Category Archives: International

Speaking of NATO

Fierce Planet Posted on by

As I pointed out in the previous post, Trump never liked NATO and didn’t want to be tied down by those strategic alliances. This article from Politico shows it clearly, reporting on a time Trump said exactly that to world leaders while he was President. Trump vowed he’d ‘never’ help Europe if it’s attacked, top EU official says ‘By the way NATO is dead,’ the former (and potential future) US president added in private meeting. BRUSSELS — One of Europe’s most senior politicians recounted how former U.S. President Donald Trump privately warned that America would not come to the EU’s … Continue reading →

Thinking about the Korean Peninsula

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If you’re not familiar with Pod Save the World from Crooked Media, it is where Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes, both of whom worked in the Obama administration, discuss world politics and all sorts of other affairs. It’s consistently interesting and informative, one of my favorite podcasts and I recommend it to you without reservation. Embedded below is the episode from January 10, 2024. If I’ve done this right it’s cued up to 51:35, towards the end of a discussion of Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the fact that North Korea is currently supplying Russia with a lot of heavy … Continue reading →

Help those on the ground in Syria and Turkey

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I’m sure you’ve heard about the massive earthquakes that have hit Syria and Turkey this week, killing more than thirty thousand people and leaving even more without shelter. (gift link) Members of BTS ARMY have put together this list of organizations on the ground who need donations. I would add World Central Kitchen, which as usual is already working to ensure people get fed. Please help in whatever way you can, in any amount. US and European currency goes a long way in these areas, so even small donations can mean a lot. ARMY pls help boost & donate for … Continue reading →

Now there are tanks

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Believe me I am aware of how strange it may seem that I, an old-fashioned peace activist who spent years working with Quaker pacifists, stand 100% with Ukraine as it wages a war of self-defense. My approach to this situation arises from discussions I’ve had with other activists about the nature of pacifist beliefs, and what it means to engage in nonviolent resistance. The discussions back then mostly focused on objections from those of us who were committed to a feminist vision of the future, a vision that definitely included the right of women to defend ourselves from predation. But … Continue reading →

Russian war crimes continue

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There is no question in my mind that Russia has committed and continues to commit war crimes through Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. From the dead bodies strewn in the streets of Bucha and other areas around Kyiv early in the invasion, to the piles of rubble and miles of graves that are all we have left of Mariupol and the people who lived there, to the tortured citizens of recently liberated Kherson, Russia and their mercenary armies have left a trail of agony, rape, and death that is clearly designed to terrorize the Ukrainian people. It is past time for … Continue reading →

Rejecting democracy

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I’ve been watching the attempted insurrection in Brazil, not with much shock, but with some anger. This is, of course, another expression of the right-wing authoritarians who are doing their best to fracture political systems around the world. They stormed Brazil's National Congress and set fire to the carpet. They attacked presidential offices, rifled through papers and tried to barricade themselves inside. Videos show Jair Bolsonaro's supporters rioting in Brazil’s government offices. https://t.co/dpVKpXYIdo pic.twitter.com/eMDQGA0rpf — The New York Times (@nytimes) January 9, 2023 Apparently Bolsonaro has been working with Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and perhaps other Trump-aligned fascist types, which … Continue reading →

State of the World 2023

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Happening now at The Well: a topic where Jon Lebkowsky, Bruce Sterling, and a very smart cast of dozens consider the state of the world as the new year dawns. So far it’s been a wide-ranging, global discussion about crypto, AI, climate change, health and COVID, and more. The entire topic is world-readable, though non-members can’t post directly but rather need to send questions or comments by email to the hosts. (Most of the Well is only open to members.) This is the 22nd iteration of this discussion, and earlier versions can also be found among the topics in the … Continue reading →

Dreamers

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Look who we are, we are the dreamers We make it happen ’cause we believe it Look who we are, we are the dreamers We make it happen ’cause we can see it Here’s to the ones that keep the passion Respect, oh, yeah Here’s to the ones that can imagine Respect, oh, yeah     Jungkook of BTS opens the FIFA World Cup Ceremony with Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi and a dazzling host of dancers who appeared to be from all over the world. This is the first time a Korean performer has opened the World Cup. The song … Continue reading →

The liberation of Kherson

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Kherson, the largest Ukrainian city that Russia managed to occupy, has been fully liberated and returned to Ukrainian control. Kherson was always a site of fierce resistance, resistance that was met with brutality (gift link). Atrocities of this sort have been found everywhere the Russians took over, but in Kherson they were particularly widespread. Witnesses recount detentions, torture, disappearances in occupied Kherson …Days after Russian forces fled in retreat, surrendering the only regional capital Russia had managed to seize since the start of its invasion, the horrors that occurred in this stately 18th-century port city are just starting to come … Continue reading →

We hear you. We see you.

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To the women of Iran, always. One of the best commentaries about what “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi,” [Woman, Life, Liberty] mean, by @AliVelshi. He ends the segment with this message to the Iranian women: “You are not voiceless; we hear you, we see you.” A must watch!#MahsaAmini #مهسا_امینی #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/gnDyNAUjfV — Omid Memarian (@Omid_M) October 18, 2022

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