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.