Annexation, at its heart, is a byproduct of conflict. Almost never is it an act of peace, though it has been cast that way at times throughout human history. Certainly not under international law, which describes it as the forcible acquisition of territory by one state at the expense of...
Trump Authorizes Shift to Wider US Military Use of Land Mines
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday canceled an Obama-era prohibition on the use of anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean peninsula. With potential future conflict with China and Russia in mind, the new policy specified no geographic limits on landmine use, declaring that the weapons offer an important war-fighting...
Walters: The Politics of Slow Population Growth
During the first decade of the 21st century, demographers in California’s Department of Finance and those in the U.S. Census Bureau found themselves in a genteel conflict. Years by year, the two agencies’ estimates of California’s population diverged, finally reaching a gap of about 1 million human beings. It was...
Opinion: The U.S.-Iran Relationship? Well, It's Complicated.
As President Trump and his advisers contemplate the next steps to take in the conflict he instigated with Iran, they are focused primarily on two historical events. First, the seizure of the 52 American hostages at our embassy in Iran in 1979 and Iran’s role in killing hundreds of our...
Rabbi Rosove: Two-State Solution Only Road to Peace for Israel, Palestine
The two-state solution is the only way to guarantee a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it will take strong leaders who are willing to compromise, a Southern California rabbi said Dec. 9 at Clovis Community College. Listen to this article: But Rabbi John Rosove said the idea...
Iranian President: First Lift Sanctions, Then Let's Talk
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's president back-pedaled Tuesday on possible talks with Donald Trump, saying the U.S. president must first lift sanctions imposed on Tehran, otherwise a meeting between the two would be a mere photo op. Hassan Rouhani's change of heart came a day after Trump said Monday that there's...
Dozens Dead or Hurt in Wedding Party Blast in Afghan Capital
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night in Afghanistan's capital and dozens of people were killed or wounded, a government official said. More than 1,000 people had been invited, one witness said, as fears grew that it could be the deadliest...
US Beefing up Forces in Middle East to Counter Iran
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will send hundreds of additional troops and a dozen fighter jets to the Middle East in the coming weeks to counter what the Pentagon said is an escalating campaign by Iran to plan attacks against the U.S. and its interests in the region. And for the...
Netanyahu Poised to Become Israeli PM for 5th Time
JERUSALEM — Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to be headed toward a historic fifth term as Israel's prime minister on Wednesday, with close-to-complete unofficial election results giving his right-wing Likud and other nationalist and religious parties a solid majority in parliament. The outcome affirmed Israel's continued tilt to the right and further...
Walters: Who's an Employee and Who's Not?
Lorena Gonzalez finds herself in an unusual political position this year — and clearly relishes it. Gonzalez, a Democratic assemblywoman from San Diego, is best known as a fierce warrior for worker rights and benefits, and carries a heavy load of legislation, usually on behalf of unions and other advocacy...