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Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Non-WoT        Politix   
Russia Withdraws Forces From Posts In Syria's Lattakia And Homs
Today's Headlines
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Page 4: Opinion
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Caribbean-Latin America
Mexico exploits Biden's failed foreign policy
[FoxNews] Mexico has no interest in being a good-faith partner of the United States.

Under President Joe Biden’s failed foreign policy leadership, Mexico has shown its willingness to undermine America’s strategic interests.

Over the past two years, Mexico has been more of an enemy than a partner. Nothing has underscored Mexico’s exploitation of President Biden’s weakness than their posture on immigration and cozying up to communists in Cuba.

A major national security and humanitarian crisis on our southern border has erupted over the course of Biden’s presidency with both President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas showing alarmingly little interest in solving it. This weak and gutless decision by the Biden administration to reverse the Remain in Mexico Policy incentivizes Mexico to pass its border security responsibilities to the United States rather than dealing with the influx of migrants from Central and South America at the Mexican border.

Right now, the vast majority of migrants seeking asylum from their home countries are not actually from Mexico, but rather, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and even countries such as Cuba, Haiti, and beyond. If the true intent of these migrants is to seek refuge from brutal regimes and harsh living conditions in their home countries, then it would make sense for them to apply for asylum in Mexico rather than engage in the dangerous and treacherous journey to the United States. Instead, Mexico has taken advantage of President Biden’s lax policies to remove the onus from itself to combat the human traffickers and the narco-cartels and pass it onto the United States by allowing the free flow of un-vetted migrants to make the 1,500-mile journey through Mexico to our border.

Under the Trump administration, the Remain in Mexico policy forced the Mexican government to be a reliable partner in stemming illegal migration throughout the region by forcing Mexico to enforce its own border protection with the rest of Central American countries. The policy worked. The policy made sense. Our communities and our families were safer because of it.

All of this further underscores the notion that Mexico under Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has no interest in being a good-faith partner of the United States, and instead, is quick to exploit whatever opportunity is given to them to undermine our strategic interests.

Under the Biden-Obrador leadership, Cuba’s illegitimate, communist regime has been a big winner. Mexico announced just this past week it will bring 500 Cuban doctors into the country after an open dialogue between Presidents Obrador and Miguel Diaz-Canel. The profits derived from these government-coordinated medical missions are then used to fuel the Cuba’s espionage regime against the United States and its apparatus of brutality against freedom-seeking people.
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Interesting that Lopez Obrador was so much more cooperative and helpful to the USA when it was headed by the supposed bully-bigot Trump.

Maybe it's true: weakness invites contempt.
Posted by: Captain Ebbique4135 || 05/20/2022 0:18 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Stop The Denial: Ukraine Is A Proxy War That Will Lead To Wider World War
[Alt-Market.US] At the onset of the Russian incursion into Ukraine I argued in my article ’Order Out Of Chaos: How The Ukraine Conflict Is Designed To Benefit Globalists’ that US boots would be on the ground within a few months. I was wrong — As it turns out, US and European military boots were ALREADY on the ground. Ukraine was a proxy war from the very beginning.

But what is a proxy war, really? It means that Russian troops are fighting Ukrainian soldiers that are intermingled with western "advisors" and most likely US and European special forces, not to mention US intelligence operatives utilizing all the information gathering technology at the disposal of the Department of Defense. In other words, Russian soldiers are being killed by Western assets. Some pro-Ukraine people might ask why this is a problem?

To understand the gravity of this situation we have to first examine the historical significance.

The closest event in history that I could approximate Ukraine to is Vietnam, when communist elements within the country were receiving constant aid, weaponry and even some troops from China, along with monetary and technological aid from the Soviet Union. Vietnam was essentially a "safe" arena or cage match between the West and Communism; a place where the paradigm players could fight it out without risk of a larger nuclear exchange. The globalists could sit back, relax and watch the show while Americans sacrificed their lives over a conflict that did not need to exist.

Ukraine is similar, but the stakes this time are much higher. This is probably why the mainstream media and the White House have been in full denial that Ukraine is a proxy war at all, and have consistently downplayed the complex involvement of Western military assets. The fact is that Ukraine would have fallen completely by now had it not been for the fact that Russia is not really facing Ukraine; it is facing a proxy force of US and European support elements feeding intel, weaponry and likely direct kinetic support.

In my article ’Ukraine Learns The Value Of An Armed Citizenry, But Far Too Late,’ published on March 2nd, I noted that the Ukrainian "militia" programs being instituted at the last minute while Russia troops swiftly marched across the Donbass were a side show. The media was acting as if citizens with no more than a couple of weeks of training were going to make some kind of difference in the war; this was nonsense. In my view, the insurgency narrative was meant as cover for well trained Western assets already in place with advanced anti-tank and anti-aircraft technology. As I stated in that article:
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2022 02:32 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In my article...buy my book.
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/20/2022 11:16 Comments || Top||

#2  He's right: it's a proxy war between Biden and Putin. Both their countries are losing.
Posted by: Patrocles || 05/20/2022 11:39 Comments || Top||

#3  I don't need to buy the book. It's been perfectly obvious from the get-go that the two primary belligerents are Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Of course you understand that by "Joe Biden" I mean whatever bunch of Deep State globalists are pulling his strings. They want regime change in Moscow just like the regime change they engineered in Kiev back in 2014...just like Kosovo, Iraq, Libya, etc. It's what they do.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/20/2022 11:42 Comments || Top||

#4  If I had to guess right now, I'd say these globalists have about a 50-50 chance in their bid to depose Putin. But what then? Maybe Russia will end up like Libya. Who will end up with control of Russia's nuclear arsenal? Someone who is "better" than Putin or someone who is worse? Maybe the globalists have someone in mind but who knows? I guess we just have to trust them.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/20/2022 11:55 Comments || Top||

#5  Regime change? I think there are many Red Diaper Babies furious at Russia's betrayal of the Communist Ideal.
Posted by: magpie || 05/20/2022 11:56 Comments || Top||

#6 
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/20/2022 12:22 Comments || Top||

#7  So Putin should end it.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 05/20/2022 12:29 Comments || Top||

#8  Now the New York Times editors are calling on Biden to de-escalate , explain what the hell their strategy is (if any), and in effect, to initiate peace talks. Evidently, Tom Friedman's been getting lots of phone calls from his pals in the Administration and the intelligence community. They can see that Biden and Austin have been unbelievably reckless and foolish.
Posted by: Patrocles || 05/20/2022 12:44 Comments || Top||

#9  #4 I'd say these globalists have about a 50-50 chance in their bid to depose Putin.

Where'd you get that number? Based on what evidence?
Who would replace him -- Navalny? Navalny is a fervent Russian nationalist who was 100% in favor of annexing Crimea. So is nearly everyone in Russia.

Or do these deluded fantasists think the Pu$ sy Riot girlz will depose him? By killing with their qu!ms?
Posted by: Patrocles || 05/20/2022 13:08 Comments || Top||

#10  The whole idea is to trigger a wider war and invade Russia. Not just regime change, but the breakup of Russia into smaller states easily dominated by banks.

And then, the refugee airlift starts. Massive relocation of population from ME/Africa to the former territory of the Russian Federation. The replacement of the Rus people with immigrants. Russia will never be a threat again.

Then, Iran, Venezuela, China and any other leftovers. The way will be clear for a global governance. Bye-bye US Constitution!
Posted by: Blackbeard Unereck7174 || 05/20/2022 13:31 Comments || Top||

#11  ^^^ The latest offering from the narrative engineers.
Posted by: Nero || 05/20/2022 13:34 Comments || Top||

#12  Hardly crazier than Biden's shifting narratives. "Defending 'freedom' and 'democracy' ... in a one-party kleptocratic dictatorship. Yup.
Posted by: Patrocles || 05/20/2022 14:26 Comments || Top||

#13  Evidently, Tom Friedman's been getting lots of phone calls from his pals in the Administration and the intelligence community. They can see that Biden and Austin have been unbelievably reckless and foolish.

Battle within the Agency. Old hands trying to rein in the neocon punks. Friedman leaks against the leakers:

"...from everything I have been able to glean from senior U.S. officials, who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, the leaks were not part of any thought-out strategy, and President Biden was livid about them. I’m told that he called the director of national intelligence, the director of the C.I.A. and the secretary of defense to make clear in the strongest and most colorful language that this kind of loose talk is reckless and has got to stop immediately — before we end up in an unintended war with Russia."
Posted by: James Jeebus Angel || 05/20/2022 14:33 Comments || Top||

#14  ^ Biden's cracking down on "loose reckless talk"? He's the most reckless of them all. That is some world class spin right there.
Posted by: Patrocles || 05/20/2022 14:46 Comments || Top||

#15  Ref #6: Please Ab, never again.
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/20/2022 15:02 Comments || Top||

#16  There was that week when Brandon's meds were definitely not working; could be he doesn't remember it was him.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2022 15:39 Comments || Top||

#17  So Putin should end it.

Oh, you mean like standing in front of a train or jumping off a bridge? Because that's the only kind of peace that Biden wants.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/20/2022 17:24 Comments || Top||

#18  Ref #6: Please Ab, never again.

Sorry, B. That one got away from me.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/20/2022 17:25 Comments || Top||

#19  I guess everyone's Out To Get Russia by throwing gobs of money at it.


https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1613424/italy-oil-russia-putin-gas-energy-sanctions-ukraine-war

"Italy exposed for buying FOUR times more oil from Russia since start of Ukraine war"
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 05/20/2022 17:45 Comments || Top||

#20  EU Gives OK To Pay For Russian Gas In Rubles

Ruble: best performing currency of 2022... while our stocks crash and burn. Fook.
Posted by: Astaire || 05/20/2022 18:19 Comments || Top||

#21  Indian oil companies will buy out Shell and BP's assets in Russia, per the Economic Times
Posted by: Astaire || 05/20/2022 18:22 Comments || Top||

#22  ^ Way to go, Brandon!
Posted by: Patrocles || 05/20/2022 18:47 Comments || Top||

#23  #21 The Economic Times article is here. The title is "ONGC weighs raising stakes in Russian oil despite Shell snub". The article goes on to discuss various possible bids for the western oil assets, which is a long way from "will buy". The concluding paragraph is:

The departure of oil majors also means an erosion in capabilities for Russian projects.

"Western companies brought in a lot of technical competence to Russian projects and their departure might impact the progress of projects," said another person. "Without them, it might be challenging to maintain efficiency in some of the projects located in harsh geographical conditions."
Posted by: Matt || 05/20/2022 18:54 Comments || Top||

#24  They'll buy. The western majors are being forced -- not by the host country but by their own governments! -- forced to sell, and sell ASAP, at any price.

Fire sale of the century.
Posted by: Astaire || 05/20/2022 19:12 Comments || Top||

#25  Brandon thought he was hurting the Russians. He's not hurting them, he's crushing us. Typical Brandon, the stupid fuckwit
Posted by: Patrocles || 05/20/2022 19:14 Comments || Top||

#26  If you want to share that opinion with us, fine. But that's not what the article you cited says.
Posted by: Matt || 05/20/2022 19:16 Comments || Top||

#27  The last paragraph is an oil journalist's opinion. He's wrong. The oil majors need assets at scale and they scour the earth for them; big properties are extremely hard to come by. There are very few available. Re the harsh conditions, so what. When the oil price is sky high, Big Oil will find ways to turn a profit no matter what the obstacles.
Posted by: Astaire || 05/20/2022 19:27 Comments || Top||

#28  Can Rosneft and Gazprom operate the properties?
Posted by: Matt || 05/20/2022 19:35 Comments || Top||

#29  I mean, considering the resignation of 5 senior Rosneft executives?
Posted by: Matt || 05/20/2022 19:48 Comments || Top||

#30  Biden's oil policy is killing the US economy, impoverishing American households, enriching Big Oil, sending windfall profits to Russia, and building up Chinese and Indian oil companies. Biden is a foreign agent sent on a mission to destroy America.
Posted by: Billy Budd || 05/20/2022 20:03 Comments || Top||


Briefly about Ukraine. 05/19/2022
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[ColonelCassad] 1. Mariupol.
The surrender of the remnants of the Mariupol group at Azovstal continues. By the evening of May 19, more than 1,800 enemy soldiers and officers had surrendered. This is the largest loss of prisoners for the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2014. The process continues. A tribunal is already being prepared for war criminals.

2. Zaporozhye.
On the line Kamenskoye-Orekhov-Gulyaipole-Velikaya Novoselovka without significant changes. Positional fights.

3. Ugledar.
Fighting in the area of ​​Novomikhailovka and Ugledar. There is no significant progress in this direction.

4. Marinka.
Positional battles in the village continue. There is no significant progress in the village.

5. Avdievka.
Fighting in the area of ​​Novoselka-2 and Novobakhmutovka, as well as on the outskirts of New York. The enemy is intensively shelling Yasinovataya.

6. LPR.
The offensive in the area of ​​Popasna is developing successfully. The troops took Troitskoe north of Svetlodarsk. To the west of Popasnaya, battles are being fought for Pilipchatino.

PMC "Wagner" took Trypillya, and the paratroopers - Vladimirovka, coming almost close to Soledar. The villages of Druzhba and part of Novaya Kamenka were also taken. The Soledar-Lysichansk highway is already under fire from this direction.

The threat of the operational encirclement of the entire Severodonetsk grouping is growing. Severodonetsk itself is being stormed from three sides. The capture of the village of Shchedrishchevo on the outskirts of Severodonetsk was confirmed.

7. Izyum.
Fighting in the Krasny Liman area, where up to 1200-1500 enemy soldiers are under the threat of encirclement. Heavy fighting is also going on in the forest near Dolgenkiy. The enemy puts up stubborn resistance in the region of Privolye and Svetlogorsk.

8. Kharkov.
The RF Armed Forces pushed the enemy back from the border near the village of Ternovoe and again brought him back under control. There are reports of battles for the village of Rubezhnoye southwest of Volchansk. Also, attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions intensified as a response to the shelling of border villages in the Belgorod and Kursk regions.

9. Nikolaev.
No significant changes in the Nikolaev, Krivoy Rog and Nikopol directions.

10. Odessa.
No significant changes. The enemy continues to talk about the threat of landing and conducts reconnaissance in the direction of Serpent's Island.
Restoration work is underway on the damaged railway bridge in Zatoka, which is of strategic importance.

Posted by: badanov || 05/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Revolution and Civil War in the Baltics, late 1918
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Oleg Airapetov

[Regnum] The situation in the Baltics was very difficult. In the former Ostzeyz region of the Russian province, the confrontation between the German, Latvian and Estonian elements was traditionally strong. Before the First World War, the territory of the Baltic States was divided into three provinces - Livonia, Courland and Estland. The most developed and populated was the Livland province. Its largest cities were Riga (322,500 people), Yuryev (modern Tartu, Estonia - 42,000). The rest of the cities had a small number of inhabitants - from several hundred to 4-5,000 thousand.

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: badanov || 05/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Germans were not the only ones fighting the Bolshies. See, though, "friekorps".
Posted by: Richard Aubrey || 05/20/2022 0:13 Comments || Top||

#2  All this is fascinating stuff. I had no idea just how chaotic the aftermath of WWI was. Thanks for the very informative history lessons.
Posted by: Tom || 05/20/2022 11:03 Comments || Top||

#3  The Poles and the Rooskies duked it out for a while as well after World War, Part I. Going from memory here...Pilowski or something was the Polish leader.
Posted by: DooDahMan || 05/20/2022 12:42 Comments || Top||


New American hypersonic missile is much inferior in speed to Russian missiles.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military blogger Andrey Chervonets.

The United States launched a new hypersonic warhead from an air carrier. The previous three launches were unsuccessful.

The speed of the rocket declared in the message from the USA reached just 5M, that is, 6120 km/h. This is the boundary speed between supersonic and hypersonic, that is, the lower limit of hypersonic speed.

With the most optimistic development of events for the Americans, they will be able to reach the bar of the Russian Federation in five to ten years. But rather much later.

On the southern coast of California on May 14, a hypersonic cruise missile with a solid-propellant booster and a guided warhead was launched from a B-52H strategic bomber. These were the first successful tests of a rocket from an air carrier. The head of the US Air Force weapons program noted that this launch was a great achievement for the development team - that the speed of the warhead was five times the speed of sound.

For comparison:

- The Soviet serial supersonic cruise missile Kh-22, created in the 1970s, reached 3.5. Its modification X-32, first tested in 1998 - Mach 4.6, also later went into series.
- The Tsirkon hypersonic missile, which is already in service in Russia , is capable of reaching speeds of "about Mach 9 at a range of more than 1,000 km."
- The Kinzhal hypersonic complex, which is in service and has already been used in combat, is capable of reaching a speed of Mach 10-12, attacking at a distance of 2,000-3,000 km (depending on the MiG-31 or Tu-22 carrier) maneuvering along the entire flight path.
- In the period from 2012 to 2020, the Russian armed forces conducted five successful launches of the Avangard intercontinental ballistic missile with hypersonic gliding winged units. Already in series production. Develops speed up to Mach 28.

All these complexes, in addition to being able to maneuver in flight, have a powerful warhead of 400-500 kg and a full-fledged homing system. They are built on different principles.

"Dagger" - "motorless hypersound." Simply put, an air-to-ground ballistic missile, which at the final stage of engine operation has hypersonic speed.

"Zircon" - a cruise missile with a ramjet hypersonic engine, the so-called. "motor hypersound.

"Avangard "- is launched (accelerated) not just by a starting accelerator, like the Zircon, but is accelerated by a solid-propellant rocket.

The Americans need to carry out a titanic work in the next ten years and cut hundreds of billions (trillions?) To at least come close to similar characteristics of hypersonic missiles.

Posted by: badanov || 05/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


#2  All they have to be is fast enough.
Posted by: Penguin_of_the_Desert || 05/20/2022 11:27 Comments || Top||

#3  "Mr. President, we must not allow a hypersonic speed gap!"
Posted by: SteveS || 05/20/2022 11:39 Comments || Top||

#4  How many hypersonic missiles could Russia have? From the looks at how well the rest of their equipment has been maintained and works, how much of a threat could they be?
Posted by: Chris || 05/20/2022 11:45 Comments || Top||

#5  We have been told about superior Soviet Russian "Wonder Weapons" before.
Posted by: magpie || 05/20/2022 11:50 Comments || Top||

#6  "Ours is in Metric, American fools!"
Posted by: Frank G || 05/20/2022 11:50 Comments || Top||

#7  The Russian one is basically a ballistic missile that flies horizontal. It is very expensive and Russia can't make or launch a lot of them. The US ones will be pricy, but not as much as the Russian ones when compared at a percentage of total military spending. Aka, we can make a shit ton of them and don't mind using them liberally.
Posted by: DarthVader || 05/20/2022 12:13 Comments || Top||

#8  We're developing laser point defense systems. The Israelis have one.

Don't care how fast your toys go.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 05/20/2022 12:37 Comments || Top||


#10  Why does the article sound like Elon Musk pitching the Tesla pickup truck?
Posted by: ed in texas || 05/20/2022 15:56 Comments || Top||

#11  Unlike Iranian Death By Photoshop™ weapons at least Russian's fly
Posted by: magpie || 05/20/2022 17:56 Comments || Top||

#12 
Posted by: Russian boot || 05/20/2022 20:28 Comments || Top||

#13  From today's 'clobber list' as published by the Defense Ministry of Russia:

My dear Russian boot, you’re in the wrong thread with that useful bit of information. You want to post that under the Russian Perspective article — and if you would be so kind as to add a link so we can see we you got it for ourselves, that would be very helpful indeed.
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/20/2022 20:53 Comments || Top||


Government Corruption
Fauci Recommends Stopping Spread Of Monkeypox By Covering Eyes, Ears, Mouth
[Bee] WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Monkeypox pandemic has finally breached the shores of the United States, with the CDC confirming a staggering 1 infections so far. In response, America's favorite, most trusted doctor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, issued a statement recommending people stop the spread of Monkeypox by covering their eyes, ears, and mouth.

Fauci accepted 137 TV interviews and a book deal after issuing the guidelines essentially recommending people look the other way rather than investigate the source of this new outbreak.

"As I, the Science, have always said, lockdowns don't work. What really works is turning a blind eye to where this outbreak nonsense may or may not have leaked from," said Dr. Fauci to a fawning NBC news anchor trying to get his autograph. "And I'd like to add that there is no evidence the Monkeypox outbreak is connected to the NIH-funded Institute of Monkeypox Studies next door to patient zero."

Not all health professionals agree with Dr. Fauci's health order. Dr. Corry Larreia, a world-renowned monkey virologist and respected expert in finding the source of Monkeypox outbreaks, said Dr. Fauci was wrong and the outbreak should be investigated in full.

At publishing time, Dr. Larreia had been disbarred, lost his virology license along with his official stethoscope, was banned from his local book club, snubbed by Apple's Siri, and lost both of his hands in a tragic wood chipper accident.
Posted by: Frank G || 05/20/2022 12:20 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats



#3  Hey Tony, I got a WalMart bag you can use.
Posted by: ed in texas || 05/20/2022 13:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Wal mart bags tend to have holes in the bottom, need something like a trash bag.
Posted by: Chris || 05/20/2022 14:19 Comments || Top||

#5  Probably feel at home in a trash bag.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/20/2022 14:54 Comments || Top||

#6  Nice dry cleaning bag, held on with a couple winds of duct tape around the neck.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 05/20/2022 14:57 Comments || Top||


#8 

I nominate "Fauci" as a new Urban Dictionary word.
Used as "Joe just did a Fauci" or " Don't confuse Facts with Fauci."
Posted by: NOBODY-SPECIAL || 05/20/2022 19:43 Comments || Top||


International-UN-NGOs
Sweden, Finland, NATO, and Turkey
[YouTube] Most NATO members have met Finland and Sweden's joint application for membership with open enthusiasm. The US, UK, France; even the Italians and Greeks are cheering, in a rare moment of pan-European positivity.

But not the Turks. Long kept at arm's reach from EU-membership (including by self-appointed human rights stewards like the Swedes), Ankara is going to savor its ability to make Sweden and Finland's ascension process be as much about Turkey's needs as it is about Russia.

The Turks aren't just being spiteful for spite's sake.

Turkey and Greece were the first states to gain membership in an expanded NATO in 1952, joining the 12 member nations who formed the bloc in 1949. In addition to being one of the bloc's longest-standing members, Turkey (not unrealistically) views itself as one of NATO's most strategic. Its geography, particularly the control of the Turkish Straits, affords Ankara outsized influence over the Black Sea, the Danube Basin, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Ankara also happens to have the bloc's second-largest army, second only to the United States. Turkey isn't just cribbing from a Rodney Dangerfield act when it angles for more respect from its supposed Western allies; it is an important partner and now has the geopolitical heft to make sure everybody knows it.

Ankara is also one of a handful of countries around the world that is willing, able, and actively seeking to establish itself as a meaningful regional power. Turkey's neighborhood (especially along its southern and eastern borders) has always been...spicy. The Turkish state's long-standing conflict with Kurdish separatists has been an easy target of criticism for its European neighbors. But now Turkey gets to point the finger at countries like Sweden, who it claims is doing too much to encourage Kurdish separatist militias in places like Syria. Ankara is well within its rights to claim how it can be expected to call Sweden its ally, when Stockholm's actions risk directly threatening the security and stability of the Turkish state.

Turkey also famously straddles Europe and Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. We should not be surprised that a country that shares land borders with Bulgaria and Iran, Greece, Georgia and Armenia has a different worldview than the northern Europeans or Portugal. Or that a country that borders the Syrian Civil War, the remnants of Iraq and an intensifying Azerbaijani/Armenian conflict is going to have different security realities than the land of Ikea, H&M and Volvos. And here we see how one of NATO's strengths--its size--complicates its ability to move swiftly as a unified bloc.

Is Turkey going to use its veto authority to block Sweden and Finland from joining NATO? I think the more important question is whether or not Sweden and Finland are ready to recognize and respect Turkish security prerogatives as being as legitimate as their own concerns over Russia.
Posted by: DarthVader || 05/20/2022 10:47 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



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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.
Click here for more information

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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2022-05-20
  Russia Withdraws Forces From Posts In Syria's Lattakia And Homs
Thu 2022-05-19
  Arrested Kidnappers Confessed To Raping New Bride Multiple Times
Wed 2022-05-18
  Terrorists Abduct 30 Passengers Along Abuja-Kaduna Highway, Shoot Others
Tue 2022-05-17
  Reversing Trump, Biden acts to deploy US troops to Somalia
Mon 2022-05-16
  Battle rages for the region of Donbas
Sun 2022-05-15
  Ten die in Buffalo, NY supermarket shooting
Sat 2022-05-14
  Cairo sentences 25 to 15 years in prison, acquits 12 in Rabaa dispersal case
Fri 2022-05-13
  Violent protests all over Iran sparked by massive price increases.
Thu 2022-05-12
  Ukraine thwarts Russian battalion's river-crossing and destroys at least 58 vehicles
Wed 2022-05-11
  Camps Discovered in Russia House Thousands of Ukrainians Forcibly Removed From Homeland
Tue 2022-05-10
  Sri Lanka PM quits as violence kills 3, injures 150
Mon 2022-05-09
  At least 11 Egyptian soldiers killed in armed attack in Sinai
Sun 2022-05-08
  Islamic Emirate Announces Rules for Women’s Covering
Sat 2022-05-07
  Taiwan’s air force scrambled to warn away 18 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defense zone
Fri 2022-05-06
  Russia's Admiral Makarov warship 'on fire after being hit by Ukrainian missile'

Better than the average link...



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