residents of that territory have endured for the past 15 months.

The Israeli military assault on the Strip has inflicted deaths that according to the official count has passed more than 46,600. This tally likely undercounts actual deaths by more than 40 percent, with the majority of fatalities being women, children, and the elderly.

This is in addition to all the other suffering from continuing military operations. There have been more than 111,265 reported injuries, including life-changing disabilities in an environment in which Israel has largely destroyed the healthcare system.

The agreement also commits Israel to allowing an increased number of trucks bearing badly needed humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Other benefits include the release of a number of Israeli hostages that Hamas took in its attack in October 2023. Also to be released are several hundred Palestinians whom Israel has imprisoned. The Palestinians can be considered hostages, too. Although some of those to be released have been given sentences of imprisonment, many of the Palestinians Israel incarcerates are held indefinitely without charge, incommunicado, and without legal representation.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/gaza-ceasefire-2670860243/

I have not decided if the swearing in is worth my attentio9n.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is There A Gaza Deal?

After many long months of death and destruction there is news that there is a ceasefire deal for Gaza….

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies. The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in Qatar, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. It would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes, and would also flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.

With good news there is always a caveat when Israel is involved….

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night addressed the ceasefire deal being worked out between Israel and Hamas, emphasizing that the agreement is not yet complete. He later went further, claiming Hamas backtracked on a previous understanding of the three-phase deal. The AP reports that claim “could indicate that obstacles remain” to actually implementing the deal, which would see dozens of Israeli hostages released by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel and hundreds of displaced Palestinians being allowed to return to their homes in Gaza.

Then the news, if you were paying attention, it was a Trump envoy that moved the negotiations along to this point….

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, did more to pressure Israel to agree to a hostage and ceasefire deal in one meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than President Biden did in an entire year, two Arab officials have told The Times of Israel.

Witkoff met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday and got him to make concessions, which Israeli media said was the deciding factor that led to the ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday.

It’s unclear how Witkoff got Netanyahu to agree to the deal, but the Biden administration refused to use any of its leverage over Israel to force a deal and continued providing huge amounts of military aid to support the genocidal slaughter in Gaza.

Even though Witkoff played a crucial role in the deal, Biden took credit for the agreement. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

In brief remarks at the White House, Biden credited his foreign policy team, who he referred to as “peacemakers” despite their role in backing the slaughter in Gaza. When asked by a reporter if he or Trump should get credit for the deal, Biden said, “Is that a joke?”

Biden also credited his strong backing of Israel as a factor that led to the deal. But unconditional US support for Israel emboldened Netanyahu to sabotage previous negotiations and escalate elsewhere in the region.

The ceasefire deal is based on an outline Biden proposed back in May 2024, which Hamas accepted months ago. The agreement involves three phases and does not commit Israel to a permanent ceasefire.

(antiwar.com)

My hat goes off to the Trump admin if the report is true….Trump may have done what Biden was unwilling top do.

Now I ask what was said to get this process to this point?

We there threats or promises?

And not to worry this will not be the end for Israel will find an excuse to kill more and destroy more….usually the two most common excuses are ‘self-defense’ and ‘national security’

I hope I am wrong but I feel this is far from over.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is This A Step Forward?

The carnage has been raging in Gaza since October and in that time there have been many calls for a ceasefire to get humanitarian aid to the civilians that are starving and in need of medical assistance.

Finally a glimmer of hope…..I did say a ‘glimmer’.

The US achieved a rare victory at the United Nations on Monday, when the Security Council endorsed the three-phase peace plan that begins with a ceasefire in Gaza. The vote was 14-0; Russia abstained but did not block the measure. The move adds to the international pressure on Israel and Hamas to end the fighting, the New York Times reports. The resolution states that Israel has accepted the US-backed plan’s terms and urges Hamas to do so, per the BBC. “Israel has already agreed to this deal,” US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, per the Hill, “and the fighting could stop today if Hamas would do the same.”

Israel’s acceptance has been muddied, though, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying publicly that the attacks on Gaza shouldn’t stop before Hamas’ military capability is destroyed and all hostages are released. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Netanyahu on Monday to lobby for the ceasefire, and he was in Egypt earlier in the day to build support for it. “My message to governments throughout the region is: If you want a ceasefire, press Hamas to say yes,” Blinken said in Cairo.

Hamas released a statement after the vote welcoming such provisions as a prisoner exchange and reconstruction in Gaza. Russia’s ambassador complained that the Security Council doesn’t know exactly what the US has agreed to with Israel. The US asked the council to take its word that Netanyahu’s government accepts the terms, declining to spell that out in the wording. Despite that issue, Vasily Nebenzya said Russia abstained because the plan had broad support among Arab countries, per the Times

Keep in mind I did say a ‘glimmer of hope’.

But for those that keep a shut mind here is the full text of a plan announced by Biden.

This framework’s purpose is the release of all civilian and military Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip whether living or not whom have been detained during all periods in exchange for a number that will be agreed upon of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, and restoring a sustainable calm which would achieve a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of Gaza, opening of the border crossings, and facilitating movement of people and transfer of goods.

The framework agreement is made of 3 stages which are interconnected, subject to the following:

The First stage (42 days):

1. Temporary cessation of military operations by both Parties and the withdrawal of Israeli forces eastwards away from densely populated areas along the borders in all areas of the Gaza strip including Gaza valley (Netzarim axis and Kuwait roundabout) as mentioned below.

2. Temporary cessation of aerial movement (military and surveillance) in the Gaza strip for 10 hours daily, and for 12 hours daily during days where exchange of hostages and prisoners will take place.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-war-text-ceasefire-proposal-approved-israel

The plan is pretty thorough and a bit convoluted….but at least there is a plan and now is the time for such cessations to begin.

MSM is reporting that HAMAS has not responded to the proposal….not so….

Al Jazeera has obtained a copy of the Gaza ceasefire proposal that Hamas said it accepted on Monday. The deal, which was put forward by Egypt and Qatar, would come in three stages that would see an initial halt in the fighting leading to lasting calm and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Palestinian territory.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/6/text-of-the-ceasefire-proposal-approved-by-hamas

Now we wait for the other shoe to drop and I am sure it will be doing so sooner than later…..what will be the stumbling block this time?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

US Says ‘No’ To Ceasefire

I have a problem with this story….Russia offers ceasefire and the USA rejects it….(say what?)

Russia’s attempt to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, along the current lines of control, was met with a firm rejection in Washington. US officials reiterated their stance, stating that they would only engage in talks with Moscow with Kiev’s consent.

According to Reuters, in late 2023 and early 2024, Russian intermediaries reached out to US officials seeking to establish a ceasefire. The Kremlin was hoping to freeze the fighting along the current lines of control. “The contacts with the Americans came to nothing,” an unnamed senior Russian official told the outlet.

Russian officials said some progress was made, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan agreed to a call with his counterpart in the Kremlin. Putin’s adviser, Yuri Ushakov, suggested the idea of a ceasefire to Sullivan, but Sullivan refused to talk about Ukraine.

Putin has also suggested talks during public remarks, including in his interview with Tucker Carlson.

US officials speaking with Reuters said there was no formal contact with Russian negotiators and stressed that Washington would not engage in talks with Moscow without Kiev. However, some admitted that Russian officials had floated talks in an unofficial manner.

The Joe Biden administration has steadfastly refused to engage in talks with the Kremlin. Before the war in Ukraine broke out, Moscow sent Washington the outlines of a deal to prevent the war. A Biden admin staffer later acknowledged that the White House refused to negotiate with Russia on Putin’s top issues, including NATO military buildup in Eastern Europe and the alliance’s expansion to Ukraine.

During the first two months of the war, Moscow and Kiev engaged in talks hosted by US allies Turkey and Israel. Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Israeli officials have all confirmed that a deal was nearly reached; however, the US and UK pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to forgo a deal with Putin.

Washington’s current refusal to talk with Moscow comes as the war is going poorly for Kiev, with Ukrainian forces losing significant territory to Russia in recent months. Additionally, Kiev lacks the manpower and ammunition to mount an effective defense.

(antiwar.com)

DC rejects this?

Sorry but since the death and destruction is taking place in Ukraine should they not be the ones to decide whether to accept or reject?

Or is Ukraine just a client state that we totally control?

I guess DC does not have to worry about Zelensky for he will do and say anything to keep US cash rolling in.

At what point does sanity creep into this saga?

Just wondering.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Yes! We Have A Deal

Since it is the day before T’giving I will only post once today….I have prep work to do since I do the heavy lift on the cooking and Sue has a house to get ready for the family to show up….which is good for the next three days will probably be slow here on IST with cooking eating and shopping by the blogosphere.

Now for the good news…..

After all the Middle East fighting and death and destruction hostages have been taken and the world has been demanding a ceasefire and a release of those hostages. After round upon round of talks and negotiations it appears that the final leg of this process would be the Israeli Knesset’s approval of any deal.

And it appears we have a deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the approval of his Cabinet early Wednesday for a deal that would exchange prisoners in Israel for hostages in Gaza, the AP reports. In a televised address Tuesday night, Netanyahu had assured his nation that the war against Hamas will go on either way. “Tonight we stand before a difficult decision, but it is the right decision. All security organizations support it fully,” he said of the proposal. Israeli officials said the tentative deal calls for Hamas to release 50 women and children, while about 150 Palestinian women and teenagers being held in Israeli prisons would be freed, the New York Times reports. Hamas took about 240 hostages in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The Cabinet debated the exchange proposal into early Wednesday. The fighting would be stopped for several days under the terms; Netanyahu told his ministers that the break was only tactical and that the offensive against Hamas in Gaza would resume. “We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.” The exchange probably wouldn’t take place before Thursday to allow for judicial review in Israel. Netanyahu’s government has faced pressure from the hostages’ families to reach a deal for their release.

According to Axios, the first phase of the deal will involve Hamas releasing about 50 Israeli women and children, while Israel is expected to release about 150 Palestinian women and children. The releases will take place during the four-day pause.

Israel will also allow 300 aid trucks per day to enter Gaza from Egypt during the pause and for some fuel to be delivered. In a potential second phase of the deal, Hamas could release dozens of more hostages in exchange for an extension of the ceasefire by several days.

An Israeli official said that over the next 24 hours, the names of the Palestinian prisoners who will be released will be made public. This will be done to give Israelis the opportunity to appeal their release, signaling their freedom is not guaranteed.

The deal with Hamas received support from most ministers within the Israeli government except three members of the extremist Jewish Power Party. Ahead of the cabinet vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the war would continue after the short ceasefire.

(antiwar.com)

Keep in mind this is the Middle East if something can go wrong with this deal….It Will!

Hopefully this deal is a good sign for the region.

I am glad to hear that families on both sides of this conflict can be reunited with their loved ones….hopefully this is just the beginning.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and has many things to be thankful for in the lives.

Be Well….And Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Peace In Our Time

For a year now the US has made damn sure that Ukraine and Russia do not negotiate for a ceasefire…..but all of a sudden it seems to be a good idea.

US and European officials are finally broaching the possibility of peace talks with Russia in conversations with the Ukrainian government, NBC News reported on Friday.

The position marks a notable shift in US policy toward the war as the US and its closest allies have discouraged the idea of peace talks since Russia invaded in February 2022. Before the invasion, the US refused to engage with Russia on its key security concern: the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.

The NBC report, which cited unnamed US officials, said the conversations “have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal.” Some of the talks took place last month at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a grouping that’s held meetings since the Russian invasion and includes military representatives from about 50 countries.

The talks about negotiations with Russia started due to Western concerns about the situation on the battlefield and the fact that it’s becoming more difficult to keep funding the war.

Recent reports have revealed that Ukrainian officials don’t believe they can win the war, except for President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valery Zaluzhny described the war as a “stalemate” in comments to The Economist and said there will likely be no “beautiful breakthrough.”

A close aide to Zelensky told Time Magazine that Zelensky was “deluding himself” into believing Ukraine could win, adding, “We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that.”

The Time report also quoted a Ukrainian official who said even if the West provides all the weapons Ukraine needs, they don’t have the soldiers to use them. A source told NBC that one of the Biden administration’s top concerns is the lack of “manpower,” saying that the West could provide Ukraine with the weaponry, “but if they don’t have competent forces to use them, it doesn’t do a lot of good.”

The Biden administration has failed so far to get new funding to continue the proxy war. The Pentagon has about $5 billion left made available by an “accounting error” to ship weapons, but other types of aid have dried up. The administration wants another $61 billion to fund the war for another entire year, but Republicans are prioritizing military aid to Israel.

(antiwar.com)

I guess we can only fund one major conflict at a time…..and with Israel that leaves Ukraine struggling for support.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

All Quiet On The Eastern Front

After almost 2 weeks of intense fighting between Israel and Hamas and many lives lost an agreement has been reached…..

Israel on Thursday announced a cease-fire in the bruising 11-day war against Hamas militants that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill, per the AP. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the cease-fire after a late-night meeting of his Security Cabinet. The statement said the timing of the cease-fire was still being worked out. One member of the Security Cabinet said it would take effect at 2am, roughly three hours after the announcement. A Hamas official, meanwhile, said the declaration of a truce was a defeat for Netanyahu and “a victory to the Palestinian people.”

Ali Barakeh, a member of Hamas’ Arab and Islamic relations bureau, said the militants will remain on alert until they hear from mediators. Once Hamas hears from mediators, the group’s leadership will hold discussions and make an announcement, he said. Since fighting broke out on May 10, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says have targeted Hamas’ infrastructure, including a vast tunnel network. Hamas and other militant groups embedded in residential areas have fired over 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities, with hundreds falling short and most of the rest intercepted. At least 230 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, while 12 people in Israel have died.

It is good for both sides of the conflict that there is a ceasefire…..and now is the time for Biden to step up where most presidents have not and help find a permanent solution to this conflict.

Did Biden start the process?

Biden stepped to the White House microphone to praise everyone involved and to offer assurances that he’s been pursuing diplomatic solutions all along. He said he’s talked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu six times during the 11-day clash, and also to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, NBC reports. All told, per NPR, the White House counts 80 conversations between Biden, his secretary of state and other American officials and their counterparts in the Middle East, as well as to other world leaders. Administration officials call Biden’s approach “quiet diplomacy.”

A good start to the Summer, peace……at least in Gaza…..but ‘quiet diplomacy’?

Is that not what the US has been doing for 50 years…..’quiet diplomacy’ equates to do nothing and leave status quo in place.

This will do nothing to calm the chaos that has been created in the Middle East.

The US needs to step up and stop bowing to the almighty dollar and do what they preach in front of the cameras.

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Who Really Won In South Caucasus?

The war that most Americans are clueless was fought between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the south Caucasus region……while we Americans were fixated on the election people were dying in an old hatred….

First where is this problem region?

Experts: Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict Is Christian Genocide Under the  Pretext of War| National Catholic Register
Big disclosure: Pakistani army fighting on behalf of Azerbaijan in the war  against Armenia

To explain the feelings and desires of the region…..

I will let others trying to fill in the blanks for my readers…..

For now the fighting has ceased and a ceasefire is in place……

Troops from Azerbaijan have begun occupying some of the disputed territory….

Azerbaijan said Friday its troops had entered a district bordering Nagorno Karabakh handed back by Armenian separatists after almost 30 years as part of a Russian-brokered peace deal to end weeks of brutal fighting in the region.

Troops moved into the district of Aghdam, one of three due to be handed back, the Azerbaijan defense ministry said, a day after columns of Armenian soldiers and tanks rolled out of the territory.

Armenia will also hand over the Kalbajar district wedged between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia on November 25 and the Lachin district by December 1.

On Thursday Armenian residents of Aghdam hurriedly picked pomegranates and persimmons from trees surrounding their homes and packed vans with furniture, before fleeing ahead of the official deadline to cede the mountainous province.

Azerbaijan Troops Enter First District Handed Over by Armenia

Hopefully the ceasefire holds and no more people have to die…..

But most Americans will want to know who won the war.  It is an American obsession to put everything into wins or losses…..

My thought is that the outside instigators actually won not those fighting and dying…..Turkey/Russia comes to mind…..

Turkey’s intervention in September with military advisers, precision drones and Syrian mercenaries allowed Azerbaijan to wrest back all its territories occupied by Armenia for almost three decades in six bloody weeks. The country’s strongman President Ilham Aliyev has been given a big boost. Turkish hard power has shifted the balance in the south Caucasus, much as it’s done in Syria and Libya. Yet Moscow, which sat on its hands through much of the conflict, is seen by many as the real winner. Is it?

Defeat has been cruel and humiliating for Armenia. Its leaders are being assailed by a furious public as traitors. Its lost at least 1,500 soldiers, with an unstated number missing, a sizable portion of its military kit and all the land it hoped to barter for a future deal that would have given Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh the right to self-determination — read: union with Armenia. A nine-point cease-fire deal brokered by the Kremlin that took effect on Tuesday effectively salvaged Armenian control over around 70% of Nagorno-Karabakh proper. Around 2,000 Russian peace keepers will be deployed in and around the enclave, spelling a return of Russian forces to Azerbaijan as well. Russia’s stranglehold over Armenia is near complete, its leverage over Azerbaijan arguably greater, to the extent that it can re-ignite hostilities.
 
I have a follower from Armenia and I hope to get her in-put into this situation….
 
Learn Stuff!
 
I Read, I Write, You Know
 
“lego ergo scribo”