Foreign Digest: Serbia, Nicaragua and Bolivia

Serbia: The parliamentary elections in Serbia in mid-December have sparked mass protests because of numerous serious allegations of fraud. The political opposition, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union have criticized the elections. A few dozen polling places are revoting this weekend, but the opposition maintains the entire elections, in which the nationalist and pro-Russian ruling party won a plurality of votes, should be discarded. Serbia, which is supported by the Russian Federation, is a candidate for membership in the European Union. As I have posted, in addition to concerns about its closeness with Russia, Serbia, which supports ethnic Serbs in the other independent States of the former Yugoslavia, has been the matrix of ethnic conflicts since Yugoslavia, which was dominated by Serbia, began to break up in 1991 when its last Communist dictator, the Serbian Slobodan Milosevic, began to foment nationalist tension against ethnic minorities to maintain power. He was later imprisoned and tried for crimes against humanity. Nicaragua: Nicaragua has been arresting more Priests since my last update on the increasing oppression in the Central American State by the Marxist regime of Daniel Ortega against the Roman Catholic Church, as part of his increasing authoritarianism. Some of the Priests had called for the release of a Bishop imprisoned by the Nicaraguan tyrant, who has violently cracked down on peaceful protests, imprisoned all his election opponents before the last election, and has banned most civil and religious organizations. The Marxist Sandinistas, led by Ortega, seized power in a coup in 1979 and ruled oppressively until pressured by United States support for rebels to allow free and fair elections in 1990, which they lost. But after being elected to the presidency in 2007 on the promise of keeping Nicaragua free, Ortega has held onto power ever since by breaking his promise by becoming a dictator. After being a darling of the Left during the Cold War, when liberals and Democrats mostly opposed American support for the rebels, even liberals have been appalled at Ortega’s current repression. Bolivia: The Constitutional Court of Bolivia has reversed its 2017 and has ruled that the far-left former Bolivian President is barred from seeking another term as president in 2025, after having served three terms previously between 2006 and 2019, despite a constitutional term limit of two terms. His attempt to amend the Constitution to eliminate term limits was rejected by the Bolivian voters in a referendum and he was later driven from power by a popular revolt. After the former President’s leftist party won the next presidential elections, the new President’s administration prosecuted and imprisoned the opposition leader who acceded to the presidency under the terms of the Bolivian Constitution in the interim. Like Marxist Nicaragua and Communist Cuba, Bolivia is an ally of Socialist Venezuela, which has encouraged leftist anti-American parties across Latin America and which have become authoritarian, often undermining elections and with Presidents usually holding onto power for life.

The United States Has Launched an International Operation to Protect International Shipping from Iranian-Backed Houthi Rebels in Yemen

Operation Prosperity Guardian has been launched by the United States and its allies in the Red Sea to protect international shipping from attacks on merchant vessels by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Houthis, who operate in northern Yemen, have been launching drone and missile attacks and even committed hijackings against merchant vessels in the vital waterway, particularly those in transit to Israel, as well as firing missiles toward the Jewish State and trying to attack American naval vessels with drones. Led by the U.S., the coalition of the willing is composed of over 20 Western allies and Indian Ocean States, most of which have not disclosed publicly their contributions. The international effort is similar to the successful international operation against piracy from Islamists in Somalia in the 2010s. Another model was the 1987–1988 American naval escorts of oil shipping in the Persian Gulf during the Iraqi-Iranian War. Because the Red Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, thus avoiding much longer voyages around the Cape of Good Hope, much of the world’s trade transits this arm of the Indian Ocean between the Arabian Peninsula and the northeastern coast of Africa. Today, U.S. forces sank some Houthi boats in the Red Sea after an attack on merchant ship. Yemen has been in a multi-sided civil war for several years, with the Shi’ite Houthis as the main rebels against the internationally recognized government of the Arab State, and Islamist Sunni terrorists, such as al-Qaeda, also participating. Meanwhile, American troops continue to retaliate against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria who have been attacking them frequently for months, as they have occasionally over the last few years.

Conservative Analysis of the Refugees Currently Coming to America and Pennsylvania

In my post for Christmas, I encouraged the welcoming of refuges seeking asylum from persecution, noting that the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt. There has been an increase in migrants coming to America across the southern border since the relaxation last year of the emergency restrictions from the Coronavirus Pandemic, which is making up for the last three years of lower numbers, as expected. The migrants, which number only in the tens of thousands even with the current spike, are not usually Mexicans, but, as I have noted, often from other countries around the world. And many are not immigrants seeking to settle in America permanently for better economic opportunity, but refuges seeking asylum from persecution, war or terrorism, with a variation from time to time in the countries of origin, depending on the circumstances. The latest data from the Refugee Processing Center, which is operated by the United States, provides a breakdown of the countries of origin. Across America, a few thousand migrants have come to America each month, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an unfree country which has been suffering from war for decades, Syria, which has suffered a bloody civil war since 2011 when peaceful protestors against the tyrannical Assad regime were brutally repressed, and Afghanistan, where the repressive Islamist Taliban regained power in 2021. Because of its overly restrictive nativist policies, the Trump Administration, which granted asylum to a family from the free country of Germany, did not even permit Christians from Syria to flee from Islamist terrorists, such as al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State, and, as I have posted, made entry too difficult even for Afghans who worked with the Americans who had overthrown the Taliban in 2002 after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks by al-Qaeda, whom the Taliban had harbored. The breakdown for Pennsylvania, according to the Center, was a few hundred each from Syria, Congo and Afghanistan, a fewer than a hundred each from Socialist Venezuela and Marxist Nicaragua and a few others from Latin America plagued by gang violence, or other countries, and only a handful from Ukraine, which is suffering an aggressive invasion by the Russian Federation, and several other countries. The Keystone State took in more Syrians and Haitians than any other State in the Union. The largest community of Syrians in America are in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Haiti is suffering from a lack of freedom and violence, exacerbated by powerful gangs. The United States recently organized an international police mission to Haiti led by Kenya and with United Nations approval against the gangs, as I posted. Refugees who seek liberty should be welcomed, not only for their sake to enjoy freedom, but because they enrich their host country through their greater appreciation for liberty and their insight into how it can be lost.

This Christmas, May the World Welcome the Prince of Peace and Refugees from Persecution

Merry Christmas! May the world, which although more peaceful than in the past, is nonetheless troubled by bloody wars, conflicts, terrorism, etc., welcome the Prince of Peace who comes into this world as a poor infant, and may evildoers be defeated or deterred, if not persuaded to convert from their evil ways. May hostages be freed and people liberated from oppression so they may be free to live and to fulfill their vocations and to practice their faith. And may the world, which is becoming increasingly hostile to refugees, remember that the Holy Family of the Christ Child, Mary and Joseph, was forced to escape persecution and flee into Egypt, and be more welcoming and loving to refugees and other migrants, as Jesus teaches us to love our fellow man.

An Anti-War Candidate Is Barred from the Russian Presidential Election

A candidate for President of the Russian Federation who had been nominated by the requisite number of supporters at a meeting was rejected late last week by the Kremlin-controlled election commission. The former journalist had intended to challenge the tyrannical incumbent Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer intent on restoring the Soviet Union, in the presidential elections next year on a platform of opposition to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and releasing political prisoners. Putin, who has ruled Russia either as President or Prime Minister since late 1999, had successfully promoted a constitutional change to end term limits, which allowed him to serve another six-year term before the last election. The “Czar” restricts freedoms and controls the judiciary. The authoritarian Putin only tolerates political opposition parties that do not criticize him harshly to make Russia appear to have representative government and his elections to seem legitimate. Journalists, human rights activists and political opponents are usually imprisoned, banished, assaulted or assassinated at home and abroad. The main supporter of liberty in Russia, the center-right Alexei Navalny, has been imprisoned under harsh conditions on various trumped-up charges and was recently transferred to another prison, leaving his whereabouts unknown. For the Russian people ever to enjoy liberty and representative government, Putin will have to be out of power and replaced by someone unafraid to trust them.

The Fiscal Year 2024 United States Bipartisan Defense Bill Is Enacted

The annual defense bill was signed into law by the President of the United States this weekend for fiscal year 2024 after receiving strong bipartisan approval in both chambers of Congress. The appropriation increases defense spending, like previous years, and includes a larger pay increase for troops than usual. It also extends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for four months. Some Trumpist Republicans had opposed the critically important intelligence mechanism because several Trump 2016 presidential campaign officials were caught in unreported meetings with Russians under surveillance who were trying to influence American politics, including supporting Donald Trump’s candidacy. The act grants some additional defense aid to Ukraine against aggression by the Russian Federation, although the larger amount necessary has been stalled in the House of Representatives by Trumpist Republicans who either support Russia or are using their leverage to exact a deal to crack down further on refugees seeking asylum from persecution, including refugees from Ukraine. Another provision of the defense bill requires congressional authorization by a two-thirds supermajority before withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This essential bipartisan provision did not pass during the Trump Administration, as Trump is critical of the most successful defensive pact in history because it is an obstacle to his supporter, ex-Soviet intelligence officer Vladimir Putin, the Russian tyrant, and isolationists on the left and far right and libertarians think that aiding allies is for the benefit of the allies. They fail to recognize that because allies are an integral part of American security and prosperity, aiding them is for our own benefit. The 2024 defense bill is thus a win for pro-defense conservatives, as it continues the bipartisan trend toward improving U.S. defense, not only in terms of spending, but through intelligence and alliances.

Foreign Digest: China, Philippines, Japan, the European Union, Measles Outbreak

China, Philippines and Japan: There have been more Communist Chinese incursions into Filipino territory and hostile acts against the Philippines. Communist China claims nearly all the South China Sea, even though its claim was rejected by an international court of arbitration in 2016. The Spratly Islands and the mineral-rich waters around them are contested by China/Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, each of which maintains a presence in at least one island. There were also Chinese incursions last week into the territory around the Senkaku Islands disputed between Japan and China. The United States last week warned Communist China against provocative moves. Meanwhile, there were unfree elections in Hong Kong, as only candidates loyal to Peking are allowed to be elected, as China has been violating its promise of autonomy for the territory, in exchange for British relinquishment of control in 1997. The European Union: The European Union took steps last week toward expanding its membership beyond its 27 current member States. The EU opened negotiations for membership with Ukraine and Moldova, approved candidate status for Georgia and will open negotiations with Bosnia Herzegovina once it reaches the necessary degree of conformity to the membership criteria. The negotiations are a morale boost especially for Ukraine, currently under invasion by the Russian Federation, as Ukrainians have preferred commerce with Europe and the West over Russia, and also for Moldova, in which Russia maintains troops in a breakaway territory against its wishes and which fears a fuller-scale Russian invasion. Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer, wishes to restore the Soviet Union. Ukraine and Moldova are former Soviet Republics. Measles Outbreak: There is currently an outbreak of tens of thousands of cases of measles in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Kazakhstan and Romania have been particularly hard-hit, with the latter declaring an epidemic. Measles had nearly been eradicated in the Americas and Europe, but as I have been posting, vaccine hesitancy has increased vulnerability to the disease, leading to occasional outbreaks, including in America, and even sometimes other diseases that became rare, like mumps and diphtheria. Conspiracy theorists on the far left, the far right and libertarians oppose vaccination, or at least vaccine mandates, despite their efficacy and safety.

A Federal Settlement Has Been Reached over the Unjustified Separation of Children from their Parents

A settlement was reached in the federal case on behalf of migrant children who were unjustifiably separated from their parents at the United States border. A federal Judge had ruled against the practice of separating children from their parents in 2018, after the Trump Administration had stopped the policy, after a public outcry. The practice of punishing children was done not for reasonable reasons, which are still permitted, but strictly to deter migrants, including refugees with a credible fear of persecution who are following the legal process of entering American soil to claim asylum. Children were separated from their parents without linking them to their parents. The process has taken years to attempt to reunite them. Separation from parents is a psychological trauma that leaves a lifelong scar. The settlement bans the practice for eight years, provides mental health counseling to children, and legal representation for their immigration cases, among other provisions, but no financial awards. The Judge is an appointee of President George W. Bush, a conservative Republican. Conservative Republicans before the rise of Trump, who has championed nativism, mostly appreciated migrants for their economic contribution to America and especially refugees from tyranny for their greater appreciation for liberty. True conservatives still do and proudly recognize the contrast of people fleeing tyrannical regimes versus being attracted to America, in addition to those simply seeking to fulfill the American Dream. Refugees are currently coming especially from Socialist Venezuela, as well as Communist Cuba, Marxist Nicaragua, Communist China and Islamist Afghanistan. Nativists and xenophobes are bigoted or excessively fearful against people of other ethnicities (even though many Hispanics are Caucasian) or religions (especially Catholics, as well as Muslims fleeing Islamism) and fear competition for jobs, even though there is a labor shortage in America that has contributed to inflation. They think America is so weak that a few thousand migrants would destroy it. Pro-free market business interests favor more migration, whereas liberal labor unions historically opposed it. Regardless of reasonable differences on migration, there is no justification to harm children, as there is an already-difficult and lengthy legal process to screen out those who are undesirable or whose claims are dishonest, and to accept those who are desirable, which is the purpose of federal immigration law.

Foreign Digest: Syria, Iraq, Italy, China, Russia, Venezuela and Guyana; World Human Rights Day

Syria and Iraq: There have been more attacks on American forces in Iraq from Iranian-sponsored militants operating in Syria and Iraq. There have also been attacks in the Red Sea from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Americans and on international shipping. The Islamic Republic of Iran, the greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, foments Islamic revolution around the Muslim world and thus opposes the Christian West and secular representative governance based on equality and liberty. Iraq, which maintains friendly relations with Iran, did not object to strikes by United States on its soil against the pro-Iranian militants, not only for self-defense when under attack, but even for punishment and deterrence, which is an encouraging sign that its tolerance for its more powerful neighbor using it for its own ends is coming to an end. Italy and Communist China: Italy has left Communist China’s infrastructure program that was intended to create a New Silk Road with road and port construction, as I had posted I expected. China uses such projects to exert influence and for strategic purposes against the West. Russia: The United States charged four Russians with the kidnapping and torture of and American civilian in Ukraine during the Russian Federation’s aggression against its neighboring former Soviet Republic. The U.S., the International Criminal Court, Ukraine and human rights organizations, among others, have accused Russians and Russian-backed separatists of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Venezuela and Guyana: Socialist Venezuela has revived its claims to territory of neighboring Guyana, even though the claim was long since renounced, now that there are lucrative mineral rights known to be in the area. Guyana is conducting timely military exercises with the U.S. to deter aggressive action by the anti-American dictator leading its larger neighbor. World Human Rights Day: Today is World Human Rights Day on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There had been progress made on protecting human rights toward the end of the Cold War and shortly afterward, but the rise of authoritarians who use elections to gain power and then take away liberty and limit free and fair elections to use them only to use their rigged results to gain legitimacy, and then further increase their autocracy has decreased freedom around the world, and thus peace and security.

Iran, North Korea and Russia Have Been Arming Hamas Terrorists

Iranian, North Korean and Russian spent munitions that were used by the Hamas terrorists, as observed by Chris Christie, former federal prosecutor and Governor of New Jersey, reports that on his recent trip to Israel. Iranian sponsorship of Hamas had been well-known, but the North Korean and Russian complicity was not, although not surprising. Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and other terrorists based in the Gaza Strip attacked Israel October 7, targeting innocent civilians, killing over a thousand, injuring a multiple more, and kidnapping hundreds. Americans and others around the world were among the victims of the deadliest terrorist attacks since the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks against America. As I have posted regularly, oppressive States opposed to the United States and its Western Allies, namely Russia, North Korea, Iran, as well as Communist China, Syria, Cuba and Venezuela, have effectively formed what I call an Axis of Rogues. These rogues engage in various machinations, including sponsoring terrorists, assassinating exiles abroad, fomenting coups or revolutions, drug trafficking, spreading disinformation, committing cybercrimes, stealing proprietary business knowledge, counterfeiting currency or goods, etc. The members of the Axis of Rogues often work together, through diplomacy, trade, arms trafficking, and other ways, relying at times on various terrorist or other militant Islamist organizations. Christie, who is currently seeking the Republican nomination for President of the United States, condemned the rogues for aiding and abetting the horrific attacks.

Fifteenth Anniversary of My Blog; Page View Report

It was recently the anniversary of the launch of my blog 15 years ago in late November 2008. I have since posted nearly 1,400 times in support of equality, liberty, and representative government; morals and civic responsibility; the free market and fiscal responsibility; security and peace, all in accord with Christian faith and in a spirit of hope, despite the many difficulties we face as individuals and citizens of the world. Thank you for your patronage, which is apparent from the report from Blogger, the host of this blog, of several thousand page views to my blog, especially its homepage, but to each of its posts over the last year, from posts both new and old. As usual, the views are coming especially from America, with a great many from around the world, especially Europe, but most notably this year also Singapore). The views encourage me to continue to post. Please visit my blog regularly. Again, thank you.

Conservative Analysis of Expulsion of United States Representative George Santos

Republican United States Representative George Santos of New York was expelled from Congress last week by well over the necessary two thirds vote, with almost half the House of Representatives GOP caucus joining the majority Democrats in favor. The freshman was accused of deceiving voters about his background to get elected last year and of various financial crimes, including stealing from his political campaign. Most Republicans opposed the expulsion. They did not defend Santos’s record, but cited the concern of establishing a precedent of not waiting for a criminal conviction. The anti-expulsion Republicans claimed it was necessary to give Santos the “presumption of innocence.” However, the presumption of innocence only applies within the legal context of an accusation of a crime, as it refers to the burden of proof on the prosecution. It does not have to be respected by the general public, or even government officials, including Congress. Each of the chambers of Congress may decide whether to expel a member, based on its own judgment, as expulsion is a congressional prerogative, for which there is no requirement that there be a conviction, or even that the expulsion be only for crimes, for which is there is precedent in both chambers for expelling members. The House Ethics Committee had issued a scathing bipartisan report on Santos, who had acknowledged at least some of his lies about his background. His defrauding of the voters by misleading them about his background, although not a crime, nonetheless made his election fraudulent and thus illegitimate. Although slightly short of a majority among Republican House members, even this result is encouraging, as it validates the idea that Donald Trump’s Republican nomination for and election to the presidency in 2016 was also illegitimate because he had deceived the voters about his background. For example, Trump exaggerated his wealth, hid his foreign conflicts of interest, paid hush money to women with whom he committed adultery, and lied when he denied that he was still conducting business with Russia while a candidate for President, among numerous deceptions that he and his supporters, both domestic and foreign, engaged in to win the election fraudulently. At least the expulsion of Santos reaffirms the idea that this defining type of election fraud ought not be tolerated, but there is much more to be done as the acceptance of the 2016 by minimizing or denying it has continued to undermine elections and confidence in them.

Anti-Trump Pennsylvanians Form Republicans Against Perry to Defeat Scott Perry

A group of prominent Pennsylvania Republican former senior public officials, congressional candidates and longtime political strategists who are not Trumpist have formed Republicans Against Perry (www.republicansagainstperry.com) to target Republican United States Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania for election defeat in 2024. Perry is one of the most loyal supporters of Donald Trump and was one of the leading architects within Congress of the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election on false grounds to keep Trump in power. The Trumpist Perry had long believed in and promoted baseless conspiracy theories before promoting the theory that the election results were fraudulent in Pennsylvania and other States, which was rejected by Republican elected officials, judges and members of Congress, as well as even Trump Administration officials. Trumpism is not conservatism, but a populist mix of protectionism, nativism and isolationism, as well as a tolerance for Trump’s deception, disloyalty, corruption, authoritarianism and cruelty. Perry opposes aid to Ukraine to defend itself against aggression by the Russian Federation, led by tyrannical ex-Soviet intelligence officer Vladimir Putin. Putin had engaged in an active measures campaign in 2016 and ongoing first to support Trump’s candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination and then in the general election by interfering in the election in numerous ways, as Russia has been interfering in American politics since 2014, when it first invaded Ukraine, according to U.S. all intelligence agencies, a Republican Special Counsel investigating Russian interference and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee. Among various machinations, Russia also interferes in the elections of European States. Trump invited and welcomed Russian interference, coordinated his messaging with the publication through a Russian cutout of information the Russians had stolen, and amplified Russian disinformation and propaganda. He and his henchmen obstructed the investigation into Russian interference and the Trump Campaign’s complicity with it. The Russians were not the only foreigners to interfere in the election on Trump’s behalf and foreign interference was not the only fraud committed that helped him win the election. But Trumpist Republicans minimize these examples of fraud — even from a hostile foreign power—while making false or exaggerated claims against Democrats in the 2020 election, while ignoring real examples of fraud that some Democrats and liberals do commit. They thus further one of the goals of Putin, which is to undermine Americans confidence in elections. To excise the influence of Putin and Trump from the GOP, it is necessary to defeat their supporters and apologists and replace them with honest, competent patriots, and especially with those who are true center-right conservatives.

Foreign Digest: Parliamentary Elections in Argentina, the Netherlands and New Zealand

Argentina: In Argentina’s presidential elections late last month, a populist libertarian economist and member of Congress easily defeated Economics Minister who was the leftist Peronist party’s nominee. The liberal spending polices of the ruling party, which have caused inflation 40% —more than 10 times what Americans are currently experiencing — were a major issue in the campaign. The center-right candidates who were defeated in the primary round of balloting supported the libertarian upstart. As a libertarian, the incoming Argentine President’s views overlap with, but differ from conservatism. He favors welfare spending cuts and adopting the United States dollar as the national currency, but also eliminating Argentina’s central bank, which would reduce the South American State’s sovereignty. The President-elect opposes abortion, but wants to commoditize people by legalizing the sale of organs. He will be restrained from implementing his most radical ideas by Argentina’s Congress that is led by the leftwing Peronists and perhaps by the conservative parties. The election thus moves Argentina further away from the disastrous Socialist model of Venezuela, but not necessarily toward a stable free market alternative based upon liberty, representative government, and morality, as leftist policies sometimes beget populist far-right governments, instead of reasonable, conservative ones. One positive aspect of Argentina’s elections is an expected shift in emphasis on trade relations from Communist China to the West and friendlier relations with the United States and other Western States. Argentina has at times had friendly relations with the U.S. over the years, as a non-North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally, especially when governed by conservatives. Netherlands: In the recent parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, the far-right anti-migrant and anti-European Union party won the most votes and seats in the Parliament, but short of the majority necessary to form a government that can win the required vote of confidence of the Dutch Parliament. The ruling center-right party, which came in a close third behind a centrist party, will not join the far-right in a coalition government, but only offer parliamentary support for conservative policies. A Christian Democratic Party came fourth. The far-right party, unlike most European nationalist parties, is not pro-Russian, but its anti-migrant emphasis goes beyond a legitimate concern about violent Islamists to Islamophobia and xenophobia, like most European nationalist parties, even though a large majority of Muslims do not support violent jihad (Islamic holy war) and are refugees from Islamist repression. The Netherlands is an ally of the United States as a member of the NATO. New Zealand: In the parliamentary elections in New Zealand last month, the conservative party won the most votes and seats after six years of liberal rule, but well short of a majority. It was able to form a coalition government last week with a libertarian party to obtain the required majority for a parliamentary vote of confidence. The new Prime Minister promises spending and tax cuts and a crackdown on crime. New Zealand is an ally of the United States.

Update on the Spanish Parliamentary Elections

A leftist coalition won the required vote of confidence in the Spanish Parliament to form a government late last month, after elections in which the center-right party had won a plurality of votes and seats, but far short of a necessary majority. As I had posted in July, the conservatives tried to form a coalition government with the leading far-right party, but still came up slightly short of a majority of seats in Parliament. Such far-right parties, which are usually anti-migrant, pro-Russian and anti-European Union, have often dragged down conservatives in elections or, when conservatives have joined with them in coalition governments, it has resulted in the collapse of the government or embarassment from scandals, such as accepting funding from the Russian Federation, which is led by a tyrannical ex-Soviet intelligence officer who interferes in the elections in European and Western States, including in American politics, as I have been posting. The ruling Socialists were then able to form a coalition with the pro-independence party from Catalonia after promising their leaders amnesty for their illegal attempts to secede from Spain. Spain is an ally of the United States as a fellow member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Foreign Digest: Kenya, Somalia, Haiti, Hungary, Taliban, China, Israel-Hamas War

Kenya, Somalia and Haiti: The United States recently concluded a security agreement with Kenya, which is an ally versus al-Qaeda, the Islamist terrorist organization responsible for the deadliest terrorist attacks in history, namely the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America. Al-Qaeda’s most powerful affiliate is based in neighboring Somalia, from where it sometimes attacks Kenya. Also, Kenya will lead a police mission to Haiti, backed by the United States and the United Nations, versus armed gangs that effectively act as local governments independent of the State. The most powerful gang even makes demands on the Haitian government. Haiti, which is not a free country, has been even more unstable than usual since the assassination of its President two years ago. Hungary, Taliban and Communist China: Hungary, whose “illiberal” government is a darling of the Trumpist far-right in America, announced its intention to join Communist China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The new “Silk Road” initiative will increase Communist China’s influence through financing of infrastructure improvements abroad to increase trade. The Taliban militia that rules Afghanistan also is joining the initiative, although China, like the rest of the world, has not recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of neighboring Afghanistan. The Taliban, which are intertwined with terrorists, provided safe haven to al-Qeada before being overthrown in 2002 by an American-led international coalition, but returned to power in 2021 after the disastrous Trump-Biden withdrawal. Israel-Hamas War: There was more international outrage against Israel for targeting a hospital that terrorists had turned into a military base, than against the Russian Federation for targeting multiple hospitals and aid workers in Syria against rebels who were not terrorists and who were not using hospitals as bases. Russia backs the tyrannical terrorist-sponsoring Syrian Assad regime in its twelve year-long civil war, as do terrorist-sponsoring Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist organization.

South African Has Lost Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Conservative Zulu Leader

South African conservatives have recently been mourning the death of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the chief of the Zulu tribe and founder in 1975 of the center-right Inkatha Freedom Party. He had fought against the African National Congress during apartheid because it is a Marxist and violent organization that he rightly feared would dominate South African politics if Blacks were given the franchise, much as a leftist party has ruled neighboring Zimbabwe continuously since independence in 1980 through oppression and rigged elections. Although South Africa is somewhat free and conducts fair multi-party national and provincial elections, its parliamentary elections and most of its regional elections are effectively non-competitive, as the ANC, which governs nationally in a coalition with the Communist Party, easily wins a parliamentary majority in every election versus the fractured opposition, which represents various ethnicities and ranges across the political spectrum. The Inkatha Freedom Party holds some seats in both chambers of the South African Parliament and is the leading opposition party in KwaZulu-Natal Province, while the centrist Democratic alliance, which holds power in the Western Cape Province, which is majority white (Afrikaans and English), is the leading opposition party in the South African Parliament. Zulus are the second largest tribe in South Africa, while members of the Xhosa tribe are the majority of the national population. Just as the Inkatha Freedom Party supports regionalism and tribalism, there is also a secession movement in Western Cape. The pro-Russian ANC, which came to power in 1994, has had a history of corruption. A far-left party has similarly maintained rule in Namibia since South Africa granted it independence in 1990. It is hoped that Buthelezi’s memory would encourage more sharing of power in South Africa and Namibia.

Economic Stimulus to the American Economy from Defense Aid to Ukraine

A recent report recognized the economic stimulus being experienced in America from the defense aid being provided to Ukraine against the Russian aggression against it. Liberals see non-defense spending, no matter how wasteful or inefficient, as economically stimulative, but defense spending only as wasteful, as if somehow a dollar spent for defense, whether for the United States or our allies, is somehow unequal to that spent for non-defense matters. They also fail to recognize that spending for defense is not a choice against social spending, as defense spending includes food, clothing, housing, medical care, and education for active duty personnel and their dependents, as well as various benefits for retired military servicemen, including their pensions. In addition to liberals, libertarian and far-right isolationists view foreign military aid as spending money “over there,” as if the materials are manufactured abroad. Defense spending, including military aid to foreigners, and even the expense of engaging in combat abroad, is not primarily spent abroad, however, but domestically. Even servicemen’s combat pay is often saved or sent home. That foreign military aid or defense spending can be economically stimulative is not a justification for defense, let alone for war, but a refutation of the argument that it is as costly as critics claim. Defense spending and foreign military aid are justifiable alone as protection of security and liberty, without which prosperity would be unlikely. Not only do they fail to count both sides of the ledger by recognizing the economic stimulus of defense spending and foreign military aid or combat abroad, but anti-war critics also contradict themselves by complaining of the economic costs of war, but then also complain about the increase of trade after an enemy is replaced with an ally or the sharing in the post-war reconstruction contracts that mitigate such costs. Thus, they argue against war for its economic costs, but then oppose any war for its economic benefits, as if to imply falsely that any economic benefit derived from it was the only intent of the war, which would nonetheless contradict their argument against the costs of the war. As it is unlikely they are simply poor at math or consistent reasoning, it is believable that they oppose defending America or its ally or interests militarily because they think other means short of war are enough to thwart terrorists or aggressors, or because they minimize or even deny the threats to it, or they do not think America is worth defending. Thus, they exaggerate all costs and minimize all benefits. Defense spending and, especially, war, whether engaged in directly or indirectly, are certainly costly, but not as costly as critics think. Regardless of the fiscal and economic aspect, defending ourselves is certainly worth it for non-economic reasons, as President John F. Kennedy said in 1961 in his Inaugural Address, to “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.”

Conservative Analysis of the 2023 General Elections in Pennsylvania and Across the Union

The 2023 General Elections in Pennsylvania and other States in the American Union was a disaster for Republicans, with few exceptions. As with previous elections, the GOP has been weighed down by its leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump, and by Trumpism, a populist mix of protectionism, isolationism and nativism, with tendencies in practice of dishonesty, disloyalty, corruption, authoritarianism and cruelty. Even though most Americans favor certain restrictions on abortion, the pro-life movement has been set back electorally since making a “deal with the Devil” to back someone of such low character and who is hostile to protecting innocent life in various other ways as Trump is, and allowing him to become the champion and chief spokesman of their cause, in addition to adopting an “any means necessary” strategy of deception, intimidation, illegal campaign activity and foreign interference to get him the party nomination and election to the presidency. Instead of seeing opposition to abortion as protecting the right to live of girls, whom are often targeted for abortion, and as offering women a choice to keep their babies, instead of being forced by men or by poverty to abort them, the pro-life movement has been undermined by association with Trump’s misogyny that makes it seem as if it against women’s interests. And his authoritarianism makes opposition to abortion appear as a restriction on women’s liberty instead of a defense of the most basic human right to life. As I have posted before, the pro-life movement should disassociate with Trump and Trumpism, focus not only in politics like liberals practice that seems to be based on winning elections just to appoint judges to rule in their favor, but focus more on the science of life, on love for the most vulnerable, and to continue to emphasize the support to women in difficult situations. Furthermore, they should favor more consistency in defending innocent life as a fundamental basis of freedom. The goal of the pro-life movement should be for a more loving, moral and free society, which, in turn, would be of political benefit to those who support them, which should only be a bonus, not the main goal.

Conservative Republicans Have Formed the Society for the Rule of Law against Trumpism

Another organization has been formed by anti-Trump conservative Republicans against Trumpism. Society for the Rule of Law was organized earlier this month to stand up for the rule of law against threats from Donald Trump and his supporters, and from Trumpism. It is led by a former federal appeals court judge who was a contender for a United States Supreme Court appointment and a former board member of the Federalist Society. The organizers of the Society for the Rule of Law lamented that the legal profession and particularly conservative organizations have failed to defend the rule of law as they have underestimated the degree of the threat or have allowed partisanship or ideology to take precedence over basic legal principles. The new organization hosted the Rule of Law summit last week in Washington, and has established a political arm and chapters on law school campuses. These lawyers have thus joined similar organized efforts or organizations by professional communities, such as defense and intelligence leaders, diplomats, and political consultants in opposing Trump and Trumpism. Trump, who is not conservative and is of poor character, has espoused a mixed set of populist views, namely protectionism, isolationism and nativism, coupled with the practice of dishonesty, disloyalty, corruption, authoritarianism and cruelty. Trump undermined the rule of law and independence of the judiciary while President and threatens even worse violations and erosions of checks and balances were he to return to power.

The 2023 General Election in Pennsylvania and Across America

Pennsylvania holds its 2023 General Election on Tuesday, November 7 for election to statewide judicial, county, magisterial district judge, municipal and school director offices. Some other States across America hold statewide or local elections. As usual, there are some true conservative candidates on the Republican ballot in Pennsylvania and other States or seeking election as write-in candidates and Trumpists, who believe in a populist mix of protectionism, nativism, isolationism, cruelty, and authoritarianism, as typified by Donald Trump, the dominant GOP figure, who is known for his deception, corruption, and disloyalty. Conservative Republicans, Democrats or those who are non-partisan, or third party should seek those candidates who publicly reject Trump and Trumpism, or else write in a preferred candidate. Conservatives should consider writing in themselves, if necessary. A second-best option that is not unreasonable, is to choose the least Trumpist candidate versus those who are the most Trumpist, but this approach fails to reject Trumpism as thoroughly as it must be for the Republican Party to be restored to its principles and thus match its platform. Republican candidates for these offices should be expected to stand for equality, liberty, limited government, honesty, fiscal responsibility, toughness on crime, and civic responsibility. There is at least one high-profile such candidate in the Keystone State, namely former Philadelphia City Councilman David Oh, who is seeking election as Mayor of the City of Brotherly Love. As the son of Korean immigrants, the pro-immigration Oh is especially hated by bigoted Trumpists who reject even refugees following the legal process of seeking asylum, in contrast to conservative principles of balancing security with welcoming those who most appreciate liberty and whose contributions to America are needed. There are also referendums on the ballot in some Pennsylvania municipalities, as is usual in other States. Polls are open in Pennsylvania from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Foreign Digest: Ecuador and Venezuela

The Leftist Presidential Candidate Was Defeated in the Ecuadorian Elections: A centrist businessman and former Member of Parliament won the presidential elections in Ecuador a week ago, versus a leftist candidate. The election is a rejection of the leftist candidate’s mentor, a former President convicted of corruption who had continued to wield influence on Ecuador’s politics. An ally of the Venezuelan Socialists, the former President had supported the Marxist narco-terrorists in Columbia that were backed by Venezuela. The current President is also a member of the liberal party, but not as far to the left as his predecessor. The leftist candidate had promised to bring back her mentor’s welfare spending, but the businessman promised to maintain the free market. Venezuelan Deal Between the Socialist Dictatorship and the Opposition: A deal has been reached between the Socialist dictatorship in Venezuela and the democratic opposition, mediated by the United States. The bans by the regime on opposition candidates would be lifted and there would be moderately free and fair elections that meet international standards by late 2024, in exchange for the loosening of American economic sanctions for signing the deal and more sanctions relief if Venezuela implements the deal. There remains, however, distrust that the Socialist regime, which has ruled since 2000 after usurping representative governance, would honor its commitments in the vaguely worded deal, as it has a poor track record on keeping promises, as it does on respecting human rights. Indeed, no state media coverage was allowed for today’s opposition primary elections. As I had posted about, the opposition won a veto-proof two-thirds majority in the last elections of the national assembly six years ago, but the Socialists barred some delegates from taking their seats to keep their totals under two-thirds and then invoked a constitutional provision to appoint a different body as a national legislature, effectively eliminating the power of that chosen by the Venezuelan people. The assembly leader then invoked a different constitutional provision to declare himself President, which the U.S. and many Latin American and Western States recognized, but his term has since expired, necessitating new elections.

Terrorists Are to Blame for Civilian Deaths in War

The errant rocket fired by terrorists in the Gaza Strip last week that hit an Arab hospital was the fault of the terrorists, not only for launching the war, but firing such weapons in civilian areas. Islamists use people, including both hostages and their own people, as human shields, establishing firing positions and placing stores of munitions in residential neighborhoods, including even in mosques, contrary to the laws of war. The strike against the hospital in Gaza is a reminder of the blaming by isolationists on both the left and the far right of the United States for high estimated civilian death tolls from the Liberation of Iraq, which was a battle that began in 2003 in the War on Terrorism. The war began after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks against America by al-Qaeda, the Islamist Terrorists based in Afghanistan with affiliates around the Islamic world. Baathist Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein fired indiscriminately from civilian areas, with their own weapons striking civilians, and engaged in the aforementioned type of war crimes. The Baathist regime also fomented an Islamist insurgency by creating the Fedayeen, which launched an insurgency against the U.S. and its coalition allies after the overthrow of Hussein, which Baathists and Islamists like al-Qaeda joined, working together. Furthermore, Islamist terrorists had been present in Iraq, namely Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which later split off into the “Islamic State.” Other jihadists from around the Islamic world were attracted to Iraq, where they murdered innocent civilians. They especially targeted Shi’ites to foment division between them and Sunni Muslims, which was unsuccessful. These jihadists focused on Iraq, instead of Afghanistan, as they recognized its significance as a battlefield in the War on Terrorism. They would have been killing people in Afghanistan or elsewhere around the world had they not traveled to Iraq, where thousands of them were captured or killed in a crushing defeat. Moreover, as terrorists are civilians, they and those who harbor or finance them may sometimes be included in the totals of civilians killed, but should not be counted as deaths of innocent civilians.

Hamas-Israeli War Updates: Iranian-Sponsored Attacks and North Korean Arms

Hezbollah: Since both not long before and after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip against Israel earlier this month, the Israelis have continued to strike Hezbollah and Iranian targets in Syria. Hezbollah is the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist organization backed by Iran, the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism, and Syria, led by the tyrannical Assad regime. As I wrote in my last post, there have been incursions and rocket attacks from Lebanon by Hezbollah against Israel/ Israel has also struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Iran, which sponsors Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both of which conducted massive terrorist attacks on Israel earlier this month, does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Other Iranian-Backed Attacks: Meanwhile, there were drone attacks last week against an American base in Iraq. Such attacks are usually committed by Iranian-backed terrorists. The United States maintains a military presence in Iraq and Syria against other Islamist terrorists, namely al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State. U.S. Navy ships operating in the Red Sea also intercepted missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. North Korea: Communist North Korea supplies weapons to Hamas, just as it does to Iran, which are among the reasons why North Korea is a state sponsor of terrorism.

The Ruling and Another Far-Right Party Lost Votes and Seats in the Polish Parliamentary Elections

The ruling far-right nationalist and populist party won the most votes and seats in the Polish parliamentary elections today, but with much fewer than the last election and well short of a majority necessary to form a government. A smaller pro-Russian far-right party also suffered a worse showing than before. Turnout was higher than ever — even more than the first multi-party elections in 1989 in which the Communists were defeated, as a bloc of three opposition parties, led by a conservative party whose leader is a former Polish Prime Minister and European Union (EU) President, collectively obtained a comfortable majority of the vote. At issue was liberty and representative government, as the governing party has eroded the rule of law over its eight years in power by diminishing the independence of the judiciary, and gained more power over the media and the electoral process, while increasing control over the private sector, which has led to cronyism. It has also increased spending, which exacerbates inflation. The EU, of which Poland is a member, has withheld funds because of the Polish Government’s rising authoritarianism. With the notable xception of Ukrainian refugees, the ruling Polish party has also been anti-migrant, opposing reasonable EU reforms of migration policy, together with far-right authoritarian Hungary. Poland, an ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has been a critical ally of neighboring Ukraine against aggression by the Russian Federation. The center-right opposition leader would continue the support for Ukraine. The Polish President will have to give a mandate to the current Prime Minister from the same party to try to form a government because it had won the most seats, but it will not be able to obtain the necessary majority in Parliament to win a vote of confidence. Instead, the opposition parties across the political spectrum will have to form a coalition, as they have expressed a willingness to do, to restore representative governance to Poland, vanquish far-right authoritarianism and xenophobia, and strengthen both NATO and the EU.

Conservative Thoughts on the Hamas Terrorist Attacks on Israel

Hamas, the Iranian-backed Muslim Arab terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip, last week launched the deadliest terrorist attacks ever on Israel with rockets targeting civilian residences, killing well over a thousand people, injuring thousands of others and taking scores of hostages. Hamas was joined by the Islamic Jihad, which is also sponsored by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and the Al-Aqsa Brigades. Among the casualties and hostages are people from around the world, including many Americans. In the meantime, there have been some incursions and attacks against Israel from Lebanon by the Shi’ite terrorist organization Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran. Sometimes liberals and far-right isolationists minimize the threat of terrorism when it is not targeted directly at Americans as “not a threat to us,” such as when Saddam Hussein financially sponsored suicide bombers in Israel, who sometimes targeted and killed Americans. The current terrorist attacks in Israel are reminders, however, that the threat from terrorism against anyone in the world is a threat to everyone, as terrorists target innocent civilians randomly, which often includes visiting foreigners. Americans, like everyone else, have the freedom to travel abroad to make pilgrimages, visit family, receive formal education or healthcare, engage in commerce, and to be tourists. Terrorism inhibits that freedom. Therefore, it is in the interests of the United States and the international community to defeat terrorism everywhere. It is necessary not only to remove Hamas from power in the autonomous Gaza Strip and to destroy it and its allies, but to deter state sponsors of terrorism, like Iran. Terrorist organizations must be opposed globally and defeated through denial of safe havens from which terrorists train and of funding, and through police or military action, as well as through persuasion that terrorism is an illegitimate form of warfare, regardless of their cause. State sponsors of terrorism must be deterred in various ways. Moreover, it is essential to end terrorism by never rewarding it by being intimidated to give into the demands of the terrorists.

Conservative Republicans Have Launched “Republicans for Ukraine” to Counter the Pro-Russian Trumpist GOP Wing

A conservative anti-Trump organization has launched a new initiative to counter the pro-Russian Trumpist wing of the Republican Party. Defending Democracy Together has launched Republicans for Ukraine to support continued American military aid for Ukrainian independence, sovereignty and freedom against aggression, war crimes and genocide by the Russian Federation, which had recognized Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity: We're Republicans standing for Ukrainian freedom. - Republicans For Ukraine (gopforukraine.com). Russia is led by an ex-Soviet intelligence officer who is trying to restore the Soviet Union and who has been interfering in American politics with propaganda and disinformation, which helped Donald Trump win the GOP nomination and the presidency in 2016. The initiative comes at a time when the significant pro-Putin wing of the Republican Caucus in the United States House of Representatives has blocked military aid to Ukraine, even though opposing aggression has been a fundamental principle of American foreign policy and a fundamental principle of conservative foreign policy, and even though far-right Trumpists claim to be defenders of the principle of sovereignty. Conservatives had staunchly opposed the Communist Soviet Union during the Cold War. It is disturbing to many of us conservatives that some who claim to be conservative today would support a tyrannical, aggressive ex-Soviet intelligence officer trying to restore the Soviet Union. But it is an obvious example of how Trumpism is anathema to conservatism. As I have posted, there have been numerous organizations formed by Republicans and conservatives and various initiatives to counter Trump and Trumpism, a populist mix of protectionism, nativism, isolationism, deception, corruption, disloyalty, cruelty and authoritarianism. These organizations stand for true conservative principles of liberty, morals, civic virtue, the free market, and a strong defense.

Columbus Day is for Celebrating the Greatest Discovery that Re-United the Two Hemispheres; Thanksgiving is for Celebrating Indigenous People

The federal and state holiday of Columbus Day is for celebrating the greatest discovery of all time, when the two Hemispheres of the world were re-united after thousands of years of separation, because of the great observational and navigational skills of Christopher Columbus in October 12, 1492. It is not the time to honor the culture and accomplishments of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, for which Thanksgiving is a more appropriate time The Indigenous Peoples are credited for walking across a land bridge from Asia to North America that temporarily formed during the Ice Age when sea levels were much lower. Columbus and his crew had to sail thousands of miles in uncharted waters across the ocean in small wooden ships, relying only on the clock, the compass and the skill of dead reckoning as navigational aids. And he had to be able to find his way back to his home port and back again for the discovery to have meant anything more than previous legendary discoveries by Europeans of the Americas. The point of celebrating Columbus Day is not to celebrate those who were already in the New World, but America as established by the European explorers, colonists and missionaries who made it into the land of opportunity, prosperity, equality, freedom and representative government that it has become. Furthermore, because Columbus was Italian and Catholic and was working for the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, for whom evangelization was a priority in funding the Genoese sailor’s exploration mission, the purpose of honoring Columbus is to acknowledge the contributions of immigrants beyond those of the Northern European and Protestant plurality. When Columbus Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday, it was in direct opposition to nativists who were bigoted against Southern and Eastern Europeans and Jews who were immigrating in large numbers at the time. But now, despite a resurgence of nativism on the Far Rright, it is the Far Left that opposes honoring Columbus because of their anti-Western Civilization and anti-Christian hatred, in addition to ignorance about the meaning of the word discovery, which means to “uncover,” which does not require one to be the first to be credited with a discovery, but allows for independent discoveries. Leftists therefore deny the proper credit for Columbus’ independent discovery of the Western Hemisphere, which represented a discovery from the European perspective, and even his first discoveries of a western and oceanic route to the Americas, among other major scientific discoveries, because leftists falsely think it minimizes the Indigenous People and their culture and contributions to America. A more appropriate time to honor Indigenous Peoples is on Thanksgiving, when Americans give thanks to God for the blessings of liberty and their bounty, in the tradition of the first English colonists who gave thanks to God and for their friendship with the Native Americans who taught them how to farm native crops in the New World. By giving each their own holiday, instead of only to one group, then one does not compete with or diminish the other and the contributions to America of everyone are appreciated.

Foreign Digest: Armenia, Georgia, Slovakia, and Moldova

Armenia: Armenia has joined the International Criminal Court. The move is a blow to erstwhile ally, the Russian Federation, as the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes committed as part of Russian aggression against Ukraine for Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer who has been trying to restore the Soviet Union. Membership in the ICC obligates arrest of those for whom a warrant has been issued, which thus precludes Putin from visiting Armenia. Russia failed to protect ethnic Armenians in the formerly self-governing territory of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan, despite its role as a peacekeeper since a 2020 war between the two former Soviet Republics in the Caucasus, their second since independence in 1991. The vast majority of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh have already fled their ancestral homeland to Armenia. Georgia: Georgia’s President has expressed concern over a Russian plan for a naval base on Georgian soil in a breakaway territory on the Black Sea recognized by the Russia Federation as independent. Russia invaded two separatist territories in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in 2008 and set up puppet governments it recognized as independent. Only a handful of authoritarian States around the world have also recognized the territories’ independence. Russian forces, which Russia had pledged to withdraw, repeatedly further encroached on Georgian territory. Slovakia: Slovakia accuses Russia of interference in its election last week, in which a pro-Russian leftist party won the most votes in the parliamentary elections. As the party fell short of even a quarter of the vote, a coalition government would certainly be necessary, although the leader of the winning party, a former Prine Minister, has been given a mandate by the President to try to form a government. Slovakia, an ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has been providing military aid to Ukraine against Russian aggression, which the leftist party opposes. Under Putin, who aspires to re-unite the Soviet Union, Russia interferes in elections not only in former Soviet Republics and satellites, but also in Western States and the United States with propaganda, disinformation and cyberattacks. It had even attempted a violent coup in Montenegro in 2016. Moldova: The President of Moldova last week accused Kremlin-associated Russian mercenaries of plotting a violent coup d’etat in the former Soviet Republic by provoking violent protests and attacks against the Moldovan government. Thousands of Russian Federation troops are in a breakaway part of Moldova where there is a Russian-speaking ethnic minority on the border with Ukraine, against Moldova’s intent. Communist and Socialist parties in Moldova support Russia. Moldova aspires to membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

The United States Diplomatic Recognition of the Cook Islands and Niue

The United States recently diplomatically recognized the Cook Islands and Niue as independent States. The tiny Pacific Ocean island States are in free association with New Zealand, an American ally. The step is a counter to Communist China’s assertive influence in the Pacific. The U.S. has signed security deals with Australia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, in addition to those it already has with several other Pacific States. As a Pacific power, there are American bases in Guam and the Northern Marianas, in addition the oceanic coast of the homeland.

Foreign Digest: Philippines and China, Kosovo and Bosnia, and Poland

Philippines and Communist China: The Philippines last week removed a barrier on one of the disputed Spratley Islands that had been set up as a navigational obstacle by Communist China against Filipino fishermen and to reinforce the Chinese claim to the island. The Spratleys are disputed between China (and also the Republic of China on Taiwan), which claim most of the South China Sea, and the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, which each claim some of the islands. Every State has a presence on at least one of the islands. The Economic Exclusion zone of the Philippines, with its fishing rights, extends to the island claimed by China. At stake in the South China Sea also are mineral rights, particularly for oil. Kosovo and Bosnia: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization announced last week that it is increasing its peacekeeping force presence in Kosovo after a deadly attack by ethnic Serbs against Kosovar police. Kosovo broke away from Serbia after a war in 1999, following the breakup of the former Serb-dominated Yugoslavia in 1991. Yugoslavia and then its rump, Serbia, was led by its last Communist leader who fomented ethnic hatreds in the diverse countries and caused multiple wars and atrocities. Serbia had massed troops on the border with Kosovo, whose independence it does not recognize, unlike the United States and most European States, but withdrew some today after NATO members had warned it. There are a small minority of Serbs, who are Slavs and Orthodox Christians, in northern Kosovo I posted about this summer. Kosovo is mostly inhabited by ethnic Albanians, who are predominately Muslim with some Orthodox Christians. Meanwhile in another former Yugoslav Republic, Bosnia and Herzogivina, the ethnic Serbian Republic within it that was formed within it in 1995 after the bloody war of independence is again threatening secession. The other constituent Bosnian Republic is a confederation of Croats (who are kin with Serbs, but are Roman Catholic), and Bosniaks (who are Muslim Slavs). Poland: A million Poles rallied in Warsaw, Poland today in opposition to the far-right nationalist authoritarian government of Poland and in support of representative government ahead of parliamentary elections next week. Former President and European Union head Donald Tusk leads the conservative party in the elections that are expected to be close. Poland is an ally of the United States as a member of NATO and against the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Poland was a Communist satellite State of the Soviet Union, which the current tyrannical leader of the Russian Federation, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer, is trying to reconstitute. The current Polish Government had supported Ukraine until a recent dispute over grain exports. It is also part of an anti-migrant axis with Hungary.

The Latest Russian Support of Militant Islamism

I have posted before how the Russian Federation, under ex-Soviet intelligence officer Vladimir Putin, has supported Islamism in a number of ways, despite its appeal to far-right Westerners as some kind of a bulwark against terrorism and Muslims generally. I noted Putin’s appointment of a tyrannical Islamist Governor of Chechnya and his support for the terrorist-sponsoring tyrannical Syrian regime that is backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the worst state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and how Russia works with the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi’ite organization, Hezbollah. And observers have noted the high proportion of foreign jihadist fighters in Syria were from Russia. The latest example of Russian support for militant Muslims is in the Southern Caucasus. Russia had mediated an end to the second war between the former Soviet Republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2020 and provided peacekeepers after the former regained land from the latter and gained control of the corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the separatist ethnic Christian Armenian region within mostly Muslim Azerbaijan. The Russian peacekeepers allowed Azerbaijan to cut off the corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia since last year, depriving the residents of food and supplies. They were unable to stop the Azerbaijani offensive last week that forced the separatists to surrender. Although supplies are finally reaching the ethnic Armenian region and the Azerbaijani Government promises to respect the religious and political liberty of the Armenians, the residents are skeptical of the Azerbaijani Government, as Azerbaijan is an unfree State. A mass exodus of the 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh is beginning. Armenia, which is a member of a defensive pact with Russia, is increasingly turning to the West as a more reliable protector of its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity versus a Russian tyrant who has his own interest in supporting Azerbaijan and is violating the independence, sovereignty and territory of another former Soviet Republic with its aggression against Ukraine.

Foreign Digest: Afghanistan, Mali and Niger and Migration

Afghanistan: A United Nations report last week found the Taliban militia regime of Afghanistan violates human rights with arrests, torture and denial of due process to prisoners. This facet of Taliban rule is only one aspect of its tyranny. The Taliban, who are not internationally recognized as the legitimate Afghan government, returned to power in 2021 after the disastrous Trump-Biden withdrawal of United States and allied forces who had been protecting the Afghan Government against the return to power of the Islamist, tyrannical Taliban who were state sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. had led an international coalition to overthrow the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda, the Islamist terrorists responsible for the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America, which killed a record nearly 3,000 people. Mali and Niger: The United Nations force for Mali, which was been aiding the State in the Sahel region of Africa since 2013 against Islamist terrorists, has gradually been withdrawing at the request of the Malian military junta. French forces, who had already been forced to withdraw, had been effective in aiding the former French colony, but U.N., Malian and Kremlin-backed Russian mercenaries have not. There have been multiple military coups against Malian governments regarded as ineffective against the violent jihadists, but attacks and casualties have increased and Islamists doubled the territory they control. Meanwhile, separatist Tuareg rebels have taken up arms again, claiming Malian forces have violated a deal; they had been allied with the Islamist terrorists before they and the terrorists turned on each other. There has been a similar result in Niger, one of three States in the Sahel that have suffered military coups because of perceived ineffectiveness against the Islamist rebels, and which then rejected Western military support, without any transition back to civilian rule or elections. France, the region’s former colonial ruer, and the United States maintain forces in Niger as a bastion in the fight against Islamist terrorism, but the Nigerien coup leaders have demanded French troops withdraw. Migration: Pope Francis on the Catholic Church’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees today emphasized the right to emigrate or not to be forced to, encouraged the saving of lives of migrants at sea, the welcoming of migrants with Christian love and through more legal channels for migration, and the fair sharing of the burden of providing for them while processing their claims, particularly noting the increased migration in the Mediterranean region. The Head of State of Vatican City and leader of the Holy See as Bishop of Rome dismissed the categorization of migration as an “invasion” or an “emergency,” which is used for anti-migrant propaganda against those fleeing persecution, war, disaster, or desperate economic circumstances for a better life.

The Reagan Foundation Rejects Donald Trump

The Reagan Foundation and Institute that manages the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library has declined to invite the non-conservative Donald Trump to speak at the presidential center for the conservative President. A member of the Board of Trustees said that many things Trump did and said were “not consistent with the Reagan philosophy.” President Ronald Reagan’s cheerful optimism and willingness to work with the opposition party congenially, versus the extreme stridency of Trump were cited as a difference. The Reagan Foundation earlier this month joined the statement lead by the Presidential Foundation of another conservative Republican President, George W. Bush, that I posted about against threats to civility, liberty and representative government, which was a thinly veiled response to Trumpism. Trumpism is a populist mix of ideas, including acceptance of authoritarianism, as opposed to the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law, and constitutional principles such as the separation of powers and States’ rights. President Reagan, whose opponents Donald Trump had donated to, was in favor of such principles and freedom, and opposed to dictatorship. Three other main Trumpist ideas are the direct opposite of Reagan-Thatcher conservatism: 1) protectionism, which is a tax increase on imports to protect domestic production and is thus against free market competition; 2) isolationism, which opposes the defense of American principles, interests and security abroad as part of the defense of the independence and sovereignty of the United States; and 3) nativism, which is based on hatred or exaggerated fears of migrants, including refugees seeking asylum from persecution, instead of proudly recognizing the attraction of universal ideas like equality, liberty and representative government in America and the contributions of those who come here who appreciate freedom and pursue the American Dream.

Twenty-Second Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks

Today is the twenty-second anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks against America that targeted the World Trade Center in New York City and the heqadquarters of the United States Department of Defense (the Pentagon) in the Virginia suburbs of the District of Columbia with three hijacked civlian aircraft that were crashed into them, and another liner that crashed in western Pennsylvania after the passengers rose up agains their Islamist terrorist hijackers. The attacks were the deadliest in world history, killing nearly 3,000 people. The al-Qaeda terrorist organization, based in Afghanistan, was responsible for the attacks. The U.S. led an international coalition to overthrow the Afghan Taliban militia in 2002 that had harbored al-Qaeda and also targeted the terrorist organization directly, as the first campaign of a global War on Terrorism that continues. But after the disastrous Trump-Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have taken over the whole of Afghanistan. Although al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State, have suffered severe blows in the War on Terrorism, I have posted on the ongoing threat from Islamist militancy that requires continued sacrifice and vigilance. But today, in addition remembered those who died on September 11 and those who have given their lives in the War on Terrorism and who have been killed in many subsequent terrorist attacks, I also acknowledge those rescuers at the World Trade Center who have experienced deadly respiratory health problems every since they arrived on the scene in the days and weeks after the attacks thinking not of themselves, but of trying to save others. They are surely indirect victims of the terrorist attrocity. May we remember all the victims who died and those who still suffer, and may we remain ever-vigilant and willing to defend our security and freedom from the threat from Islamist militants around the world.

Statement from Thirteen Presidential Foundations for Liberty and Representative Government

The foundations that manage the presidential libraries of thirteen former Presidents of the United States have issued an unprecedented joint statement about strengthening liberty and representative government in the face of current challenges: Strengthening our Democracy | George W. Bush Presidential Center (bushcenter.org). The statement in support of pluralism, civility and American leadership in promoting freedom abroad, which it recognizes as beneficial to U.S. security, is recognized as an implicit reference to the threat from Trumpism. Led by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the foundations of every President from Herbert Hoover to Barack Obama, with the sole exception of the foundation for Dwight Eisenhower, signed the extraordinary statement, thus including those of every living former President, who personally approved the statement, except Donald Trump. The former Presidents included Republicans, Democrats, liberals, moderates and conservatives. The foundations were created by federal legislation in 1955, starting with the former living Presidents at the time, making Hoover’s the one for the earliest President. The George W. Bush Presidential Center has been particularly active in promoting human rights, including in a bipartisan manner. As I have posted, Trumpism is a populist mix of protectionism, nativism, isolationism, dishonesty, corruption, disloyalty, cruelty and authoritarianism, all of which are anathema to conservatism. The authoritarianism was manifest in violations of the principles of judicial independence, the rule of law, the separation of powers, and States’ rights, as well as undermining American leadership on human rights.

Mass Protests against Syrian Tyranny

There have been mass protests in the south of Syria for weeks, in a predominantly Druze area that has been mostly peaceful during the Syrian Civil War. The protests are the first significant ones in Syria since last year. At first, the demonstrations were against inflation, but now also are about ending the tyrannical Baathist regime of Bashar Assad. There have also been some isolated protests elsewhere in the majority Muslim Arab State. Syria has been in civil war since 2011, which has killed over half a million people, displaced 12 of the 25 million Syrians, including 5 million who fled Syria. The Islamist Republic of Iran and its terrorist allies and the Russian Federation back Assad in the multi-sided war that includes both moderate and Islamist rebels. Some rebels are backed by Turkey while the United States supports the Syrian Democratic Force, which is made of Kurds and some others. The SDF has been fighting against the Islamic State, the offshoot of al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the deadliest attacks in history, the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks against America that killed nearly 3,000. The U.S. led an international coalition that defeated the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and maintains a small force to complete the destruction of the bloody terrorist organization. The Kurds remain outside the control of Assad, as do a few other rebels. Meanwhile, Israel continues to strike Iranian and Iranian-backed terrorist targets in Syria.

An Entire Martyred Family’s Beatification for Saving Jews During the Holocaust Includes a Newborn

The Catholic Church today in Poland beatified nine members of the Ulma Family who were summarily executed by the Nazis and local Polish police collaborators for harboring eight Jews from the Holocaust. A Vatican Cardinal performed the ceremony while Pope Francis read a statement from the Holy See that was broadcast on screens in the Polish town where the Ulma’s martyrdom for “hatred of the faith” took place after the-deeply Christian family were betrayed by a local policeman. The eight Jews they had sheltered were also killed, among the three million Jews and six million Poles killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust. It was unprecedented that an entire family (parents and seven young children) was beatified, which literally means to be called “blessed,” as a sign that their souls were saved and that the family is a model of Christian sacrifice for the faithful. Another unusual aspect of the beatification was that the young mother in the Ulma Family was pregnant with the youngest child at the time of her murder, which the Vatican interpreted as the child being born and then “baptized by blood.” It is nonetheless a powerful statement of the humanity of unborn children. Poland’s President and Prime Minister were in attendance of today’s beatification.

Foreign Digest: Zimbabwe, Bosnia, Italy and China

Zimbabwe: The presidential elections in Zimbabwe last week were won by the incumbent president, whose ruling far-left party has ruled the southern African State since independence in 1980. International observers and the leading opposition party report irregularities in the close vote, as is usual in Zimbabwe, which remains unfree and unrepresentative. Bosnia: The European Court for Human Rights ruled that elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina are not democratic because of the “privileged” results for certain ethnic groups. Bosnia is geographically and politically split between Croat (Slavic and Roman Catholic) and Bosniak (Muslim) and Serbian (Slavic and Eastern Orthodox) communities since the civil war ended in 1995 following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Serbia, the dominant Republic within Yugoslavia, was led at the time by a Communist tyrant who fomented extreme Serbian nationalism, which led to bloody wars and atrocities for years and which has created enduring tensions. Italy and China: The Italian Government will not renew the Belt and Road Initiative with Communist China. Under a left-right populist coalition government, Italy had been the only major industrial or Western power to sign onto the infrastructure program dubbed the “New Silk Road” that increases Chinese influence and opportunities for espionage and undermining security. But the deal was suspended under the national unity government of Mario Draghi because of security concerns and pressure from allies. The current right-wing government also cites an imbalance of benefits for China.

Nigerien Coup Update: The Junta Promises Transition as ECOWAS Threatens Force

The junta that seized power in Niger in late July has now promised a transition to cilian rule and elections within three years. It overthrew the elected President, whom it is holding under difficult circumstances, along with his family and other government officials. The junta has threatened to prosecute him and to seek the death penalty for treason, as it was dissatisfied with Niger’s fight against an Islamist terrorist insurgency. Although the promise of a democratic transition was sought by the international community, including the United States, which has a small force of troops there to aid Niger against the terrorists, it may not be enough to satisfy the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has prepared a force and a plan to remove the junta and restore the elected government. Former colonial power France also demands the restoration to power of the elected government and has not withdrawn its troops because it does not recognize the junta as the legitimate government. The junta claims it will not seek help from Kremlin-associated Russian mercenaries with terrible human rights records, as the military coup leaders who took over neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso have done, but the West fears a loss of its last bastion of influence in the Sahel, a strategic battlefield in the War on Terrorism, and a corresponding gain for Russia. The U.S., like the African Union, prefers a diplomatic solution over force. ECOWAS’ standby force may be inadequate, even without any support from Mali and Burkina Faso. They may believe that deterrence of military coups that plague the region, the fight against Islamist insurgents, namely al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State, as well as their relations with the West versus Russia are worth the fight to save representative government in Niger.

Foreign Digest: Russia, Nicaragua and Spain

Russia: The Russian Federation’s tyrannical regime of ex-Soviet intelligence officer, Vladimir Putin, has closed the Sakharov Foundation, one of the last centers for the exchange of political ideas. Named for the nuclear scientist and Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the center had opened after the fall of the Soviet Union, which Putin wishes to restore. Putin, who has been in power for 23 years, does not permit dissent against him and increasingly does not tolerate independent organizations. Nicaragua: The tyrant of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, continues not only to eliminate all civic organizations, including religious ones, the Red Cross, and even organizations for collectors and the like, but also academic ones, recently taking over a well-regarded Catholic university that was a bastion for freedom of thought. Ortega, now in his presidential fourth term after arresting all opponents ahead of the last election, had been the dictator under the Marxist Sandinista regime that took over Nicaragua in 1979 and ruled until losing a free and fair election it tolerated in 1991. Public protests were put down with violence and over a hundred Nicaraguan supporters of freedom, including some clergy, were forced into exile. Spain: The ruling Socialists managed to win the Spanish parliamentary elections, even though the conservatives won the most votes and seats, after a by-election assured the center-left party of having enough seats to form a coalition majority government with regional parties who won a significant number of seats. Instead of winning an expected majority for their bloc of parties, the conservatives were dragged down by their election alliance with a far-right party that lost seats. Spain is an ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The United Nations Condemns the Taliban Regime of Afghanistan for Gross Human Rights Abuses

The United Nations last week on the second anniversary of the Islamist Taliban militia’s seizure of power in Afghanistan has stated that the oppressive terrorist-sponsoring militia has not changed since the last time it ruled Afghanistan. In addition to violating the freedom of expression and assembly, the UN enumerated a list of abuses by the Taliban: violent and discriminatory oppression, forced marriages—even for children, economic and sexual exploitation, the sale of organs and children, forced child labor and human trafficking. I have also posted how the Taliban, who are intertwined with terrorists, have killed many who had worked for the elected Afghan Government. After the United States and its coalition allies withdrew, the Taliban seized power in 2021 after having been removed in 2002 by an international coalition led by the U.S. because the militia had hosted the al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, the deadliest in history. No State has reocognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Another Conservative Think Tank Criticizes the Disastrous Trump-Biden Afghan Withdrawal

In my post about Afghanistan last month, Conservative Think Tank Calls for American Support of the Anti-Taliban Afghan Resistance, https://williamcinfici.blogspot.com/2023/07/conservative-think-tank-calls-for.html, I focused on the call by the Hudson Institute for support of the National Resistance Front, the main Afghan resistance movement against the Islamist Taliban militia that seized power in Afghanistan again in 2020. The Taliban had been overthrown in 2002 by an international coalition led by the United States, and which included the recognized Afghan Government, which had retained de facto control of northeast Afghanistan, where their successors, the National Resistance Front, are also based. The Taliban were overthrown after hosting the Islamist al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the September 11, 2011 Terrorist Attacks on America that killed a record nearly 3,000 people. But I write to note also that as I did and as the Center for the Foundation for Democracy and other conservatives also have, the Hudson Institute criticized the disastrous Trump-Biden withdrawal for the return of power of the Taliban. They observed that Donald Trump’s negotiations with the Taliban that legitimized the Islamist militia and undermined the elected coalition Afghan Government the U.S. had been supporting, who were excluded from negotiations. Trump’s inartful deal with the Taliban forced an American withdrawal, in exchange for a promise from the terrorist sponsors intertwined with al-Qaeda and affiliated terrorists not to host al-Qaeda again. After taking power, the Taliban hosted al-Qaeda’s leader in Kabul. Trump’s deal barred the Americans from combat against the Taliban and enabled his presidential successor, Joe Biden, who, like Trump, opposed the continued non-combat training mission of a few thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan, to have an excuse to give up, instead of rejecting Trump’s deal and implementing a policy to defeat the Taliban. Furthermore, Biden had no plan to address the rapid takeover of Afghanistan, which happened despite some American support for the Afghan Government and some valiant efforts by some Afghan forces. His plan to continue to strike terrorists without having a base in Afghanistan did allow the U.S. to kill al-Qaeda’s leader through a missile strike, but only after he had been able to communicate better with his forces and the Taliban for months because of his presence in Afghanistan, and without being able to exploit intelligence from his hideout, as in previous raids, such as the one that killed al-Qaeda’s previous leader. Meanwhile, the Taliban oppress religious and ethnic minorities, do not tolerate basic freedoms, especially for women, and have killed many Afghans who had worked for the Afghan Government.

Nigerien Coup Update

The African Union supports the restoration to power of the elected government of Niger after the military coup two weeks ago I have been posting about and also supports the efforts of the West African Economic Community of States to restore it through diplomatic pressure, but by force, if necessary. ECOWAS has created a stand-by force from several West African States, but of only 5,000 troops. After snubbing ECOWAS and other international envoys and threatening to kill the deposed Nigerien President it is holding, the military junta is finally expressing a willingness for a diplomatic solution. Such a solution would require a transition to civilian power and elections. As I have posted, Niger is the last State in the Sahel battling Islamist terrorists that is backed by Western States. The United States and France have a combined force of over 2,500 troops in Niger and other Western powers have provided aid. But Like Mali and Burkina Faso, after their elected governments were overthrown in military coups, Niger’s junta intends to turn toward Kremlin-associated Russian mercenaries infamous for atrocities, instead of the West, against the jihadists. Those two States in the Sahel back Niger’s junta against ECOWAS, while Guinea, whose leader also took power by coup, is diplomatically supportive of Niger’s junta. The opposition from these West African States undermine ECOWAS’s efforts. Neighboring Algeria opposes the coup, but also opposes an armed intervention. With the split among Africans and the junta’s threat to the elected President, with the conditions for him and his family worsening, and as the sanctions, travel restrictions and power cutoffs from ECOWAS are causing humanitarian problems for Niger, a diplomatic solution appears urgent and more likely to be successful than a military one.

Foreign Digest, Caucasus Region: Nagorno-Karabakh and Georgia

Nagorno-Karabakh: There have recently been renewed tensions over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan that is controlled by ethnic Armenians, who share close ties with nearby Armenia. The Christian Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and their ally, Armenia, have been fighting off and on with Muslim Azerbaijan since the two former Soviet Republics became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. A land corridor with Armenia was cut off by the Azeris in fighting three years ago, but now Azerbaijan has even been cutting off supplies from Armenia to the Armenian enclave. The peace deal reached at the time, in which Armenia gave up much of the territory beyond Nagorno-Karabakh it had won in previous fighting, was guaranteed by Russian troops, who have not defended the ethnic Armenians from the Azeris’ supply cutoff. Georgia: The United Staes and five allies on the United Nations Security Council demanded in a joint statement last week that the Russian Federation return control of Georgian territory on the 15th anniversary of its seizure of two breakaway territories of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in 2008. The Russians established independent puppet states that are hardly recognized internationally, and have kept Russian troops there ever since. The U.S. and its allies note how the Russian invasion of the Caucasus State to its south presaged its aggression against the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine in 2014, in violation of both States’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, which Russia recognized, and as required by the U.N. Charter. The Americans and their allies also note how the Russians have erected barbed wire and other obstacles, unlawfully abducted Georgians, discriminated against ethnic Georgians and target Georgian cultural heritage for damage. The Russians, led by former Soviet intelligence officer, Vladimir Putin, a tyrant who dreams of restoring the Soviet Union, have encroached on Georgian territory by pushing the border forward repeatedly in various locations, adding the territory to their puppet states. The U.S. and its allies call for a peaceful resolution between Russia and Georgia.

Nigerien Coup Update: Russian Machinations in the War on Terrorism Front

I had posted a week ago about the coup in Niger, in which a military junta has seized power from the elected government. Niger, like two other States in the Sahel, Mali and Burkina Faso, has been battling Islamist terrorists, namely, al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State, as the region has become a major front in the War on Terrorism. In all three, there were coups by military officers claiming dissatisfaction with their government’s effectiveness against the jihadist insurgencies. Mali and Burkina Faso turned to Kremlin-backed Russian mercenaries, instead of the Western-led support they had been receiving. The mercenaries, who are also present in Libya, the Central African Republic, Syria and Ukraine, commit human rights violations. Although the Russian Federation is calling for a restoration of the elected President, it opposes the use of force by foreigners to restore the elected government. The Nigerien President, who is being held captive by the military junta that seized power last week, has called on the United States and others to help restore him to power, lest the entire Sahel region fall into the hands of Russia, as the coup leaders are expected to spurn U.S. and Western aid and turn to the Russian mercenaries. The U.S. and the European Union oppose the coup and are threatening to cut off aid to Niger. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Niger is a member, has already imposed sanctions and called for the restoration of the elected government of Niger and is threatening to use force to oust the junta. ECOWAS has intervened several times in West Africa after coups or civil wars. Former colonial power France opposes the coup, but politically cannot lead any force that would be labeled by coup supporters as imperialist. The U.S. and the European Union do not intend to act militarily, but prefer ECOWAS to take the lead.

Another Measles Case in Pennsylvania Because of Vaccine Hesitancy

A measles case was reported last week in southeastern Pennsylvania in an unvaccinated child. As I have posted the last several years, there have been outbreaks of measles, which is highly contagious, in Western Europe and America, as well as other diseases that had nearly been eradicated in the West, with the increase in vaccine hesitancy because of false beliefs about the safety of vaccines and exaggerated confidence in natural immunity. False conspiracy theories, advanced by the far left, the far right and libertarians, and amplified by Russian Federation disinformation to weaken the West, have increased vaccine hesitancy and spread deadly diseases, as has been especially noticeable during the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic. Vaccines are safe and effective weapons against disease. Although there are some side-effects to vaccines, as there are from any medical intervention, the risks are far less than the diseases they protect against. It is necessary that a sufficient number of people be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity” to protect those who cannot be for certain valid health reasons. Therefore, it is a matter of civic responsibility for people to get their recommended vaccines, just as it is that they minimize the spread of contagion through better hygiene (hand-washing, covering coughs and sneezes), staying home when sick, and avoiding people who are ill with a contagious disease. Because protecting others is also a moral matter, it is consistent with conservative beliefs to promote public health measures against contagion, including vaccination.

Foreign Digest: Spain, Cambodia and Niger

Spain: The results of the parliamentary elections in Spain a week ago were not decisive, as the conservatives won the most votes and seats in the Spanish Parliament, but fell short of a majority necessary to form a government in place of the ruling Socialists. The center-right conservative Spanish party suffered a blow to its hopes of gaining the majority through a coalition government because of its alliance with a far-right party that lost seats. As I have been posting the last several years, these far-right parties, which generally tend to be nationalistic to a bigoted degree, anti-migrant, anti-European integration, and are often pro-Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, have sometimes cost the center-right election victories, although sometimes conservatives have been able to win without an alliance with the far-right. At other times, the center-right has formed a coalition government with the far-right, only to result in a collapse of the government, such as in Austria, when the Russian support of the far-right party was revealed. The new government coalition in Finland has already suffered from controversy from the resignation of one cabinet minister with another under fire because of fascists statements. Both the Socialists and the conservatives will try to form a government, but another round of elections may be necessary. Cambodia: The elections last week in Cambodia, in which the son of the longtime dictator from the Communist era was elected President, were internationally recognized as a farce, as the opposition was persecuted and precluded from contesting the election. Niger: There was a military coup d-etat in Niger last week against the elected government of the African State. The motivation was ostensibly the same as I posted about a few years ago in Mali, which was dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the Nigerien Government’s anti-terrorism policy. Niger, like other States in the Sahel, has come under attack by militant Islamists. The United States and others have been aiding Niger and other African States against the violent jihadists. The U.S., the Economic Community of West African States, of which Niger is a member, and France, Niger’s former colonial ruler, are among those in the international community calling for a restoration to power of the elected government.

Debunking the “Tatarian Empire” Conspiracy Theory

One of the many recent baseless conspiracy theories spread through the Internet lately that has become particularly popular is the easily debunked theory about a supposed Tatarian Empire. This fantastic theory posits that this mythical Eurasian empire, whose people were a technologically advanced race of giants, extended well into North America and was responsible for the buildings of the architectural styles in America before the late Nineteenth Century, but was destroyed by a “mud flood” of a few feet, leaving only these buildings behind, and that the existence of the Tartarians has been covered up ever since as Americans claimed credit for the Tartarians’ accomplishments. As with any false conspiracy theory, its adherents make false connections between events and assert speculation as fact. They then dismiss all evidence to the contrary as proof of the coverup that is always an essential element of the theory, thereby rendering themselves unable to engage in a rational analysis of their theory. The foundation of beliefs in false conspiracy theories is not rational skepticism of what is generally accepted as reality, but cynicism based on the psychological need to believe in an alternate explanation that they are always certain must exist, which leads vulnerable people to believe in false conspiracies to try to make sense of a lack of control over geopolitical developments and as an arrogant coping mechanism of believing that only they know the truth while they dismiss non-believers as sheep-like followers. The Tartarian Empire theory, which has been disproven in every aspect, is based on a conflation of the Tatars with a European pun used to describe them as “Tartars,” and a lack of understanding that the vast lands west of the European part of what is now the Russian Federation attributed centuries ago by Europeans to the Tatars were not ruled by Tatars, but simply unknown to Westerners and grouped by them under the European name for their lands until they were later conquered by the Russians from their various Siberian inhabitants. Indeed, there was no Tatarian Empire, the existence of which is disproven by the documented evidence of Eurasia. Although Eurasian peoples did migrate to North America millennia ago, they were not the Tatars of a much later time. The Tartarian Empire theory is based also on a misunderstanding of the well documented history of architecture and of building techniques that are traceable from the Classical era to the Neo-Classical styles of the Renaissance and the quintessential American style known as the “Federal style.” The conspiracy theory’s proponents cannot understand how more quickly and inexpensively buildings could be built of such styles in the past because of the availability of cheap skilled labor and less building regulations than today, or that government would spend money to build elaborate ornate structures even for small cities, even though we have the legislative records to substantiate it, which it did to promote public art. They also do not seem to realize that each of the skills for building such ornate buildings that are documented to have developed in the West have been conserved and are still used. It is also well documented why there was a trend toward the modern architectural style, which was because of the availability of cheaper building materials, increased labor costs and regulations, and changes in taste, and which not everyone agreed with, not a supposed catastrophic destruction of the Tartarian Empire. The Tartarian Empire theory also fails to explain why architectural styles developed in the West so differently from those in Russia. Moreover, it is absurd that a race of giants, which they theorize existed because the public first floors of public buildings had high ceilings, inexplicably in contrast to the scale of the rest of the buildings, who left no remains of their bodies, either as giants or of regular stature, were supposedly destroyed by a flood of mud of only a few feet, despite being taller and more technologically advanced. Furthermore, the mud flood theory, which left no geological evidence and which geologists doubt is even plausible over such an extensive area, is based on the misunderstanding by the proponents of the conspiracy theory of basements with windows that are below today’s often higher street levels, which have been raised for known documented reasons. The part of the Tartarian Empire theory that claims the Tatarians’ existence has been covered up by lies also strains credulity by failing to provide a convincing motive, let alone requiring a vast participation in the conspiracy. The coverup allegation is the part of the conspiracy theory that most reveals the anti-Western and anti-American dishonest heart of this theory that Western European Civilization’s accomplishments are really those of inhabitants of Russia that Westerners have claimed credit for. The Tartarian Empire theory is thus an example of Russian nationalism that claims credit for Western European accomplishments and is intended to undermine Americans and Western Europeans’ faith in Western European culture and thus to weaken America and Western Europe while the Russian Federation is trying to restore the Russian Empire through restoration of the Soviet Union, and possibly even to lay claim to North American territory. As I have posted repeatedly, Russia has successfully been spreading propaganda and disinformation in such ways, which is why it is necessary to debunk this baseless conspiracy theory.