Foreign Digest: Venezuela, Georgia, France and Iraq

Venezuela: A United Nations mission reported a climate of terror and the use of torture by the Socialist Venezuelan dictatorship. The European Union recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzales Urrutia, a center-right former diplomatic who obtained a large majority of the votes in the elections two months ago. As I have posted, the Socialist regime declared the dictator the winner and refused to publish the precinct tallies, many of which the opposition had obtained copies of. The United States and a growing number of States around Latin America and the West have recognized Gonzales as the victor, and other States are at least not recognizing the dictator’s re-election. There were protests yesterday in more than 460 cities in Venezuela and around the world to mark two months from the election Georgia: The United States and European allies have imposed sanctions on the leaders of Georgia who are responsible for the Russian-modeled “foreign agents” law I have posted about that can be used as a tool against dissent, as in the Russian Federation. Georgia, a former Soviet Republic in the Caucuses, was invaded by Russia in 2008. Russia set up two puppet states in breakaway areas and encroached further on Georgian territory. The current Georgian Government has moved closer to Russia, despite its official goal of joining the European Union. France: The President of France appointed a Gaullist conservative former cabinet minister and diplomat as Prime Minister earlier this month. The members of the new Premier’s Cabinet are mostly centrists (especially from the party of the powerful President), some on the center-right (including three members of the Prime Minister’s Republican Party, the main conservative party) and one minister from the center-left. The centrist President of the Fifth Republic, who rules through his Prime Minister, has two years remaining in his term. The Head of State had called snap parliamentary elections for July, in which the far-right nationalists made gains, but the center, the left and the center-right surpassed early expectations and blocked the nationalists from winning a majority of votes and seats. The French President thus succeeded in keeping the extreme far right and far left from power. France’s new center-right Prime Minister will have to be approved by the French Parliament by winning a vote of confidence. Iraq: Iraq and the United States negotiated an agreement whereby the remaining American troops will withdraw by 2025, except for some bases. The U.S. forces were invited by Iraq in 2014 to combat the Islamic State terrorist organization, the successor to al-Qaeda in Iraq, which later broke with al-Qaeda and declared its own caliphate in northern Iraq and Syria after U.S.-led Coalition forces had withdrawn after remaining to support the Iraqi Government after the Liberation of Iraq in 2003 from the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein. The international coalition led by the U.S. stripped the Islamic State of all its territory, although some militants remain in the region, and there are IS affiliates around the Islamic World. The 2,500 Americans in Iraq serve in more of an advisory than combat role, although they conduct joint raids with the Iraqis, as I recently posted. The U.S. troops also have engaged with Iranian-backed militias in both Iraq and Syria. Because the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq prefers that the American troops remain, the U.S. will maintain some bases in that area to support the Kurds against the Islamist militants.

Latest Developments and Revelations on Russian Interference in American Politics and Elections

I had posted last week about the latest Russian Federation interference in American politics and elections, including once again in favor of Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy. Since then, there have been additional developments and revelations in Russia’s broader “active measures” campaign that provide more insight about how Russia conducts its campaign, about which I provide additional conservative analysis in this post. Leftists Who Spread Russian Propaganda Convicted of Conspiring to Act as Unregistered Russian Agents: Four left-wing activists for Blacks, including the founder of the African People’s Socialist Party, were convicted in federal court in Florida of conspiring to act as unregistered Russian agents. I had posted about their charges. The Floridians knowingly accepted money from the Russian Federation government to spread pro-Russian and anti-American views from 2015-2022, including about the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and even local election interference. Two Russian intelligence officers were indicted, but remain at large and were not tried in abstentia. Russia interferes in American politics to promote views favorable to itself, divide Americans, undermine their belief in their ideals, undermine their belief in the truth and in elections, and to support candidates favorable to it or oppose candidates unfavorable to it. It engages in these “active measures” both overtly through propaganda and disinformation from Russian state-controlled media and covertly through posing as media outlets or journalists, impersonating Americans on the Internet, or working through witting or unwitting Americans on the far left or the isolationist far right. Russian State-Controlled Media Outlet Acts as an Intelligence Agency: The United States imposed sanctions on the parent companies of a particular Russian state-controlled media outlet that not only openly publicizes Russian propaganda to destabilize countries and influence elections around the world, but acts as a covert cyber intelligence entity, instead of only as a media outlet. It even conducts fundraising for materiel for Russian troops in Ukraine. Russia uses a web of front companies to hide the media outlet as the source behind other outlets, not only to get around bans of the company by Western European States, but also to conceal its Russian source in America and around the globe. The U.S. did not ban Russian state-controlled media outlets, but required they register as foreign media outlets. Russian tactics are typically creating fake news outlets or hiring professional journalists and feeding them with content to promote, or even bribing journalists to promote Russian propaganda and disinformation. For example, I had posted earlier this month about a Trumpist right-wing media outlet in America through which the Russians spent $10 million to promote disinformation and propaganda, which led to criminal charges against Russians. The Trumpist “conservative” journalists claim they did not realize that the source of the funding of the content they were promoting was the Russian Federation, even though it matched Russian propaganda, perhaps because Trumpists and Russians share beliefs and amplify each other. It is shocking to many true conservatives that Trumpists and other isolationists or “America First” nationalists, agree with or even admire Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer who intends to restore the Soviet Union, or at least deny or minimize or acquiesce to his interference in American politics that undermines American independence, sovereignty and self-determination. That they participate in a hostile foreign power’s “active measures” campaign by promoting his views in the same way that leftists like the ones convicted in Florida do because they share similar views, proves they are neither the patriots, nor the conservatives they pretend to be. It should cause them to reconsider their views and to prove their American loyalty by completely rejecting Putin and his interference in American politics and elections.

Foreign Digest: Venezuela, Russia and Iran

Venezuela: The Venezuelan Socialist dictatorship deliberately drove the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a conservative former diplomat, into exile with their campaign of repression and persecution, their siege of the Argentine Embassy and their revocation of Brazil’s management of Argentina’s diplomatic and consular affairs. They coordinated the safe passage of Gonzalez to Spain through a Socialist former Spanish Prime Minister. The lower house of the Spanish Parliament recognized Gonzalez as the President-elect of Venezuela. There has been growing international pressure for the Socialists to cede power or at least to publicize the details of their claimed election victory in July for another 6-year term, while the opposition has proof from the precincts that prove it had won a resounding victory after 25 years of Socialist rule. The Socialists were elected and then became increasingly authoritarian and have kept power by not tolerating free and fair elections. The United States mediated a deal between the regime and the opposition for free and fair elections, which the Socialists violated. The U.S., which recognizes Gonzales as President-elect of the South American State has re-imposed sanctions and has also imposed sanctions on Venezuelan Supreme Court officials who put their loyalty to the dictator above the Venezuelan Constitution. Russia: The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner condemned the Russian Federation’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure that routinely plunge the Ukrainian people into darkness and cold. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, seizing part of its territory and backing Russian-speaking separatists, before launching a full-scale invasion in 2022, despite Russian recognition of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Russian aggression against the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine is part of the goal of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer, to restore the Soviet Union. Iran: United States and the European Union imposed more sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran for supplying missiles to Russia. Iran, the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism, foments revolution around the Islamic world, particularly among fellow Shi’ites. It is part of what I refer to as the “Axis of Rogues,” like Communist North Koea, which also supplies Russia with missiles.

The 23rd Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America

Today, we commemorate those who were killed or injured 23 years ago today in the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America, which were the deadliest acts of terrorism in world history. Islamist al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked civilian airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon (the U.S. Defense Department) in Virginia while another jet that crashed into Pennsylvania after the passengers attempted to take back control from the hijackers. Nearly 3,000 people were massacred in the attacks. Al-Qaeda was based in Afghanistan, where they had been provided safe haven by the Islamist Taliban regime that ruled most of the Central Asian State at the time until they were overthrown by the U.S., its Afghan and other allies in 2002 for refusing to turn over the terrorist organization to justice in what became the first battle in the ongoing War on Terrorism. The U.S. captured the mastermind of the attacks and others responsible for its planning. The Secretary of Defense rejected a plea deal this summer by the September 11 mastermind of the and two fellow al-Qaeda Islamist terrorists who were subject to a United States military tribunal at the American base at Guantanamo, Cuba. They offered to plead guilty, in exchange for life imprisonment and not the death penalty, after the Biden Administration had rejected the terrorists’ preconditions. But although some surviving family members wanted the closure that the plea would have brought after 23 years, the deal was not popular, as it precluded the death penalty. A trial would be difficult because of evidentiary rules and a reluctance by the Government to reveal intelligence sources and methods. Nonetheless, the plea offer provides a degree of proof of the responsibility of al-Qaeda for the attacks. Al-Qaeda’s leaders have been killed, as have many members and many othered captured, but the Sunni terrorist organization and their offshoot, the Islamic State, remain a global threat and continue to engage in violent jihad, as they had before September 11, but they have not been able to commit any attack close to its scale. After the disastrous premature Trump-Biden withdrawal of a relatively small force of American troops in an advisory role from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have returned to power and again provide a haven to the terrorists who remain loyal to the Taliban mullah. The U.S. and allies continue to fight against Islamist terrorists in certain parts of the Islamic world, while improved intelligence sharing, law enforcement and financial control methods have continued to be used effectively against the enemy. But vigilance against all terrorists and hostile militants remains essential.

A Russian State Pro-Trump Media Campaign Is Exposed as the Latest Interference in American Politics and Elections

The United States criminally charged Russian employees of state-backed media with money laundering and violating a federal requirement for foreign agents to register as part of a conspiracy to disseminate propaganda through pro-Trump right-wing media to divide Americans, oppose American resistance to Russian aggression against Ukraine, and influence the American elections in favor of Donald Trump. The Russian state influence campaign was conducted while hiding its hostile foreign power funding source. Ten million dollars was furnished to the Trumpist media outlet that employed influencers popular on social media and had the Republican National Committee Chairman, Lara Trump, who is Donald’s daughter in law, and prominent Republican candidates for office as guests. The Trumpist outlet folded after the announcement of the charges. A Russian-American 2016 Trump campaign advisor was also charged with working on behalf of the sanctioned Russian state media company and accepting a million dollars in laundered money, as well as for other work on behalf of sanctioned Russian oligarchs. Along with the charges from the U.S. Justice Department, the Departments of State and Treasury imposed visa restrictions and sanctions on numerous individuals and entities, respectively, in a joint response to election interference by the Russian Federation. Treasury also sanctioned Russian intelligence officers for cyber hacking, stealing and releasing stolen information. The U.S. also seized many Internet domains used by the Russians. The revelations that the Russians were behind the pro-Trump media campaign highlight how the isolationist Trump and his supporters and the Russians amplify each other’s talking points. As I have posted, Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer trying to restore the Soviet Union, backed Trump in the Republican presidential primaries and general elections in 2016 and 2020 and is doing so again, despite its denials, according to U.S. intelligence officials. The real estate tycoon Trump defrauded the voters in 2016 by falsely claiming that he was no longer conducting business with the Russians. He solicited Russian interference on his behalf in the general election, which his campaign then accepted and coordinated its messaging with the release of information stolen by the Russians and released through their cut-out Wikileaks, while the campaign benefited from a “sweeping and systematic” Russian active measures campaign on Trump’s behalf, in the words of the Republican special counsel, which were validated by the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as by the charges and sanctions against some of the Russians by the Trump Administration itself. As President, Trump declined to criticize Putin, publicly cast doubt on the intelligence agency findings that Putin had backed him, obstructed the special counsel’s probe, and acted on the hostile foreign power’s behalf when he could. Since leaving office, Trump has opposed defensive aid for Ukraine against Russian aggression. He and his supporters have denied, minimized or accepted interference in American politics by a hostile foreign power, but now that the success of the Russians is being copied by other hostile foreign powers, they are starting to be affected by the compromise of American independence they supported when it was expedient to them.

The 2024 Republican Party Platform No Longer Supports Statehood for Puerto Rico

I had posted in July and August about the weakening of the Republican Party’s Platform on the right to life because of the wishes of its nominee, Donald Trump, but there was another noteworthy change. The GOP Platform also dropped its longtime support for statehood for Puerto Rico. The status of the territory, which is currently a commonwealth, has long been the major political issue on the Caribbean island. Although the three million residents of Puerto Rico are United States citizens, only the citizens of States and the Federal District of Columbia may vote for presidential and vice presidential Electors, and only States are fully represented in Congress with voting Representatives and Senators, as the residents of territories do not pay federal taxes. But millions of Puerto Ricans who reside in America are eligible to vote in the State or District of their residence in federal and state elections. Congress may approve legislation for another plebiscite for Puerto Rican residents to decide whether to become a State, remain as a commonwealth, enter into free association with the U.S., or become independent. Puerto Rican voting in American will be looking for direction from either of the two major political parties, now that the Republicans have opened the door for the Democrats to gain support from this issue.

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to Co-Chair the 250th American Independence Celebration

Former United States Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama co-chairing the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026. Through their joint bipartisan leadership of the anniversary celebration, the conservative Republican Bush and liberal Democratic Obama hope to unify Americans who have been extremely divided in recent years because of ideological differences and disinformation from hostile foreign powers that weakens America by undermining their beliefs in its founding principles of equality, liberty and representative government, and by exacerbating the divisions. Bush and Obama will have the opportunity to remind Americans of their shared, fundamental values.

Foreign Digest: Iraq and Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela and France

Iraq and Syria: United States and Iraq conducted a joint raid in Iraq last week against a cell of the Islamic State terrorist organization. U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces, the main opposition militia that is backed by the U.S., captured in Syria an Islamic State leader who had led a raid on a prison that had freed other I.S. terrorists. The I.S. is an offshoot of al-Qaeda, the Sunni Islamist terrorist organization that was responsible for the deadliest acts of terrorism in world history, the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America. The I.S. had seized large swaths of Iraq after the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international coalition that had overthrown the tyrannical terrorist-sponsoring Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, and Syria, after the start of the ongoing rebellion against the Syrian Baathist tyrant, Bashar Assad. The U.S. has led another international coalition that has deprived the I.S. of its territory and continues to target the Islamist terrorists for destruction. Nicaragua: The United Nations High Commissioner for human rights reports a serious worsening of the human rights situation in Nicaragua since last year, citing particularly a growing number of reports of torture and rape of detainees. The Central American State is led by a Marxist Sandinista, Daniel Ortega who had been a dictator since seizing power in a revolution in 1979, was voted out of office after being pressured to allow free and fair elections in 1990, and was elected back into office as President in 2007 and then breaking his promise not to rule as a dictator again. United States last week was able to obtain the release of well over a hundred political prisoners who then arrived in Guatemala on their way to being resettled in America Venezuela: The Socialist dictatorship of Venezuela issued an arrest warrant for the opposition’s winning presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a conservative former diplomat who won the election in July in a landslide, but whose victory the regime refuses to recognize. Seven Latin American States denounced the warrant in a joint statement. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, also denounced and appealed to the intervention of the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. The Colombian Parliament approved a motion unanimously to refer the Socialist dictator to the ICC. Uruguay announced that it will file a complaint this week and Argentina asked the ICC for arrest warrants for the Socialist dictator and other key regime leaders. With the threats and persecution, Gonzalez sought asylum in the Spanish Embassy and was granted safe conduct to Spain, where he will continue to increase international pressure against the Socialist regime. The Venezuelan dictator meanwhile moved the observation of Christmas to October 1. The Catholic bishops of Venezuela objected to the move and condemned the state repression and persecution in general, especially the detention of political prisoners, including minors, without due process, and the repression of the opposition. The Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America issued a devastating report on the violations of liberty and representative government. The United States had mediated an agreement between the regime and the opposition for free and fair elections, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, but with the Socialist dictatorship’s gross violations of free and fair elections, according to international observers, the U.S. has begun to reimpose sanctions and is recognizing Gonzalez as the President-elect of the South American State. France: The President of France asked a conservative former Member of Parliament and European Union negotiator late last week to serve as Prime Minister and form a government. In the French parliamentary elections two months ago, the anti-migrant far right and the left made gains of votes and seats at the expense of the ruling centrist coalition formed by the President, who has two more years in his term. But the centrists and the center-right won enough seats to keep the not only the nationalist far right, but the far left, which was part of the leftist bloc that won the most seats, from gaining a majority and being able to govern on their own. The Head of State is a powerful figure in the Fifth French Republic and governs through his premier. France is a great power ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Foreign Digest: Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, Argentina and Italy

Cuba: The United Nations agency for ongoing forms of slavery has issued a report that Communist Cuba engages in forced labor, even for political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Nicaragua: The Marxist Sandinista dictator of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has banned more non-governmental organizations. The latest bans of charities, evangelical Christian churches brings the total to over 5,600, including civil, religious and business organizations. Nicaragua seizes the organizations’ assets. Venezuela: Venezuelans took to the streets last week to mark one month since the presidential election for a six-year term in which the results obtained by the center-right candidate of the united opposition easily won, but which the Socialist-regime declared its leader reelected, without publicizing the precinct tabulations. There is growing international pressure against the Socialist dictator to release the results or to step aside and allow a transition to representative government. The United States recognizes the opposition candidate, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, as the president-elect, as do many Latin American and European States. The Socialists came to power 25 years ago and became increasingly authoritarian to remain in power. The U.S. mediated a deal between the opposition and the regime to allow free and fair elections, in exchange for the lifting of some economic sanctions, but the Socialists violated it and failed to follow the standards for a free and fair election, according to the few international observers allowed in the South American State. Venezuela is an ally of Communist Cuba, imperialist Russia and Islamist Iran. Meanwhile, the U.S. has restarted its humanitarian program for refugees who had already arrived from Communist Cuba, Marxist Nicaragua, Socialist Venezuela, and crime-ridden Haiti with greater screening measures implemented against fraudulent claims of asylum. Argentina and Italy: Argentina has arrested and will extradite to Italy a Red Brigades fugitive who has been wanted since 1980 after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for a kidnapping three years before. Argentina revoked the amnesty granted the Marxist militant in 2004. The Red Brigades were the main contributor to Italy’s “Years of Lead” from the 1970s to the 1980s of militant violence. Militants from the extreme left and right were given safe harbor by various leftist-led States in Europe and Latin America. Italy has been actively seeking their arrest and extradition, with some success in recent years.