After Daesh's Defeat in Raqqa, What's Next for Syria and for the Kurds?

Loud & Clear

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and Walter Smolarek are joined from Germany by Dastan Jasim, and from London by Mark Campbell, both are supporters of the Kurdish movement in Syria.
The Kurdish YPG forces did the bulk of the fighting in the liberation of the Raqqa from ISIS, but the future of Syria is far from certain. U.S. military forces supported the Kurdish-led offensive. But the Syrian government demands that all U.S. forces leave Syria. We discuss the political position of the Kurdish movement as it relates to the United States and the Syrian government. Meanwhile, fears of all-out war between the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and the central government Baghdad continue following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from the disputed city of Kirkuk.
The future of healthcare in the United States is in the headlines, as a new proposal from Senators Michael Bennet and Tim Kaine is announced and Trump’s “drug tsar” nominee is forced to step down due to his ties with pharmaceutical companies fueling the opioid crisis. Dr. Margaret Flowers, co-director of Popular Resistance, joins the show.
Next, The Chinese Communist Party’s congress opens tomorrow, as President Xi Jinping seeks to solidify his leadership and congress delegates discuss the future of the country’s economic and political reforms. Brian and Walter are joined by political analyst Ajit Singh.
Then, Mexico’s currency is tumbling as the United States takes a hard line in NAFTA negotiations. Are we headed towards a complete breakdown of the agreement. Economist Steve Keen discusses developments in the ongoing negotiations.
The judge in Senator Robert Menendez’s corruption case refused to throw out the case yesterday, ordering the trial to move forward. Who is Robert Menendez, and will this scandal claim his career? Andrés Gómez, the Editor of Areito Digital, joins the show.