As Daffy Duck would say, "Ah-ha! Pronoun trouble!": the U.S. will work on solving its problems, but we're not as keenly interested in helping Europe to solve its problems...
In Europe they speak British English, where group nouns refer to a group of individuals, and therefore take the plural. Since Europe is exactly a group of individual countries, rather than a singular country made up of subsidiary parts, the writer should have said Europe is Convinced U.S. Won't Solve Their Problems.
Europe is facing a convergence of the worst crises since World War II, and the overwhelming consensus among officials and experts here is that the U.S. no longer has the will or the ability to play an influential role in solving them.
At the Munich Security Conference, the prime topics are the refugee crisis, the Syrian conflict, Russian aggression and the potential dissolution of the European Union's very structure. Top European leaders repeatedly lamented that 2015 saw all of Europe’s problems deepen, and unanimously predicted that in 2016 they would get even worse.
“The question of war and peace has returned to the continent,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the audience, indirectly referring to Russian military interventions. “We had thought that peace had returned to Europe for good."
What was missing from the conference speeches and even the many private discussions in the hallways, compared to previous years, was the discussion of what Europe wanted or even expected the U.S. to do.
Several European officials told me that there was little expectation that President Barack Obama, in his last year in office, would make any significant policy changes to address what European governments see an existential set of crises that can’t wait for a new administration in Washington.
“There’s a shared assessment that the European security architecture is falling apart in many ways,” said Camille Grand, director of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris. “There is a growing sense that this U.S. administration is focused on establishing a legacy on what has already been achieved rather than trying to achieve anything more. Yet the problems can get much worse.”
During the first day of the conference, the U.S. role in Europe was hardly mentioned in the public sessions. In the private sessions, many participants told me that European governments are not only resigned to a lack of American assertiveness, they also are now reluctantly accepting a Russia that is more present than ever in European affairs, and not for the better.
“There’s not a lot of talk about how the United States can be part of the solution. We seem to be disappearing from their calculations,” said Walter Russell Mead, a historian with the Hudson Institute. “From the European standpoint, Putin has become somebody that like it or not that they have to deal with.”
Much, much more hand-wringing about the failure of the U.S. to step in and solve Europe's problems at the link.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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#2
....We've flat out rescued them twice from their own homicidal stupidity, and then we've provided the muscle twice more because they have reduced their own military abilities to irrelevance. Apparently they think we're inclined to do it again...and boy, are they in for a surprise.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/14/2016 6:29 Comments ||
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#3
Difficult to stop a suicide, if the someone is bent on it. The current muslim immigrant invasion certainly appears to be indicative of Europe suicidal intent.
#5
Europe has have shat in her its their whatever own mess kit. We are not going to clean it up. You cannot help people that don't want to save themselves. Tahwee......
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/14/2016 9:50 Comments ||
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#6
We say Europe as if continental boundaries and global distances isolate US from the scourge of cultural clustering but the same behaviors manifest in the massive city states. As goes Europe so does New York.
#10
We show little sign of any interest in solving our problems. Why would anyone of sound mind expect us to solve theirs?
Posted by: james ||
02/14/2016 18:13 Comments ||
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#11
Honestly, about the time they start re-enacting the 30 years war, we'll be having a second go at a civil war I think. Betcha our fracas is shorter than theirs.
#12
Military welfare state always grows problems.
US should help countries defend themselves and intervene after they're defeated but not offer to defend INSTEAD of the country.
#13
Isn't that what "Europe" wants? France and Germany have been trying to push the US out of Europe for decades. Europeans' overwhelming support for Comrade Obama, including their illegal funding of his presidential campaigns, have changed a lot of American minds. Mostly in the 1/3 of the Jacksonian American population that was willing to shed blood for Europe.
#14
And thus, little Virginia, we learn once agian why 1960's-1970's Guam Taotamonas + LT. TOM CRUISE in "EDGE OF TOMORROW" WARNED, "THE [Counter] INVASION WILL FAIL ... EVERY SOLDIER THAT LANDS ON THAT BEACH TOMORROW WILL DIE".
Also learn why any FUTURE DE FACTO "WEAK-N-DECLINING" US will use Super-Tech to sink Guam + other strategic Pacific Islands as it unilaterally or asymmetrically falls back across the Pacific in order to deny the Islands' Military Utility = Usefulness as vital or strategic Air-Naval [Space?] Ports to CHINA + PLA, ANDOR THE GLOBAL ISLAMIST-JIHADIST CALIPHATE, ESPEC TO "WE-WOULD-LIKE-1/2-OF-THE PACIFIC-N-MAYBE-1/2-OF-CONUS-NORAM-FOR-"LIVING-SPACE" CHINA + PLA.
To paraphase CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER AS "CHINA" > SAY IT WID ME, AMERIKA, CHINA SAYS ITS OKAY BECAUSE ITS "NO BIG" TO GIVE THEM 1/2 OF THE PACIFIC + CONUS, ESPEC IFF THE US DEFAULTS ON ITS EXCESSIVE-N-STILL-MASSIVELY-GROWING DEBT BURDEN.
[Jpost] Regional events have conspired to leave The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... with little choice but to pursue rapprochement with Israel.
The Turks have no hours to mark the time, and no milestones to mark distances," reported an amused Austrian ambassador from the court of Suleiman the Magnificent in 1554.
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#2
Well, because Turkey has opened the curtain and let everyone know they are part of the Islamist movement, i.e., ISIS, they have pretty much been left to their own devices.
Putin has decided that Erdogan's head would look great in his trophy case. So don't expect any sort of reproachment.
Worse, what is going to happen when Russian/Syrian aircraft go after the Turkish artillery providing fire support for ISIS?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
02/14/2016 11:53 Comments ||
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#3
Some cruise missiles from the Caspian overflying the length of Turkey would be a nice touch.
[DAWN] The caged bird was banned by the Taliban back in the day because its chirps would probably awaken life and the desire of life among men who should be only thinking of the fire of hell in the afterlife.
Now, President Mamnoon Hussain, in what can be termed a very Talibanesque move, has urged Pakistain to not celebrate Valentine's Day.
"It should be avoided," he said.
In Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , the district council passed a resolution on Friday pressing the local government to ban the day for being anti-Sharia.
Seemingly, in retribution from the skies, an outpouring of snow capped the Margallas on Wednesday afternoon, making young and old flock to the hills, possibly hand in hand to enjoy chai and parathas, while love warmed the air.
There is no surety that this attitude against Valentine's Day will significantly plummet the number of young Pak men and women celebrating Feb 14, but our government's hopes are stacked towards it.
According to one account of its history, Valentine's Day is said to have originated from the time a jolly old fellow called St. Valentine, who secretly wed soldiers who were not otherwise allowed to wed because of the idea that being married would make them bad warriors.
Thanks to its dark and pagan origins of commemorating February for the uncanny thing called love, the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... has been more afraid of the month than it has been of dancing girls or the ouija board.
Considering it to be a direct threat to its political order, they have often come out on the streets in protest and cried out every first week of this month.
In their ideal world, love would not exist. Candies too are clearly the work of the devil and well, flowers are soul-destroying.
Most Pak governments over the years have cowed down to the Jamatis but never so absurdly before as to ban a benign a day as Valentines in a district. What's next -- Cyanide fed to birds that chirp?
And exactly how is this to be ensured?
A policing of the web for e-cards; a rounding up of those who sell flowers and heart-shaped helium balloons; a choking of romantic songs on FM radio stations; an executive order to TV shows that the only love dedications will be from sons to their mothers and vice versa?
How about focusing on governance? Improving maternal mortality; inoculating children better; improving disaster response and managing abject poverty across the country?
How about managing the perversion of love better?
The rising rate of rape cases; honour killings and acid burnings, on all these counts, we don't do any better than the top five worst countries in the world.
There is no cure for incompetence, there is also no cure for control freak-ery; the two often dwell together uncomfortably in smaller hearts.
As for love or the expression of it, we need more of it as a nation and not less.
We are marred by way too many forced marriages and stove burnings. The only thing wrong with celebrating Valentine's Day in Pakistain is that it isn't celebrated often enough.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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The Islamic world just can't stand the thought of a holiday devoted to love. Let them sit and mail out their "I hate you" cards. God knows their holy men tell us that often enough, and the nitwits trying to run our lives describe it as a "religion of peace." Bite my ass, Islamic world.
[DAWN] IT is not the hammer all through. There are practices discouraged and prevented by law and official decree and then there are acts which those who find them offensive must counter by setting a personal example. With all its 'outrageous' and 'unwanted' public manifestations, Valentine's Day, ultimately, is about too personal a sentiment to be open to a legal, official or societal intervention or censure. Whatever plausible or implausible reasons those opposed to the occasion may have, if the truth according to their own values is what they are out to prove, they must try and convince people by debate instead of taking the easy option of browbeating the vulnerable, in the process betraying their own weaknesses.
But then, this is not what the 'powerful' in this land are inclined to do, their urge to control is reflected in a series of bans and other acts meant to control popular freedoms. It is not just about a government stopping people from flying kites or a student organization barring interaction on campus. The attitude that encourages a ban as the final solution is there to be contended with in many everyday situations. It is an attitude steeped dangerously, and conveniently, in self-righteousness. In a country where a large number of people quietly submit to restrictions on wedding feasts, many of those in positions of authority show off their influence when violations propel them to stop the proceedings forcibly. There are district governments and administrations in the country that have barred Valentine's Day in their areas and these authorities have since been joined by a functionary of state no less than the president of Pakistain. President Mamnoon Hussain didn't say he did not celebrate the day -- for this would have amounted to an attempt at setting an example, something that those in power here are reluctant to do. He chose to take sides where he could easily have been neutral. He urged Paks to not observe Valentine's Day. Perhaps he should have been quiet on that point.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] IT is a strange pattern: the army chief endorses death sentences handed down by military courts operating under the 21st Amendment and the Supreme Court suspends the executions pending a decision on the judicial appeals. This week has seen 12 more individuals accused by the military of terrorism being condemned to death, and the death sentences of four earlier terrorism convicts suspended by the Supreme Court. As noted by the Supreme Court judges hearing the appeals, the endorsement by the court of military courts in the 21st Amendment judgement has left a narrow window for appeal by those convicted by military courts. What is troubling is that neither is there any light emerging from the military court trials nor is the Supreme Court moving swiftly enough to examine if justice is indeed being carried out. This newspaper stands against the death penalty in all its manifestations -- but the conveyor-belt manner in which military courts are handing down death sentences is especially troubling.
The approach so far by the military has been to give no details to the public or the media about ongoing trials and then revealing the sentences and the crimes the terror suspects are accused of at the time of endorsement by the army chief. No evidence is provided -- often to even the family members -- and the trial record is withheld. This in trials of individuals the state has accused of being 'jet-black terrorists' -- how can evidence be so lacking and the willingness to produce it so low when it comes to terrorist acts that are some of the worst in the country's history? There are few answers. More than halfway through the life of the 21st Amendment, the state's approach has only seemed to worsen. Perhaps the only hope is the Supreme Court. Some of the justices have shown a willingness to examine military court convictions and, at least in verbal remarks, acknowledged the heavy burden on them when it comes to ensuring justice is done. While the 21st Amendment judgement left only relatively narrow grounds on which military court convictions can be overturned, there are two things that the court can still do. One, it can expedite the appeals process, prioritising them over normal court work. Two, the Supreme Court can act to set aside death sentences in cases where basic doubts still exist and the trial is deemed patently unfair. The death penalty is fundamentally and morally wrong -- the court must act to curb it where it can.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] AS opposed to much more recent problems with 'jihadi' militancy, the state has been battling the monster of sectarian terrorism since at least the 1980s. They're making the false distinction. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is merely an arm of al-Qaeda in Pakistain.
Regrettably, it is also true that both the military and civilian leaderships have played ball with the political controllers of sectarian turbans whenever the need has emerged. But the scenario may finally be changing, especially in the aftermath of the APS tragedy in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , as the state has begun to take visible action against sectarian myrmidons. For example, in his media briefing in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... on Friday, DG ISPR Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa announced that amongst 97 nabbed Please don't kill me! turbans were three 'most-wanted' leaders of banned outfits. This included Naeem Bukhari, a dreaded Karachi-based myrmidon associated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... . On the same day, the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Counter-Terrorism Department said it had apprehended nine turbans in Lahore, again associated with various myrmidon outfits. And 2015 was marked by the killings of Malik Ishaq and Usman Saifullah Kurd, in separate 'encounters'; both men were associated with LJ and were notorious for perpetrating sectarian violence.
For there to be effective and long-lasting action in Pakistain against sectarian myrmidon groups, two things must be considered. Firstly, it appears as if the establishment is continuing with its 'good myrmidon, bad myrmidon' policy. For instance, while the 'bad' turbans are being pounded in Fata and rounded up in the cities, the 'good' ones -- especially Kashmire-centric fighters -- are hardly being touched. The authorities must know that sectarian outfits and jihadi groups have a symbiotic relationship. In many cases, they share ideologies, while also providing each other with manpower. For example, Naeem Bukhari, the LJ leader, has been described as being instrumental in bringing his concern closer to Al Qaeda. The criteria must be simple: any group espousing or condoning violence against innocent people -- whether in the name of religion, sect or ethnicity -- must be dismantled. Unless action is taken against all myrmidon groups, efforts against sectarian concerns will not prove effective.
Secondly, while the state pursues counterterrorism activities, there is a lack of movement on countering extremism and sectarian tendencies within society, which are arguably high. Taking out sectarian killers will not be helpful in the long run unless the factors contributing to sectarian intolerance in society are addressed. Of course, communal violence in the Middle East has done much to fuel sectarian feelings in Pakistain. And while there is little the state can do to shield the country from what is happening in Syria or Iraq, or the effects of the Saudi-Iranian spat, it is entirely possible to at least mitigate the effects of these situations. A credible counter-narrative is needed which stresses that while doctrinal differences and various interpretations of Muslim history have always existed, in today's Pakistain such differences must be tolerated and accepted. This message must particularly resonate within the mosque, madressah and curriculum.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] A NOTIFICATION issued by the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... government has banned preaching activities on university campuses. However,
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2016 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Analysis: We have more to worry about than just Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,' terror tunnels. In 2015, 140 Gazooks were caught trying to climb over the border fence into Israel, a number that could vastly increase in light of the political, economic and social crisis in the Strip.
Israel is preparing to combat the threat of terror tunnels, out of which dozens of armed Hamas Lions of Islam threaten to emerge simultaneously, but it seems not to devote enough attention to the threat already coming from the Gazoo Strip - the border fence, through which not hundreds but thousands of Gazooks will infiltrate Israel. And they are already coming.
2015 was a record year. The IDF Southern Command recorded 140 infiltration attempts last year - in other words, every third night, there was an attempt to infiltrate Israeli territory from Gazoo. Security forces placed in durance vile
Continued on Page 49
...is a punt. Day started at 8:00 and am just sitting down at 20:30 and guests just arrived. In addition, the book I was going to review I am re-reading. It is a good book, but has been a while and should honor the book instead of rushing a review.
Next week will be hectic as well, likely a recipe for chili with follow up on Sunday after judging. Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy.
Ian W. Toll
W. W. Norton and Company, reprint 2008
Another author who easily writes a story with a lot of information, and the time period fits well with previous reviews.
Mr. Toll begins with a makeup of the world, with a focus on the British who were ruling the waves. Mr. Toll does well to honor the composition of the British fleet, and then feeds into the reasoning for the fledgling Americans to consider building warships.
If I remember correctly, my favorite section covers how the ships were built but only after the why is addressed.
The action scenes, if you will, are surreal, with one account of an American ship which was becalmed (h/t trailing wife) and figured out an ingenious way to escape its British pursuers.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
