NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Joel Kotkin These Mayors Understand How to Run a City Armed with common sense policies, three urban leaders are fighting a patient battle against chaos.

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://www.city-journal.org/article/houston-ft-worth-san-francisco-mayors

Urban leaders have greeted the return of Donald Trump with about as much enthusiasm as they would have for a reprise of the bubonic plague. The National Urban League imagines an “extreme right-wing” administration that will ban abortion, threaten the civil service, and end both immigration and racial quotas. Trump has even proposed building new planned cities—so-called freedom cities—that could compete with the existing urban landscape. Some urban leaders fear Trump’s actions will force them to “go it alone”—to grapple with their cities’ problems without the benefit of federal funding. But perhaps this is less of a problem than it seems. After all, cities have declined over the past four years with a Democrat in the White House. Weaning cities from federal assistance may be just what’s needed to spur change.

Indeed, several mayors seem ready, if not eager, to go it alone. These include Houston’s John Whitmire, Fort Worth’s Mattie Parker, and San Francisco’s newly elected Mayor Dan Lurie. They are seeking to adjust to harsh urban realities by discarding the often-dreamy progressive notions that tend to dominate urban political discourse. They are keenly aware how cities have lost much of their appeal in recent years to fast-growing suburbs and exurbs and are intent on fighting a patient battle against these tides.

As we know from the 1990s and early 2000s—under reform mayors like New York’s Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, Houston’s Bob Lanier, Indianapolis’s Steve Goldsmith, Philadelphia’s Ed Rendell, and Los Angeles’s Richard Riordan—good governance can restore urban vitality. Some of these mayors were nominal Democrats, others were Republicans, but all were effective in enacting regulatory reform, restraining taxes, and, most importantly, increasing public safety.

Unfortunately, many were succeeded by progressive mayors like Bill de Blasio in New York, who undermined the reformers’ achievements, notably in law enforcement. The new generation of urban leaders is today epitomized by Chicago’s Brandon Johnson, who is rapidly driving his once-great city, the nation’s third largest, into financial ruin. Johnson’s formula for destruction: borrowing massively to fund big raises for his teachers’ union backers while driving away many of his most productive citizens.

EDUCATION Comments turned off

The Great Education Escape Student and teacher absences expose the failure of government-run schools; parents must step up. By Larry Sand

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/26/the-great-education-escape/

Late last month, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published the enrollment count for the 2023-24 school year. The report showed that 9 of the top 10 and 38 of the 50 largest districts have lost students since 2019-20, while 31 of the 50 largest districts lost students between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years.

All in all, the loss amounts to a 2.5% drop between fall 2019 and fall 2023. Schools at the pre-K-8 grade level showed the greatest declines, where enrollment dropped by 4.5% over the four-year period.

And the exodus is ongoing. According to the latest federal estimates, public schools are projected to lose 2.7 million students, for a 5.5% decline, from 2022 to 2031. That includes a loss of 1.8 million students in pre-K-8, a 5.4% loss, and 883,000 students in grades 9-12, a 5.7% decline.

On a similar note, the Fordham Institute recently reported that nearly 1 in 12 public schools nationwide saw student enrollment declines of about 20% since the year before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Chronically low-performing schools were hit particularly hard. According to the study, they were more than twice as likely to have sizable enrollment drops compared to other public schools.

It follows that the loss of students in the pre-K-12 sector is a harbinger of what’s to come in higher education. In early January, the Hechinger Report disclosed that the public university system is struggling to reduce a deep deficit that threatens to “permanently shutter several campuses after dramatic drop-offs in enrollment and revenue. While much attention has been focused on how enrollment declines are putting private, nonprofit colleges out of business at an accelerating rate—at least 17 of them in 2024—public universities and colleges face their own existential crises.

“State institutions nationwide are being merged, and campuses shut down, many of them in areas where there is already little access to higher education.”

The question then becomes, “Why are people shunning public schools?”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Trump 2.0: A Shockwave of Change in Just Six Days Trump 2.0 storms into office, dismantling the old guard and unleashing a whirlwind of action aimed at reshaping America’s political landscape. By Roger Kimball

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/26/trump-2-0-a-shockwave-of-change-in-just-six-days/

It’s almost as if elections have consequences. Donald Trump hasn’t been in office for a full week yet, but already the mood of the entire country seems to have undergone a beneficent metanoia. Sure, there have been hundreds of executive orders on matters large and small. There were many pardons, for 1500 people who engaged in that self-guided tour of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and also for many others.

But it is more than that. In his first term, Trump endeavored to “drain the swamp” and counter the woke ideology that had infiltrated so many university campuses and government agencies. But Trump was a political greenhorn, surrounded by people who were not on board with his program. He said many of the right things. But in many cases when it came time to implement the policies he outlined, the message got lost or garbled in transmission.

This time, older, wiser, and now surrounded by better counselors, Trump is not fooling around. Within hours of taking office, bang! Trump suspended the security clearances of the 51 intelligence officers who had, for partisan reasons, signed a public letter announcing that Hunter Biden’s laptop bore “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” He lifted the security details assigned to former National Security Advisor and current anti-Trump fanatic John Bolton. Ditto the security detail for Anthony “Mr. Science” Fauci.

One of the hallmarks of Trump 2.0 is his attention to the importance of moving past words to deeds. On Tuesday of last week, he sent a memo to the heads of all government agencies, ordering them to shut down their DEI offices by 5 p.m. the next day. All DEI hires were to be placed on paid administrative leave “immediately.”

That’s not all. Aware that the order would spark panic among the sinecured bureaucrats in and around the DEI apparat, the memo went on to say, “We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024, to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances.” And just in case that wasn’t enough, the memo included this warning: “There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting” on efforts to disguise DEI programs. “However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.”

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Palestinian Authority says Hamas disguised as civilians caused civilian deaths and destruction of Gaza By Robert Spencer

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://jihadwatch.org/2025/01/palestinian-authority-says-hamas-disguised-as-civilians-caused-civilian-deaths-and-destruction-of-gaza?utm_source=rss&utm_

No one will pay any attention. They’re far too invested in demonizing Israel.

“Palestinian Authority: Hamas disguised as civilians caused civilian deaths and destruction of Gaza,” by Ephraim D. Tepler and Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch, January 23, 2025:

The Palestinian Authority’s official daily admitted that Hamas terrorists disguised themselves as civilians and used civilian homes to launch attacks, thus deliberately increasing casualties in Gaza. Moreover, the PA called Hamas insolent for only putting on uniforms during the ceasefire in order to take credit.

Headline: “Shame branches out from faith”

“When three female Israeli hostages were released, Hamas members recently appeared armed and masked in their army uniforms, and in a completely flashy manner! Over the last 15 months of the war, we have not seen any of these activists in these uniforms. They were dressed in civilian shirts and pants, wore sandals (!!) [parentheses in source], and some were in pajamas. From among people’s homes – as Al-Jazeera TV presented them – they fired their [RPG] rockets at the occupation army’s vehicles, and retreated behind these homes. This matter, in addition to the racist and violent Israeli response to these rockets, is what contributed to increasing the losses among civilian residents of the slaughtered Gaza Strip…

When shame ends, only insolence remains. For 15 months of harsh war, Hamas did not dare to show even one of its operatives in military uniforms (!!) [parentheses in source], but when the ceasefire agreement stipulated that the cannons be silenced, Hamas brought out its operatives in military uniforms – not only for display purposes, but also to fabricate a victory narrative!”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 22, 2025]…

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Eithan Haim: ‘We Took On the Federal Leviathan and We Won’By Emily Yoffe

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://www.thefp.com/p/eithan-haim-we-took-on-the-federal?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Until Friday afternoon, Dr. Eithan Haim, 34, was facing a potential decade in federal prison for revealing publicly that Texas Children’s Hospital was continuing to perform gender transitions on children even after declaring a moratorium on the controversial practice. For this, Haim, a Texas surgeon, became the target of the Biden Department of Justice, which indicted him for allegedly violating patient privacy laws.

There was no violation of patient privacy. What Haim blew the whistle on were mostly surgeries to insert hormonal devices that prevent children from going through puberty. The records he revealed about these interventions carefully redacted identifying information about the patients. What’s more: He had caught the hospital in a bald-faced lie about the very existence of the program. Most dangerous for Haim was that he had run afoul of the Biden administration’s unquestioning support of medical transition of young people distressed about their gender.

“Eithan Haim was the only person with the courage to stand up for what was right,” Haim’s wife, Andrea, wrote on X about her husband taking on the powerful children’s hospital, the country’s largest. “For him, it wasn’t even a decision. Kids were being harmed, and he had to stop it.”

It came with a high price. The couple lost close friendships, all their savings, and their peace of mind. But they never budged.

On Friday came vindication.

At around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Haim received notice that the Trump DOJ issued a dismissal of all charges against him, with prejudice—meaning the charges cannot be refiled. In a conversation with The Free Press, while he and his wife were celebrating over champagne, he said, “We didn’t think it was going to happen. We took on the federal leviathan and we won.” He added, “This is epic. This is like Lord of the Rings.”

Although Haim had raised more than $1.2 million in a GiveSendGo account, mounting a case to stay out of federal prison has cost $2 million. “We’ll be paying legal bills for 20 years,” he said.

Andrea knows about federal indictments. She herself is an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas—her husband was indicted in the Southern District. Andrea, who gave birth to their daughter four months ago, said of their ordeal, “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a year without worrying my husband would be in prison and I would be raising our daughter alone. We are now going back to normal life.”

ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

Never Again means nothing if we are not willing to stand up to today’s Jew haters  Stephen Pollard

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

Monday is Holocaust Memorial Day – and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This year, as every year, the phrase Never Again will be at the centre of the commemorations. But more than at any time since 1945, it will be meaningless.

In the 80 years since the end of the Holocaust, Never Again has been uttered as if it is some kind of benediction. Merely to say the words shows you to be a caring, thoughtful and, above all, decent human being. You have seen the previously unimaginable evil of the Holocaust and you are revolted. So, never again.

But rarely has there been a clearer example of how actions speak far louder than words. For most of the past 80 years Never Again has been no more than an abstract expression of goodness. It has carried no real, practical, living meaning because it didn’t need to. Anti-Semitism was almost a historical curiosity – a hatred that had been buried after the Holocaust showed where it could lead.

Today, however, when the threat to Jews is real and clear, Never Again is exposed as a platitude.

Israel has had to fight many existential wars since its creation in 1948. But here in Britain, there was no serious threat to the Jewish community – but a new and worrying wave of Jew hatred started emerging at around the time of the arrival of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in 2015.

In the past fifteen months, however, anti-Semitism has skyrocketed. Naked and unashamed Jew hate is now a regular feature on the streets of London and elsewhere as hundreds of thousands assemble to demonstrate their loathing of “Zionists” – in other words, of Jews.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Hezbollah no longer strategic threat, but Israeli determination key By David Isac

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://www.jns.org/hezbollah-no-longer-strategic-threat-but-israeli-determination-key/

 Badly battered by Israel’s military operation in Lebanon, Hezbollah has been beaten, but not eliminated, analysts tell JNS. They paint an optimistic picture, saying that Hezbollah’s days as a strategic threat to Israel are over.

Within 24 hours of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel’s south, the Shi’ite militia launched a rocket strike on the Jewish state. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group’s goal was to stretch Israel’s resources and force it to fight on two fronts.

Seeking to avoid that scenario, Israel played defense for nearly a year as Hezbollah fired more than 10,000 missiles from Lebanon, forcing 60,000 Israelis to flee their homes in the north for temporary shelter elsewhere. (Residents are expected to return in early March.)

Israel finally struck back in a series of remarkable operations starting on Sept. 17 and 18, 2024, detonating explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies used by the Iranian-backed terror group. On Sept. 27, Israeli airstrikes killed Nasrallah. On Oct. 1, Israel invaded Lebanon, laying waste to much of Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure.

“Hezbollah has been hit dramatically. Its leadership has been toppled, its command structure decimated. Seventy percent of its strategic capabilities have been destroyed,” IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi told JNS.

Hezbollah had been a serious threat, but in two weeks Israel brought it to its knees, he said. Hezbollah was further weakened when Sunni Islamists took over Syria, depriving Hezbollah of a major resupply route from Iran.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

‘We Are Going to Behead You and Get a Big Reward’: The Persecution of Christians, December 2024 by Raymond Ibrahim

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21342/persecution-of-christians-december

“Experts warn of a growing trend of youth radicalization through online platforms, where extremist groups exploit vulnerabilities to indoctrinate and recruit individuals. This year alone, 15 minors have been arrested across Spain for terrorism-related offenses….” — rmx.news, January 2, 2025, Spain.

“Despite the declarations of tolerance and inclusion by the new government in Syria, this attack on Christian sites is not the last, because jihadists continue to act and have fought for the new Syrian government. In particular, some, who are as close as two peas in a pod to the Islamic State, with the same patches on their combat uniforms.” – caliber.az, December 24, 2024, Syria.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, jihadist warlord and current leader of Syria, swiftly turning into an Islamic state, confessed in a Dec. 17 interview that, “When we build the Islamic caliphate, Christians will pay Jizya under Islamic Sharia.” — X.com, December 17, 2024.

The word jizya — a payment for protection — is often translated to “tribute” or “tax.” The requirement originates in Koran 9:29: “Fight those among the People of the Book [Christians and Jews] who do not believe in Allah, nor the Last Day, nor forbid what Allah and his Messenger have forbidden, nor embrace the religion of truth [Islam], until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves humbled.”

The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of December 2024.

FOREIGN POLICY, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Negotiating with Iran on New ‘Deal’ Is Insane Waste of Time. Take Out Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program Now! by Majid Rafizadeh

Posted By on January 26th, 2025

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21344/negotiating-with-iran

Diplomacy, negotiations, or a new “deal,” have no hope of limiting the regime’s plans either for a nuclear weapons breakout or for “exporting the revolution” after Trump has safely left office.

“There’s a one in trillion chance you’ll degrade the Iranian nuclear program through diplomacy. There’s a 90% chance you’ll degrade it through military action by Israel, supported by the United States.” — US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Politico, January 19, 2025.

An empowered, nuclear-armed Iran would no doubt increase its support for its terrorist proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, as well as most likely triggering the mother of all nuclear arms-races.

Ending Iran’s nuclear program, bluntly, is a matter of global security. The United States must stand not just with Israel and the Gulf States, but with itself. “If we don’t do that,” Graham said, “it will be a historical mistake.”

Iran, led by the mullahs, is on the brink of crossing the nuclear weapons threshold. Once it reaches this milestone, the regime is presumably hoping that it would then be too hazardous for any country to stop it. It is critical to act decisively as soon as possible to stop Iran before it crosses that threshold. Failing to will only embolden a regime known for unremitting aggression at home and abroad.

The Iranian regime seeks to acquire the power to expand its ideological reach to dominate the region — for a start.

Diplomacy, negotiations, or a new “deal,” have no hope of limiting the regime’s plans either for a nuclear weapons breakout or for “exporting the revolution” after Trump has safely left office.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Azerbaijan Continues to Illegally Hold, Torture Armenian Hostages by Uzay Bulut

Posted By on January 24th, 2025

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21343/azerbaijan-armenian-hostages
On January 17, Azerbaijan began trials of 16 Armenian captives… in military courtrooms, to which international media and observers have been denied access.

The next court hearings are slated for January 27, during which court decisions are expected to be announced. As of now, the trials are open only to Azerbaijani state media.

Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing against the Armenian people of Artsakh has been proceeding for the past four years…. Azeri soldiers posted videos and photos of themselves beheading and mutilating Armenians.

“A court hearing of my case is scheduled for January 27 at 3:00 PM. I have been informed that I am facing 42 charges, some of which carry sentences up to life imprisonment. However, I have not been granted the opportunity to fully review the official indictment. My lawyer and I were merely allowed to skim through 422 volumes of the case files, all written solely in the Azerbaijani language, which I do not understand…. Moreover, pressure has been exerted on me, my lawyer, and my interpreter to force us to backdate and sign documents, including falsified protocols and records of interrogations that never took place…. Let me reiterate: all protocols bearing my signature are falsifications.” — Ruben Vardanyan, former State Minister of Artsakh, January 16, 2025.

One of the Armenian hostages tortured in an Azeri prison is Vicken Euljekjian… [detained] 10 hours after the ceasefire had gone into effect…. A court sentenced Euljekjian to 20 years imprisonment after a short trial without adequate legal representation…. Liparit Drmeyan, an aide to Armenia’s representative to the European Court of Human Rights, said that Euljekjian did not have access to lawyers that were chosen by him…. [His wife said he] has requested a retrial and a lawyer, but the Azeri authorities refuse to meet these requests.

The Trump administration needs to make Azerbaijan release these hostages. US President Donald Trump needs to sanction Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and other Azeri officials for carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Nagorno-Karabakh that continues to threaten the territorial integrity of Armenia while refusing to release the Armenian POWs and hostages.

Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing against the Armenian people of Artsakh has been proceeding for the past four years. Pictured: The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on October 13, 2020, after it was bombed by Azerbaijani forces. (Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

Azerbaijan’s government authorities refuse to release the Armenian hostages whom they have illegally held and abused since they captured them in 2020 and 2023.

On January 17, Azerbaijan began trials of 16 Armenian captives — including the former leaders of Artsakh (Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh) — in military courtrooms, to which international media and observers have been denied access.

In a press release, the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) requested that Azerbaijan allow international legal experts to observe the trials. The request remains unanswered. The next court hearings are slated for January 27, during which court decisions are expected to be announced. As of now, the trials are open only to Azerbaijani state media.

Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing against the Armenian people of Artsakh has been proceeding for the past four years. Azerbaijan – with the help of Turkey — launched an aggressive war against Artsakh that lasted 44 days — between September 27 and November 9, 2020. The aggressors committed countless crimes and indiscriminately shelled the indigenous lands of Armenians, where around 120,000 Armenians resided in the South Caucasus. Azeri soldiers posted videos and photos of themselves beheading and mutilating Armenians.

The trilateral ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9, 2020 was supposed to halt the war. The agreement mandates the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs), hostages and detainees, as well as the repatriation of the remains of deceased individuals. Armenia has honored the agreement, but Azerbaijan has still not.

After the Azeri bombardment of Artsakh in September 2023, Azerbaijan took even more Armenians hostage. As of now, according to official Armenian data, Azerbaijan is holding 23 prisoners of war and political prisoners. Christian Solidarity International (CSI) says that the true figure may be as high as 100, and calls for all Armenian hostages to be released without delay.

Some of the detained individuals include Davit Babayan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, Arkady Ghukasyan, former president of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, former president of Artsakh, Davit Ishkhanyan, chairman of the National Assembly of Artsakh, Davit Manukyan, former deputy commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces, Levon Mnatsakanyan, former commander of the Armed Forces, Bako Sahakyan, former president of Artsakh, and Ruben Vardanyan, former State Minister of Artsakh.

Vardanyan, who has been detained by Azerbaijan since September 27, 2023, issued a statement posted on social media by his family on January 16. He is being tried separately from the other 15 Armenians. He said that he had not been given enough time to prepare his defense on 42 charges, including terrorism:

“A court hearing of my case is scheduled for January 17 at 3:00 PM. I have been informed that I am facing 42 charges, some of which carry sentences up to life imprisonment. However, I have not been granted the opportunity to fully review the official indictment. My lawyer and I were merely allowed to skim through 422 volumes of the case files, all written solely in the Azerbaijani language, which I do not understand, within a very short timeframe – from December 9, 2024, to January 8, 2025. I only received the list of charges in Russian on January 8, 2025.

“Moreover pressure has been exerted on me, my lawyer, and my interpreter to force us to backdate and sign documents, include] ng falsified protocols and records of interrogations that never took place.

“I officially declare: I have given no testimony since the day of my arrest, except during the first interrogation, where I only stated my name and surname. Let me reiterate: all protocols bearing my signature are falsifications. These documents do not exist in reality. My lawyer and interpreter were coerced into signing these documents.

“I once again reiterate and state my complete innocence and the innocence of my Armenian compatriots also being held as political prisoners and demand an immediate end to this politically motivated case against us.”

The court denied Vardanyan’s request to merge his case with those of the others. His trial is set to resume on January 27.

The people of Artsakh democratically elected their representatives through a direct vote. The term “elected representatives of Nagorno Karabakh” is recorded in several documents of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The former leaders of Artsakh are not the only Armenian hostages held by Azerbaijan. Since 2020, Azerbaijan has taken many Armenian civilians and soldiers hostage during and in the aftermath of Azeri military attacks. Azerbaijan tortured and murdered many of them.

One of the Armenian hostages tortured in an Azeri prison is Vicken Euljekjian, a dual citizen of Armenia and Lebanon. Azeri soldiers detained him on November 10, 2020, near the Armenian city of Shushi in Artsakh, currently occupied by Azerbaijan. The detention reportedly took place 10 hours after the ceasefire had gone into effect. Soon after, he was transferred, along with other Armenian hostages, to a prison in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital. A court sentenced Euljekjian to 20 years imprisonment after a short trial without adequate legal representation.

Armenia’s government and human rights groups condemned the trial as a travesty of justice. Liparit Drmeyan, an aide to Armenia’s representative to the European Court of Human Rights, said that Euljekjian did not have access to lawyers that were chosen by him.

Euljekjian’s wife, Linda Euljekjian, told Gatestone Institute that he is suffering from serious physical and mental health problems in prison, and has requested a retrial and a lawyer, but the Azeri authorities refuse to meet these requests.

Luciana Minassian, a lawyer and specialist on international law who monitors the cases of the Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan, told Gatestone:

“Trials that lack transparency and fail to meet the standards of due process transform the judicial system into a tool for political retribution. This not only violates the Geneva Conventions but also damages the credibility of the prosecuting state, inviting international condemnation and setting a dangerous precedent for future conflicts. Releasing POWs immediately is not just a legal obligation—it is a moral imperative. Compliance with the Geneva Conventions preserves the integrity of international law, reinforces mutual respect among warring parties, and ensures that states remain accountable to their commitments.

“However, Azerbaijan continues to ill-treat and even torture the Armenian hostages it illegally holds.”

Despite the November 9, 2020 ceasefire agreement, the Azeri aggression or threats against Armenia have never ended. On September 12, 2022, Azerbaijan launched a deadly attack across several regions of Armenia’s eastern border, killing more than 200 Armenian soldiers and capturing parts of southern Armenia. During that military offensive, Azeri soldiers raped, slaughtered, and mutilated an Armenian female soldier. They then posted on social media images of her abused and tortured body.

In December 2022, Azerbaijan started its starvation siege targeting Artsakh. For nine months, Armenians in Artsakh were blockaded by Azeri forces and deprived of sufficient food, medication and their right to freely travel. And on September 19 and 20, 2023, Azerbaijan bombed Artsakh and forcibly displaced the entire Armenian population – around 120,000 people.

Kathryn Hemmer, a human rights scholar and Genocide Studies Program student fellow at Yale University, wrote of Artsakh:

“The territory, which declared independence in 1991, was home to a predominantly ethnic Armenian population until Azerbaijan launched a 10-month blockade and military assault in 2023. Now, the continued imprisonment of many of Nagorno-Karabakh’s leaders has further victimized a population that just experienced what is arguably one of the most overlooked episodes of ethnic cleansing in recent history.”

The Trump administration needs to make Azerbaijan release these hostages. US President Donald Trump needs to sanction Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and other Azeri officials for carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Nagorno-Karabakh that continues to threaten the territorial integrity of Armenia while refusing to release the Armenian POWs and hostages.

Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.