Foreign Digest: NATO, Communist China, Palau and Venezuela

NATO: Although United States President Joe Biden is a liberal, he supports the candidacy of the center-right Prime Minister of the Netherlands as the next Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The center-left Biden has increased American defense spending every year and taken a tough stand against Russian aggression amidst other global threats. The change in leadership in NATO comes at a time both when the organization is at its strongest in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine, which is a neighbor to NATO and a strategic partner that is seeking full membership, and with Finland having recently joined and Sweden soon to join because the two formerly neutral Nordic States fear Russia, but also faced with uncertainty because of the presidential candidacy of pro-Russian Donald Trump, who does not recognize the benefit of the alliance to American security and thus treats it like a protection racket, instead of the most successful defensive pact in history. Communist China and Palau: The Prime Minister of Palau last week exposed Communist Chinese attempts to lure the U.S. ally to recognize diplomatically Communist China over the Republic of China on Taiwan. Peking promises grand projects to boost tourism to the Pacific island State that is in free association with the U.S. Communist China has been successful in luring other States around the world to switch their recognition from Taiwan, which is the part of China that the Communists were unable to capture during the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and to which the government and supporters of the Republic of China fled. The U.S. has been countering Communist Chinese moves in the Pacific through security guarantees and trade relations. The failure of the U.S. Congress to ratify the new Free Association agreement signed last year with Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia an the Marshall Islands is creating an opportunity for Peking to exploit. Although the three States in Micronesia became independent in the 1980s and 90s from American administration since the Second World War, they have been in free association with the U.S., with the U.S. responsible for their defense, among other close ties. Venezuela: The opposition to the Venezuelan Socialist dictatorship has compiled a dossier cataloguing a multitude of violations by the regime of the accord mediated between the opposition, who favors liberty and representative government, and the dictatorship, to hold free and fair elections. The dossier was sent to Norway, which had mediated the accord last year in Barbados. Venezuela’s Socialist regime barred the united opposition candidate from seeking the presidency in the elections later this year. The Socialists have ruled since being elected in 2000 and then consolidating power through authoritarianism. The opposition candidate, who is conservative, is leading in the polls, as she continued to campaign, despite the ban on her candidacy.

Second Anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian War and other Russian Machinations

It has been two years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which came after the Russian Federation had seized part of Ukraine in 2014 and fomenting a secessionist rebellion in eastern Ukraine. Russia is committing aggression, war crimes and genocide against its neighboring former Soviet Republic, despite having recognized Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, in exchange for the removal of Soviet nuclear arms from Ukrainian soil and a compromise over the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. But Russia is led by Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer who intends to restore the Soviet Union. The tyrant had invaded another former Soviet Republic, Georgia, in 2008, and keeps troops in a breakaway part of another, Moldova, against its wishes, among various attempts to reconstitute the Soviet Empire. Putin’s aggression is a threat to European allies and trading partners of the United States and to America directly, as his advances bring his conventional and nuclear forces closer, while his aggression would encourage other dictators were it to succeed, thereby undermining the principles of independence and self-determination. In addition to deterring aggression, Ukraine is enhancing American and world security by degrading the capacity of the world’s most powerful rogue state, which is being aided by other rogues, like Iran and North Korea. Even short of invasions, Putin interferes in the politics of other States, including not only former Soviet Republics and satellites, but in Western Europe and America, with propaganda to promote Russian interests and disinformation to create divisions, undermine confidence in the truth and in elections, and to support election outcomes favorable to his interests. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, Italy, has observed an intensification of Russian disinformation that seeks not only to portray Russian aggression against Ukraine favorably, but to suggest military aid for Ukraine is futile, even though the Russian economy cannot support the war over the long term, particularly in light of increasingly strict international economic sanctions, according to ANSA, the Italian wire service. ANSA reports that he noted Russian disinformation is intended to influence elections and emphasized NATO as the best defense for liberty and representative government. Russia last week banned Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, the U.S. broadcasters of news and information from a pro-freedom and representative government perspective, as the Czar cannot tolerate any domestic dissent. The U.S. last week urged all Americans to leave Russia, even those with dual citizenship, after yet another U.S. citizen was taken into custody in Russia unjustly. In addition to political interference, Putin engages in direct attacks on other States, including cyberattacks, or even physical attacks, such as recently in NATO ally Estonia, a former Soviet Republic, where Russian agents vandalized a Cabinet Minister’s car, a Jewish site and a monument, in addition to poisonings of exiled Russians on foreign soil with radioactive chemicals or nerve gas. The Republican-led U.S. Senate approved more defense aid to Ukraine earlier this month by a more than two-thirds majority, but the Trumpist GOP leadership of the House of Representatives has blocked any vote for aid, even though a similar-sized majority of members support aiding Ukraine for the sake of American security through the deterrence of aggression. The delay by the House is causing a depletion of Ukrainian munitions and battlefield advances by Russia. Ukraine has been able to hold out far longer than the few days that Putin expected because of the tenacity of the Ukrainian people and the unity of the U.S. and its allies in opposing aggression, but the hard-won sacrifices of Ukrainians must not be rendered useless by giving any more ground back to the aggressor.

Restore Washington's Birthday as a Unifying Holiday, Instead of Exacerbating Divisions over Other Presidents

I post every year that Washington’s Birthday should be restored as a holiday, which is the legal name of the federal holiday, but not that of most States in the American Union and not in common parlance, as it is usually referred to as “Presidents’ Day” or some iteration thereof, and the holiday is never celebrated on George Washington’s February 22 birthday. I note the day is intended to honor Washington not only for his presidency, but for his contributions as the General who led the Continental Army to victory in the War of American Independence and as a Founding Father of the United States. The focus on the presidency on this holiday thus limits the focus of his greatness only to one aspect, while the focus on Presidents in general detracts greatly from Washington, who is not only the first and greatest President, but the indispensable man of the American Revolution. I have noted how this mis-directed focus includes honoring scoundrels or discussing presidential errors. This year, it especially is divisive because of a greater than usual focus on ratings of the Presidents by historians. Such ratings are always controversial, but are exacerbated by the obvious ideological bias of the historians toward the left, although nowadays there is also some danger of bias by some on the far right. Furthermore, historians should know better than to judge incumbent Presidents, without sufficient perspective, let alone access to the full historical record, which even makes it difficult for historians to judge recent predecessors fully. Thus, instead of the holiday serving as a unifying event, in practice it exacerbates the divisions harming America. Restore Washington’s Birthday as the name of State holidays and in thus in common parlance, observe it on February 22, and focus on the greatness of Washington as an inspiring example to Americans of civic duty and respect for liberty, equality, and representative government.

European Digest: Updates on the European Union and the Measles Outbreak

European Union: Italy will lead the European Union’s mission in the Red Sea to protect international shipping from attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi Shi’ite rebels of northern Yemen. The EU mission is in addition to the international one lead by the United States, with which some European and EU members are participating. Meanwhile, the EU leader, who is seeking another term, is proposing a defense commission as an auxiliary to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the mutual defense pact led by the United States that has deterred a Soviet/Russian invasion of Europe since 1949. Europeans are anxious because doubts have been raised about American commitment to world’s most successful defensive alliance in history because of the recent remarks by Donald Trump I posted about that treated the organization, which has been a bulwark of American security, as a protection racket that extorts its members to pay up, even though the organization does not rely on dues, but on mutual commitment to defense. Trump, whose candidacies for U.S. President were backed by Russia, encouraged the Russian invasion of NATO members who do not meet the voluntary goal of spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. Trump is currently discouraging the Trumpist-led U.S. House of Representatives from approving defensive aid to Ukraine, where Russian invaders have been advancing after American aid has run out. The EU and other European States have been trying to fill the gap to stop Russian aggression. American security depends on the support of the principles of independence, self-determination, and sovereignty and thus the opposition to aggression. Measles Outbreak: The measles outbreak in parts of both Eastern and Western Europe has spread to multiple countries in Western Europe. Anti-vaccination conspiracy theories on both the far left and the far right have decreased vaccination rates and thus the necessary herd immunity that had protected against such contagious diseases, as vaccines are effective and safe, and certainly better for health than the diseases they prevent. Measles, like certain other contagious diseases, had nearly been eradicated in America and Europe until the late 2000s, with the rise of the anti-vaccination movement. Vaccine hesitancy in Europe and America has been exacerbated both by libertarianism and Russian disinformation, which uses the anti-vaccination movement as a kind of biological warfare against the West.

Russia Has Killed Alexei Navalny and Barred a Center-Right Anti-War Presidential Candidate

The tyrannical Russia regime of Vladimir Putin has killed Alexei Navalny, the 47 year-old center-right leader for the cause of liberty and representative government in the Russian Federation. The political prisoner and founder of a persecuted political party and an organization that exposed the corruption of the regime had been imprisoned in harsh conditions on various prisons for four years, most recently above the Arctic Circle, as I had posted recently, and denied adequate medical care. The European Court of Human Rights and the leading private international human rights organization had condemned his mistreatment, which caused his death. Poisoned by nerve gas in 2020, Navalny fled to Germany for treatment, and then courageously returned to Russia, whereupon he was immediately arrested. I have often posted how Russia routinely uses radioactive chemicals or a particular kind of nerve gas to poison enemies at home or abroad, including Russians living in exile. As I have posted, journalists, human rights supporters, and opposition leaders are routinely persecuted, beaten or poisoned, murdered, or driven into exile. The judiciary is not independent in Russia, while Putin does not tolerate basic freedoms. The previous liberal leader, Boris Nemtsov, was shot and killed near the Kremlin in 2015. Both Nemtsov and Navalny had opposed the Russian annexation of Crimea. Currently, other opposition leaders, such as Victor Kara-Murza, are imprisoned or in exile. Kara-Murza, who has not been heard from in weeks, suffers a malady from two poisonings in 2015. He is serving a long prison sentence in Siberia for his criticism of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. There was outrage around the world against Putin for Navalny’s death. There were protests in dozens of cities across Russia, the largest in a year and a half since a wave of protests against the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As usual, the Russian dictatorship responded with mass arrests and crackdowns even on the laying of flowers as a memorial. Four hundred Russian protestors were arrested. The protests come days after the Russian dictatorship rejected the appeal of the decision I had posted about by the electoral commission to bar Boris Nadezhdin, a center-right municipal legislator, professor and activist from standing for president against Putin in this year’s elections. Navalny had supported Nadezhdin’s candidacy. Only opposition candidates and parties, such as Communists and ultra-nationalists who do not criticize Putin are permitted to seek election to the presidency. Putin has ruled Russia either as President or Prime Minister for 24 years and his successful effort to repeal a constitutional prohibition on term limits will allow the ex-Soviet intelligence officer to remain in power until 2030. Navalny had urged Russians to vote for anyone but Putin, just as he had urged Russians to vote for any candidate for any office other than those from Putin’s party, which sometimes has been a successful strategy in demonstrating opposition to the dictatorship. Meanwhile, Russia has been advancing militarily in Ukraine while the Trumpist-led United States House of Representatives has continued to delay the funding of defensive aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, while European States have been trying to fill the gap with the vital support of the shipments of arms and munitions.

Italy Recalls the Foibe Massacres by Communists

On the anniversary last week of the Foibe massacres, Italy has opened a museum to remember the victims of the Foibe, which is a name for a certain type of deep ravines on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, which were the scene of atrocities committed during the Second World War by Communists. Communist partisans under Josep Broz Tito massacred 15,000 Italian civilians from 1943 to 1945 in the former Yugoslavia in Italy and in what is now Slovenia and Croatia by throwing them into the foibe. Tito went on to become the dictator of Yugoslavia until his death in 1980. The partisans, who were fighting the Axis, targeted Italian fascists, but other non-fascist Italians were also victimized. The Italian population of the Istrian Peninsuala and Dalmatia was largely “ethnically cleansed,” to borrow a phrase invented in the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia by Serbs inspired by the Serbian Communist Yugoslav dictator at the time, as the many ethnic Italians who lived there were forcibly removed and their lands seized. The Communists tried to cover their crimes by destroying village population records. Leftwing anti-fascists had ever since ignored the Foibe massacres with a “wall of silence,” as the Italian President said in this year’s commemoration of the massacre, but in recent decades, Italy has treated the Foibe similarly to the various massacres committed by the Nazis against Italian civilians during the war, after Italy had joined the Allies in a War of Liberation. As there were tens of millions of victims of Communism around the world, it is easy to forget some of the individual incidents, even one that victimized thousands, but it is important to remember heinousness of the atrocities and the humanity of the victims, lest the evil ideology of Marxism become attractive again.

Donald Trump Encourages Russian Aggression against NATO Members

Donald Trump yesterday encouraged Russia to invade members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the alliance in which the United States and the other allies pledge mutual defense against an attack. NATO is the most successful defensive pact in history, as it has deterred the Soviet Union and now its successor, the Russian Federation, whose leader, a former Soviet intelligence officer, is trying to restore the Soviet Empire. Members of the alliance have been increasing their defense spending for a decade since establishing the goal of spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. But Trump, who has criticized the alliance based on the defense spending levels of members since he made a trip to the Soviet Union in 1986 in which he was enticed to conduct business, falsely implies that the organization is based on dues that some are not paying to the organization, as if the U.S. is bearing an extra burden for their inadequate spending. Moreover, Trump wrongly believes the alliance is of no benefit to America, as if it were only to the benefit of the other members. In fact, the only time the NATO treaty provision for mutual self-defense was invoked was against al-Qaeda after the Islamist terrorist organization’s attacks on America on September 11, 2001 that killed a record three thousand people. Trump fails to appreciate that the deterrence of the mutual pledge of support of the members deters attacks, which thus protects American security from aggressors, particularly the Russian Federation, whose leader, Vladimir Putin, is an ex-Soviet intelligence officer intent on trying to restore the Soviet Empire. Among other machinations, Russia has invaded two former Soviet Republics, Georgia and Ukraine, and stations troops in a third, Moldova, without its consent. It backs the dictator of another, namely Belarus, and has stationed nuclear weapons there, thereby bringing them into closer range to NATO members. The defense forces of the other NATO members, and their willingness to station American and NATO forces on their soil, form a bulwark for the defense of the American homeland by deterring further Russian aggression. Trump, who lied about not continuing to conduct business with Russia during his presidential campaign in 2016, openly called for Russian interference in the elections against his opponent, which it began to do within minutes of his specific request. Trump accepted the Russian interference and his campaign coordinated messaging with information the Russians had stolen and released through their cut-out, which was only one facet of a “sweeping and systematic” Russian “active measures” campaign of interference in the American elections that won Trump the Republican presidential nomination and the general presidential election, according the Republican Special Counsel, U.S. intelligence agencies and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee. In office, Trump undermined American policy of defense against Russia in a number of ways. Therefore, it is reasonable to fear that Russia would similarly heed Trump’s call to invade NATO members. I had posted last month that the U.S. defense bill that was signed into law included a provision that would require congressional approval of withdrawal from NATO, instead of only a presidential act, but the fear remains that Trump could simply undermine NATO in various other ways, as his recent comments encouraging more Russian aggression prove. Meanwhile, Putin’s American presidential candidate has been continuing to discourage continued Congressional approval of defense funding for Ukraine, which is aiding his friend Putin’s war of aggression and genocide. Trump’s candidacy should be considered disqualified by conservatives for several reasons, all of which are the result of his poor character, but his threat to American security is the most critical reason of all.

Russian Presidential Election Update: The Dictatorship Rejects the Center-Right Candidate

As expected, the Russian electoral commission last week rejected the presidential candidacy of the center-right anti-war candidate, Boris Nadezhdin, even though the municipal legislator, professor and television pundit had more than twice the requisite signatures. As I have posted, under Russian election law, candidate from parties not represented in Parliament, such as Nadezhdin’s, may either be nominated by a meeting of a certain number of people or gather the signatures of at least 100,000 people from a minimum number from each of at least 40 regions across the Russian Federation. Hundreds of thousands of Russians stood in lines in sub-zero weather to sign for Nadezhdin, whose platform was to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to engage with the West on friendlier terms. Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and exiled Russian leaders supported Nadezhdin, whose support had unnerved the tyrannical regime of Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer. Putin has used elections to gain power and to rule as an autocrat for over 24 years as basic freedoms are not tolerated. In addition to journalists and human rights activists, political opponents are persecuted, jailed, assaulted, poisoned, murdered or driven into exile, and sometimes even murdered abroad. Only token opponents and parties that do not oppose Putin are tolerated to provide the appearance of democratic and thus popular support, while the Kremlin controls media, using state control for propaganda and disinformation. Nadezhdin plans to appeal the electoral commission’s challenges of certain signatures, but Putin has long since eliminated judicial independence in Russia. The authoritarian Putin had succeeded in eliminating term limits so he could continue to rule for another six years. There is no chance Nadezhdin would be allowed to win the presidential election, but his candidacy would be an platform for grievances against Putin and give hope to the Russian people for freedom, an embarrassment and threat which the Putin regime cannot allow.

Foreign Digest: Ukraine and Hungary, and Iran

Ukraine and Hungary: The European Union approved $50 billion military aid to Ukraine to defend it against Russian aggression, after Hungary dropped its objections regarding the budget. Decisions by the EU require unanimity among the 27 members. The move comes while American aid has been held up by populist Congressional Republicans who have been trying to use the aid to Ukraine and Israel, which is battling Iranian-backed terrorists, as leverage to force a deal to restrict refugees seeking asylum from persecution. Meanwhile, Hungary’s nationalist and illiberal Government is still blocking Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, for which unanimity is also required among its members. Sweden abandoned its longtime neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine, as did neighboring Finland, which joined NATO last year. Iran: The United States has been striking Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria after one of the militant groups struck an American outpost in Jordan that supports the U.S. mission against Islamist terrorists, particularly the Islamic State, the offshoot of al-Qaeda. The attack by the Iranian-backed militants killed three Americans and wounded over two score more. The Islamic Republic of Iran, the greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, foments Islamic revolution of Muslims around the world. It supports terrorists and militants not only in Iraq and Syria, but in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Yemen, among other places. The U.S. has been striking pro-Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq over the last three years and especially the last few months, after the militants increased their attacks.