Big Bad Baghdadi is dead, and congratulations are in order for all those who made the mission possible—possibly not including President Trump.

Bagging Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A walk through the Parc Monceau always lifts my spirits, and the sight of this little boy playing with his red balloon brought back memories of my own childhood watching the marvelous short film "Le Ballon Rouge" by Albert Lamorisse when I was more or less the same age as little boy in the picture. But soon enough, I had to plunge back into breaking news from the Middle East. On Saturday morning I appeared on MSNBC to talk about Trump and the Kurds and also about Trump and oil, a subject I expect to revisit in coming days: http://us.wildmoka.com/c/clip/7BKZvg Early Sunday morning brought news of U.S. Special Operation Forces hitting the compound where the loathsome "caliph" of the so-called Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was hiding out. We ran several revealing stories at The Daily Beast, and I was asked to write a column about Trump's press conference as soon as it was over. His melodramatic cinematic descriptions were gruesome and vivid as he tried to tear down the mystique of Baghdadi and of ISIS—a worthy goal, but not one that many jihadists or their sympathizers will find convincing. And then there was the matter of Baghdadi's severed head. The column: OPINION 'HE DIED A COWARD' Trump Turns Baghdadi's Killing Into a Reality Show The president knows great television when he sees it, and he was enthusiastic about the images he was watching from the White House situation room Saturday night.   **** Some of our other Daily Beast stories on Baghdadi's demise:   NO RELIABLE INFORMATION' Russia: Trump Baghdadi Victory Lap Nothing But 'Propaganda' The Russian Defense Ministry also disputed claims that Russia provided access to U.S. air units entering airspace it controls. JULIA DAVIS   'IT WAS HIM' 'Whimpering' ISIS Boss Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Killed: Trump Trump said the elusive leader of the terrorist group detonated his suicide vest once forces closed in, killing himself and three of his young children. SPENCER ACKERMAN, ALLISON QUINN, BARBIE LATZA NADEAU   RED DEAD REDEMPTION The Kurds Spotted Baghdadi. The U.S. Abandoned Them Anyway. ADAM RAWNSLEY Copyright © 2019 Christopher Dickey, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you were on my personal mailing list, and this is in fact a personal account. But please do feel free to "unsubscribe." Our mailing address is: Christopher Dickey 555 W 18 Street The Daily Beast New York, New York 10011 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Notes and Commentary on the Kurdish Crisis

Trump's betrayal of the Kurds who fought ISIS was long anticipated but finally came in a murderous moment of presidential caprice. 

Notes and Commentary on the Betrayal of the Kurds Greetings from rainy Paris where every so often one of the classic Citroen "Traction Avant" sedans from the 1930s and '40s comes racing down the street, a flash from the past that trails the scent of Gauloises and pastis like this one a couple of days ago on the Rue Royale... On a more serious note: The U.S. betrayal of the Kurds who led the fight on the ground that destroyed the "Caliphate" of the so-called Islamic State was long anticipated, and not really a surprise. But U.S. President Donald Trump's final/not-final decision to green-light a massive Turkish incursion and open the way to ethnic cleansing was a stunning picture of "statecraft" born straight out of his gut. His bluffing and bullying could not compensate for his ignorance addressing an extremely delicate situation, which is why he reversed course so many times, and continues to do so. I should mention that I was greatly helped in my reporting over the last couple of weeks by the many very well informed friends and contacts I saw at the Beirut Institute Summit in Abu Dhabi, the spectacular project of Raghida Dergham and Prince Turki al-Faisal which has become, to my mind, the best conference of its kind in the region. These appearances and columns are listed in reverse chronological order: My commentary in a conversation with Brian Williams on his MSNBC show The 11th Hour — Dickey: Syria Crisis only worsens Europe's frustration with Trump. These are some of the articles for The Daily Beast that I wrote or edited about events in Syria:   'THE SUM OF THINGS' The Kurds Died Defeating ISIS. Trump P*ssed on Their Graves. He blames those he betrayed as if they were servants who failed him. CHRISTOPHER DICKEY ****   BLIND U.S. Surveillance Turns Away From ISIS—and to Its Own Troops With the remaining American forces retreating under fire, their eyes in Syrian skies are focused on protecting themselves. SPENCER ACKERMAN, CHRISTOPHER DICKEY ****   ROTTEN The U.S. Spoiled a Deal That Might Have Saved the Kurds Forsaken by the U.S. and under attack by Turkish troops, the Kurds are turning to Russia for help. The last time they tried to do so, the Americans worked to talk them out of it. CHRISTOPHER DICKEY, SPENCER ACKERMAN I would also recommend this from early in the crisis: KILLING FIELDS Kurds Prepared for Trump's Syria Betrayal—With a Vengeance The Kurds are not entirely defenseless. They've been preparing for what they had long anticipated—a possible betrayal by their closest ally, the United States. ANNE SPECKHARD Published 10.07.19 And this from my colleague Spencer Ackerman today:   MISSION CREPT Last U.S. Base in Syria: 'Everything Wrong With Trump's War' As the Pentagon scrambles to keep pace with Trump's Syria tweets, its final outpost in the Syrian desert is a base in search of a purpose. But the crisis in Syria was not the only event we covered. These stories by some of my colleagues also are well worth reading:   SEE NO EVIL U.S. Laws Let White Supremacists Operate Like ISIS What allows far-right terrorist groups to thrive in the U.S. is a legal double standard that binds the hands of even the most proactive members of law enforcement. RITA KATZ **** COLOR-CODED REVOLUTION Hong Kong Protesters Rate Which Businesses Are Friend or Foe Hongkongers are adopting small-scale actions to keep the protest movement from stalling, among them a rating system for business for or against the uprising. BRENDON HONG **** CARTEL WATCH The Murderous New Super Cartel Winning Post El Chapo Mexico The old guard is threatened, a new force is ascendant, and citizens increasingly are caught up in the violence. JEREMY KRYT And then there was this story of outrageous insensitivity in the Oval Office:   HEARTLESS Grieving Parents 'Ambushed' by Trump at the White House The president had hoped to surprise the family of dead British teen Harry Dunn with a meeting with the woman who killed him. "And they weren't ready for it," he admitted. BARBIE LATZA NADEAU A REMINDER: If you want these emails shared with friends, you can suggest they sign up on this landing page. It's as simple as plugging in an email. Copyright © 2019 Christopher Dickey, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you were on my personal mailing list, and this is in fact a personal account. But please do feel free to "unsubscribe." Our mailing address is: Christopher Dickey 555 W 18 Street The Daily Beast New York, New York 10011 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Firebombings: From My Father's Wars to Mine (2003)

In 2003 I was asked to speak at Clemson University, James Dickey's alma mater, about his work as a poet and mine as a journalist. The speech was adapted afterward into this essay published by the Clemson University Press, but, I fear, no longer available on line.

I am re-posting now as we enter a new phase of war in the Middle East, the result of so many bad decisions that were apparent 16 years ago exacerbated, now, by the miscalculations of the current administration.

My apologies for the format. I hope to re-post shortly as a PDF.

Three weeks ago I talked about the death of Western democracy with Brian Williams on MSNBC. The situation today is worse.

Three weeks ago I was talking with Brian Williams off camera on The 11th Hour about witnessing the death of democracy in Europe and the United States. He asked me to repeat my thoughts on air: a grim picture. It must have struck a nerve, with more than a quarter million views.

I noted at the time that we were seeing some pushback against the populists in Europe. Since then, the British Supreme Court and the U.S. House of Representatives have tried to restore some order, but resurrecting democratic norms is going to be a long struggle against bitter, potentially violent adversaries who claim to speak in the name of "the people."

From Mob-Speak to Murders: Are We Normalizing Mayhem?

The Greta Thunberg meltdown (with which I sympathize), the Zelensky call (with which I don't), the Khashoggi anniversary. The madness is endless.

Mob-Speak and Murders: Normalizing Mayhem? This guy—Charlie the Motorcycle Mutt—has nothing to do with the rest of the stories here, but I think he's hilarious. Photographed him last Sunday as his mistress was getting off her scooter near my apartment in Paris. For more of my shots around town, follow me on Instagram. Also, a couple of book notes: From November 12 to 17, the BookBub site will be offering the e-book versions of Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South for a mere $2.99. You might also want to check out my Amazon author page, which has, among other things, links to back copies of this little letter to friends. The last few days have been busy, watching everything from Greta Thunberg's meltdown over, well, the global meltdown, to the growing heat turned on Donald Trump because of his obsessive efforts to drag foreign leaders into the U.S. 2020 election campaign, and at the same time rewrite the history of 2016. This is what I had to say about Thunberg on France 24: https://youtu.be/AAzKUrXXshQ And this is some of what I had to say about Trump's antics. It's a point I have made before. Trump has never believed in the rule of law, only the rule of lawyers: https://youtu.be/3t1OZhGwrOk Anna Nemtsova and Adam Rawnsley and I worked on a long story about Trump and Rudy Giuliani—who has gone from being America's Mayor to Trump's craven and crazed consigliere—and the longstanding ties both men have to some very shady Ukrainian characters in "Little Odessa" a.k.a. Brighton Beach, Brooklyn: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-and-rudy-giuliani-connections-to-sam-kislin-and-ukraine-corruption-go-back-decades?ref=author We marked the anniversary of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, an act I am sure Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regrets, but probably more for the way it was carried out than because a thorn in his side was removed. People are working hard, still, to find out what Trump knew and when he knew it about the butchering of Khashoggi—and how Trump managed to excuse it. That becomes apparent in the article and the conclusion is clear enough: MBS won. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-treacherous-ties-to-a-murderous-prince?ref=author Cheers, Chris Below, downstairs at Harry's New York Bar on Rue Daunou in Paris. I don't know what Mathilde and Vashima were shaking up, but they looked like they were having fun. Copyright © 2019 Christopher Dickey, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you were on my personal mailing list, and this is in fact a personal account. But please do feel free to "unsubscribe." Our mailing address is: Christopher Dickey 555 W 18 Street The Daily Beast New York, New York 10011 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.