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Saturday, September 30, 2023

40% of Israelis contemplating emigrating in judicial reform protest - Israel News - The Jerusalem Post

40% of Israelis contemplating emigrating in judicial reform protest - Israel News - The Jerusalem Post

America's Legacy of Pollution in Afghanistan

America's Legacy of Pollution in Afghanistan

US quietly strikes deal to send military to Ecuador amid drug cartel explosion | Washington Examiner

US quietly strikes deal to send military to Ecuador amid drug cartel explosion | Washington Examiner

Hidden exposure: Measuring US supply chain reliance | Brookings

Hidden exposure: Measuring US supply chain reliance | Brookings

DIANNE FEINSTEIN, R.I.P.: Remembering A Time When American Politics Worked - by Allan Brownfeld

[Salon] DIANNE FEINSTEIN, R.I.P.: Remembering A Time When American Politics Worked - DIANNE FEINSTEIN, R.I.P.: Remembering A Time When American Politics Worked By Allan C. Brownfeld ——————————————————————————————————————————- The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein has taken from us a political leader whose career reminds us that there was a time when American politics worked, when Republicans and Democrats did not view one another as “enemies” but as common participants in the enterprise of democracy. I remember that time and worked in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for a number of years. At one time, I was assistant to the research director of the House Republican Conference. Members of that committee included two future presidents, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford. Rather than viewing Democrats as “enemies,” they worked tirelessly to convince them to support legislation they were developing. Jerry Roberts, former managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of “Dianne Feinstein: Never Let Them See You Cry,” notes that, “In political time, her demise seems far more than the end of a mere era—-more like the passing of an eon. As politician, policymaker and uncommonly private public figure, Feinstein for six decades modeled attitudes, behavior and values that have become increasingly rare. Reliably favoring civility over churlishness, she preferred independent judgment to ideology, pragmatism to partisanship, problem-solving to power-seeking.” The Washington Post points out that, “Mrs. Feinstein spent much of her career fielding criticism from opposite ends of the political spectrum. She disappointed liberals with her law-and-order approach toward governance and her long-standing support for the death penalty, even as she frustrated conservatives with her support for gun control and same-sex marriage. While some women celebrated Mrs. Feinstein as a trailblazer, others resented what they considered her insufficient attention to women’s issues.” Dianne Feinstein’s centrism goes back to the earliest days of her political career. Her elevation to the office of mayor of San Francisco came in the midst of increasing tension and radicalism in San Francisco. Many of those involved in the mass suicide at Jonestown, Guyana on the part of cult leader Jim Jones,were from San Francisco. During this time, the New World Liberation Front terrorist group placed a bomb outside the bedroom window of Feinstein’s daughter. For a time, Feinstein owned a handgun. Her biographer Jerry Roberts says that, The lesson Dianne took from this craziness was that she had been right—-that all this polarization and bitterness that was extant in the town had now led to these murders,”referring to the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. “That’s when she started talking about how the center is so important.” She became mayor of San Francisco in the wake of these assassinations. Sen.Feinstein pursued a deal to prevent Iran from building nuclear arms “more intently than any other colleagues,” writes Connie Bruck in the New Yorker. “After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of CongressIn hopes of averting a possible agreement, Feinstein appeared on Meet the Press and said, ‘What Prime Minister Netanyahu did here was something no ally of the United States would have done.’ When I saw her the next day, she told me, ‘For Netanyahu to come here with a clear view of preventing an agreement was really inappropriate, particularly because this president’s administration has provided more than $25 billion to Israel, far more than to any other country.” When she chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee, her support for the intelligence community made especially explosive the investigation she led into the “enhanced interrogation techniques” employed by the CIA against terrorism suspects after the Sept.11, 2001 attacks. She was deeply disturbed by testimony to the committee about secret CIA prisons known as “black sites. The committee’s 6,700 page report alleged that CIA interrogation techniques had been far more brutal, more widespread and less effective than the agency previously claimed. Then-CIA Director John Brennan insisted that the interrogation techniques “did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans, capture terrorists, and save lives.” Sen. Feinstein gave a dramatic speech on the Senate floor in which she accused the CIA of improperly searching computers used by her staff members and seeking to intimidate them with calls for a Justice Department review of their conduct. An internal CIA investigation later supported those claims and Brennan apologized. When her committee’s torture report was issued, Sen Feinstein declared that, “History will judge us by our commitment to a just society governed by law, and the willingness to face an ugly truth and say ‘never again.’” Sen. Feinstein served on the Appropriations Committee and chaired the Rules Committee. Among her accomplishments was the California Desert Protection Act, the 1994 law that created Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks and the Mojave National Preserve. The vote that she most regretted, she said, was her support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Sen Feinstein was so popular across. Party lines that former Secretary of State George Shultz, a Republican, raised money for Feinstein’s campaigns from Republican friends in California. He said that, “Dianne Feinstein is not really bipartisan so much as nonpartisan.” Sen. Feinstein often reflected on the fact that her course had been set by the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. She once told the New York Times that for years she could not bring herself to sit in the chair where Moscone had been shot, but neither could she remove it from the mayor’s office. Reflecting on her life, Feinstein once said that, “I think that one of the most positive qualities any individual can have is what I call the Phoenix syndrome, the mystical bird that became the symbol of rising from your own ashes. That’s the challenge of life. You’ve got to recover from your own ashes , many, many times.” Our political life in recent years was difficult for people like Dianne Feinstein. Upon her death, she was hailed as a good friend by both Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives. That’s the kind of U.S.Senate I remember. That’s the kind of America which won World War ll and the Cold War. That’s the kind of America which ended segregation and advanced civil rights. That’s the kind of America in which Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill could be friends. Let us hope that kind of America re-emerges. Our future depends upon it.

Treading Cautiously on Shifting Sands: An Assessment of Biden’s Middle East Policy Approach, 2021-2023 | Middle East Institute

Treading Cautiously on Shifting Sands: An Assessment of Biden’s Middle East Policy Approach, 2021-2023 | Middle East Institute

Ukrainian Soldiers Massively Surrender via Russian Radio Freq – Reports

Ukrainian Soldiers Massively Surrender via Russian Radio Freq – Reports

(14) Propaganda and The US Government:

(14) Propaganda and The US Government:

(14) Canada Applauds a Waffen-SS Soldier - by Bill Astore

(14) Canada Applauds a Waffen-SS Soldier - by Bill Astore

Opinion | What would Jamal Khashoggi think of Saudi Arabia today? - The Washington Post

Opinion | What would Jamal Khashoggi think of Saudi Arabia today? - The Washington Post

Why China is not planning to conquer other nations - Pearls and Irritations

Why China is not planning to conquer other nations - Pearls and Irritations

Robert Gates: Can a Divided America Deter China and Russia?

Robert Gates: Can a Divided America Deter China and Russia?

Ukraine war: Who has the real mobilization problem? - Asia Times

Ukraine war: Who has the real mobilization problem? - Asia Times

California: Class action filed against Gilead Sciences for death and injury by remdesivir – The Expose

California: Class action filed against Gilead Sciences for death and injury by remdesivir – The Expose

Staring at the drudgery: This is what will move you to act

Staring at the drudgery: This is what will move you to act

Rejecting the World to Improve the World - The Catholic Thing

Rejecting the World to Improve the World - The Catholic Thing

FDA Responds to Reports of DNA Contamination in COVID Vaccines | The Epoch Times

FDA Responds to Reports of DNA Contamination in COVID Vaccines | The Epoch Times

McCarthy Government Shutdown Bill Defeated by Republican Hardliners - Bloomberg

McCarthy Government Shutdown Bill Defeated by Republican Hardliners - Bloomberg

Lab Origin of COVID-19 Was Covered Up To "Vaccinate the World", in an Arsonist-Firefighter Plot

Lab Origin of COVID-19 Was Covered Up To "Vaccinate the World", in an Arsonist-Firefighter Plot

Gen. Mark Milley Warns of Fealty to Dictators, in Exit Speech Aimed at Trump - WSJ

Gen. Mark Milley Warns of Fealty to Dictators, in Exit Speech Aimed at Trump - WSJ

Where did the Bible come from?

Where did the Bible come from?

Experimental forecast calls for ‘super’ El Niño by winter - The Washington Post

Experimental forecast calls for ‘super’ El Niño by winter - The Washington Post

NYC flooding: Climate change tests the city’s infrastructural limits

NYC flooding: Climate change tests the city’s infrastructural limits

US concerned by large Serbian military mobilisation near Kosovo | Conflict News | Al Jazeera

US concerned by large Serbian military mobilisation near Kosovo | Conflict News | Al Jazeera

☕️ DISASTER CONCERN ☙ Saturday, September 30, 2023 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠

☕️ DISASTER CONCERN ☙ Saturday, September 30, 2023 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠: ☕️ DISASTER CONCERN ☙ Saturday, September 30, 2023 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠 DiFi takes a dirt nap; House Repubs table Ukraine funding; Jake Tapper argues Border Crisis; jab failure; Putin lets more Ukrainians into Russia; NYC floods; Biden impeachment updates; lots more.

A two-part essay on the reality you discover when you just open your eyes and think for yourself – Gilbert Doctorow

A two-part essay on the reality you discover when you just open your eyes and think for yourself – Gilbert Doctorow

When you see holiness in a life well lived - RADIANT

When you see holiness in a life well lived - RADIANT

Friday, September 29, 2023

The Angels and Us - The Catholic Thing

The Angels and Us - The Catholic Thing

The Heart Has its Reasons: Thoughts on a Theology of Courage – Catholic World Report

The Heart Has its Reasons: Thoughts on a Theology of Courage – Catholic World Report

“No one who murmurs receives the kingdom of heaven…” – Catholic World Report

“No one who murmurs receives the kingdom of heaven…” – Catholic World Report

How Joe Biden’s Kin Profited Off the Family Name. ‘The Big Guy Is Calling Me.’ - WSJ

How Joe Biden’s Kin Profited Off the Family Name. ‘The Big Guy Is Calling Me.’ - WSJ

Egypt, UAE ink $1.4bn local-currency swap agreement

Egypt, UAE ink $1.4bn local-currency swap agreement

Let's Not Forget Dianne Feinstein's Moral Clarity on Torture

Let's Not Forget Dianne Feinstein's Moral Clarity on Torture

(66) Bennett speaks out - YouTube

(66) Bennett speaks out - YouTube

San Diego Closes Point La Jolla Beach to Protect Sea Lions From People - The New York Times

San Diego Closes Point La Jolla Beach to Protect Sea Lions From People - The New York Times

Why Did Biden Just Revive Netanyahu's Failing Far-right Government? - Haaretz Today - Haaretz.com

Why Did Biden Just Revive Netanyahu's Failing Far-right Government? - Haaretz Today - Haaretz.com

Biden, Netanyahu reach vague agreement for Palestinian statehood in quest for Saudi 'megadeal': Report

Biden, Netanyahu reach vague agreement for Palestinian statehood in quest for Saudi 'megadeal': Report

China Strengthening Its Position in Northern Russia and the Arctic Sea - Jamestown

China Strengthening Its Position in Northern Russia and the Arctic Sea - Jamestown

Australia’s China challenge: Beijing’s new world order deserves a better response

Australia’s China challenge: Beijing’s new world order deserves a better response

Where are the archangels mentioned in the Bible? - Get Fed™

Where are the archangels mentioned in the Bible? - Get Fed™

Congress to replace 2001 AUMF with … 2001 AUMF - Responsible Statecraft

Congress to replace 2001 AUMF with … 2001 AUMF - Responsible Statecraft

How Myocarditis Became the Silent Scandal of Covid Vaccination ⋆ Brownstone Institute

How Myocarditis Became the Silent Scandal of Covid Vaccination ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Why the Secrecy Over Vaccine Contracts? ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Why the Secrecy Over Vaccine Contracts? ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Fauci and the CIA: A New Explanation Emerges ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Fauci and the CIA: A New Explanation Emerges ⋆ Brownstone Institute

A Pandemic of Lockdown Denialism  ⋆ Brownstone Institute

A Pandemic of Lockdown Denialism  ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Scott Gottlieb's Role in Creating a New Intelligence Office ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Scott Gottlieb's Role in Creating a New Intelligence Office ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Rising Seas Imperil US Sites, Military Bases Worth $387 Billion

Rising Seas Imperil US Sites, Military Bases Worth $387 Billion

Trust Issues: An Analysis of NSF's Funding for Trustworthy AI

Trust Issues: An Analysis of NSF's Funding for Trustworthy AI

Ahead of the Wildland Fire Commission Report Release, a Roundup of FAS’s Efforts to Provide Input on Wildland Fire Policy - Federation of American Scientists

Ahead of the Wildland Fire Commission Report Release, a Roundup of FAS’s Efforts to Provide Input on Wildland Fire Policy - Federation of American Scientists

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT OUR SOCIETY WHEN PUBLIC SERVICE BECOMES DANGEROUS? by Allan Brownfeld

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT OUR SOCIETY WHEN PUBLIC SERVICE BECOMES DANGEROUS? BY ALLAN C. BROWNFELD —————————————————————————————————————————- Holding political office and other public policy positions did not used to involve physical danger. In the years I worked in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, I do not remember any Senators or Congressmen receiving death threats or being forced to hire private security. Sadly, those days are now over. Between the 2020 election and the 2022 midterms, candidates running for House and Senate seats increased spending on security by more than 500 per cent. This reflects the dramatic rise in threats against elected officials in recent years and the country’s hyper-partisan political climate. In an atmosphere in which Republicans and Democrats view one another as “enemies,” rather than common participants in our democratic enterprise, as they did in the past, acts of violence become increasingly possible. Spending on security in the House and Senate rose from $1.3 million to nearly $8 million between 2020 and 2022. House members have also spent more of the annual government allowance they are given to fund their offices on security with such funding rising from about $75,000 in 2020 to $1.2 million in 2022. Members of Congress were shaken by the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,2021 in hopes of overturning the 2020 election results. The crowd threatened to kill officials who stood in their way. “Hang Mike Pence” was a common expression of this attitude. Discussing the vulnerability of members of Congress, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) says, “We’re asking them to do a difficult job…They’re dealing with somewhat of a stressful environment already, and then when their physical safety is threatened, you know, you need to make sure you’re taking care of your folks.” Acts of violence have occurred. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot by a left-wing extremist. Far-right extremists plotted to kidnap and kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D). Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, was assaulted with a hammer in their San Francisco home. The assailant was looking for Rep. Pelosi, then House Speaker, who was not at home. When a House committee was investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, threats against committee members were so high that U.S. Capitol police “worked out a contract with local law enforcement to provide 24-hour protection at our home when members were in the district,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MIssissippi), chairman of the House committee. The department also opened remote offices across the country since Jan. 6 to closely monitor regional threats, with locations in Florida, California, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Texas. Capitol Police chief Thomas Manger has testified to Congress that the force is still stretched too thin given staffing shortages and the ongoing number of threats. In May, he told lawmakers that roughly 400 officers had quit since Jan. 6. In 2016, the Capitol Police tracked fewer than 900 threats made against lawmakers. The number grew to 3,930 in 2017, and rose to 8,600 in 2020. In 2021, almost 10,000 threats were assessed by Capitol Police. Threats dropped to 7,500 last year, still eight times more than in 2016. We could fill pages with examples of attacks on and threats against public officials. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was confronted with shouted personal insults and the threat, “We know where you live.” Trump Administration press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her family were forced out of a restaurant and denied service amid vocal protests. One individual, Craig Robertson, threatened to assassinate President Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Threats of violence are not only aimed at public officials but, unfortunately, even come from some. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) accused the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, of being a “traitor,” and said he “should be hung.” And former President Donald Trump attacked Gen. Milley and said that, “In times gone by the punishment would have been death.” In response to these comments, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, at one time commander of U.S. troops in Europe, who called them “disgusting,” said, “It shows how deeply disturbed these individuals are. It just shows the extent to which these kinds of things have become commonplace and not condemned in our divided country.” In the case of Rep. Gosar, Gen. Hertling points out that he had at one time posted images of himself killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-Cortez and attacking President Biden. Mr. Gosar never served in the military himself. In response to these attacks, Gen. Milley said, “I’m a soldier. I’ve been faithful and loyal to the Constitution of the United States for 44 1/2 years. You know, as much as these comments are directed at me, it’s also directed at the institution of the military.” Asked if he was worried about his safety, Gen. Milley replied: “I’ve got adequate safety precautions. I wish those comments had not been made, but they were. And we’ll take appropriate measures to ensure safety and the safety of my family.” Katherine Keneally, a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue recently tracked threats from some Trump supporters against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he faced criticism for telling New Hampshire voters that he was going to start “slitting throats of these deep throat people.” It’s not just federal officials who are being targeted. A recent University of San Diego study surveyed local public officials in that city and found that 75% reported receiving threats and harassment. Women, it found, are disproportionately impacted. Jake Spano, mayor in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park and a board member of the National League of Cities, points to a report in 2021 finding that 81% of local elected officials reported receiving threats and 87% saw the Last year, a man was arrested with knives and a pistol outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh amid protests against the high court overturning women’s right to obtain abortions. Then an armed Ohio man in body armor who had been at the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was shot and killed after trying to enter an F.B.I. office following that agency’s search at Donald Trump’s resort, , Mar-a-Lago. Michael German, a former F.B.I. agent who is now a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice, said that social media can transform private venting into becoming threats: “Things that may have been screamed at the t.v. before now appear widely in public.” Americans often forget how fragile democracy is. As we approach our 250th anniversary, we are the only country in the world living under the same form of government which existed 250 years ago. Historically, democracies in history, such as ancient Athens and Rome, were short-lived. Today, our democracy is under siege. Let us hope that honorable men and women, Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, who may disagree on a variety of issues, will unite to make sure that our democratic society will endure. ##

'Narwhal' ship: Taiwan unveils first domestically built submarine as China threat grows | CNN

'Narwhal' ship: Taiwan unveils first domestically built submarine as China threat grows | CNN

Anatomy of a Smear - by Jonathan Broder - SpyTalk

Anatomy of a Smear - by Jonathan Broder - SpyTalk

Malaysia aims for chip comeback as Intel, Infineon and more pile in - Nikkei Asia

Malaysia aims for chip comeback as Intel, Infineon and more pile in - Nikkei Asia: KULIM/PENANG, Malaysia -- Ng Kok Tiong has been working in the semiconductor industry for 34 years and in all that time, the Kuala Lumpur native says,

‘You don’t play with life:’ Pope Francis condemns euthanasia, abortion on papal plane – Catholic World Report

‘You don’t play with life:’ Pope Francis condemns euthanasia, abortion on papal plane – Catholic World Report: Pope Francis speaks during a press conference aboard the papal plane from Marseille to Rome on Sept. 23, 2023, at the conclusion of a two-day visit to the southern French port city to take part in the Mediterranean Encounter, a meeting of young ...

House Removes Ukraine Aid From Defense Department Spending Bill

House Removes Ukraine Aid From Defense Department Spending Bill

Oncologist: "I've Never Seen Cancers Behaving Like This"

Oncologist: "I've Never Seen Cancers Behaving Like This"

Bishop Strickland: ‘no communication from Rome’ following apostolic visitation – Catholic World Report

Bishop Strickland: ‘no communication from Rome’ following apostolic visitation – Catholic World Report

Ukraine meldet Städte, die am meisten gegen das Gesetz zum Verbot der russischen Sprache verstoßen – Anti-Spiegel

Ukraine meldet Städte, die am meisten gegen das Gesetz zum Verbot der russischen Sprache verstoßen – Anti-Spiegel https://www.anti-spiegel.ru/2023/ukraine-meldet-staedte-die-am-meisten-gegen-das-gesetz-zum-verbot-der-russischen-sprache-verstossen/ September 29, 2023 Ukraine reports cities that most violate the law banning the Russian language The representative of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, Yaroslava Viteko-Prysjaschnjuk, explained that Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa are the leaders in the violations of the Language Act Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa are leaders in the number of violations of the law on the state language, which prohibits the use of the Russian language. This was reported by the representative of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Yaroslava Witsko-Prysyaschnjuk. "The top position in complaints of language violations is still Kiev, followed by Kharkov and Odessa," Klymenko Time quotes the representative of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language. According to her, there are the most complaints about the use of the Russian language in these cities. In Ukraine, a law passed in 2019 "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language" applies. The law obliges the citizens of the country to use the Ukrainian language in all areas of public life, including public administration, medicine, science, education and media. According to this document, non-compliance with the law from the 16th July 2022 sanctioned with a fine. Since the beginning of the military operation, Ukraine has been affected by a campaign of total "de-russification". The local administrations have imposed a complete ban on the use of the Russian language in public places, teaching in educational institutions, the performance of films and plays in Russian, as well as public listening and playing Russian songs. Translation from the Russian news agency TASS

Budapest: Es wäre besser für Schweden, wenn Ungarn die Ratifizierung seiner NATO-Bewerbung verschieben würde – Anti-Spiegel

Budapest: Es wäre besser für Schweden, wenn Ungarn die Ratifizierung seiner NATO-Bewerbung verschieben würde – Anti-Spiegel https://www.anti-spiegel.ru/2023/budapest-es-waere-besser-fuer-schweden-wenn-ungarn-die-ratifizierung-seiner-nato-bewerbung-verschieben-wuerde/ September 29, 2023 Budapest: It would be better for Sweden if Hungary postponed the ratification of its NATO application The head of the office of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Gergely Gulyas, recalled that a group of the governing party FIDES - Hungarian Citizens' Association had expressed serious doubts as to whether the Swedish motion should be dealt with in the autumn session of parliament. The Hungarian government has not withdrawn the bill to ratify the Swedish NATO accession agreement from parliament, but it would be better for the Swedes themselves if the vote on it did not take place now, explained the head of the office of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Gergely Gulyas at a meeting with journalists. He recalled that the group of the governing party FIDES - Hungarian Citizens' Association had previously expressed serious doubts about the expediency of the treatment of the Swedish application at the autumn session of Parliament. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also declared on the 25th. September before the deputies that he sees no reason to ratify the document. Therefore, no date was set for the vote. "Maybe it's the best for the Swedes. If we had to vote now, the result would be very doubtful," said Gulyas. When asked by a journalist, "who benefits from this situation, apart from Russia," the head of the Prime Minister's office said that he "does not suffer from Russophobia and does not try to look at everything from the point of view of the Russians." According to him, "everything should be viewed from the point of view of common sense", and the question is "whether the Swedes themselves want to join NATO". Hungary considers it inappropriate to talk about the ratification of the agreement on the admission of Sweden to NATO in a situation where Swedish politicians make offensive statements against the agreement. "The Swedes have done everything to undermine the respect and trust between the two countries," emphasized Gulyas, who has the rank of minister in the Hungarian government. Hungary's accusations On the 21st In September, the chairman of the FIDES Group in the Hungarian Parliament, Mate Kocsis, declared that the chances of ratifying the Swedish NATO accession agreement during the autumn session were low. He explained that Hungarian MPs had already made serious accusations against Swedish politicians for their unfriendly statements, and that this has now been supplemented by an educational film for Swedish schools, which contains extremely negative assessments of the state of Hungarian democracy. On the 14th In September, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto published an open letter to his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billström, in which he warned that Sweden's behavior continues to be an obstacle to NATO membership. These are "serious, biased and unfair accusations" against Hungary, according to the minister. In addition to Hungary, of all NATO countries, only Turkey has not ratified Sweden's application. Ankara wants Stockholm to take a more decisive action against Kurdish activists who have settled in Sweden. At the same time, Budapest has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to prevent the admission of the northern country to the alliance and will not be the last country not to ratify the agreement. On the 27th In March, the Hungarian parliament approved Finland's accession to NATO, but postponed the examination of Sweden's application. Finland and Sweden submitted their applications on the 18th. May 2022 and stated that they were pushed to the step by the events in Ukraine. Translation from the Russian news agency TASS

Are US Technology Sanctions Against China Backfiring? - Bloomberg

Are US Technology Sanctions Against China Backfiring? - Bloomberg: Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up here.

(63) The Heat: Belt and Road in Latin America - YouTube

(63) The Heat: Belt and Road in Latin America - YouTube

People Are Dying For Inches In Ukraine, The "World's Largest Arms Fair" -

http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2023/september/29/people-are-dying-for-inches-in-ukraine-the-worlds-largest-arms-fair/ People Are Dying For Inches In Ukraine, The "World's Largest Arms Fair" Caitlin Johnstone

Robert Gates: Can a Divided America Deter China and Russia?

Robert Gates: Can a Divided America Deter China and Russia?

Why China is not a threat: Sinophobia Unites Americans - Pearls and Irritations

Why China is not a threat: Sinophobia Unites Americans - Pearls and Irritations

Dianne Feinstein And The Death Of Moderate Democrats

Dianne Feinstein And The Death Of Moderate Democrats

Saudi Arabia Pushing Deal Without Major Israeli Concessions to Palestinians, Report Says - World News - Haaretz.com

Saudi Arabia Pushing Deal Without Major Israeli Concessions to Palestinians, Report Says - World News - Haaretz.com

Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dies at 90 | The Epoch Times

Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dies at 90 | The Epoch Times

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Three Decades of Chinese Students in America, 1991-2021 – US-China Education Trust

Three Decades of Chinese Students in America, 1991-2021 – US-China Education Trust

(63) Ukraine Good, Russia Bad - It's Not that Simple - YouTube

(63) Ukraine Good, Russia Bad - It's Not that Simple - YouTube

95-Year-Old War Vet Kicked Out of Nursing Home to Make Room for Migrants | WLT Report

95-Year-Old War Vet Kicked Out of Nursing Home to Make Room for Migrants | WLT Report

Does America Need a $1 Trillion Pentagon Budget?

Does America Need a $1 Trillion Pentagon Budget?

‘Sixty Minutes’ holds up the mirror to the West: and the picture in the frame is ugly – Gilbert Doctorow

‘Sixty Minutes’ holds up the mirror to the West: and the picture in the frame is ugly – Gilbert Doctorow

The End of America’s Special Relationships With Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and the Middle East

The End of America’s Special Relationships With Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and the Middle East

Why Did Fauci and the CIA Cover-Up the Wuhan Lab Leak?

Why Did Fauci and the CIA Cover-Up the Wuhan Lab Leak?

The Father of Environmental Justice Exposes the Geography of Inequity - Scientific American

The Father of Environmental Justice Exposes the Geography of Inequity - Scientific American

Pacific-led Regionalism Undermined | Asia Society

Pacific-led Regionalism Undermined | Asia Society

MoA - Hersh Reveals U.S. Motive For Destruction Of Nord Stream Pipelines

MoA - Hersh Reveals U.S. Motive For Destruction Of Nord Stream Pipelines: Hersh Reveals U.S. Motive For Destruction Of Nord Stream Pipelines

FTC files “the big one,” a lawsuit alleging Amazon illegally maintains monopoly | Ars Technica

FTC files “the big one,” a lawsuit alleging Amazon illegally maintains monopoly | Ars Technica

Is World War III About to Start? Part II: Are the Military-Industrial Complex and Deep State Driving Us to War? – scheerpost.com

Is World War III About to Start? Part II: Are the Military-Industrial Complex and Deep State Driving Us to War? – scheerpost.com

China jitters turn private equity investors toward India, Indonesia - Nikkei Asia

China jitters turn private equity investors toward India, Indonesia - Nikkei Asia: HONG KONG -- Investors disappointed by China's slow recovery and lack of new growth drivers are turning to India and Southeast Asia for deals, even as

“Mary, Undoer of Knots” devotion rooted in an evaded divorce

“Mary, Undoer of Knots” devotion rooted in an evaded divorce

Filled with dread? This one Bible quote may be all you need

Filled with dread? This one Bible quote may be all you need

Can Ethics Be Taught? - The Catholic Thing

Can Ethics Be Taught? - The Catholic Thing

US Supreme Court to Make Decision on Case as 20 Attorneys General Weigh In | The Epoch Times

US Supreme Court to Make Decision on Case as 20 Attorneys General Weigh In | The Epoch Times: A group of 20 attorneys general requested the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling on enforcing bans on homeless encampments.

Bjorn Lomborg: Why Do We Fixate on Climate Rather Helping the World's Poor?

Bjorn Lomborg: Why Do We Fixate on Climate Rather Helping the World's Poor?

New York Times, Home of Misinformation | RealClearPolicy

New York Times, Home of Misinformation | RealClearPolicy

Free Speech Is in Serious Trouble in America: New Poll | RealClearPolicy

Free Speech Is in Serious Trouble in America: New Poll | RealClearPolicy

The US Military Is Laying the Groundwork to Reinstitute the Draft - Activist Post

The US Military Is Laying the Groundwork to Reinstitute the Draft - Activist Post

Mississippi River forecast: Grim outlook for rain and water levels | CNN

Mississippi River forecast: Grim outlook for rain and water levels | CNN

Where does the Colorado river start? An explorations of the map.

Where does the Colorado river start? An explorations of the map.

Taiwan Unveils First Domestic Submarine Amid China Tensions

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Slovak election: A NATO country could soon have a pro-Russian leader | CNN

Slovak election: A NATO country could soon have a pro-Russian leader | CNN

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Slovak election: A NATO country could soon have a pro-Russian leader | CNN

Slovak election: A NATO country could soon have a pro-Russian leader | CNN

How rumors and conspiracy theories impeded Maui's fire recovery : NPR

How rumors and conspiracy theories impeded Maui's fire recovery : NPR

Why the Pentagon’s ‘killer robots’ are spurring major concerns  | The Hill

Why the Pentagon’s ‘killer robots’ are spurring major concerns  | The Hill

Elon Musk blasts Biden over advice to UAW strikers | Fox Business

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New York City is sinking. These spots are sinking fastest. - The Washington Post

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Biden directs agencies to take steps to restore Pacific Northwest salmon | The Hill

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First evidence of spinning black hole detected by scientists | Black holes | The Guardian

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Ed Dowd Drops Devastating Report on Cardiovascular Deaths in the UK

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Groundbreaking German proposal to avert Ukraine war | Meer

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Schiller Institute Press Release: NATO Escalates for World War; Military and Foreign Affairs Experts Release Proposal: ‘Ending the War with a Negotiated Peace’ | The Schiller Institute

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This Nation Owes a Debt to the Vietnam Veterans Against the War - Antiwar.com Original

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MoA - Mainstream Media Admit - Ukraine's Propaganda Is Full Of Lies

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The Value of Failing - Ascension Press Media

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[Salon] The Many Lessons of the Ukraine War -

[Salon] The Many Lessons of the Ukraine War - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail: https://chasfreeman.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=2541&action=edit The Many Lessons of the Ukraine War Remarks to the East Bay Citizens for Peace https://chasfreeman.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=2541&action=edit The Many Lessons of the Ukraine War Remarks to the East Bay Citizens for Peace Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (USFS, Ret.) Visiting Scholar, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University The Barrington Library, Barrington, Rhode Island, 26 September 2023 I want to speak to you tonight about Ukraine – what has happened to it and why, how it is likely to emerge from the ordeal to which great power rivalry has subjected it; and what we can learn from this. I do so with some trepidation and a warning to this audience. My talk, like the conflict in Ukraine, is a long and complicated one. It contradicts propaganda that has been very convincing. My talk will offend anyone committed to the official narrative. The way the American media have dealt with the Ukraine war brings to mind a comment by Mark Twain: “The researches of many commentators have already thrown much darkness on this subject, and it is probable that, if they continue, we shall soon know nothing at all about it." It is said that, in war, truth is the first casualty. War is typically accompanied by a fog of official lies. No such fog has ever been as thick as in the Ukraine war. While many hundreds of thousands of people have fought and died in Ukraine, the propaganda machines in Brussels, Kyiv, London, Moscow, and Washington have worked overtime to ensure that we take passionate sides, believe what we want to believe, and condemn anyone who questions the narrative we have internalized. No one not on the front lines has any real idea of what has been happening in this war. What we know is only what our governments and other supporters of the war want us to know. And they have developed the bad habit of inhaling their own propaganda, which guarantees delusional policies. Every government that is a party to the Ukraine War – Kyiv, Moscow, Washington, and other NATO capitals – has been guilty of various degrees of self-deception and blundering misfeasance. The consequences for all have been dire. For Ukraine, they have been catastrophic. A radical rethinking of policy by all concerned is long overdue. Whence and Whither NATO? First, some necessary background. NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) came into being to defend the European countries within the post-World War II American sphere of influence against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and its satellite nations. NATO’s area of responsibility was the territory of its members in North America and Western Europe, but nowhere beyond that. The alliance helped maintain a balance of power and keep the peace in Europe during the four-plus decades of the Cold War. In 1991, however, the USSR dissolved, and the Cold War ended. That eliminated any credible threat to NATO members’ territory and raised this issue: if NATO was still the answer to something, what was the question? The U.S. armed forces had no problem responding to that conundrum. They had compelling vested interests in the preservation of NATO. · NATO had created and sustained a post-World War II European role and presence for the U.S. military, · This justified a much larger U.S. force structure and many more highly desirable billets for flag officers[1] than would otherwise exist, · NATO enhanced the international stature of the American armed forces while fostering a unique U.S. competence in multinational alliance and coalition management, and · It offered tours of duty in Europe that made peacetime military service more attractive to U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. Then, too, the 20th century had appeared to underscore that U.S. security was inseparable from that of other north Atlantic countries. The existence of European empires ensured that wars among the great powers of Europe – the Napoleonic wars, World War I and World War II – soon morphed into world wars. NATO was how the United States dominated and managed the Euro-Atlantic region in the Cold War. Disbanding NATO or a U.S. withdrawal from it would, arguably, just free Europeans to renew their quarreling and start yet another war that might not be confined to Europe. So, NATO had to be kept in business. The obvious way to accomplish that was to find a new, non-European role for the organization. NATO, it came to be said, had to go “out of area or out of business.” In other words, the alliance had to be repurposed to project military power beyond the territories of its Western European and North American member states. In 1998, NATO went to war with Serbia, bombing it in 1999 to detach Kosovo from it. In 2001, in response to the ‘9/11’ terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, it joined the U.S. in occupying and attempting to pacify Afghanistan.[2] In 2011, NATO fielded forces to engineer regime change in Libya. The Coup in Kyiv, Crimea, and the Rebellion of Russian Speaking Ukrainians In 2014, after a well-prepared[3] US-sponsored anti-Russian coup in Kyiv, Ukrainian ultranationalists banned the official use of Russian and other minority languages in their country and, at the same time, affirmed Ukraine’s intention to become part of NATO. Among other consequences, Ukrainian membership in NATO would place Russia’s 250-year-old naval base in the Crimean city of Sebastopol under NATO and hence U.S. control. Crimea was Russian-speaking and had several times voted not to be part of Ukraine. So, citing the precedent of NATO’S violent intervention to separate Kosovo from Serbia, Russia organized a referendum in Crimea that endorsed its reincorporation in the Russian Federation. The results were consistent with previous votes on the issue. Meanwhile, in response to Ukraine’s banning of the use of Russian in government offices and education, predominantly Russian-speaking areas in the country’s Donbas region attempted to secede. Kyiv sent forces to suppress the rebellion. Moscow responded by backing Ukrainian Russian speakers’ demands for the minority rights guaranteed to them by both the pre-coup Ukrainian constitution and the principles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). NATO backed Kyiv against Moscow. An escalating civil war among Ukrainians ensued. This soon evolved into an intensifying proxy war in Ukraine between the United States, NATO, and Russia. Negotiations at Minsk, mediated by the OSCE with French and German support, brokered agreement between Kyiv and Moscow on a package of measures, including: · a ceasefire, · the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line, · the release of prisoners of war, · constitutional reform in Ukraine granting self-government to certain areas of Donbas, and · the restoration of Kyiv’s control of the rebel areas’ borders with Russia. The United Nations Security Council endorsed these terms. They represented Moscow’s acceptance that Russian-speaking provinces in Ukraine would remain part of a united but federalized Ukraine, provided they enjoyed Québec-style linguistic autonomy. But, with U.S. support, Ukraine refused to carry out what it had agreed to. Years later, the French and Germans admitted that their mediation efforts at Minsk had been a ruse directed at gaining time to arm Kyiv against Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (like his predecessor in office, Petro Poroshenko) confessed that he had never planned to implement the accords. Moscow and NATO Enlargement In 1990, in the context of German reunification, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and Russia’s abandonment of its politico-economic sphere of influence in Central and Eastern Europe, the West had several times somewhat slyly but solemnly promised not to fill the resulting strategic vacuum by expanding NATO into it. But as the 1990s proceeded, despite a lack of enthusiasm on the part of some other NATO members, the United States insisted on doing just that. NATO enlargement steadily erased the Eastern European cordon sanitaire of independent neutral states that successive governments in Moscow had considered essential to Russian security. As former members of the Warsaw Pact entered NATO, U.S. weaponry, troops, and bases appeared on their territory. In 2008, in a final move to extend the U.S. sphere of influence to Russia’s borders, Washington persuaded NATO to declare its intention to admit both Ukraine and Georgia as members. The eastward deployment of U.S. forces placed ballistic missile defense launchers in both Romania and Poland. These were technically capable of rapid reconfiguration to mount short-range strikes on Moscow. Their deployment fueled Russian fears of a decapitating U.S. surprise attack. If Ukraine entered NATO and the U.S. made comparable deployments there, Russia would have only about five minutes’ warning of a strike on Moscow. NATO’s role in detaching Kosovo from Serbia and in U.S. regime-change and pacification operations in Afghanistan and Libya as well as its support of anti-Russian forces in Ukraine, had convinced Moscow that it could no longer dismiss NATO as a purely defensive alliance. As early as 1994, successive Russian governments began to warn the U.S. and NATO that continued NATO expansion – especially to Ukraine and Georgia – would compel a forceful response. Washington was aware of Russian determination to do this from multiple sources, including reports from its ambassadors in Moscow. In February 2007. Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, declared: “I think it is obvious that NATO expansion … represents a serious provocation … And we have the right to ask: against whom is this expansion intended? And what happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact?” On February 1, 2008, Ambassador Bill Burns, now the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), warned in a telegram from Moscow that, on this subject Russians were united and serious. Burns felt so strongly about the consequences of NATO expansion into Ukraine that he gave his cable the subject line, “Nyet Means Nyet” [“No means no.”] In March 2008, NATO nonetheless invited both Ukraine and Georgia to join it. Moscow protested that their “membership in the alliance is a huge strategic mistake which would have most serious consequences for pan-European security.” By August 2008, as if to underscore this point, when an emboldened Georgia sought to extend its rule to rebellious minority regions on the Russian border, Moscow went to war to consolidate their independence. Civil and Proxy War in Ukraine Less than a day after of the US-engineered coup that installed an anti-Russian regime in Kyiv in 2014, Washington formally recognized the new regime. When Russia then annexed Crimea and civil war broke out with Ukraine’s Russian speakers, the United States sided with and armed the Ukrainian ultranationalists whose policies had alienated Crimea and provoked the Russian-speaking secessionists. The United States and NATO began a multi-billion-dollar effort to reorganize, retrain, and re-equip Kyiv’s armed forces. The avowed purpose was to enable Kyiv to reconquer the Donbas and eventually Crimea. Ukraine’s regular army was then decrepit. Kyiv’s initial attacks on Russian speakers in the Ukrainian eastern and southern regions were largely conducted by ultranationalist militias.[4] By 2015, Russian soldiers were fighting alongside the Donbas rebels. An undeclared US/NATO proxy war with Russia had begun. Over the course of the next eight years – during which the Ukrainian civil war continued – Kyiv built a NATO-trained army of 700,000 – not counting one million reserves – and hardened it in battle with Russian-supported separatists. Ukrainian regulars numbered only slightly less than Russia’s then 830,000 active-duty military personnel. In eight years, Ukraine had acquired a larger force than any NATO member other than the United States or Türkiye, outnumbering the armed forces of Britain, France, and Germany combined. Not surprisingly, Russia saw this as a threat. Meanwhile, as tensions with Russia escalated, in early 2019 the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, which had barred ground-launched missiles with ranges of up to 3,420 miles from deployment in Europe. Russia condemned this as a “destructive” act that would stoke security risks. Despite ongoing misgivings on the part of some other NATO members, at American insistence, NATO continued periodically to reiterate its offer to incorporate Ukraine as a member, doing so once more on September 1, 2021. By that time, after billions of dollars of U.S. training and arms transfers, Kyiv judged it was finally ready to crush its Russian speakers’ rebellion and their Russian allies. As 2021 ended, Ukraine stepped up pressure on the Donbas separatists and deployed forces to mount a major offensive against them timed for early 2022. Moscow Demands Negotiations At about the same time, in mid-December 2021, twenty-eight years after Moscow’s first warning to Washington, Vladimir Putin issued a formal demand for written security guarantees to reduce the apparent threats to Russia from NATO enlargement by restoring Ukrainian neutrality, banning the stationing of U.S. forces on Russia’s borders, and reinstating limits on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in Europe. The Russian foreign ministry then presented a draft treaty to Washington incorporating these terms – which echoed similar demands put forward by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin in 1997. At the same time, apparently both to underscore Moscow’s seriousness and to counter Kyiv’s planned offensive against the Donbas secessionists, Russia massed troops along its borders with Ukraine. On January 26, 2022, the U.S. formally responded that neither it nor NATO would agree to negotiate Ukrainian neutrality or other such issues with Russia. A few days later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laid out his understanding of the American and NATO positions at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council as follows: “[Our] Western colleagues are not prepared to take up our major proposals, primarily those on NATO’s eastward non-expansion. This demand was rejected with reference to the bloc’s so-called open-door policy and the freedom of each state to choose its own way of ensuring security. Neither the United States, nor [NATO] … proposed an alternative to this key provision.” Moscow wanted negotiations but, in their absence, was prepared to go to war to remove the threats to which it objected. Washington knew this when it rejected talks with Moscow. The American refusal to talk was an unambiguous decision to accept the risk of war rather than explore any compromise or accommodation with Russia. U.S. and allied intelligence services immediately began releasing information purporting to describe impending Russian military operations[5] in what they described as an attempt to deter them. Russia Invades Ukraine In mid-February, fighting between Ukrainian army and secessionist forces in Donbas intensified, with OSCE observers reporting a rapid rise in ceasefire violations by both sides but with most allegedly initiated by Kyiv. Perhaps disingenuously, the Donbas secessionists appealed to Moscow to protect them and ordered a general evacuation of civilians to safe havens in Russia. On February 21, Russian President Putin recognized the independence of the two Donbas “people’s republics” and ordered Russian forces to secure them against Ukrainian attacks. On February 24, 2022, in an address to the Russian nation, Putin declared that "Russia cannot feel safe, develop, and exist with a constant threat emanating from the territory of modern Ukraine” and announced that he had ordered what he called a “special military operation” “to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide . . . for the last eight years” and to “strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.” He added that: “It is a fact that over the past 30 years we have been patiently trying to come to an agreement with the leading NATO countries regarding the principles of equal and indivisible security in Europe. In response to our proposals, we invariably faced either cynical deception and lies or attempts at pressure and blackmail, while the North Atlantic alliance continued to expand despite our protests and concerns. Its military machine is moving and, as I said, is approaching our very border.” The official narrative put forward in U.S. and NATO information warfare against Russia contradicts every element of this statement by President Putin, but the record affirms it. The Run-up to the U.S.-Russian Proxy War in Ukraine In the post-Soviet era: · NATO – the U.S. sphere of influence and military presence in Europe – constantly expanded toward Russia’s borders despite escalating Russian warnings and protests. · By contrast, Moscow was in constant retreat. It had abandoned its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. It made no effort to reestablish it. · Moscow repeatedly warned that NATO enlargement and U.S. forward deployment of forces that might threaten it, especially from Ukraine, were a grave threat to it to which it would feel compelled to react. · Given NATO’s transformation from a purely defensive, Europe-focused alliance into an instrument for power projection in support of U.S. regime-change and other military operations beyond its members’ borders, Moscow had a reasonable basis for concern that Ukrainian membership in NATO would pose an active threat to its security. This threat was underscored by U.S. withdrawal from the treaty that had prevented it from stationing intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe, including in Ukraine. · Moscow consistently demanded neutrality for Ukraine. Neutrality would make Ukraine both a buffer and bridge between itself and the rest of Europe, rather than part of Russia or a platform for Russian power projection against the rest of Europe. · By contrast, the United States sought to make Ukraine a member of NATO – part of its sphere of influence – and a platform for the deployment of U.S. military power against Russia. · Moscow agreed at Minsk to respect continued Ukrainian sovereignty in the Donbas region, provided the rights of Russian speakers there were guaranteed. But, with support from the U.S. and NATO, Ukraine declined to implement the Minsk agreement and redoubled its effort to subjugate the Donbas. · When Washington refused to hear the Russian case for mutual accommodation in Europe and instead insisted on Ukrainian membership in NATO, the U.S. government knew that this would produce a Russian military response. In fact, Washington publicly predicted this. · Early in the resulting war, when third-party mediation achieved a draft peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, the West – represented by the British – insisted that Ukraine repudiate it. This sad incident brings me to the war aims of the participants in the war. War Aims in Ukraine Kyiv has not wavered from its objectives of: · Forging a purely Ukrainian national identity from which Russian and other languages, cultures, and religious authorities are excluded. · Subjugating the Russian speakers who rebelled in response to this attempt at their forced assimilation. · Obtaining U.S. and NATO protection and integrating with the EU. · Reconquering the Russian-speaking territories Moscow has illegally annexed from Ukraine, including both the Donbas oblasts and Crimea. Moscow clearly stated its maximum and minimum objectives in the draft treaty that it presented to Washington on December 17, 2021. Core Russian interests have been and remain: · (1) to deny Ukraine to the American sphere of influence that has engulfed the rest of Eastern Europe by compelling Ukraine to affirm neutrality between the United States / NATO and Russia, and · (2) to protect and ensure the basic rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine. Washington’s objectives – which NATO has dutifully adopted as its own – have been much more open-ended and unspecific. As National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan put it in June 2022, “We have . . . refrained from laying out what we see as an endgame. . .. We have been focused on what we can do today, tomorrow, next week to strengthen the Ukrainians’ hand to the maximum extent possible, first on the battlefield and then ultimately at the negotiating table.” Inasmuch as the first principle of warfare is to establish realistic objectives, a strategy to achieve them, and a plan for war termination, this is a perfect description of how to brew up a “forever war.” As Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Syria, and Yemen attest, this has become the established American way of war. No clear objectives, no plan to achieve them, and no concept of how to end the war, on what terms, and with whom. The most cogent statement of U.S. objectives in this war was offered by President Biden as it began. He said his goal with Russia was to “sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come” – whatever it takes. At no point has the United States government or NATO declared that the protection of Ukraine or Ukrainians, as opposed to exploiting their bravery to take down Russia, is the central American objective. In April 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reiterated that U.S. aid to Ukraine was intended to weaken and isolate Russia and thereby deprive it of any credible capacity to make war in future. Quite a few American politicians and pundits have extolled the benefits to having Ukrainians rather than Americans sacrifice their lives for this purpose. Some have gone farther and advocated the breakup of the Russian Federation as a war aim. If you are Russian, you don’t have to be paranoid to see such threats as existential. Russian President Putin assesses U.S. war aims as directed at humbling the Russian Federation strategically and, if possible, overthrowing its government, and dismembering it.[6] The United States has not disputed this assessment. Peace Set Aside In mid-March 2022, the government of Turkey and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett mediated between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, who tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement. The agreement provided that Russia would withdraw to its position on February 23, when it controlled part of the Donbas region and all of Crimea, and in exchange, Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership and instead receive security guarantees from a number of countries. A meeting between Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky was in the process of being arranged to finalize this agreement, which the negotiators had initialed ad referendum – meaning subject to the approval of their superiors. On March 28, 2022. President Zelensky publicly affirmed that Ukraine was ready for neutrality combined with security guarantees as part of a peace agreement with Russia. But on April 9 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv. During this visit, he reportedly urged Zelensky not to meet Putin because (1) Putin was a war criminal and weaker than he seemed. He should and could be crushed rather than accommodated; and (2) even if Ukraine was ready to end the war, NATO was not. Zelensky’s proposed meeting with Putin was then called off. Putin declared that talks with Ukraine had come to a dead end. Zelensky explained that “Moscow would like to have one treaty that would resolve all the issues. However, not everyone sees themselves at the table with Russia. For them, security guarantees for Ukraine is one issue, and the agreement with the Russian Federation is another issue.” This marked the end of bilateral Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and thus of any prospect of a resolution of the conflict anywhere but on the battlefield. What Happened and Who’s Winning What This war was born in and has been continued due to miscalculations by all sides. NATO expansion was legal but predictably provocative. Russia’s response was entirely predictable, if illegal, and has proven very costly to it. Ukraine’s de facto military integration into NATO has resulted in its devastation. The United States calculated that Russian threats to go to war over Ukrainian neutrality were bluffs that might be deterred by outlining and denigrating Russian plans and intentions as Washington understood them. Russia assumed that the United States would prefer negotiations to war and would wish to avoid the redivision of Europe into hostile blocs. Ukrainians counted on the West protecting their country. When Russian performance in the first months of the war proved lackluster, the West concluded that Ukraine could defeat it. None of these calculations have proved correct. Nevertheless, official propaganda, amplified by subservient mainstream and social media, has convinced most in the West that rejecting negotiations on NATO expansion and encouraging Ukraine to fight Russia is somehow “pro-Ukrainian.” Sympathy for the Ukrainian war effort is entirely understandable, but, as the Vietnam War should have taught us, democracies lose when cheerleading replaces objectivity in reporting and governments prefer their own propaganda to the truth of what is happening on the battleground. The only way you can judge the success or failure of policies is by reference to the objectives they were designed to achieve. So, how are the participants in the Ukraine War doing in terms of achieving their objectives? Let’s start with Ukraine. From 2014 to 2022, the civil war in Donbas took nearly 15,000 lives. How many have been killed in action since the US/NATO-Russian proxy war began in February 2022 is unknown but is certainly in the several hundreds of thousands. Casualty numbers have been concealed by unprecedentedly intense information warfare. The only information in the West about the dead and wounded has been propaganda from Kyiv claiming vast numbers of Russian dead while revealing nothing at all about Ukrainian casualties. It is known, however, that ten percent of Ukrainians are now involved with the armed forces and 78 percent have relatives or friends who have been killed or wounded. An estimated 50,000 Ukrainians are now amputees. (By comparison, only 41,000 Britons had to have amputations in World War I, when the procedure was often the only one available to prevent death. Fewer than 2,000 U.S. veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions had amputations.) Most observers believe that Ukrainian forces have taken much heavier losses than their Russian enemies and that hundreds of thousands of them have given their lives in their country’s defense and efforts to retake territory occupied by the Russians. When the war began, Ukraine had a population of about thirty-one million. The country has since lost at least one-third of its people. Over six million have taken refuge in the West. Two million more have left for Russia. Another eight million Ukrainians have been driven from their homes but remain in Ukraine. Ukraine’s infrastructure, industries, and cities have been devastated and its economy destroyed. As is usual in wars, corruption – long a prominent feature of Ukrainian politics – has been rampant. Ukraine’s nascent democracy is no more, with all opposition parties, uncontrolled media outlets, and dissent outlawed. On the other hand, Russian aggression has united Ukrainians, including many who are Russian speaking, to an extent never seen before. Moscow has thereby inadvertently reinforced the separate Ukrainian identity that both Russian mythology and President Putin have sought to deny. What Ukraine has lost in territory it has gained in patriotic cohesion based on passionate opposition to Moscow. The flip side of this is that Ukraine’s Russian-speaking separatists have also had their Russian identity reinforced. Ukrainian refugees in Russia are the hardest of hardliners demanding retribution from Kyiv. There is now little to no possibility of Russian speakers accepting a status in a united Ukraine, as would have been the case under the Minsk Accords. And, with the failure of Ukraine’s “counteroffensive,” it is very unlikely that Donbas or Crimea will ever return to Ukrainian sovereignty. As the war continues, Ukraine may well lose still more territory, including its access to the Black Sea. What has been lost on the battlefield and in the hearts of the people cannot be regained at the negotiating table. Ukraine will emerge from this war maimed, crippled, and much reduced in both territory and population. Finally, there is now no realistic prospect of Ukrainian membership in NATO. As NSC Advisor Sullivan has said, “everyone needs to look squarely at the fact” that allowing Ukraine to join NATO at this point “means war with Russia.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that the prerequisite for Ukrainian membership in NATO is a peace treaty between it and Russia. No such treaty is anywhere in sight. In continuing to insist that Ukraine will become a NATO member once the war is concluded, the West has perversely incentivized Russia not to agree to end the war. But, in the end, Ukraine will have to make its peace with Russia, almost certainly largely on Russian terms. Whatever else the war may be achieving, it has not been good for Ukraine. Ukraine’s bargaining position vis-à-vis Russia has been greatly weakened. But then, Kyiv’s fate has always been an afterthought in U.S. policy circles. Washington has instead sought to exploit Ukrainian courage to thrash Russia, reinvigorate NATO, and reinforce U.S. primacy in Europe. And it has not spent any time at all thinking about how to restore peace to Europe. How about Russia? Has it succeeded in expelling American influence from Ukraine, forced Kyiv to declare neutrality, or reinstating the rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine? Clearly not. For now, at least, Ukraine has become a complete dependency of the United States and its NATO allies. Kyiv is an embittered, long-term antagonist of Moscow. Kyiv clings to its ambition to join NATO. Russians in Ukraine are the targets of the local version of cancel culture. Whatever the outcome of the war, mutual animosity has erased the Russian myth of Russian-Ukrainian brotherhood based on a common origin in Kievan Rus. Russia has had to abandon three centuries of efforts to identify with Europe and instead pivot to China, India, the Islamic world, and Africa. Reconciliation with a seriously alienated European Union will not come easily, if at all. Russia may not have lost on the battlefield or been weakened or strategically isolated, but it has incurred huge opportunity costs. Then, too, NATO has expanded to include Finland and Sweden. This does not change the military balance in Europe. Western portrayal of Russia as inherently predatory notwithstanding, Moscow has had neither the desire nor the capability to attack either of these two formerly very Western-aligned and formidably armed but nominally “neutral” states. Nor does either Finland or Sweden have any intention of joining an unprovoked attack on Russia. But their decision to join NATO is politically wounding for Moscow. Since the West shows no willingness to accommodate Russian security concerns, if Moscow is to achieve its goals, it now has no apparent alternative to battling on. As it does so, it is stimulating European determination to meet previously ignored NATO targets for defense spending and to acquire self-reliant military capabilities directed at countering Russia independently of those of the United States. Poland is reemerging as a powerful hostile force on Russia’s borders. These trends are changing the European military balance to Moscow’s long-term disadvantage. What about the United States? In 2022 alone the United States approved $113 billion in aid to Ukraine. The Russian defense budget then was then less than half of that -- $54 billion. It has since roughly doubled. Russian defense industries have been revitalized. Some now produce more weaponry in a month than they previously did in a year. Russia’s autarkic economy has weathered 18 months of all-out war against it from both the U.S. and the EU. It just overtook Germany to become the fifth wealthiest economy in the world and the largest in Europe in terms of purchasing power parity. Despite repeated Western claims that Russia was running out of ammunition and losing the war of attrition in Ukraine, it has not, while the West has. Ukrainian bravery, which has been hugely impressive, has been no match for Russian firepower. Meanwhile, the alleged Russian threat to the West, once a powerful argument for NATO unity, has lost credibility. Russia’s armed forces have proven unable to conquer Ukraine, still less the rest of Europe. But the war has taught Russia how to counter and overcome much of the most advanced weaponry of the United States and other Western countries. Before the United States and NATO rejected negotiations, Russia was prepared to accept a neutral and federalized Ukraine. In the opening phase of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia reaffirmed this willingness in a draft peace treaty with Ukraine which the United States and NATO blocked Kyiv from signing. Western diplomatic intransigence has failed to persuade Moscow to accommodate Ukrainian nationalism or accept Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO and the American sphere of influence in Europe. The proxy war seems instead to have convinced Moscow that it must gut Ukraine, keep the Ukrainian territories it has illegally annexed, and likely add more, thus ensuring that Ukraine is a dysfunctional state unable either to join NATO or to fulfill the ultranationalist, anti-Russian vision of its World War II neo-Nazi hero, Stepan Bandera. The war has led to the superficial unity of NATO but there are obvious fissures among members. The sanctions imposed on Russia have done heavy damage to European economies. Without Russian energy supplies, some European industries are no longer internationally competitive. As NATO’s recent summit at Vilnius showed, member countries differ on the desirability of admitting Ukraine. NATO unity seems unlikely to outlast the war. These realities help explain why most of America’s European partners want to end the war as soon as possible. The Ukraine War has clearly put paid to the post-Soviet era in Europe, but it has not made Europe in any respect more secure. It has not enhanced America’s international reputation or consolidated U.S. primacy. The war has instead accelerated the emergence of a post-American multi-polar world order. One feature of this is an anti-American axis between Russia and China. To weaken Russia, the United States has resorted to unprecedentedly intrusive unilateral sanctions, including secondary sanctions targeting normal arms-length commercial activity that does not involve a U.S. nexus and is legal in the jurisdictions of the transacting parties. Washington has been actively blocking trade between countries that have nothing to do with Ukraine or the war there because they won’t jump on the U.S. bandwagon. As a result, much of the world is now engaged in pursuit of financial and supply-chain linkages that are independent of U.S. control. This includes intensified international efforts to end dollar hegemony, which is the basis for U.S. global primacy. Should these efforts succeed, the United States will no longer be able to run the trade and balance of payments deficits that sustain its current standard of living and status as the most powerful society on the planet. Washington’s use of political and economic pressure to compel other countries to conform to its anti-Russian and anti-Chinese policies has clearly backfired. It has encouraged even former U.S. client states to search for ways to avoid entanglement in future American conflicts and proxy wars they do not support, like that in Ukraine. To this end, they are abandoning exclusive reliance on the United States and forging ties to multiple economic and politico-military partners. Far from isolating Russia or China, America’s coercive diplomacy has helped both Moscow and Beijing to enhance relationships in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that reduce U.S. influence in favor of their own. To summarize: In short, U.S. policy has resulted in great suffering in Ukraine and escalating defense budgets here and in Europe but has failed to weaken or isolate Russia. More of the same will not accomplish either of these oft-stated American objectives. Russia has been educated in how to combat American weapons systems and has developed effective counters to them. It has been militarily strengthened, not weakened. It has been reoriented and freed from Western influence, not isolated. If the purpose of war is to establish a better peace, this war is not doing that. Ukraine is being eviscerated on the altar of Russophobia. At this point, no one can confidently predict how much of Ukraine or how many Ukrainians will be left when the fighting stops or when and how to stop it. Kyiv just failed to meet more than a fraction of its recruitment goals. Combating Russia to the last Ukrainian was always an odious strategy. But when NATO is about to run out of Ukrainians, it is not just cynical; it is no longer a viable option. Lessons to be Learned from the Ukraine War What can we learn from this debacle? It has provided many unwelcome reminders of the basic principles of statecraft. · Wars do not decide who is right. They determine who is left. · The best way to avoid war is to reduce or eliminate the apprehensions and grievances that cause it. · When you refuse to hear, let alone address an aggrieved party’s case for adjustments in your policies toward it, you risk a violent reaction from it. · No one should enter a war without realistic objectives, a strategy to achieve them, and a plan for war termination. · Self-righteousness and bravery are no substitutes for military mass, firepower, and stamina. · In the end, wars are won and lost on the battlefield, not with propaganda inspired by and directed at reinforcing wishful thinking. · What has been lost on the battlefield can seldom, if ever, be recovered at the negotiating table. · When wars cannot be won, it is usually better to seek terms by which to end them than to reinforce strategic failure. It is time to prioritize saving as much as possible of Ukraine. This war has become existential for it. Ukraine needs diplomatic backing to craft a peace with Russia if its military sacrifices are not to have been in vain. It is being destroyed. It must be rebuilt. The key to preserving Ukraine is to empower and back Kyiv to end the war on the best terms it can obtain, to facilitate the return of its refugees, and to use the EU accession process to advance liberal reforms and institute clean government in a neutral Ukraine. Unfortunately, as things stand, both Moscow and Washington seem determined to persist in Ukraine’s ongoing destruction. But whatever the outcome of the war, Kyiv and Moscow will eventually have to find a basis for coexistence. Washington needs to support Kyiv in challenging Russia to recognize both the wisdom and the necessity of respect for Ukrainian neutrality and territorial integrity. Finally, this war should provoke some sober rethinking here, in Moscow, and by NATO of the consequences of diplomacy-free, militarized foreign policy. Had the United States agreed to talk with Moscow, even if it had continued to reject much of what Moscow demanded, Russia would not have invaded Ukraine as it did. Had the West not intervened to prevent Ukraine from ratifying the treaty others helped it agree with Russia at the outset of the war, Ukraine would now be intact and at peace. This war did not need to take place. Every party to it has lost far more than it has gained. There’s a lot to be learned from what has happened in and to Ukraine. We should study and learn these lessons and take them to heart. [1] Generals and admirals. [2] Ukraine contributed troops to this NATO operation despite not being a member of the alliance. [3] Reportedly, by 2014, various agencies of the U.S. government had committed a cumulative total of $5 billion or more to political subsidies and education in support of regime change in Ukraine. [4] Prior to the U.S. and NATO decision to aid Ukraine against its Russian-backed separatists, these militias were commonly identified as neo-Nazi in the Western media. They professed to be followers of Stepan Bandera – who has now been adopted as a revered national figure by Kyiv. Bandera was famous for his extreme Ukrainian nationalism, fascism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and violence. He and his followers were allegedly responsible for massacring 50,000 - 100,000 Poles and for collaborating with the Nazis in the murder of an even larger number of Jews. After the US/NATO proxy war broke out, despite their continuing display of Nazi regalia and symbols on their uniforms and their ties to neo-Nazi groups in other countries, Western media ceased to characterize these militias as neo-Nazis. [5] The “special military operation’ mounted by Russia bore little resemblance to the specific predictions put forward in this information warfare, which appears have been designed as much to rally support for Ukraine and boost its morale as to deter Russia. [6] See, e.g., https://jamestown.org/event/watch-the-video-preparing-for-the-dissolution-of-the-russian-federation/ -- Salon mailing list

The World Beyond Our Window - The Catholic Thing

The World Beyond Our Window - The Catholic Thing

Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - I’d like to put the emphasis on today’s first reading, from Isaiah. The beginning of this reading is practical: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near.” Is there anyone you would like to say that to? Someone close to you who, perhaps, was once a seeker of the Lord? A relative and friend? Maybe a child who has now gone in another direction? Such a person was Dan Wakefield, a novelist and screenwriter. He used to call himself a former Christian; a fallen angel. He lived the high life of New York and Hollywood; his books were best sellers and two became movies. He led a self-indulgent life in the fast lane. One Christmas Eve in Boston, he left his grand hotel and went to look for a bar. While looking, he passed King’s Chapel where people were going in. He thought, “Oh yes, I remember Christmas Eve. That is what people do, go to church.” So, he stumbled into the church and sat down by the crib. Seeing the Christ Child there, that Gentle God in human form, the words of St. John’s Gospel kept going through his mind: “And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” He was caught by old memories of family. Something resonated in his soul, and it was not long before he returned to his roots; returned to Christ. And he wrote a very beautiful book about that return. It is simply called Returning. Another person who was seeking was a young woman named Catherine Whitemore. She grew up an Episcopalian and she had good memories. She creates coloring books for bible school, stories about Jesus. In college, she never went to church and scoffed at organized religion. But after her mother died, she wanted to go back. So she looked up the yellow pages and found 48 listings for Episcopal Churches. The first one was very grand with a famous choir and liturgy. It all felt rather anonymous; you were an onlooker, just listening to the wonderful music. And watching the movements on the altar, she felt just part of an audience. She kept searching and found a small church where everyone took part in the liturgy. But above all what first attracted her was the large crucifix on the altar. And her first thought was “God so loved me that He allowed this to be done to His Son. This is not the way I would have saved the world. No, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s ways are not our ways.” It is interesting, the paths these two seekers, Dan Wakefield and Catherine Whitemore, took. One is captured by the crib, the other by the cross. Both by the memories they stirred up. The basic testimony of both these people is that their return was precisely that: a return. Someone had already in their young years laid a foundation. There were pictures and prayers and bible school and family church going. Later on, it is true they left all that. But it did not leave them. Grace was but dormant, and merely waiting. Waiting to be resurrected by the crib or the cross of another time. Their stories remind us of the importance of laying good foundations: In short, the memories you are creating for your community, your family, your parish. Never underestimate the power of memories. Whether you teach others the gentleness and nearness of the crib, or the demands and cost of the cross, do it early and do it often. Do it faithfully, do it with your own lives. If you do not forget, perhaps someone someday will remember. Remember what you showed them by example, and maybe the crib or the cross will remind them that the Lord is near to all who call upon Him. Yours in Christ, Fr. Robert Warren, S.A. Spiritual Director

MoA - Hersh Reveals U.S. Motive For Destruction Of Nord Stream Pipelines

MoA - Hersh Reveals U.S. Motive For Destruction Of Nord Stream Pipelines

Higher for longer US rates ringing Asia alarm bells - Asia Times

Higher for longer US rates ringing Asia alarm bells - Asia Times: The broadside Moody’s Investors Service just fired at the US dollar and interest rates dramatizes why the next few months could be uniquely chaotic for

Bjorn Lomborg: Why Do We Fixate on Climate Rather Helping the World's Poor?

Bjorn Lomborg: Why Do We Fixate on Climate Rather Helping the World's Poor?

Fifth Circuit Panel Reconsidering Part of Its Missouri v. Biden Decision

Fifth Circuit Panel Reconsidering Part of Its Missouri v. Biden Decision

In Historic Move, Israel Accepted Into U.S. Visa Waiver Program - Israel News - Haaretz.com

In Historic Move, Israel Accepted Into U.S. Visa Waiver Program - Israel News - Haaretz.com

So, How Do You Think World War III Is Going?

So, How Do You Think World War III Is Going?

Tucker Carlson slams abortion as 'human sacrifice': 'This is a spiritual battle' - LifeSite

Tucker Carlson slams abortion as 'human sacrifice': 'This is a spiritual battle' - LifeSite

Bishop Strickland on same-sex 'blessings': God does not and cannot bless sin - LifeSite

Bishop Strickland on same-sex 'blessings': God does not and cannot bless sin - LifeSite

(59) Prof. John J. Mearsheimer: Who Really Started Ukraine War? - YouTube

(59) Prof. John J. Mearsheimer: Who Really Started Ukraine War? - YouTube

Newly found note shows St. Teresa's pact with Dorothy Day

Newly found note shows St. Teresa's pact with Dorothy Day

Dorothy Day as remembered by a friend

Dorothy Day as remembered by a friend

Saudi-Israeli deal would be a gamechanger but not for the reasons discussed

Saudi-Israeli deal would be a gamechanger but not for the reasons discussed

FTC Sues Amazon, Alleging Illegal Online-Marketplace Monopoly - WSJ

FTC Sues Amazon, Alleging Illegal Online-Marketplace Monopoly - WSJ

A Robotic Helping Hand for Aging in Place – MIT Spectrum

A Robotic Helping Hand for Aging in Place – MIT Spectrum

MIT Sloan Professor Nathan Wilmers Examines How Workers Can Move on Up – MIT Spectrum

MIT Sloan Professor Nathan Wilmers Examines How Workers Can Move on Up – MIT Spectrum

Solomon Islands joins China-backed AIIB days after PM snubs Biden invite for Pacific summit at White House | South China Morning Post

Solomon Islands joins China-backed AIIB days after PM snubs Biden invite for Pacific summit at White House | South China Morning Post

IRS Targets ‘Complex Pass-Through Entities’ Used by High-Income Earners | The Epoch Times

IRS Targets ‘Complex Pass-Through Entities’ Used by High-Income Earners | The Epoch Times

The Chris Hedges Report Podcast with Jeffrey Sachs

The Chris Hedges Report Podcast with Jeffrey Sachs

Fauci Diverted US Government Away From Lab Leak Theory Of COVID’s Origin, Sources Say

Fauci Diverted US Government Away From Lab Leak Theory Of COVID’s Origin, Sources Say

Israeli Think Tank Proposes Defense Treaty with the US

Israeli Think Tank Proposes Defense Treaty with the US

South Korea shows off military hardware in display of might - Nikkei Asia

South Korea shows off military hardware in display of might - Nikkei Asia

War of Economic Corridors: the India-Mideast-Europe ploy

War of Economic Corridors: the India-Mideast-Europe ploy

Surfside set to decide future of site where condo building collapsed - The Washington Post

Surfside set to decide future of site where condo building collapsed - The Washington Post

The Growing Danger of Dams | TIME

The Growing Danger of Dams | TIME: Deadly dam failures like those in Derna, Libya will become more common, as the environmental cost of dams increasingly becomes clear.

Key details behind Nord Stream pipeline blasts revealed by scientists | Nord Stream 1 pipeline | The Guardian

Key details behind Nord Stream pipeline blasts revealed by scientists | Nord Stream 1 pipeline | The Guardian: Researchers in Norway reveal further analysis of 2022 explosions as well as a detailed timeline of events

Russia is increasingly using China’s currency to evade sanctions | Financial Times

Russia is increasingly using China’s currency to evade sanctions | Financial Times

Pentagon Acquisition Boss: China’s Defense Base Is ‘Really Impressive’

Pentagon Acquisition Boss: China’s Defense Base Is ‘Really Impressive’

Was Washington's Bio-Weapon Attack on China a Success?, by Mike Whitney - The Unz Review

Was Washington's Bio-Weapon Attack on China a Success?, by Mike Whitney - The Unz Review

Saudi Arabia poll found 'declining' support for Israeli normalization | Al Mayadeen English

Saudi Arabia poll found 'declining' support for Israeli normalization | Al Mayadeen English

Poland may want Canada to extradite Ukrainian Nazi veteran Yaroslav Hunka - The Washington Post

Poland may want Canada to extradite Ukrainian Nazi veteran Yaroslav Hunka - The Washington Post

China’s Yuan Revolution Reaches Brazil and Argentina – The Diplomat

China’s Yuan Revolution Reaches Brazil and Argentina – The Diplomat

Book review: The Echidna Strategy by Sam Roggeveen

Book review: The Echidna Strategy by Sam Roggeveen

Inside Hindu nationalists’ vast digital campaign to inflame India - The Washington Post

Inside Hindu nationalists’ vast digital campaign to inflame India - The Washington Post

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

How Mick Jagger Has Kept the Rolling Stones in Business for Six Decades - WSJ

How Mick Jagger Has Kept the Rolling Stones in Business for Six Decades - WSJ

New York Judge Rules Trump Committed Fraud in Valuing Assets - WSJ

New York Judge Rules Trump Committed Fraud in Valuing Assets - WSJ

Bill Gates suddenly abandons climate doom narrative as populations push back against globalism

Bill Gates suddenly abandons climate doom narrative as populations push back against globalism

This is what Earth’s continents will look like in 250 million years

This is what Earth’s continents will look like in 250 million years

Opinion: Is CIA Director Bill Burns Helping Ukraine to Win or Blocking It?

Opinion: Is CIA Director Bill Burns Helping Ukraine to Win or Blocking It?

China, US de-escalate with talks, metals concession - Asia Times

China, US de-escalate with talks, metals concession - Asia Times

PA President welcomes first-ever Saudi ambassador to Palestine

PA President welcomes first-ever Saudi ambassador to Palestine

US Taxpayer Dollars are Subsidizing Small Businesses in Ukraine - News From Antiwar.com

US Taxpayer Dollars are Subsidizing Small Businesses in Ukraine - News From Antiwar.com

Listen to this Article: "Humanitarian Imperialism Created the Libyan Nightmare."

Listen to this Article: "Humanitarian Imperialism Created the Libyan Nightmare."

When will Israel seek forgiveness for its crimes against Palestinians? | Middle East Eye

When will Israel seek forgiveness for its crimes against Palestinians? | Middle East Eye

The US government denies Tucker Carlson the opportunity to interview Putin -Die US-Regierung verweigert Tucker Carlson die Möglichkeit, Putin zu interviewen – Anti-Spiegel

Die US-Regierung verweigert Tucker Carlson die Möglichkeit, Putin zu interviewen – Anti-Spiegel https://www.anti-spiegel.ru/2023/die-us-regierung-verweigert-tucker-carlson-die-moeglichkeit-putin-zu-interviewen/ The US government denies Tucker Carlson the opportunity to interview Putin from anti-mirror 25. September 2023 The television presenter noted that no one from the US media supported him when he expressed his desire for such an interview. TASS, 25. September. The television presenter Tucker Carlson told the Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche that he had tried to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin, but had been prevented from doing so by the US government. "I tried to interview Vladimir Putin, but the US government prevented me from doing so. Think about it," the journalist told the newspaper on Sunday, noting that no one in the US media supported his right as a journalist to report on the Russian leader's views on the Ukraine conflict. He also said that the US government has been aggressively trying to gain control of all US media for decades, and that most media professionals are afraid to say something that could be uncomfortable for those in power. On the 27th In August, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the television station RT, said in a broadcast of the television station Rossiya-1, Carlson had expressed the desire to interview Putin and asked to provide this information to the Russian head of state.