War

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile off its east coast into the Sea of Japan. A South Korean defence ministry spokesman said the missile was fired from Sukchon in the country’s southwest at 5.55am local time on Thursday. The South Korean military said it was closely tracking and monitoring the situation and maintaining a readiness posture for any North Korean provocation. The launch has been confirmed by U.S. officials. RT reports: The rocket flew some 800 kilometers before plunging into the sea, according to Yonhap.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared that democracy, freedom and the rule of law are dead – amid a government crackdown on “dissidents”. Following the recent bomb attack in Ankara, Turkey have declared all-out war against the freedom of its citizens by banning social media in the country, and declaring all journalists to be terrorist sympathisers. “Democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” have “absolutely no value any longer,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told local leaders on Wednesday.

Israel is following Turkey’s lead in toughening media censorship in the country by cracking down on independent media outlets in the country.  Israel’s military and domestic intelligence agency have been ordered to shut down Palestinian media and silence Palestinian journalists operating in the country. Electronicintifada.net reports: Before dawn on Friday, agents from the Shin Bet, accompanied by Israeli soldiers,raided the Ramallah offices of Palestine Today, confiscating the TV station’s equipment before ordering it closed until further notice.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia could deploy military forces back to Syria in a matter of hours if needed.  “Of course, if such a need arises, Russia can, in several hours, build up its forces in Syria to a size capable of dealing with an escalating situation and use the entire range of means at its disposal,” Putin said. Almanar.com.lb reports: “We wouldn’t like that. A military escalation is not our choice. We hope the parties involved would show common sense and that both the government and the opposition will stick to the peace process,” he added.

The nuances of foreign policy do not feature heavily in the ongoing presidential campaign. Every candidate intends to “destroy” the Islamic State; each has concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korea, and China; every one of them will defend Israel; and no one wants to talk much about anything else—except, in the case of the Republicans, who rattle their sabers against Iran.