American Interests at Stake in Ukraine

At stake with the threat of Russian invasion of Ukraine are the principles of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The United States and its allies must continue their longstanding policy of opposing aggression, like conservatives had opposed appeasement of the Axis Powers in the 1930s in the face of their aggression around the world. It is not only in America’s interest to oppose the use of force for international disputes and to defend its allies, but by standing for these principles, we thereby are defending our own independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Russian Federation agreed by treaty with Ukraine to accept its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which was part of a deal with the West to eliminate Soviet nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Republic. In exchange, Russia was allowed the use of a base for its share of the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet on Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Under ex-Soviet intelligence officer Vladimir Putin, the Russian tyrant, Russia violated the treaty in 2014 when it invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea. He had also invaded the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in 2008. Russia then backed ethnic Russia separatists with arms and materiel in eastern Ukraine and covertly sent troops. Putin now threatens a large-scale overt invasion of eastern Ukraine. Like Germany’s invasion under Adolph Hitler of the territory of foreign States where there were German-speakers, the Russian dictator claims he has the right to invade his neighbors where there are Russian-speakers, which is only an excuse for aggression. The ethnic minority of Russians has more freedom in representative republics like Ukraine than Russians do under the tyranny of Putin. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 as a defensive military alliance to defend Europe and North America against the Soviet Union and International Communism. The Russian Federation succeeded the Soviet Union in 1991. Putin has lamented the breakup of the Soviet Union and has attempted to reinstate it by interfering in politics in the former Soviet Republics through using various means. His claim that NATO is a threat to Russia is baseless, as it is only a defensive pact. Its defense procedures were only ever invoked after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on the United States. It poses no threat to Russia. Putin simply rejects NATO as an obstacle to his ambition of reconstituting the Soviet Union and he feels threatened that former Soviet Republics and former Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe want closer political and economic relations with the West because liberty and representative government are a threat to any authoritarian. The U.S. and its allies are right to stand by Ukraine and other former Soviet Republics and must continue to hold firm against tyranny and aggression.

Sergio Mattarella is Reelected Italian President; National Unity Government Remains

The Italian grand electors, made up of Members of Parliament and Regional representatives, have reelected Sergio Mattarella as President of the Republic today, after all the parties in the national unity coalition government came to an agreement. Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who leads a partly technocratic and partly grand coalition executive, together with parliamentary leaders, had asked the Head of State, who was first elected in 2015 (See my post from January 2015, William Cinfici: Sergio Mattarella Is Elected Italian President), to remain, despite the octogenarian Mattarella’s expression of belief that Presidents should only serve one seven-year term. However, the previous President became the first to be re-elected and served two additional years. The popular Mattarella, who is Sicilian and the son of a government official slain by the Mafia, is expected to serve until the end of the parliamentary term in two years, whereupon Draghi could be elected his successor. The usually politically fractious Italy has been enjoying since last year an extraordinary period of stability under its current executive, as it recovers from the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic and continues to make critical reforms. The Italian economy has been prospering as there has been a high rate of vaccination and Draghi secured massive funding from the European Union for pandemic recovery, then reached an agreement with the parties on how to spend the funds. He also approved reforms to speed up the process for criminal cases, without sacrificing justice. An opposition right-wing party, the only major party not in government, opposed Mattarella’s reelection, but their bloc allies, the center-right Forza Italia of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the anti-migrant party supported the move in order to remain in government and keep the momentum for Italy.

Forty-Ninth Annual March for Life: Equality Begins in the Womb

The 49th annual March for Life was held Friday in Washington, D.C. for the anniversary of the federal overturning of state laws against abortion in 1973. It was attended by tens of thousands of Americans. There will also be associated marches across America, as usual, including in Pennsylvania. This year’s theme was “Equality Begins in the Womb,” to emphasize the equality of all human beings, including the unborn and others who are unable to care for themselves , as fundamental for the respect for the right to life, the most important right. Unlike in recent years, the pro-life was not tainted counterproductively by association with the misogynistic and authoritarian Donald Trump, who was hostile to other innocent life, and was instead focused on legal cases and replacing the Culture of Death with a Culture of Life. May the efforts of the pro-life movement be fruitful.

Conservative Analysis of the First Year of Joseph Biden’s Presidency

Joseph Biden was sworn into office as President of the United States one year ago today. His record has been mixed, as predictable. It is not surprising that Biden has adopted a stronger policy toward the Russian Federation, provided better leadership internationally and implemented better measures against the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic than Donald Trump and used much more effective rhetoric that has helped persuade an increase in vaccinations and boosters. It is also not surprising that he has favored the usual liberal Democratic policies, with some notable exceptions. American leadership in international affairs and closer coordination with allies has returned, although the Trump-Biden abandonment of Afghanistan to the Taliban who had harbored the Islamist al-Qaeda Terrorists responsible for the September 11, 2001 Attacks was a disaster. Biden has continued to carry out the War on Terrorism, especially against Iranian-backed terrorists, but to a more limited degree overall. U.S. leadership in human rights has been restored, with the imposition of sanctions on numerous foreign States, as well as in terms of rhetoric, which is influential. The 46th President has particularly been tough on Communist China in regard to human rights, which is an Achilles heel for the rising power, and has continued American policy of defending the freedom of the seas against Chinese machinations, as well as defending and respecting Taiwan. These policies are more effective than Trump’s bluster focused only on trade that sometimes counterproductively gave China an opening to make trade agreements with other Sates. It is especially noteworthy that Biden is the first Democrat in over half a century to increase instead of decreasing defense spending. His trade policies have been an improvement over Trump’s protectionism, but only slightly. There has been some improvement in abandoning excessively harsh policies toward refugees while implementing a more rational border policy that enhances security without violating human rights. On the negative side, Biden’s pro-abortion policies undermine his defense of human rights and his rhetoric has inflamed racial divisions. He has advocated for an unconstitutional bill that would excessively democratize the American representative republic, thereby leaving it even more vulnerable to populism and foreign influence, while trampling on States’ Rights, but the bill was blocked by the minority Republicans in the Senate, together with some Democrats. Like a typical liberal Democrat, Biden has spent too much money, although some of the items of his bipartisan infrastructure bill were beneficial and necessary, such as better defense of the electrical grid against cyberattacks, but his larger plans to tax and spend have also been blocked by the Senate. He is excessively hostile to fossil fuels, like liberal Democrats usually are. Politically, Biden’s legislative overreaching and some of his particular policies have emboldened and boosted Republicans and conservative, as they have been able to oppose his and Congressional Democrats’ liberal excesses by advocating for true conservative principles, instead of Trumpism (protectionism, isolationism, nativism and authoritarianism), although they remain divided over Trump and have continued to allow Trumpism to re-define conservatism.

Foreign Digest: Syria, Russia and Ukraine

Syria: A Syrian who worked for the regime of Syrian tyrant Bashar Assad was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity by a German court for torturing political prisoners. In addition to such crimes, Assad also uses chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombing against civilian neighborhoods in the Syrian Civil War that has lasted a decade, killed over half a million people and caused millions to become refugees. The terrorist-sponsor is supported by Islamist Iran and Russian Federation tyrant Vladimir Putin. Assad knows that he, too, would face prosecution for crimes against humanity and war crimes were he to lose power. Russia and Ukraine: Russia not only continues to threaten and mass troops on the border with Ukraine, but has also engaged in cyber attacks against Ukraine. Russia recognized the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a former Soviet Republic, in a treaty, but then invaded and seized the Crimean Peninsula. Russian dictator Putin, a former Soviet intelligence officer who laments the breakup of the Soviet Union, also backs Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Foreign Digest: Russia, China and Taiwan, Afghanistan and Syria

Russia: The massing of Russian Federation troops on the border with Ukraine has united Ukrainians. Combined with the strong support by the United States, its Western allies and NATO for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, which Russia had pledged to respect by treaty, aggression by Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin is being deterred. The U.S. and its allies have warned Russia of major economic consequences. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. It also backs Russia separatists in the eastern part of the former Soviet Republic. Ex-Soviet intelligence officer Putin has lamented the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 and pursues an aggressive policy toward former Soviet Republics. China and Taiwan : There have been closures of pro-representative government organizations in Hong Kong and the removal of monuments for the Tianamen Square Massacre of 1989 by the pro-Peking government, despite Communist China’s promise to respect the autonomy and liberty of the former British city-state when the territory reverted to Chinese control in 1997. Communist China has also been pressuring or bribing States that diplomatically recognize the Republic of China on Taiwan or even that establish trade relations, leaving only a little over a dozen that do. The Chinese government fled to Taiwan and certain offshore islands after the Communist takeover in 1949. Communist China imposed sanctions on Lithuania for establishing a trade office with the name “Taiwan.” China opposes Taiwanese membership in international organizations and discourages the use of the name “Taiwan” in trade offices. Lithuania, a member of NATO, has held firm against Chinese intimidation, withdrawing from China’s Belt and Road initiative after the discovery that Chinese-made phones could be censored. Afghanistan: There have been more killings by the Taliban of those who had served the previous government, as the United States and international observers have reported. There was another protest by women against the killings and for equality and liberty. The Taliban took over last year. They had been removed from power by an American-led international coalition in 2001 after the September 11 Terrorist Attacks on the U.S. committed by the al-Qaeda Islamist terrorists they had harbored. Syria: There have been more Israeli attacks on Iranian and allied terrorist targets in Syria. Iran and Russia have been backing Syrian tyrant Bashar Assad in a decade-long civil war that has killed over half a million people and caused millions to flee from Syria. Iran and Syria sponsor terrorists, such as their ally, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorists.