An Adult in the Room

For John, BLUF:  When I knew Dr Condoleezza Rice she was an Intern on the Joint Staff and someone with solid ideas and an ability to communicate.  She moved on to be the National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The New Axis of Evil: Condoleezza Rice on War in Israel and a Changed World

Here is the sub-headline:

The former secretary of state says an attack on Israel is an attack on America.

From The Free Press, by Interviewer Bari Weiss, 13 October 2023.

Here is Secretary Rices response to one of Reporter Bari Weiss' questions:

If you really think the world is better off with Saddam Hussein murdering a million people and putting them in mass graves, be my guest.  If you really think it was a better Afghanistan when women were beaten in stadiums, given to the Taliban by the UN, when girls and women couldn’t go to school, well be my guest.  The United States is not a perfect power.  There’s no such thing.  But I would argue that on balance, the United States has been a force for stability in the world, that a lot of what we think of as a stable international system, not to mention a prosperous one, is because the United States has been willing to step up and to try to be the provider of a security commons, the provider of an economic commons—sometimes with not much benefit to ourselves.  When I hear this, I think, “Do you really think the world is better with the United States stepping back?”  Well, take a look out of your window at Vladimir Putin.  Take a look out of your window at Hamas.  Take a look out of your window at what Xi Jinping is doing in the South China Sea or in Taiwan.  If you really want the United States to step back, that’s what you’re going to get.

Yes, America is not perfect.  I come from segregated Birmingham, Alabama.  I was a little girl at a time when you could not go to a movie theater or to a restaurant.  Speaking of terrorism, I had a classmate killed in the 16th Street bombing of that church in Birmingham in September of 1963.  I don’t look at the United States through rose-colored glasses, but I can tell you there is no country like it on the face of the earth with this kind of power and this kind of capability that has tried—sometimes a little bit clumsily, sometimes a little bit failingly—to provide for a more prosperous, more democratic, and safer world.

I believe that Americans carry simultaneously in their heads two very different thoughts.  One is, “Haven’t we done enough? We defeated the Soviet Union.  We unified Germany.  We liberated Eastern Europe.  We were able to defeat at least al-Qaeda.  Haven’t we done enough?  Can’t somebody else do it?”  I understand that sense of exhaustion.  On the other hand, other Americans carry in their heads, “I can’t watch Syrian babies choke on nerve gas.  I can’t watch the massacre of the people in Sderot.  I can’t watch as a large country decides to extinguish its smaller neighbor to rebuild an empire.”  And then Americans say, “If not us, then who?”  And under those circumstances, Americans can be led to take this burden, if you want to call it that, or this obligation, to be a part of a more stable world.  I’m just looking for American leaders who are willing to say that.

As Law Professor Glenn Reynolds would say, "Read the whole thibg."

Regards  —  Cliff

Being Diplomatic Toward Allies

For John, BLUF:  French President Emaneuel Macron denounced the incoming Italian Prime Minister, Ms Gioria Meloni.  She did not take it well.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

MACRON VS. MELONI

From Power Line, by Blogger John Hinderaker, 29 September 2022.

Here is the lede plus one:

France’s Emmanuel Macron, like a number of other world leaders, has denounced Italy and its incoming Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.  I will chalk that up as a mistake.  I don’t think a lot of people have seen this amateurishly-filmed response by Meloni, but it is scorching.

It is not hard to understand why colorless leftist leaders fear Meloni and denounce her as a “fascist.”  I think that means she gives speeches that are effective and that people like.  I don’t necessarily agree with everything Meloni says here, but she makes some good points about illegal immigration and Africa:

It the You Tube doesn't pop up. clock here.

I think Ms Meloni's critique is a fair one.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Russia Has Options

For John, BLUF:  There aare a lot of different opinions out there about Russia and Ukraine, but Ukraine may not be the issue.  It may be NATO or it may be the US presence in Europe.  And President Putin has a number of different option, depending on what his deep itch is.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Outlier: What if Putin’s Real Target isn’t Ukraine?

From The Cipher Brief, by Mr Tim Willasey-Wilsey,♠ 4 February 2022.

Here is the lede plus four:

We have a long history of misreading Russian intentions.  The classic example was the judgement by the British Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) that Russia would not invade Czechoslovakia in 1968; based on a westernised view that it would not be in Moscow’s interests.  Similar misjudgements were made in the prelude to Putin’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014.

Vladimir Putin calculated this winter as the ideal time to confront the West over those parts of the former Soviet Union which he believes should still be in Moscow’s sphere of influence.  Winter inevitably puts Europe’s energy market under stress.  Meanwhile NATO has just made a humiliating and chaotic exit from Afghanistan led by a United States president who is struggling in the polls.

Having identified the best moment Putin followed up by mobilising an army of some 130,000 troops in midwinter, distributed in pockets along Ukraine’s borders with Russia and Belarus.  Putin never places great belief in diplomacy but he is willing to go through the motions because he does set store by assembling retrospective justification for any future action.  In the unlikely event of a major Western concession, he would be willing to stand down the army but the strong probability is that he will use it to facilitate a tangible political and military result.

The assumption of everyone in the West is that Ukraine is the target for either an invasion or an incursion. However, none of the options looks particularly good.  Yes, Russian troops could probably dash the 240 miles from Belarus to Kiev and seize the capital.  But they would be unable to subjugate the whole of Ukraine, especially west of Kiev, and the invasion could lead to a long and costly insurgency.  Alternatively, Putin could try and capture Ukraine’s coast and the port of Odessa but it would leave a long strip of land to defend against future Ukrainian counter-attacks.

The other problem with attacking Ukraine is that it lets NATO and the West off too lightly.  President Biden made it very clear at an early stage of this crisis that NATO would not fight to defend Ukraine. Instead, all the talk has been of economic and financial sanctions.  This approach has made it easier for Western countries to show a reasonably united front against Putin, although differences exist over supplying weapons to Ukraine and the exact nature of the sanctions. So, the focus on Ukraine has not worked for Putin.  Although some of the responses have been divisive the overall tendency has been to unite Western leaders.  It has also enabled them to undertake some showboating with Macron engaging directly with Putin in diplomatic talks and others making high-profile trips to Kiev. But Ukraine may not be Putin’s main target. Putin’s beef is with NATO which, he believes, has made more inroads into central and eastern Europe than was ever agreed following the collapse of the Soviet Union.  In fact the two draft treaties which Russia published on 17th December last year demanded that NATO withdraw its forces and weapons from any country which joined NATO since 1997.  That would include Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.  It also embraces the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) whose secession from the old Soviet Union particularly rankles with Putin.

To see what alternatives President Putin might pick, read the rest of the short article.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Author Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for over 27 years in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is now Visiting Professor of War Studies at King's College, London.

Iran's Nuclear Plans

For John, BLUF:  I a not convinced that the US rejoining the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) is the solution to the Iran Nuclear problem.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Team Biden blames Iran’s bad behavior on Trump

From The Washington Times, by Lawyers David S. Jonas and Erielle Davidson, 25 January 2022.

Here is the lede plus two:

The White House’s latest plan to improve its messaging on the Iran Nuclear Deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA) is to heap the blame for the untenable situation on President Biden’s predecessor.

As the eighth round of indirect negotiations in Vienna nears conclusion, the Biden administration has begun emotionally preparing fellow Democrats for the possibility of either a less-than-stellar arrangement with the regime or the prospect of a renewed pressure campaign against Tehran.  Neither is a desirable outcome — the former ensures dangerous concessions to the mullahs while the latter admits political defeat after months of showboating regarding the diplomatic capabilities of Team Biden.

The good news? There is someone else to blame.

Who would that be?  The same "go to" person the Biden Administration has used for the last twelve and a half months.

According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, if former President Donald Trump hadn’t “recklessly pulled out of the nuclear deal,” none of the behaviors we’re witnessing from the Iranian regime, including “aggressive actions that they’ve taken through proxy wars around the world,” would be occurring.  This statement is patently false and evinces the depth to which the Biden administration fundamentally either does not understand the threat posed by Iran or, for political reasons, cannot concede that any acts taken by Mr. Biden’s predecessor were prudent or appropriate.

I think the Biden Administration has not properly assessed the situation.  Iran is not a Western European nation.  It has a long, long history, including a hitory of being the big dog in the neighborhood.  This combines with its fierce attachment to its Shia version of Islam.  And the belief in the return of the Twelth Imam.  Add to that the paranoia from the 1953 Anglo-American deposing Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.  They are not trusting.

Iran wants nuclear weapons, so they can again feel safe and again be the big person on the block.  They know what happened to Libya, and to its leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, after that nation gave up its nuclear weapons.♠  And, they are contemplating that, not withstanding the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, which "incuded security assurances against threats or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan," Russia has taken some territory from Ukraine and is currently threatening to take more.

Why would Iran not pursue a nuclear weapons program? : Instead of blaming President Trump for figuring out that Iran intended to press on, Ms Psaki and the rest of the White House Crew need to figure out how to (1) slow the Iranian Nuclear Progrm and (2) how to encourage the democratic forces in Iran.  Then we might be able to put this to bed and turn to North Korea and General Secretary Kim Jung-un.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Thanks SecState Hillary Clinton.

Faux Pas

For John, BLUF:  Turkey sometimes wants to be part of Europe, and sometimes not.  Its great city of Istambul is in Europe, as is Turkish Thrace.  But, much of it is in Asia, including its Capitol, Ankara.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Two presidents visited Turkey. Only the man was offered a chair

From The Boston Globe, by New York Times Reporters Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Carlotta Gall, 7 April 2021, 5:25 PM.

Here is the lede plus two:

If diplomacy is part theater, acted out on meticulously crafted sets, then a protocol blunder this week turned a top-level visit by European Union leaders to Turkey into high drama.

Whether by design or by oversight, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, was left awkwardly standing as her colleague Charles Michel, the president of the council representing the bloc’s 27 members, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey took the only two available seats between the EU and Turkish flags.

“Uhm …” von der Leyen was heard saying in a video as she stood, lingering, in the grand room in the Turkish presidential palace Tuesday while Michel and Erdogan settled in their gilded seats, perfectly centered for a photo op.

To be clear, this was in Ankara, Turkey, not Brussels, Belgium.

The article goes on to explain that Turkey is looking to revive its bid to join the European Union, something which had once been a slow journey forever, slowed, wrongly, by the Europeans early on, when Turkey becoming part or the European Union might have made a difference.  But, no, the members weren't having it.♠  Now we see a more autocratic Turkey, again pushing for entry to the EU.

I used to be supportive, but now I am one of those hesitating.

Keep in mind that current Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, quipped, while Mayor of Istanbul, “Democracy is like a tram.  You ride it until you arrive at your destination, then you step off.”

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  For one thing, European folks hadn't gotten over 1453 AD and the fall of Constantinople, or the more recent Treaty of Lausanne, on 24 July 1923, which resulted in a population exchange, or the turmoil in the Balkins.

Vaccine Diplomacy

For John, BLUF:  Once upon a time, and for Centuries, China was the most powerful nation on the planet.  Then they pulled into themselves and fell behind.  Now they are pushing back out, to regain what they see as their rightful place.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

China Declares a Vaccine War on the World

From PJ Media, by Writer Rick Moran, 20 March 2021, 1:58 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

China will allow foreigners to enter the country, but it has directed embassies around the world to only issue a visa if the traveler has gotten a COVID-19 vaccine that was made in China.

“It’s very much at the sharp end of vaccine diplomacy,” Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor in health security at the City University of Hong Kong, told CNN.  “(It’s) essentially saying if you want to visit us, you need to take our vaccine.”

There has been no Chinese-made vaccine approved for human use in America, nor is there likely to be one anytime soon.  China has created 5 different vaccines but none have been approved by the WHO.  This is probably due to the fact that the Chinese government refuses to release the results of Stage 3 trials — a crucial requirement for vaccine approval in the U.S. and other western countries.

China’s main entry in the vaccine race — Sinovac — has an announced effectiveness of 78 percent against COVID.  But Brazil actually conducted a Stage 3 trial and found it only 50.38 percent effective — far less effective than any other vaccine on the market.

Where does that leave the U.S., the UK, and other nations that have not approved a Chinese vaccine for use?

This seems rather cheeky on the part of China.  Not withstanding the Woke scolds in our midst, China, and in particular, Wuhan, does seem to be the source of this pandemic  Now they are playing the offended party, asking the rest of us to dance to their tune.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Woodrow Wilson and the 1919 Treaty of Versailles

For John, BLUF:  "Belief in his own righteousness" has been a problem for a large number of politicians and government servants.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Was the Treaty of Versailles a Victory for Democracy?

Here is the sub-headline:

Woodrow Wilson thought so.  But his belief in his own righteousness undermined his vision for world peace.

From The Old Gray Lady, by Professor Ted Widmer (distinguished lecturer, City University of New York), 28 June 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

June 28, 1919, dawned as a beautiful day; fair, with moderate winds, according to The New York Times.  It was a perfect day to see a baseball game, and 28,000 did, going to the Polo Grounds to watch the Yankees and Red Sox split a doubleheader.  New Yorkers could only envy the Red Sox, who had won the last World Series, and seemed poised to win many more, since they boasted “the mighty Babe Ruth, Boston’s swatting all-around player.”

It was hard to believe on this sunny day, but it had been precisely five years since World War I began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.  Since then, nearly 20 million had died, and entire empires, including Franz Ferdinand’s, had vanished.  But those painful memories were softened by the knowledge that nothing so terrible could ever happen again.  Because June 28 was the day that a new history would begin.

Across the Atlantic, outside Paris, another huge crowd thronged the old royal seat of Versailles, where a peace treaty awaited signature.  It was the culmination of months of work, led by the American president, Woodrow Wilson, who had promised to make the world safe for democracy.

There was great hope at that time.  Future North Vietnam-nam leader Ho Chi Minh traveled to France to plead for freedom for his Nation.  Not everyone got what they wanted.

[British Junior Diplomat] Harold Nicolson cautioned, “people who study the past under the conviction that they themselves would automatically behave better in the present are adopting a dangerous habit of mind.”  Perhaps it is better to retrieve what was valuable in 1919 — when America briefly stood for a higher standard — while taking care to avoid the obvious mistakes of a group of politicians who failed to rise above their circumstances.  Who knows how future historians will judge us, as the world slides toward a new era that feels palpably less democratic?

The author writes of America in 1919, "when America briefly stood for a higher standard".  That was a time when racism was on the rise, aided by a racist President, and that same President was so convinced of his own righteousness that he was unwilling to cut a deal with the US Senate.

Regards  —  Cliff

Palestine Instransigence

For John, BLUF:  Maybe it is a last effort to built support before he folds to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

This is from 1 May, and thus is a week old, but the mindset has a long history.

Abbas says Jews’ behavior, not anti-Semitism, caused the Holocaust

Here is the sub-headline:

In rambling speech, PA president gives a 'history lesson' in which he tries to negate Jewish connection to Israel, accuses Zionists of cooperating with Hitler

From The Times of Israel, by TOI staff, on 1 May 2018.

Here are the first two paragraphs:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday said that the Holocaust was not caused by anti-Semitism, but by the “social behavior” of the Jews, including money-lending.

In a long and rambling at speech in Ramallah in front of hundreds at a rare session of the Palestinian National Council, Abbas touched on a number of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories during what he called a “history lesson,” as he sought to prove the 3,000 year-old Jewish connection to the Land of Israel is false.

I must say, President Mahmoud Abbas doesn't sound much like he is interested in cutting a deal.

I am hoping that things are in play behind the scenes, and that actions such as Swamp People messing with Mr Jared Kushner don't derail things.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

KSA (MBS) Pushes For Holy Land Peace

For John, BLUF:  I wonder where we would be if Mrs Clinton has been elected?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Saudi Crown Prince:  Palestinians should take what the U.S. offers

So, it is from Axios, but by Mr Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 10 news.  The date was 29 April 2018.

Here is how Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds covered it:

DIPLOMACY:  Saudi Crown Prince:  Palestinians should take what the U.S. offers.  “In a closed-door meeting with heads of Jewish organizations in New York on March 27th, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) gave harsh criticism of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), according to an Israeli foreign ministry cable sent by a diplomat from the Israeli consulate in New York, as well three sources — Israeli and American — who were briefed about the meeting.  The bottom line of the crown prince’s criticism:  Palestinian leadership needs to finally take the proposals it gets from the U.S. or stop complaining.”

Plus: “He made clear the Palestinian issue was not a top priority for the Saudi government or Saudi public opinion. MBS said Saudi Arabia ‘has much more urgent and important issues to deal with’ like confronting Iran’s influence in the region. . . .  A source who was briefed on the meeting told me the attendees were stunned when they heard the Saudi Crown Prince comments on the Palestinian issue.  ‘People literally fell off their chairs,’ the source said.”

Amazing that this took a month to leak, but it says volumes about how America’s mideast diplomacy has changed things.  And reportedly it was Jared Kushner who got the Crown Prince on board.

I realize that President Trump just doesn't understand how the Diplomatic Game is played, but one wonders if the Diplomatic Game is all about keeping things frozen in place.  With President Trump we get movement.  As my Oldest Son suggested, maybe Mr Trump won because God saw that he was the only candidate prepared to actually move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.  Not saying that happened, but it could be an explanation.  I wonder where Special Counsel Robert Mueller would come down on Mr Trump colluding with God.  In days past we actively colluded with God, asking for his Blessing.  Today?  Who knows where the courts would come down.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Iran Nuclear Deal Alt View

For John, BLUF:  I tend to trust Former Sec State Condoleezza Rice.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Condoleezza Rice: We'll be 'just fine' if Trump leaves the Iran deal

From The Washington Examiner, by Reporter Pete Kasperowicz 1 May 2018.

Here is the lede plus two:

Leaving the Iran nuclear agreement isn't that big of a deal, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday.

"The allies love this deal, and I certainly hope that in their meeting with President Trump that [French President Emmanuel] Macron and [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel talk about ways to improve the deal if we're going to stay in it," Rice said on Fox News.

"But if we get out of this deal, it's going to be just fine," she said.  "The Iranians, I think, will try and stay in because they do want that investment eventually to start flowing."

If she is cool, I am cool.

Regards  —  Cliff

Showing Initiative

TRIGGER WARNING:  In which I talk about how President T Jefferson colluded with the French to displace a large number of Native American tribes.

For John, BLUF:  This day in history, a long time ago.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

From the Instapundit, Posted by Gail Heriot, 30 April 2018.

Here is the blog post:

On this day in 1803, American Minister to France Robert Livingston, James Monroe and Barbé Marbois signed the Treaty for the Louisiana Purchase in Paris.  The Americans had been authorized by President Jefferson to offer up to $10 million for New Orleans and its environs and were shocked to be offered the whole enchilada for only $15 million (cheap!).  Certain that the United States would approve, Livingston took the deal.  Back then, owing to the difficulty of communications, diplomats had to have more discretion that they do now.  That was also true for a whole lot of other people separated by distance from their “superiors.”

And, today the proposed increase in scope would have to be staffed through several Departments and independent agencies.  The establishment would then say no.

Ah, for the days when the Admiral could put his telescope to his blind eye and act on his own judgement.

Regards  —  Cliff

Licensed to Kill

For John, BLUF:  So, James Bond lives, but he is a Russian.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Putin Gang Stunned by Theresa May’s Resolve

This is an Opinion Piece by Mr John R. Schindler, in The Observer (UK), 14 March 2018.

Here is the lede plus two:

For the past dozen years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has employed his spies as assassins in the West, beginning with the murder of the defector Aleksandr Litvinenko in London in late 2006.  Kremlin killers have left a trail of bodies in several Western countries, but above all the United Kingdom.  Although Russian spies have made only modest efforts to cover their tracks in these crimes, the consequences for Moscow have been distinctly limited.  No Western country has been willing to stand up to Putin and his increasingly gangster regime—until now.

In response to the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, a 66-year-old former Russian military intelligence colonel, who, along with his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, received a near-lethal dose of a nerve agent on March 4 in Salisbury, England, the British government is finally showing resolve in confronting outrageous Russian crimes perpetrated on their soil.  As I explained a week ago, there is no serious doubt that the Kremlin stands behind the would-be hit on the Skripals:

Vladimir Putin has resumed wetwork in a fashion not witnessed in the Kremlin since the days of Joseph Stalin.  Putin’s assassinations abroad over the last 15 years have been more aggressive than anything done during the Russian president’s KGB career.  Moreover, his views on turncoats are well known:  “Traitors always end badly,” he famously explained.  In 2010, the year Skripal was swapped to Britain, Putin chillingly stated, “Traitors will kick the bucket.  Trust me.  These people betrayed their friends, their brothers-in-arms.  Whatever they got in exchange for it, those 30 pieces silver they were given, they will choke on them.”

It is obvious that Mr Putin wants what he wants.  One has the sense that he thinks that he is not going to let some woman, like British Prime Minister Theresa May, push him around.

This may not end well.

Regards  —  Cliff

Down the Rabbit Hole

For John, BLUF:  People like this could get us in trouble.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Dangerous provocations:  North Korea’s missiles and the risk of war

Since this OpEd is from Nation of Change, a decidedly Progressive publication (Mr Derek Royden, author, published 6 August 2017), the "Dangerous Provocations" are not from North Korea, but from us here in the US.

So, Virginia, there really are people out there who think that we are the evil aggressors and poor Kim Jung-un, bless his little heart, is really an innocent democrat, being thwarted at every turn by the evil Americans.

What can I say?

Regards  —  Cliff

Forget Putin, Juncker is the Threat

For John, BLUF:  What did he expect?  They are our political and economic cousins.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

EU could BREAK UP the US: Juncker in jaw-dropping threat to Trump over support for Brexit

Here is the sub-headline:

EUROPEAN Union boss Jean-Claude Juncker this afternoon issued a jaw-dropping threat to the United States, saying he could campaign to break up the country in revenge for Donald Trump’s supportive comments about Brexit.

How could the Democrats, Senator Schumer, Minority Leader Pelosi, gadfly Senator Warren not have seen this coming?  Is Rep Seth Moulton outraged?  What about Rep Niki Tsongas and our junior Senator, whatever his name is?♠

I am looking forward to reading Reporter Joshua Miller's "Political Happy Hour" report for tonight, to hear if any of our local politicians have grasped the seriousness of this situation, the threat to our democracy and to our unity.♥

Forget Russian President Vladimir Putin.  European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is the real threat, and he is no friend of President Trump.

The linked article appeared in the Daily Express, out of London.  The Reporter, their Brussels Correspondent, is Mr Nick Gutteridge.  The dateline is today.

Here is the lede plus one:

In an extraordinary speech the EU Commission president said he would push for Ohio and Texas to split from the rest of America if the Republican president does not change his tune and become more supportive of the EU.

The remarks are diplomatic dynamite at a time when relations between Washington and Brussels are already strained over Europe’s meagre contributions to NATO and the US leader’s open preference for dealing with national governments.

On the other hand, maybe our Congressional Delegation doesn't care about Ohio and Texas.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  I looked it up.  Senator Ed Markey.
♥  You too can subscribe to Josh's daily insights.  Send them an EMail

China Unhappy

For John, BLUF:  This is a delicate issue, and North Korea and China, which will do nothing concrete, are implacable.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Exclusive:  Chinese women golfers may shun LPGA event amid China-South Korea tensions

From Reuters and Mr Peter Rutherford, reporting from Seoul, today.

Chinese golfers on the U.S. women's tour may decide not to play in a tournament next month in Hawaii sponsored by South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, a sign that fallout from a diplomatic row between Beijing and Seoul over a missile defense system is increasingly spilling into the sports world.

Rio Olympics bronze medalist Shanshan Feng decided not to play after she and three other Chinese players - Simin Feng, Jing Yan and Xiyu Lin - were informed it was in their best interests not to take part in the event due to its association with Lotte, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

This is a sign that China is unhappy with our deployment of the THAAD missile defense system, to protect South Korea from the nuclear missile armed North Korea.  Of course it is better than an alternative that involveS a nuclear armed South Korea.

In this area I think SecState Tillison and President Trump are effectively threading the needle.

Hat tip to Zero Hedge.

Regards  —  Cliff

nKorea's Nucs

For John, BLUF:  Doubtful but plausible.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Defector: North Korea's next nuclear test could lead to collapse

United Press International and Reporter Elizabeth Shim, today.

Here is the lede plus 2:

The senior North Korea diplomat who defected to the South from Pyongyang's Embassy in London said Kim Jong Un's nuclear ambitions could bring about state collapse.

Thae Yong-ho, who recently compared Kim to the Roman emperor Nero, said North Korea is headed down a dangerous path as it seeks recognition as a nuclear weapons state like "India or Pakistan," Voice of America reported Tuesday.

"The Kim Jong Un regime will never give up nuclear weapons," Thae said.

Note that last paragraph.  The criminal enterprise known as the Kim Family is not giving up its hold on power.  Experience (e.g., Our invasion of Libya) has shown the Kim Family that it should never give up nuclear weapons.  Those who think that negotiations will get us through this are hoping Kim Jung Un is someone he isn't.  Hope is not a method.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Ms Clinton and the Benghazi Imbroglio

For John, BLUF:  Trust is hard to establish and easily lost.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

From The [Lowell] Sun "Backtalk" section we have:

ENOUGH ALREADY:  How many Republican congressional committees have to investigate Benghazi and find that Hillary did nothing wrong before the right wing stops using it to rile up their base?  Accept it and get over it.

Let us be clear right at the beginning.  The Administration execution, the actions by Defense, State and CIA, was well inside acceptable parameters.

There was nothing that could have been done during the attack, since external forces were not available.  And, the US approach, as is the approach of almost everyone, is to depend on local forces to protect our Diplomatic Missions.  And, to insert forces without Host Nation approval would be illegal under International Law.

Having said that, I do think moving some reaction force toward the action, in case it went on longer, would have been prudent.

So, "ENOUGH ALREADY", from Lowell, is correct that Ms Clinton, as Secretary of State, did nothing wrong with regard to the ongoing action, at the time.♠

Which raises the question as to why the Department of State took many months to get requested records to the House Committee.♥  Was there something being hidden?  Or, were the people at Foggy Bottom just showing contempt for the Congressional Committee.  The second option would be impolite.

However, the real problem for Ms Clinton, and the Obama Administration, is that they threw Mr Nakoula Basely Nakoula under the bus, claiming his First Amendment Rights didn't matter.  That action suggests that Ms Clinton, as President, would be more like Woodrow Wilson than Thomas Jefferson.  That is, she would not respect the rights of Americans if it got in the way of what she was trying to accomplish.  Which is why we wrote down and voted in our Bill of Rights.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  And, I do NOT fault Ambassador Chris Stevens for being there, doing the work of Diplomacy.
♥  Another "BackTalk" item today. again from Lowell, made this very point.

US Boots on the Ground?

For John, BLUF:  Given Daesh's reach, Iraq is important territory.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

A friend of mine sent along this Reuters piece, which shows how complicated things are in the Middle East.  We are trying to take down Daesh, but there is this problem.

"Iraqi politicians, militias warn [Prime Minister] Abadi against U.S. force deployment".  The Iraqi Prime Minister is Mr Haider al-Abadi.

There is a lot of that sort of sensitivity around the world.  Sort of how we would have felt if the Korean Navy had intervened to protect Korean born shop keepers during the LA Riots back in 1992.

The reporter for Reuters is Mr Ahmed Rasheed, in Baghdad.  Here is the lede:

Iraq's ruling alliance and powerful Shi'ite militias say Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi would be digging his own political grave and undermining the fight against Islamic State if he permits the deployment of a new U.S. special operations force in the country.

It is the Middle East.  I expect there is a deal to be cut.  Apparently, we aren't there yet.

In the mean time, people die, people are sold into slavery (yes, that word, slavery, except it includes selling women (and young girls) for sexual purposes) and some are tortured.  Overall a very ugly thing.  But, if they aren't YOUR people, who cares, in the Middle East.

Regards  —  Cliff

We Will Defend You, Really

For John, BLUF:  We have a lot of treaty commitments out there.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Professor Stephen Walt writes in Foreign Policy about the question of The Credibility Addiction.  Professor Walt, at Harvard, is a somewhat controversial commenter.  His article has as a sub-headline "The United States can’t stop fighting other countries’ wars — and its allies are acting like enablers."

Do we have to fight so that our friends and enemies will know that we will fight in the future?

How does Japan know that they can count on us, on our nuclear umbrella, so they don't have to have their own nuclear deterrent?  Because we back up our treat obligations with military force?  So what should we do?

Regards  —  Cliff

To Attend or To Not Attend?

For John, BLUF:  People notice when the US doesn't show.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The headline from yesterday's edition of The Wall Street Journal:

Obama won’t attend France peace rally

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Mahmud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority attended.

The article lists the main attendees, from Albania (Prime Minister Edi Rama) to NATO (Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg).  US Attorney General Eric Holder was in Paris, but did not participate in the March.  Our Ambassador did.

There has been some back and forth on this.  Did we do what we should have or did we fail to do our duty in solidarity with our French Brothers and Sisters.

America's Response to Paris March

President should have attended

VP Biden should have represented the US

Secretary of State John Kerry would have been appropriate.

Attorney General Eric Holder was in town, he should have marched

The US Ambassador was sufficient

This was a Europe thing

We needed to support Europe

We are all in this together

Big Deal in Paris, but not here

 

pollcode.com free polls

Sadly, this time, we cannot declare, "Lafayette, we are here!".♠

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Attributed to General Pershing, 1917, upon his arrival in France to lead the US effort in World War I.