Foreign Digest: Australia-United Kingdom-United States Pact, United Arab Emirates, and Russia

Australia-United Kingdom-United States Pact: Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States recently formed a defense pact, called AUKUS, to defend against Communist China, which has become militarily threatening to the Pacific region. The U.K. and U.S. will provide nuclear submarines to Australia. United Arab Emirates Parliamentary Elections: The United Arab Emirates held parliamentary elections for the first time this weekend, becoming the latest Arab State to allow representative government. Russian Elections Update: There were protests because of the recent rigged Russian parliamentary election I posted about last month, organized by the leading opposition party, the Communists. The center-right opposition, which was blocked from participation in the election, urged voters to vote for the Communists because it is one of only a handful of opposition parties that are effectively allowed to participate in opposition to the leading party of tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet KGB officer. Only parties that are supportive of Putin or that only mildly criticize him are allowed to participate, particularly if they are radical extremes that make the Russian strongman seem reasonable by contrast. Opposition candidates are arrested, forced into exile or assassinated, like anyone who stands for liberty in Russia. There were arrests of protestors, as always, as Putin is intolerant of the freedom of assembly, among other freedoms.