Foreign Digest: Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Peru, and Colombia

Ukraine: The United States, Canada, the European Union, several individual European States and Japan imposed sanctions recently on Russia for kidnapping and indoctrinating Ukrainian children, one of many war crimes being committed by the Russian Federation during its aggression against Ukraine since 2014. The International Criminal Court also issued warrants for the arrest of Russians for their role in this crime against humanity. Armenia: The ruling party of Albania won a majority of votes and seats in the Armenian parliamentary elections earlier this month, defeating a pro-Russian party, despite, despite heavy Russian interference on the latter’s behalf. Armenia is a former Soviet Republic in the Caucasus that has been moving out of Moscow's orbit, while Russian tyrant Vladmir Putin, a former Soviet intelligence officer, has been attempting to restore the Soviet Union. Despite the 2023 takeover of an ethnic Armenian part (Nagorno-Karabakh) of the neighboring former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan that had been backed by Armenia, and the subsequent exodus of most of its residents to Armenia, Armenians supported their Prime Minister, who has expressed disappointment with the failure of Russian peacekeeping troops to prevent the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has turned toward Europe and the West, after withdrawing from the Russian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States that had been formed by the former Soviet Republics after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. Moldova: The lower house of the Romanian Parliament voted to enter into negotiations with Moldova for reunification, which is supported by Moldova’s President. Moldova is a former Soviet Republic in which Russian troops have been occupying an area along the Moldovan border with Ukraine populated by ethnic Russians. Moldovans speak Romanian. Romania, a former Soviet satellite state, is an ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Peru: The right-wing populist daughter of a former President narrowly defeated the far-left candidate in the Peruvian presidential runoff election June 7 for a four-year term. The leftist is alleging fraud, but international observers did not find any. Former Congressman Keiko Fujimori was a presidential candidate three times before. Her late father, Alberto Fujimori was President of Peru from 1990 to 2000, when he implemented market reforms, reduced inflation and was especially successful against the Maoist terrorists Shining Path. But his violations of human rights and corruption led to his prosecution. The conservative late Nobel Prize-winning Mario Vargas Llosa had opposed her first candidacies, but did support her in the previous runoff. As I have observed previously, candidates in Latin America on the right tend more than in America and Europe to be far-right populist and authoritarian, instead of center right. Also, as I have posted, Peru has suffered a series of presidential impeachments and prosecutions for corruption. There had been presidential and parliamentary elections in April, in which no presidential candidate won a majority of votes, thereby necessitating the required runoff. Colombia: A populist far-right candidate won the Colombian presidential runoff election last week, defeating a leftist, socialist and communist coalition backed by the incumbent leftist President. Presidents of Colombia are constitutionally limited to one four-year term. The election for years ago was an exception to the usual election of a conservative. The current President has attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate an end to the guerilla war with the last Marxist narco-terrorist insurgents. Conservative Presidents had successfully defeated the larger groups. as the right-wing candidate promised to do. Colombia has been an ally of the United States, but relations were strained under the leftist President. The defeat of the leftist coalition in Colombia is the latest blow to the Left in Latin America, after its ascendancy began in 2000 in Venezuela with the election of the Socialists, who became authoritarian to hold onto power, and who encouraged socialist candidates in Latin America. In recent years, as I have posted, leftwing candidates have not fared as well as before, because of poor economic performance, authoritarianism and corruption.

Personal and Blog Notes, June 2026

Personal Notes: I regret having been unable to post as frequently as usual the last several weeks. In addition to an Internet outage and other disruptions, I had been recruited as a historian in late April to help write the history of my county, Berks County, for its 275th anniversary next year, which is an official part of the America 250 celebrations. The publication deadline recently passed. Like other Counties in the original 13 States, Berks contributed to the cause of the American Revolution in various ways. There were prominent patriots, soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War, and foundries that supplied cannon and shot for the Continental Army. I wrote particularly about the change of architectural and furniture style from Georgian to Federal because of American independence. But one subject I was privileged to write about in particular was one of the Founding Fathers, James Wilson, a Pennsylvanian who had begun his practice as a lawyer in my home city of Reading, our county seat, and became one of only six men to sign both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and was among the first Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. He is among the most underappreciated Founders, but Wilson's argument against the authority of the British Parliament over the unrepresented Colonies in America, and his emphasis on the sovereignty of the people and insistence on a single chief executive who is independently elected, made him one of the most influential. Together with his ally James Madison, Wilson was one of the two most brilliant political philosophers at the Constitutional Convention, having received a classic education in his native Scotland before emigrating to Pennsylvania and reading law under Founding Father John Dickinson. His draft of the Constitution became the basis of the final draft, and his speech at the Pennsylvania ratification convention became more influential to the cause of ratification than the Federalist Papers. Wilson also wrote the 1790 Pennsylvania Constitution, the Bill of Rights of which influenced each of the subsequent Constitutions of the Commonwealth. As I have posted, studying the American founding by reading about the American Revolution or visiting historic sites is a good way to enkindle enthusiasm for the semi-quincentennial of American independence amidst the threat of authoritarianism, both internationally and domestically, and by the Caesarism of Donald Trump, and to be inspired to defend the vital principles of equality, liberty and representative government. Once the book is published and my contributions to the website posted, I shall post an update. Blog Notes: Meanwhile, I take this opportunity to note that the technical glitch that has prevented indentation and line-spacing the last few years, among other problems, continues. Also, remember to visit my account on Bluesky, the Center Right (@thecenterright.bsky.social). Thank you for visiting my blog, or for following or commenting. Please visit regularly to keep informed.

The Birthday of the United States of America versus Independence Day

It is fitting that today, on the birthday of the United States of America, that I post a follow-up to my previous post celebrating Flag Day in the context of the approaching 250th anniversary of American Independence. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth State to ratify the Constitution, thereby putting it into effect as a Union of States, as the minimal required number of state ratifications of the original 13 States, all of which would ratify the document by 1791. I have posted before that Independence Day is not the “birthday of the United States,” as it is sometimes popularly called, because the U.S. was not established until 1788, and the Constitution was not implemented until the following year. But in this post, it is appropriate also to explain particularly why Independence Day is the date of American independence, and not that of the formation of the American Union, as July 2, 1776 was the date the Second Continental Congress approved a resolution declaring the independence of the 13 former British Colonies in America from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Crown. The explanation of the vote that the Congress approved, called the “Declaration of Independence,” was dated July 4, 1776, which later became the date celebrated. Because the English Colonies had long been founded and settled by the English and others, July 2 or 4 is not the birthday of “America,” as it is commonly called, and not only because it is the name for the entire Western Hemisphere. Furthermore, some of the Colonies had already individually declared their independence before July 2. The dates we celebrate are instead the dates of the independence of each of the Colonies and thus their foundations as sovereign, independent States. The concept that they became a continental union of “America,” which did not occur until twelve years later, is an error based upon subsequent history that has distorted modern perspective. What is being celebrated on Independence Day is strictly independence — not anything else — except the principles that led to it and that were articulated in the Declaration, namely equality, liberty and representative government. The Americans declared independence when it became clear that the British Monarch would not treat them as subjects equal to his British subjects and began to oppress them and deprive them of their God-given freedoms and rights. Even when they began the Revolutionary War in 1775, the Americans did not necessarily have independence as their goal, but the actions of King George II validated their cause and left them no other recourse but to separate themselves permanently to protect their liberty. On July 2 or 4 of every year, and especially as we approach the semi-quincentenntial, we should celebrate American independence and save the celebration of the United States of America instead for today’s date.

Happy Flag Day, 2026!

Today is Flag Day, the start of the 250th year since the approval by the Second Continental Congress in 1777 of the “Stars and Stripes” as the American flag during the Revolutionary War. As I have posted, the day has been overshadowed in recent years by the celebration of the Juneteenth federal and state holiday. Although I am not necessarily arguing for a return of Flag Day as a federal and state holiday, I do urge sufficient recognition of the day for the public to consider its significance. They should recall the context of the flag and the symbolism of its design. This year’s Flag Day is being celebrated in the context of the year-long celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American Independence. I had posted about the United States Mint’s semi-quincentennial coin designs, but not about any other commemorations. There has been decreased enthusiasm among Americans about the upcoming “America 250” Independence Day celebration because Donald Trump has been presiding over some of federal commemorations. The authoritarianism of Trump, his congressional enablers, and their supporters that has undermined key American principles, such as the separation of powers, the rule of law, due process of law, the independence of the judiciary, and States’ rights, in addition to Trump’s Caesarism, have dampened enthusiasm. But Flag Day reminds us that just at the flag belongs to all Americans, the American Revolution does not belong to one man or even to one party or movement, but is for all Americans and, because it is based upon universal rights, it is also for all humanity. Americans should be reminded of the fundamental Revolutionary principles that are currently being challenged by ignorance, indifference and even contempt, not only from the far left, but also from the Trumpist far right, and amplified by hostile foreign powers. By discussing and contemplating the American Revolution, Americans, including those Trumpists who ought to know better, should particularly be reminded that liberty is the birthright of all men, not a privilege only of citizens. Therefore, I urge Americans to read the most important documents of the Revolution, such as the Declaration of Independence and other important texts, the most significant writings of the Founding Fathers, or histories written by trusted authors about the Revolution and the Founders. I also encourage them to visit historic sites, particularly those associated with the Revolution and the Founders. At this time when liberty and representative government are especially under assault, may the Spirit of 1776 be rekindled anew among Americans.