Disinfo: Jihadists in the Middle East are US and European proxies fighting the West’s war in Syria and Iraq

Summary

Jihadists have been used by the US and European states as proxies to fight the West’s war in Syria and Iraq.

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative suggesting that the US and the West more broadly sponsor terrorism.

There is no evidence that the US or other Western states have supported ISIS/Daesh in Syria and Iraq. In reality, the US and its European allies are committed to fighting terrorist organisations, such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda. The US-led military campaign in Syria fought ISIS/Daesh along with the Global Coalition Against Daesh.

Ever since the September 11 terrorist attacks the US and its European allies have been engaged in an enormous military and intelligence effort to counter Al Qaeda, ISIS and other radical Islamist terrorist groups around the world.

It is also false that the US and other Western governments are complicit with, or indifferent to, Jihadist attacks against Christians in the Middle East. In March 2016, the US State Department recognised that ISIS was responsible for genocide against Christians, Yazidis, and Shiite Muslims. In February 2016, the European Parliament denounced the systematic mass murder of Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and Iraq by ISIS/Daesh.

Similar cases include that ISIS has been supported by US, British, French and Israeli intelligence services in order to demolish Syria, that the US and Europe support Jihadist forces in Syria, and that Al Baghdadi was an American product.

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Geopolitica.ru - Italian (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 184
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12/02/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Italian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Iraq, Syria, US
  • Keywords: Jihad, Conspiracy theory, Terrorism, Syrian War, Daesh
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Disinfo: Armenia initiates a referendum to ratify the Istanbul Convention

The authorities initiated a consitutional referendum to change members of the Constitutional court. This is aimed at ratifying the Istanbul Convention, even though it contradicts the Constitution.

For the Convention to be ratified, the Constitutional Court needs to conclude that it does not contradict Armenia’s Constitution.

With its current staff, the Constitutional Court of Armenia, would never reach such a conclusion. So, it is very important for the authorities to change the members of the Constitutional Court as soon as possible.

Feb 11, 2020
Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative about the Istanbul Convention. The Istanbul Convention (the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence) is a treaty of the Council of Europe for the creation of a legal framework at pan-European level to protect women against all forms of violence, and prevent, prosecute and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence.

The referendum has nothing to do with the Istanbul Convention. Under the proposed amendments, the Constitutional court’s chairman and six other members appointed by former Armenian governments would be replaced by other judges to be confirmed by the current parliament. The chairman and members of the CC are accused of having remaining links to the “former corrupt regime”.

Disinfo: Ukraine's chances of joining the EU are miserable, economy is destroyed, industry in ruins, millions have left the country

Ukraine’s chances of joining the EU are miserable. Ukrainians are pleased to be among “good company”, but nobody wants to take them into such a company.

If you ask the Ukrainian authorities what they really did to join the European Union, the answer will be very sad. The economy of Ukraine is destroyed, industry is in ruins and the standard of living has fallen to such an extent that millions of Ukrainians have become migrants.

Feb 11, 2020
Disproof

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that the European Union is tired of Ukraine and no longer wants to help it and that there is no chance of Ukraine joining the EU. It is also a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying the economic situation of Ukraine as disastrous.

European integration is defined by the Ukrainian authorities as a priority. On 11 February 2020, Prime Minister of Ukraine, Oleksiy Honcharuk, met with EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Olivér Várhelyi, and discussed priorities for Ukraine-EU bilateral cooperation for 2020.

Disinfo: A small group of EU countries reinforces historical phobias about Russia

There is a small group of countries in the EU that reinforces historical phobias about Russia and constantly calls for Russia to be contained and for sanctions not to be reduced.

Feb 11, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russophobia in the EU. EU sanctions against Russia were imposed after illegal actions by the Russian Federation, including the annexation of Crimea, and against persons that have been involved in the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity. In March 2015, the European Council linked the duration of economic restrictions to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements. The EU remains ready to ease sanctions when Russia starts contributing actively to the implementation of the Minsk agreements. “Russophobia” is a manipulative defensive line, often used by Russian propaganda to delegitimise any criticism of Russian policies or the state by implying that such criticism derives from an irrational intolerance of the Russian people. Outlets such as RT, Sputnik and Russian national state television use the term to portray almost any foreign criticism of the Kremlin's policies. Read similar disinformation cases alleging that Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine are Russophobic and anti-Semitic and that Western journalism is dominated by Russophobia and prefers fantasy and story-telling to objective reporting.