In Donald Trump's perverse ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he is citing his supposed diplomatic victories in ending six conflicts: Armenia-Azerbaijan, Congo-Rwanda, Israel-Iran, India-Pakistan, Thailand-Cambodia and Egypt-Ethiopia. In Episode 292 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg examines each of these examples, and breaks down how claims to have won "peace" are either extremely overstated or (more often) total Orwellian jive. The implication that Russia-Ukraine will be next, as Putin escalates his aggression, puts a hideous crown on the irony.

Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Manet, nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize on Aug. 7, citing his "crucial role" in restoring peace after bloody border fighting with Thailand. The gushy statement praised Trump's "extraordinary statesmanship" and "innovative diplomacy." (NYT)

Cambodia now becomes the third country to nominate the bellicose Trump for the Peace Prize after Israel and Pakistan. Islamabad's nomination followed Trump's supposed involvement in the ceasefire deal with India that ended several days of mutual missile strikes in May. The problem is that India denies that the US or any other foreign power had a hand in its decision to accept a truce. (Hindustan Times)

Amnesty International expressed concern June 24 over recurrent drone strikes conducted by Pakistan's military, which have caused unlawful loss of civilian lives. The rights group stated that the strikes in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have resulted in the deaths of 17 people this year, urging authorities to investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable.

A May 21 suicide attack on bus serving an army-run school in Khuzdar district of Pakistan's Balochistan province killed five people, three of them children. Islamabad, which faces accusations it was involved in last month's attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, quickly pointed the finger at neighboring India and Afghanistan. Both New Delhi and Kabul have denied the allegations. Balochistan has been the subject of a decades-long armed struggle for autonomy. Ethnic Baloch communities have accused Pakistani authorities of disenfranchisement, neglect and forced disappearances.

A tragic militant attack in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 left at least 26 people dead, including Indian and foreign tourists. The incident prompted an immediate and strong response from the Indian government, which has blamed the attack on Pakistan-based groups. Within a day, India announced that it was suspending the Indus Waters Treaty—a World Bank-brokered agreement signed in 1960 that governs the use and distribution of waters in the Indus River basin between the two countries.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on April 15 reported that nearly 60,000 Afghan refugees have been forcibly deported from Pakistan so far this month. The latest wave of forced deportations comes amid a nationwide effort to expel foreigners, whether they are residing in Pakistan legally or illegally, in the name of "national security." Amnesty International criticized the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) for being ambiguous in its criteria for deportation.

The international Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) called upon UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on March 25 to urgently intervene in the repression of peaceful protests in Pakistan's conflicted Balochistan province. The group urged Guterres to secure the immediate release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other members of the Baloch Yekjehti Committee, a local rights group. Dr. Baloch and several of her comrades were detained at a protest in provincial capital Quetta against enforced disappearances.

The Peshawar High Court issued an interim order on Jan. 10 preventing the forced repatriation of around 150 Afghan singers and musicians who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Justice Wiqar Ahmad, who presided over the case, instructed the government to issue a decision on the musicians' asylum applications within two months. The court said that if the asylum claims are not resolved within 60 days, the interior ministry should grant permission for the petitioners to stay for a period sufficient to reach a final decision. The court also allowed the musicians to apply to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to process their asylum claims.