#started pushing more into the balkans which is where the coalition of kingdoms resistance really started

[soliusss]

au where ion is balkan instead of nalkan

My brother in wan he is from the balkans in like. Most of the canons. I am 95% sure.

[flyingsassysaddles]

The War of the Stray Dog

War of the Stray Dog

A soldier sighed as he grabbed another smoke, looking across the Greek-Bulgarian border with a bored expression and a sleepy mind. It was just another day at the job, waiting for any Bulgars to try an ambush or sneak across the border. The Greek soldier’s thoughts trailed off as he continued standing guard, when his dog lumbered up to him and nudged his leg, looking for a good scratch behind the ears. The soldier grinned and reached down to play with his mutt, when the dog's head whipped over to the side of the border.

Suddenly the dog bolted towards the borderline between the two rival nations. The Greek cried after it, racing to catch up with his dog before it passes the line of no return. Running and running after his best friend, dashing straight to the border, arms raised and eyes wide-

CRACK! A gunshot rang out through the area as the Greek soldier dropped dead, eyes rolling and body limp. The dog came to a crashing halt, tail between his legs as he lurched towards his owner, lying dead on the ground. It looked over to the source of the gunshot, before glancing north towards the imaginary line man had created for itself.

____

Dear Heracles,

I express my deepest regret for the loss of your soldier at the pass of Demirkapia on Belasitsa. It was an accident, one that me and my government are going to take full responsibility for. In response to this tragedy, I am prepared to form a mixed coalition of our officers to investigate this incident.

Again, I am sorry that this incident happened. Hopefully together, Heracles, we can solve the puzzle of his death.

Sincerely,

Ognyan Borisov

(The Tsardom of Bulgaria)

--

Tsardom of Bulgaria,

First of all, don’t call me Heracles. You will either refer to me as the Kingdom of Greece, or simply Greece. You don’t have the right to say my human name. Second, I don’t believe for a second that this was an accident. Your people have been ambushing and killing mine for decades, ever since you crawled your way out of the Ottoman’s grasps. You think I will just let the killing of a Greek officer slip me by? You think that I will bow my head to a country that lost everything in the Great War, and embarrass myself on the world stage? You are a fool if you think I will let you kill my people any longer. You’ve been doing it for decades, with your Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization spreading terror not only to me but to Yugoslavia as well. Your people never really believed in the treaty we signed after the Great War, and this is proof that you will go so far as killing soldiers simply patrolling borders. So this is not just any ordinary letter.

This an ultimatum.

Here are my three demands on behalf of the Kingdom of Greece and the Greek people at large.

There needs to be full punishment for all those responsible for this crime.

      2. An official apology from your government.

      3.Two million French francs, to compensate for the families of the victims.

In order to enforce this ultimatum, Greek soldiers will be sent to the town of Petrich.

Heracles Karpusi Georgopulos

(The Kingdom of Greece)

_____

The town of Petrich was in chaos. Greek soldiers had stormed into the town on October 22, and everyone was up in arms, trying to get away or join the resistance against the invaders.

A veteran of the Great War shot a gun at a Greek soldier, before ducking behind a building to safety.

A young boy with his father’s gun in hand stormed alongside seasoned professionals in the art of ambush and guerrilla warfare.

Bulgars from around the entire region flocked to Petrich to defend the town, and with the guidance of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, formed a defensive against the oncoming Greek army.

Because this was no ordinary town, the Bulgarians cried. This was Petrich, the city all on its own. The city where the extremists created a fortress, a haven for those who thought the war was never over. The ones who screamed for Thrace to be taken back. This was a hive extremism and anger, and the Greeks thought they could just waltz in and take more of their land?! Over our dead bodies, the veterans and the school boys and the generals and the dead men roared.

The Greeks had come in, saying “We only want the money! We will only stay here until we get the money!” but the Bulgars snarled and launched their attack.

A couple hours after the seizure of Petrich on October 22, the two countries were at war once more.

_____

“And that’s what happened! I swear, I didn’t kill the soldier on purpose! Greece just went full warrior on me outta nowhere!”

“Oh like you were surprised I wanted to defend my territory from your stupid terrorists that been causing us pain for YEARS!”

“It was an accident!

“Horse shit!”

The League of Nations listened to the argument, muttering among themselves as Greece and Bulgaria continued to lob insults at each other.

“The only warmonger I see in this room is YOU!” Bulgaria snarled.

“You call me a warmonger when your the whole reason the second Balkan War happened? That’s very rich coming from you.”

“You will NEVER let that DIE!”

“You stabbed Serbia in the FACE! And what about the Great War?! You were at our throats!”

“I’m trying to change!”

“Again, HORSE SHIT!”

“Alright, ENOUGH! I’m sure the League has had enough of your bickering!” England roared, silencing the hall. “I think we can all come to a decision.” The member nations nodded, shuffling their papers.

“May I have a word?”

“Go ahead Yugoslavia.”

“I fully agree with Greece.”

“THANK YOU.”

“Bulgaria is a jackass, he’s the one who started this whole mess. Just give Greece his compensation.” Yugoslavia gave a grin to Bulgaria, and he felt a shiver go down his spine at the malice he saw in her eyes. Dread sunk into his gut, and he knew that one day, Yugoslavia would have her revenge for the Great War. Well, she is part Serbia, so of course she hates me, Bulgaria thought, Greece was a surprise, but at least I can count on Yugoslavia to always be a pain in the ass.

“The League of Nations has come to an agreement. Greece, you must answer to these three terms,” England ordered, pushing a list of demands towards the Greek before he snatched it up and started to read. Mumbling about loud, he reached a part that apparently struck a nerve because he whipped up and roared, “You want me to pay FORTY-FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS?!”

“For compensation,” France explained.

“Look, I can understand the rest of the terms. A ceasefire, done. Greek troops withdrawn from Bulgaria? Fine, I can stomach that. But 45,000 POUNDS?! Over my DEAD BODY!” Greece slammed the papers on the table, fuming. The rest of the nations turned around in shock and confusion. Most of them never saw this side of Greece, the bitter angry side he only showed when he was at war. Only at those times did his mouth flow freely, as many could see now.

“This is absolutely ridiculous! I understand and expected maybe some type of compensation, but 45,000?! Do I look like I’m made of money?! I just got out of another civil war, I have a dictator breathing down my neck, I lost the greatest prize I will never get a chance to have again because of a STUPID PRINCE that YOU GUYS threw at me, and you expect me to pay you FORTY FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS?!”

“Greece,” England spoke calmly, but from the vein throbbing in his forehead, everyone knew he was close to exploding. “Do you accept the terms?”

“I’ll tell you what’s really going on here. This is because I’m not a great power. Look at what this says: ‘because I have invaded innocent lands?’ That’s your entire justification?! Well, does anyone remember the LAST time someone invaded an ‘innocent land?’” Greece glared at Albania, who adjusted her hijab and scowled. “Oh, that’s right! During the border dispute between me and Albania! Now, tell me again, how did that end?” The room was silent, all eyes on a guilty looking Italy. “Oh yes, I remember. The Italian ambassadors, who all wanted Albania to win, got murdered! And then what happened? Italy blamed me! He and his stupid DICTATOR seized the island of Corfu, and refused to let it go until I responded to a list of STUPID commands he had in the ultimatum, which I had 24 hours to respond to! And I did. I had minor adjustments made, to avoid trampling and destroying my honor and dignity for all of eternity, but I agreed to the terms. And what did Italy do? Tell me Italy, what did you do to the refugees in Corfu?”

Italy swallowed as once again all eyes were on him. Head down he whispered, “I bombed them.”

“He killed 20 civilians, and wounded 30! The island wasn’t even militarized! It just housed refugees from Asia Minor! They looted, plundered, and destroyed my island. I closed my amusements parks, I rang my church bells, and I kept trying to get you to stop senselessly killing innocent people. And how did you react Italy?”

“I stopped trading with you,” he whispered meekly.

“You threw all Greek reporters out of your country, you seized all of my boats! Even when everyone condemned your actions, you still kept punishing innocent people for a crime they didn’t commit.” Greece pointed at Albania, who was now shifting in her chair uncomfortably. “You closed your borders!” He pointed at Yugoslavia. “Serbia was the only one in this room who actually said he would be on my side! And Turkey wanted to use this opportunity to steal Thrace!”

“Greece, enough of this! This matter is already settled,” France warned, face then going white as Greece turned his full fury on him.

“Did you bring it to the League of Nations, France? Were you startled by the display of aggression and resolved for justice? Of course not! If you brought it to this room, you would have to answer to the Occupation of Ruhr! You said that we shouldn’t discuss this matter in front of all these nations! Italy and France threatened to pull out if we did. So what did the League of Nations decide after the illegal occupation of a defenseless island and killing Greek refugees?”

Yugoslavia answered this time, glaring at the sulking nations of the room for being cowards. “They demanded all the things Italy did, and said you had to pay 1,000,000 lires for every day the Italians occupied the island” she hissed at France.

“So I paid 50,000,000 lires along with everything else, humiliating myself on the world stage for accepting your other nauseating terms, and went broke as Italy escaped all persecution, still rich from his looting in Corfu. Italy was allowed, even encouraged to invade and destroy refugees’ homes and lives, and got off richer than ever.

 “And now we come to this. I simply send my army to one town to ensure payment for grieving families, and you are all acting all sanctimonious about ‘justice’ and a nation’s land being ‘seized by a hostile power.’ Now is a great time for us to talk about JUSTICE,” he spat, glaring at Italy, eyes smoldering with hate.

“ENOUGH!” England snapped, face red, with anger or embarrassment no one could tell. “Greece! Do you accept the terms or not?!”

“This organization has two rules,” Greece continued, ignoring the Englishman. “One rule is for the small nations like us, who have to bend to the richer’s every whim. The other rule is for the Great Powers, who can do whatever they please and not receive a single scratch from what you call a ‘peacekeeping’ organization. This League exists only to satisfy the whims of the powerful. And when anyone tries to go the other way ends up being forced more to pay more dearly than any of THEM will ever have to. This League is a sham, a disgrace, and an embarrassment to anyone who calls themselves a peacekeeping nation!” Greece snarled, finally stopping for breath.

“Greece, do you accept these terms or not?” England advised darkly.

“Were you not listening? Are you deaf along with-”

“Do. You. Accept. The. Terms?” England hissed once more, jabbing his finger at the paper Greece had in front of him. Greece stayed silent, fist clenched and eyes smoking with some emotion that resembled hatred if it was lit on fire, pummeled with rocks, and then thrown in the way of a grenade. In response to his silence, England yelled once more.

“DO. YOU. ACCEPT. THE. TERMS?” Everyone leaned in close to study Greece’s response, Bulgaria unknowingly holding his breath. After a long period of silence, Greece looked around the room, to each and every member of the League of Nations, who didn't dare look into the Greek’s eyes. After everyone had turned away their eyes, he then, finally, sunk back into his chair.

“I accept these terms.”

“Good, now we can finally move on.” The rest of the meeting passed in a blur, and at the end, two men stood up and left.

One was a worn old man who had seen this too many times, a man who simply wanted the money, and to defend himself against an enemy. The other was a man tired from constantly fighting against the voices that raged inside him, and had to sit and watch as an army seized his town and killed fifty of his people. Both of these men had watched a war unfold because of one accident, one stray dog.

But which one of them was in the right?

[osimint]

The UAE’s hunt for its enemies is challenging its alliance with the United States

DUBAI — As a vicious civil war erupted in Yemen two years ago and triggered international alarm, the United States warned the combatants to step back. But its efforts were quietly undermined by one of the most trusted U.S. regional allies: the United Arab Emirates.

Hundreds of people had died in battles and airstrikes. But the UAE, part of a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition that is supported by the United States, encouraged its partners to resist then-Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s appeals for peace talks or a cease-fire.

“Yemenis should be firm, as the secretary is a persuasive speaker,” Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a senior Emirati leader, told Yemen’s prime minister as Kerry headed to the region in May 2015. The Gulf Arab states also should “stand firm,” the prince said, according to a meeting summary that was part of leaked Emirati diplomatic emails shared with The Washington Post.

The meeting hinted at the UAE’s drive for influence across the Middle East, using military power, diplomacy and covert means to bolster allies and counter rivals. Its role in Yemen and other recent actions has caused friction with the United States, complicating their decades-long military relationship.  

Already, the UAE’s rise as a top-tier U.S. military ally had set it apart from other Arab nations, enhancing its outsize ambitions and regional clout. Now, the two nations appear poised to expand their partnership even further under President Trump, as his administration’s “America First” doctrine translates into a more aggressive stance against Iran and an expanded campaign against al-Qaeda militants on the Arabian Peninsula.

Admiring U.S. generals, including Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, refer to the UAE as “Little Sparta” and call it a model for how regional allies could reduce the counterterrorism burden on the United States.

But tensions in the alliance were brought to the fore last month when American intelligence officials said that the UAE had orchestrated the hacking of a Qatari government website — a move that inflamed a longtime rift between America’s Persian Gulf allies and thrust the White House into the uncomfortable role of mediator.

UAE and American interests have also diverged in Libya, where U.S. officials complained that the UAE was thwarting peace efforts. Yemen’s brutal conflict has exposed the United States to accusations of complicity in war crimes because of its support for the UAE and its gulf allies.

“The danger of creating an independent military capability is that you create an independent military capability,” a former senior U.S. official said. “It’s great that we have a partner in the Emiratis, but we don’t always see eye to eye.”

[UAE orchestrated hacking of Qatari government sites, according to U.S. intelligence officials]

An enthusiastic buildup

In 1981, just a decade after the UAE became independent, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who later would become the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, flew to Washington with grand ambitions of buying U.S. fighter jets that would bolster the military capabilities of the oil-rich monarchy and transform his country into a global power. Instead, he “felt that he was laughed out of town,” a former U.S. diplomat said. “No one knew about the UAE. Who was this kid?”

In the years that followed, the UAE began sending troops to Western-backed conflicts, including the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Somalia, the Balkans and Afghanistan. The kingdom is building out a series of bases in Africa that will give it even greater military reach.

The Emiratis have also embarked on an extended spending spree. In addition to obtaining F-16s, they were the first U.S. ally to acquire a THAAD, a sophisticated missile defense system. They are now hoping to buy F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the Pentagon’s most advanced fighter aircraft, which cost $100 million apiece.  

Andrew Exum, who served as the senior Pentagon official for Middle Eastern issues until this year, said sophisticated weaponry is not the UAE’s biggest military asset. “What distinguishes them is the diligence with which they have gone about investing in all of the unsexy things” needed to build a capable military, he said, including logistics and training.

Emirati officials say it was the perceived threat from Iran that jump-started their drive to build a modern military and test their forces beyond their borders. They also have seen the need to counter the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and any political or armed groups they see as an extension of that movement.

“It really has to do with geography and the threats we grew up with from day one,” said Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the United States and a central figure in the country’s successful U.S. lobbying efforts. Otaiba, a tireless promoter of the view that the UAE is a stabilizing force in the Middle East, has made inroads with key Trump administration officials, including Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser.  

But the Emirati view of stability, its critics say, has included a troubling embrace of autocratic leaders who share its antipathy to Iran or Islamists and its intolerance of any political dissent.

[How a 91-year-old imam came to symbolize the feud between Qatar and its neighbors]

That stance has created headaches for the United States, including in Libya. While Emirati pilots played a central role in the 2011 intervention that toppled Moammar Gaddafi, U.S. officials grew frustrated in the years that followed as the UAE, along with Egypt, quietly provided military and financial support to Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a powerful figure who led a violent campaign against Islamist forces, including militants. That support violated a United Nations arms embargo.

U.S. officials also saw Hifter as an obstacle to a political solution. The last straw was a major shipment from the UAE of armored and other vehicles to Hifter that drew a stern response from the administration of Barack Obama.

“What we want in Libya is a stable, secular government,” Otaiba said. “It’s the same thing we want in Syria; it’s the same thing we want in Yemen. Secular.”

Quicksand in Yemen?

Within days of his May 2015 visit, Kerry was able to secure a pause in the fighting in Yemen. But like other cease-fires since, it crumbled after a few days.

More than two years later, thousands have been killed by coalition airstrikes, artillery shelling and gunfights. Millions of Yemenis are threatened by starvation and disease, including a cholera epidemic.

Talk of a political solution has grown faint.

The UAE joined the Saudi-led coalition after a Shiite rebel group known as the Houthis ousted Yemen’s government. The UAE, like its Saudi partners, viewed the Houthis as an Iranian proxy force — a characterization that American officials at the outset of the war said was exaggerated.

Some in the Obama administration also warned their gulf allies that the intervention was ill-conceived, according to Robert Malley, the former White House coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the gulf. Eager to smooth things over with gulf nations angered by Obama’s nuclear negotiations with Iran, administration officials decided to give the Saudi-led effort military support, but hoped to minimize U.S. involvement and accelerate a political settlement, he said.

“We feared that this was not a war that was destined to end quickly,” Malley said. “The region has had ample experience with nonstate actors like the Houthis — clearly inferior militarily, yet prepared to fight on and unwilling to give in.” The Saudi-led coalition risked getting “dragged in more and more, at great humanitarian cost,” he said.  

Privately, Emirati officials seemed worried, too. With Western media coverage “primarily” focused on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, the UAE was “losing the moral high ground fast,” Otaiba wrote to a colleague in July 2015, according to hacked emails distributed by a group apparently sympathetic to Qatar, the UAE’s rival.

The Trump administration, appearing to prioritize pushing back against Iran over reservations about the conflict, is now weighing deeper U.S. involvement.

The UAE has taken a leading role in combating al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen — a U.S. priority. In 2015, Emirati forces proved their ability to plan and execute a major operation, acting against U.S. warnings when they mounted an amphibious assault to capture the southern city of Aden from Houthi forces.

But the UAE’s stewardship of the south has been troubled.

A feud between UAE-backed southern separatists and the Yemeni government, which is based in Saudi Arabia, may complicate a settlement of the war. The UAE has also supported ultra­conservative Sunnis known as Salafists, undermining its talk of a “secular” region.

The Yemen operation has illustrated the risks to the United States in backing, even indirectly, operations by foreign forces.

Reports by the Associated Press and Human Rights Watch in June alleged that the UAE or forces loyal to it maintained a network of secret prisons in southern Yemen. Witnesses told the AP that in at least one of the facilities, where detainees were being tortured, U.S. forces were present.

Emirati officials denied they maintained secret detention centers or tortured prisoners. U.S. officials told the AP that military leaders looked into the allegations and were satisfied that U.S. forces were not present when any abuses occurred.

Ryan Goodman, a former Pentagon official who teaches law at New York University, co-authored a recent report that concluded that the United States, because of its support for UAE operations in Yemen, may hold legal responsibility for illegal detention practices.  

“Is this really a productive way of achieving the long-term goal of combating AQAP or ensuring stability in Yemen?” Goodman wrote.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/uaes-drive-for-regional-influence-tests-its-military-alliance-with-the-united-states/2017/08/03/448683ee-6bd2-11e7-abbc-a53480672286_story.html?utm_term=.319608f3bbdf

03AUG17

By Kareem Fahim and Missy Ryan