War

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.

The Pentagon have announced plans to prepare for wars in megacities such as New York by building huge underground military bases.  The U.S. government have said that a war in a major city is likely to be fought underground and have asked technologists to come forward to help them innovate and prepare for such a scenario. Popsci.com reports: Megacities are a relatively new phenomenon. When the Marines stormed the Halls of Montezuma in 1847, the entire population of the United States was just over 20 million. Today, 20 million people live in or around Mexico City itself.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan has tightened his grip on Turkish media outlets by changing the definition of “terrorist” to include journalists who go rogue.  Erdogan has said that journalists who report independently of the state, including those working within alternative or independent media, will now be classed as terrorist sympathizers. Other professions who come under the new ‘terrorist’ definition includes MPs, civil activists, and academics.