This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Foreign Policy

  • A Delayed Answer to Another Question

    Over 2 months ago, in the comments to this article there was a discussion concerning diplomacy and idiocy.  During that discussion, one of our frequent commenters took the position that “Trump supports Erdogan” because the POTUS recently sent Ergodan a congratulatory telegram.  He also stated this opinion about the current President’s actions:  “At best it was idiotic. At best. But I find it far more troubling than that.”

    After reading that, I posed some follow-up questions to the individual:

    So, do you consider JFK “choosing” to meet with an avowed enemy of the West and dictator (Khrushchev) in 1961 “diplomatic support” for the dictator and enemy? Does that make JFK an enemy of the US?

    Or was JFK merely doing what US Presidents do – meet with foreign leaders, even those who are hostile, if the circumstances require?

    Later during the same discussion, I rephrased the questions more simply:

    Do you consider JFK an “idiot” for meeting with an avowed enemy of the West and dictator (Khrushchev) in Vienna in 1961? Was that “diplomatic support”? If the answer in either case is, “No” – why?

    For some reason, I’ve never gotten an answer to those questions – even though I’ve reminded the individual concerned of them, repeatedly, over the past 2 months.  Possible reasons why I’m not getting an answer are obvious enough to suggest themselves.  But that’s not the point of my article here, so I’m not going to dwell on those possible reasons for sidestepping the questions.

    Back on point:  the fact that I’ve gotten no answer in 2+ months leads me to believe I never will get an answer from the individual.  So I’m going to answer those questions myself.

    . . .

    BLUF:  No, JFK was obviously not an “enemy of the US”.  And no – in general, JFK was not an “idiot”.  But IMO JFK was a fool to meet with Khrushchev at Vienna in June 1961.  However, he was not a fool to send Khrushchev a congratulatory telegram in April 1961 following Yuri Gagarin’s manned spaceflight.  And no, I’m not contradicting myself here; explanation follows.

    Neither of those actions by JFK “showed support” for Khrushchev and his policies.  They were both simply examples of Presidential diplomacy – just like Trump’s congratulatory telegram to Ergodan.  They were simply diplomatic “business as usual”.

    The claim that a POTUS sending a congratulatory telegram or meeting with an adversarial foreign leader “shows support” for that foreign leader and their actions is very obviously unadulterated male bovine organic fertilizer, AKA pure bullsh!t.  Past US Presidents have routinely sent congratulatory telegrams to – and met with – leaders of adversary nations during the past 70+ years when circumstances warranted.

    Want some examples?  OK.  In addition to Kennedy’s April 1961 congratulatory telegram to Khrushchev, we also have Eisenhower’s meeting with Khrushchev at Camp David in 1959; Nixon’s visit to China in 1972; FDRs meetings with Stalin at Tehran and Yalta during World War II; Truman’s meeting with Stalin at Potsdam; and any number of other meetings and telegrams attended or sent by various US Presidents over the years with/to foreign political leaders who  happened to be US adversaries and/or rivals.  All of those are merely examples of the POTUS doing what the POTUS is Constitutionally empowered to do:  diplomatically engage foreign heads of state as a part of setting and directing US foreign policy.  It’s an essential part of his job.

    Very obviously, those other Presidential telegrams and meetings were not designed to be “expressions of support” for US adversaries or rivals either, or for their policies. They were merely routine Presidential diplomacy – in other words, the POTUS acting like the POTUS.

    So, if sending Khrushchev a congratulatory telegram after Gagarin’s flight was merely diplomacy in action, why then was JFK a fool to meet with Khrushchev in Vienna in June, 1961?  Wasn’t that simply Presidential diplomacy as well?

    Yes it was.  And JFK certainly was not “showing support” for Khrushchev or his policies by doing either.  But he was nonetheless a fool to go to Vienna in June 1961 – for very different reasons.

    In meeting with Khrushchev at Vienna in June, 1961, JFK was a fool because he was explicitly warned by leading US Soviet experts that meeting with Khrushchev at that point was a bad idea.  Yet he went ahead and did so anyway.

    When he was elected President, JFK was a young and still-somewhat-inexperienced politician with little experience in foreign relations or high-level diplomacy.  As a legislator he’d become quite proficient at the US “wheel and deal” political process; he was charming, photogenic, a terrific public speaker, and charismatic.  But he didn’t really know much about foreign policy, or how to deal with foreign leaders who were motivated very differently from US politicians – like Khrushchev.

    He assumed he could “wheel and deal” (and charm) foreign leaders like he could US politicians.  At Vienna, he found out the hard way he could not.

    In meeting Khrushchev in Vienna in June, 1961, JFK went against the opinions of two different senior officials at the Department of State.  Noted Soviet expert and US diplomat Charles Bohlen warned JFK that meeting with Khrushchev early in his first term was premature.  Then-US Ambassador to the Soviet Union Llewellen Thompson concurred, believing that JFK had “underrated Khrushchev’s determination to expand world communism.”  Yet JFK felt he was smarter than his Soviet experts – and disregarded their advice.

    The result was predictable.  In one-on-one meetings at the Vienna Summit, Khrushchev diplomatically manhandled JFK.  JFK was completely out of his depth, and was unable to hold his own.  JFK himself later referred to the experience by saying, “He (Khrushchev) beat the hell out of me” – and further described meeting with Khrushchev at Vienna as “. . . the worst thing in my life.  He (Khrushchev) savaged me.”

    Moreover, that meeting in Vienna also damn near had disastrous consequences.  It’s widely believed that Khrushchev came to the conclusion after Vienna that JFK was shallow, weak, and irresolute – and that this perception emboldened Khrushchev to place nuclear missiles in Cuba the following year.  That in turn led to the Cuban Missile Crisis – the closest the world has ever come to global thermonuclear war.

    That is why JFK was a damn fool to meet with Khrushchev in Vienna in 1961.  The reason isn’t because doing so “showed support” for Khrushchev and his policies; it did no such thing.  That meeting was merely an example of  routine Presidential diplomacy – just like the current POTUS sending Ergodan a congratulatory telegram was merely another example of routine Presidential diplomacy.

    Rather, JFK was a fool to meet with Khrushchev in Vienna in June 1961 because he intentionally disregarded warnings from his experts not to go – and in ignoring those warnings, walked directly into an ambush. The fallout from his choosing to ignore expert advice could easily have led to World War III.  In fact, history shows that it damn near did.

  • Trump effect; Canada to increase military spending

    Last week President Trump castigated NATO allies for their failure to meet their commitment for their own defense. Canada decided that he’s right according to BBC;

    Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced on Wednesday that the government plans to grow the military budget by 73% over the next decade.

    The money will go to 88 fighter jets, 5,000 new military personnel and new ships.

    The move comes at a time when Nato is pressuring countries to contribute more to global crises.

    “This defence policy is for Canada,” Mr Sajjan told media when asked if the new spending will appease US President Donald Trump, who has frequently called on Canada to contribute more to Nato.

    They get the James Mattis seal of approval according to Fox News;

    U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he was “heartened” by Canadian policy.

    “The United States welcomes Canada’s marked increase in investment in their military and their continued commitment to a strong defense relationship with the United States and NATO,” Mattis said in a statement.

    The decision is not without dissension in Canada though. From the Montreal Star‘s readers letters;

    For a start, why not disarm part of the Canadian Forces and equip them to offer aid and support to areas struck by earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods and other natural disasters. That would not make Freeland popular with the military industrial complex, but it could be described as real leadership.

    The Justin Trudeau Liberals just caved in to U.S. President Donald Trump and gave him exactly what he demanded. Trump asked NATO members to increase their military spending to 2 per cent of their GDP.

  • Merkel; The US isn’t our b*tch now

    Last week, President Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate change agreement just after he told the NATO members that they needed to start carrying their own water in regards to their own defense. So Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, told her supporters last week that they could no longer “completely depend” on the US. She said that Europeans “must really take our destiny into our own hands.” I’m glad that she understood his message.

    She should have got that message during the Obama Administration when they scrapped the missile defense for Europe. The US has spent trillions for the defense of Western Europe over the last several decades while the Euros laid back and enjoyed their month-long vacations and social security – secure in the knowledge that US taxpayers were footing the bill for their lavish lifestyles. It was in our interests, so we really didn’t mind, but now that we have massive debt to overcome, it only seems fair that the Euros start spending their money for themselves.

    It’s the same with the Paris climate control thingie. Do any of you remember anyone setting up an international GoFundMe tincup for the US while we worked for a “greener” economy? While the government hamstrung the economy by forcing Americans to import for our energy needs – blocking our own natural resources from development.

    Is Germany sending us money to pay for retraining the out-of-work coal miners in West Virginia? Have we even thought of asking?

    Our own corporations were forced to retool the economy with a government gun to their heads. If they didn’t meet arbitrary government standards in a timely manner, they were massively fined. That was ultimately financed by the American consumers. Now those same consumers are being told that they have to pay China and India to make up for their production losses while they make their economies more green.

    John Kerry blamed “special interests” for the president’s decision. I guess by special interests, he means the American taxpayer who are tired of being the bitch for every country especially our own that is owned by the special interest of “big L” Liberalism and George Soros.

  • Wednesday morning feel good stories

    Wednesday morning feel good stories

    In Marion, North Carolina, 30-year-old Jonathan Troy Lewis forced his way into a home where the residents promptly shot him in the leg. In order to assist officers in his arrest, Lewis left behind one of his shoes which had his name written on the bottom. His friends took him to the hospital and he tried to tell folks there that he had shot himself, but the shoe told a different story.

    52-year-old Lisa Morelock the 4’11” tall woman in Kingsport, Tennessee, who pounded on 34-year-old Joe Sotello’s face with a baseball bat in yesterday’s FGS, hopes her story will inspire others to fight back; “Don’t be so afraid, if I can do it, anybody can,” Morelock said.

    From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

    Police say two boys walked into Kenny’s Beer Place to buy beer.

    The 27-year-old owner asked to see identification, and the boys refused.

    That’s when, police say, the teens started to trash the store, throwing boxes and other objects around.

    The vandalism continued behind the store.

    Police say the store owner then grabbed a semi-automatic weapon and fired one shot, hitting the 16-year-old.

    The bullet when through both of his hands. Police say the teen likely had his hands up for cover.

    In Dallas, Texas, an apartment resident shot an intruder in the chest to protect his home and his family.

    Police said the intruder does live in the complex with his mother. He was taken to a local hospital and at last report was in serious condition.

  • EU Lawmakers Remove LePen’s Immunity

    European Union lawmakers overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to lift the EU parliamentary immunity of French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen for tweeting violent images of the Islamic State (IS) group.

    The offence being considered is “publishing violent images,” which under certain circumstances can carry a penalty of three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($79,650).

    Le Pen’s immunity shielded her from prosecution; lifting it would permit legal action against her.

    Le Pen, a member of the European parliament, is under investigation in France for posting three graphic images of IS group executions on Twitter in 2015, including the beheading of the United States journalist James Foley.

    Responding to a request from the French judiciary, the EU lawmakers in the legal affairs committee voted to lift her immunity. The preliminary decision was confirmed Thursday by a large show of hands in the EU Parliament.

    Le Pen and members of her anti-immigration National Front party have denounced the move in Brussels as a political witch hunt to destabilise her presidential campaign.
    “Showing and naming the horror of Islamism allow us to fight against it,” Florian Philippot, the vice president of Le Pen’s far-right party, told Reuters.

    Tight presidential race

    Le Pen, locked in an increasingly tight three-way race to succeed Francois Hollande this spring, has already seen her earnings as MEP cut for a separate case involving alleged misuse of EU funds.

    She has called for a moratorium on judicial investigations until the election period has passed.

    Polls indicate Le Pen looks set to win the first round of the two-stage election, but that she would lose in the final second-round runoff. They clearly show that her legal battles seem to have little effect on her supporters.

    Le Pen’s immunity has been lifted before, in 2013. She was then prosecuted in 2015 with “incitement to discrimination over people’s religious beliefs”, for comparing Muslims praying in public to the Nazi occupation of France during World War Two.

    Prosecutors eventually recommended the charges be dropped.  – (France24 with Reuters)

    N.B.:I copied the text of the article from France24 because I don’t know how long they’ll keep it on their website.  The link is below, includes the video, which is in English. The Siemens ad is in French. You can get the French version by going to France24 in French at this link:   http://www.france24.com/en/20170302-eu-parliament-lifts-le-pen-immunity-islamic-state-violence-tweets

    In regard to her campaign for France’s presidency, LePen seems to be hitting the same notes as our current CiC, Pres. Trump, following the same paths he took, by visiting farmers. Now since the French are noted for two specific things, wine and food, this makes sense, and les fermiers do appreciate her appearances, noting that unlike LePen, the other candidates are mostly passing them by.  Does that sound familiar?

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-farmers-idUSKBN16627O

    Why is this important to us? Well, for one thing, France is a NATO ally, and as with the US elections last year, when you ignore les camionneurs, les fermiers, et les marchands ou les commerçants, you ignore the biggest tax base in your electorate.  

    I have said previously that the political pendulum is slowly beginning its swing to the right. Should LePen be elected and Frexit becomes a reality, ask yourself what else may follow. There is a failure on the part of some NATO members to carry their share of the financial burden.  If those members cannot be persuaded to do so now, what will happen down the road?

  • Defense Secretary James Mattis Plan to Defeat ISIS

    As readers here know, our enemies and adversaries are watching our moves, basing their own actions on what we do. They’re emboldened to act against our allies and us all over the world. This is partly based on our falling short of fully engaging against our global threats.

    One of these threats is a collection of enemies with conflicting and competing interests, but a common goal. They want to eliminate western and other non-compliant cultures and governments. In place of these cultures and societies, they hope to establish a global empire that rules according to their radicalized political, murderous, holocaust, and thug worldview.

    As long as they continue on despite international opposition, they have hopes that drive their continued fight. Enter Retired General James Mattis, now Defense Secretary James Mattis.

    Military.com reports that Defense Secretary James Mattis has a plan to rapidly defeat ISIS. This plan calls for utilizing multiple national, international, and regional assets. This strategy calls for using multiple points of attacks from military, political, and economic corners. This is an asymmetrical warfare approach to an asymmetrical threat. The plan is secret for understandable reasons, offering President Trump with options to choose from.

    The plan calls for a quick defeat for ISIS. Hopefully, this is what eventually happens. ISIS uses their battlefield gains as part of their recruiting efforts. They reach out to potential fighters and potential lone wolf attackers.

    These guys won’t listen to reason as we see it. They are bent on the long-term goal of establishing their version of a global Islamic caliphate. As far “out of whack” this may seem to most outside of their part of the world, ISIS and other terrorist organizations truly believe that they’ll accomplish this.

    Although they won’t listen to reason, they will understand brute strength and violence of action. They’ll also understand losing traction in other areas of influence. What’s needed is a plan that defeats them not just militarily, but also economically, politically, and in other spheres of contests for the mind and heart.

    Hopefully, the Mattis plan does what’s hinted.

    http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/02/28/mattis-gives-white-house-tentative-plan-rapid-defeat-isis.html

  • Abu the Chechen is Dead

    Some times, old news is what we should look at and not ignore. The following news item is from last year.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-shishani-idUSKCN0ZU1CG

    The Islamic State’s best recruiter was a red-bearded Chechen who, some time back, fought against the Russian Army during those disruptions in the Central Asian states. Now he’s dead, killed a while back per US MI, and the ISers are looking for a replacement who speaks Russian. Last July (2016) Abu Omar al-Shishani (Abu the Chechen), a close military adviser to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in combat in the Iraqi district of Shirqat, south of Mosul, Amaq, as reported by a news agency that supports IS in July 2016. He was considered to be the ISers best recruiter because he spoke Russian.

    Last Spring (2016), there was a war going on in Azerbaijan between some Armenians and local native Azers.  How many times has Azerbaijan popped up in the news? And how many times has anyone sent military forces in there? It appears to still be underway, as a local serviceman, Fuad Gafarov, was KIA by shelling from Armenian forces on Feb. 11. However, Russia is attempting to intercede by providing a diplomat to work on conciliation between the two countries of the South Caucusus.  http://news.az/articles/karabakh/118796

    Azerbaijan is a beautiful country. The mountains of the area are just stunning.  Hikers, photographers and birders would groove on the landscape. The Azers want stability and prosperity, not disruption and destruction.You can’t market your exotic products if shipments can’t get out. You can’t attract tourists to your local beauty spots or cuisine if they’re worried about getting shot at, can you? I did not know that Azerbaijan was famous for its cuisine, but apparently, the kabab and the sherbet and baklava should definitely be on your agenda.  The Azerbaijan government does want to expand its ties with the U.S.

    If you look at the Google maps of the South Caucusus, the whole area is not just awash in oil and other nice things; it’s also next door neighbors to Iran.  Bound on one side by the Caspian Sea and on the other by Armenia and Georgia, Azerbaijan is kind of stuck in the middle of a squabble it didn’t start.

    Why does this matter? Because Russia wants a stable Central Asia and South Caucusus, too. Without stability in the region, the entire area of Central Asian states will go up in smoke again, and Putin will have to deal with more than just a few disgruntled Chechens.

  • Iran Speaks Up, Offers ‘Roaring missiles’

    Iran, through the Revolutionary Guard, is letting us know that they are vowing all sorts of nasty threats and blustering and stuff, like ‘roaring missiles’, just in case Pres. Trump tries to threaten them or enact sanctions.

    I don’t know why their ayatollah isn’t issuing the statement. Maybe he has a cold.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-military-idUSKBN15J0BM

    So if they’ll just give us some notice, we can move those antimissile missiles left over from Kuwait/Gulf War into place and whack ’em, or something.   Do we still have any of those? Never mind.

    Since Iran has not yet, to my knowledge, engaged in any kind of nuclear test, surface or underground, it seems a bit disingenuous on their part to issue a statement like that.  An underground nuke test will set seismometers chattering and the USGS would report it, just as they do with Norkiland when Fatty Kim da T’ird gets jiggy.  There’s also a seismic center in Europe that reports all subsurface movements and they will certainly pick up anything exceptional in Iran.

    ‘Roaring missiles’? Okay.  We can send Madonna and Ashley Judd over there.  That ought to solve the problem.

    Sorry, I’m out of missile pictures.