Boots & Sabers

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Category: Foreign Affairs

Biden Drags Feet on Nippon Steel Taking over U.S. Steel

by | 0824, 15 Sep 24 | , | 1 Comment

It is worth noting why this is an issue. The combination of lucrative union contracts, regulation, improvements in productivity, stagnant demand, and the rise of manufacturing prowess controlled by hostile nations have all combined to make heavy industrial manufacturing in America very difficult to make a profit. The union contracts and regulation lock American companies into a past that prevents them from adapting to the future. In this case, U.S. Steel is a vital American core business that must be kept on-shore. When war comes again on a large scale, we must be able to produce our own equipment and steel mills don’t spring up overnight.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has voiced his opposition to Nippon Steel buying U.S. Steel, but the federal government appears to be in no hurry to block the deal.

 

White House officials earlier this month did not deny that the president would formally block the acquisition. But the necessary report from the government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has yet to be submitted to the White House.

 

“It’s their process — it’s independent,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday. “We have to see the recommendation from CFIUS. That’s the process.”

Putin Hearts Harris

by | 2021, 5 Sep 24 | , | 0 Comments

Frankly, I think he’s telling the truth.

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) – Russia wants Kamala Harris to win the U.S. presidential election, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday in a teasing comment that cited her “infectious” laugh as a reason to prefer her over Donald Trump.

 

Putin made the ironic remark a day after the U.S. Justice Department charged two Russian media executives over an alleged illegal scheme to influence the November election with pro-Russian propaganda.

Before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Putin had said earlier this year – in another comment widely seen as not to be taken at face value – that he preferred Biden over Trump because the former was a more predictable “old school” politician.

 

U.S. intelligence agencies believe Moscow actually wants Trump to win because he is less committed to supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia.

I would remind the gentle reader that the entire intelligence community united behind the lie of Russian collusion. I don’t believe a word they say. Putin, while also a liar, makes a good case for why Russia would support Harris. She is a fellow Marxist, stupid, and easily manipulated. If I were Putin, I would much prefer Harris as an adversary than the unpredictable, irascible, pro-American Capitalist, Trump.

China Successfully Woos African Nations Into Orbit

by | 0759, 4 Sep 24 | | 0 Comments

We are losing the world through weak leadership.

With pomp and splendour, China has welcomed more than 50 Africans leaders to Beijing this week for a summit to strengthen ties at a time of increasing political and economic turmoil around the world.

 

“It appeals to their vanities,” Macharia Munene, a Kenya-based professor of international relations tells the BBC, referring to the red carpet welcome – spiced up with entertainment by dancers in colourful costumes – that the leaders received.

 

The optics were carefully choreographed to make the leaders feel that it is a meeting of equals.

 

Many of them – including South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenya’s William Ruto – held one-to-one meetings with their Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and were given tours of Beijing and other cities at the heart of China’s development ahead of the summit.

 

As Prof Munene puts it, China’s aim is to show African leaders that “we are in the same boat, we are all victims of Western imperialism”.

U.S. Releases Drug Cartel Leader Early

by | 0756, 31 Aug 24 | , | 2 Comments

Seems like we should make someone who is responsible for brutally murdering thousands of people serve their full sentence, eh?

A U.S. Bureau of Prisons official said Cárdenas Guillén had been released from prison and was placed in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would normally suggest he would be deported back to Mexico.

 

 

A Mexican official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said Cárdenas Guillén faces two arrest warrants in Mexico, making it likely he would be detained upon arrival.

 

The former head of the Gulf cartel was known for his brutality. He created the most bloodthirsty gang of hitmen Mexico has ever known, the Zetas, which routinely slaughtered migrants and innocent people.

 

Cárdenas Guillén was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 and ordered to forfeit tens of millions of dollars. It was not clear why he did not serve his full sentence, but he had been extradited to the U.S. in January 2007.

Wave of Anti-Tourism

by | 2107, 25 Aug 24 | , | 1 Comment

Interesting.

It feels like this was the year that tourism turned nasty – and local communities started pushing back.

Venice has started charging daytrippers an entry fee, while one busy Swiss town has announced it wants to follow suit. Locals have staged protests in Mallorca and Barcelona.

And while it has come to a head in Europe, this is a global phenomenon. A Japanese town overlooking Mount Fuji erected view-blocking barriers in May (then removed them in August). Bali introduced a tourist entry tax for foreign visitors in February. And US national parks are full to bursting – with 13 million more visits in 2023 than in 2022, according to NPS numbers. In peak season, visitors must book ahead to enter.

[…]

“The tourism industry forgot about its most precious asset: the goodwill of locals. The edifice collapses without that. It’s been lost in many places and will be hard to win back.”

Francis puts it down to a combination of factors: the growth of low-cost airlines, vacation rentals, social media (which creates stampedes to “in” destinations) and expanding economies – meaning more people can afford to travel.

I am an incurable tourist with a pounding wanderlust disorder. I love to travel and I travel a lot. I have certainly witnessed some of this phenomenon.

I get where many of these people are coming from. It’s one thing when your town depends on tourism. It’s another thing when you are in a city that has its own thing going on and also happens to be a tourist destination.

But I think the problem with rude, inconsiderate tourists is just another facet of our culture. In almost every arena, our global culture has become less considerate, less polite, ruder, crasser, and generally less… cultured. This story isn’t about tourism. It’s about the decline of society.

Middle East War Escalated Further

by | 0816, 25 Aug 24 | | 0 Comments

Things are getting hot in the Holy Land.

Israel says its warplanes have struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after detecting moves to launch an aerial attack on Israel.

 

The Israeli military said around 100 fighter jets had destroyed “thousands” of rocket launchers on Sunday morning, in what it described as an act of “self-defence”. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that three people had been killed.

 

Hezbollah later said it had fired hundreds of rockets towards northern Israel, calling it “phase one” of a multi-stage attack in retaliation for the killing of a senior commander. No casualties have been reported in Israel.

 

The exchange marks a major escalation of tensions between Israel and the Iran-backed Shia Muslim armed group.

Ukraine Using Advanced American Weapons to Invade Russia

by | 0853, 24 Aug 24 | , | 1 Comment

Recognize that the Ukraine War has become both an offensive proxy war of America against Russia and a vast money laundering enterprise. If this continues, it is only a matter of time before Russia is backed into a corner and strikes out at the U.S. in an asymmetric attempt to reset the board.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military says it used high-precision U.S. glide bombs to strike Russia’s Kursk region, and that is has recaptured some territory in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv that has been under a Russian offensive since spring.

 

Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk issued a video Thursday night purporting to show a Russian platoon base being hit in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise cross-border incursion on Aug. 6. He said the attack with GBU-39 bombs, which were supplied by the United States, resulted in Russian casualties and the destruction of equipment.

 

The video showed multiple explosions and plumes of smoke rising at the site.

Many of Ukraine’s backers oppose the country using donated weapons for anything but defensive purposes. However, Ukraine has argued that its Kursk incursion is essentially defensive and aimed at minimizing attacks on Ukrainian soil from that Russian region.

Chinese Car Sales Surpass American Car Sales in Mexico

by | 0751, 23 Aug 24 | , , | 0 Comments

This is happening all over the world. As the U.S. and European countries pile on the regulations that make our cars prohibitively expensive, the rest of the world is still looking for good, reliable, cheap transportation. China is filling the void. It is yet another area where the U.S. is ceding global leadership.

Last year, China was the leading car supplier to Mexico, exporting $4.6 billion worth of vehicles to the country, according to the Mexican Ministry of Economy. Even customers wary of EVs have been won over by affordable price tags. Tesla rival BYD sells its Dolphin Mini in Mexico for around 398,800 pesos, or about $21,300, a little over half the price of the cheapest Tesla.

“The Chinese automakers came to the country very aggressively,” said Juan Carlos Baker, former Mexican deputy minister for international trade. “They have very good promotions. It’s a good product that sells at a very reasonable price.”

 

Some Chinese EV makers, including BYD, have been looking for a further foothold in North America by exploring factory sites in the Mexican states of Durango, Jalisco and Nuevo Leon. The foreign investment would be an economic boost for Mexico. BYD has claimed that a plant there would create around 10,000 jobs.

 

Iran Hacked Trump Campaign

by | 2157, 19 Aug 24 | , , | 26 Comments

Clearly, Iran has a favorite in this race and a vested interest in the outcome.

Iran was behind the recent hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, US intelligence officials have confirmed.

 

The FBI and other federal agencies said in a joint statement that Iran had chosen to interfere in the US election “to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions”.

 

The Trump campaign pointed the finger at Iran on 10 August for hacking its internal messages. Iranian officials denied it.

 

Sources familiar with the investigation told the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, that they suspect Iranian hackers also targeted the campaign of Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris.

Notice how the story is written… we confirm that Iran hacked Trump, but to give the appearance that Iran hates Harris just as much, we get unnamed “sources familiar with the investigation” saying that they “suspect” that Iran “targeted” Harris too. There is no evidence or named sources to back it up, but the FBI and media have to run cover for Harris.

Ukraine Invades Russia

by | 2057, 15 Aug 24 | , , | 4 Comments

Well, isn’t this a pickle.

US officials are assessing how the incursion might reshape the political and military dynamics of the war, as well as the implications for Washington’s long-shifting stance on how Ukraine can use American-supplied arms.

 

The stunning raid, catching both Russian and apparently Western leaders by surprise, highlights one of the riskiest dilemmas for the Western-backed defence of Ukraine: President Biden has consistently tried to empower Kyiv to push back Russia’s invasion without risking an American escalation with Moscow. As President Putin has always tried to portray the conflict as a war between Russia and the West, Mr Biden has sought to put clear limits on US policy to deflate that narrative and prevent a conflagration.

 

But Ukraine’s Kursk assault – the largest incursion into Russia by a foreign military since World War Two, according to military analysts – has raised a series of urgent questions for the White House. Does it rapidly expand the boundaries of Washington’s set limits for how Ukraine can use American and Nato weapons systems? Does it risk crossing Russia’s red lines over Western involvement in the war? If not, has President Zelensky showed Washington he can call Mr Putin’s bluff?

I know that I break ranks with many of my conservative brethren on this war, but I do not think that is in our national interest to prop up Zelensky’s dictatorial regime in opposition to Putin’s. Yes, I get that Ukraine is bleeding out Russia’s military capacity. Yes, I understand that a Russian victory would make it slightly easier for Putin to invade a NATO country, thus pulling the U.S. into a hot war. That risk is, however, minimal.

But I also understand that Russia occupying a hostile Ukranian population would keep Putin bloodied and distracted for years. And Ukraine was a corrupt oligarchy before Russia invaded it. It was only marginally better than Russia in the first place.

Also, by leaning into this war so hard supporting Ukraine, we have pushed Russia and China closer together. We have also incented Putin to attempt to launch proxy wars to attack our interests in other regions. And while the war may be bleeding Russia’s military, it is having the same impact on the American military readiness and economy.

So what do we do now? The veneer of Ukraine fighting a defensive war to push Russia out of their national territory has been shorn off. Now Ukraine is an active belligerent that is occupying Russia’s national territory. Should we really be supporting one side over the other in a regional war? Or should we be focused on arming and fortifying our NATO allies that border Russia and Ukraine? Given the absence of leadership in America, what is our national policy here?

Venezuela Erupts After Fraudulent Election

by | 0702, 30 Jul 24 | , , | 2 Comments

I hate to say “I told you so,” but I did. You can’t oust communist at the ballot box. They don’t allow it.

Protests erupted in the Venezuelan capital the day after President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory.

 

The opposition has disputed Mr Maduro’s declaration as fraudulent, saying its candidate Edmundo González won convincingly with 73.2% of the vote.

 

[…]

 

A heavy military and police presence was on the streets of Caracas with the aim of trying to disperse protesters and prevent them from approaching the presidential palace.

 

Crowds of people chanted “freedom, freedom!” and called for the government to fall.

 

[…]

 

In a speech on Venezuelan state television, Mr Maduro said it is his “obligation to tell you the truth”.

 

“We are all under the obligation to listen the truth, to gear up with patience, calmness and strength because we are familiar with this movie and we know how to face these situations and how to defeat the violent.”

 

[…]

 

Mr Maduro has accused the opposition of calling for a coup by disputing the results. “This is not the first time we are facing what we are facing today,” he said.

 

“They are trying to impose in Venezuela a coup d’etat again of fascist and counter-revolutionary character.”

 

The Venezuelan attorney general warned that the blocking of roads or breaking any laws related to disturbances as part of protests would be met with the full force of the law.

Does that rhetoric look familiar? The claim to speaking the “truth” and labeling all opponents as liars? The claim that opposing an obviously fraudulent election is a “coup?” The rigorous enforcement of laws against political opponents while allies run wild? All of this after disarming average citizens in the name of “safety.” Only those ignorant of history don’t know what’s going on. This is the classic Communist playbook and we are seeing it here in America.

Venezuelans Head to the Polls

by | 1909, 28 Jul 24 | | 0 Comments

I’ll spare you the suspense. Maduro will “win.”

Venezuelans have been going to the polls in what has been described as the biggest challenge to the governing socialist PSUV party since it came to power 25 years ago.

 

Nicolás Maduro – who has been president since the death of his mentor, Hugo Chávez, in 2013 – is running for a third consecutive term.

 

His main challenger is Edmundo González, a former diplomat who has the backing of a coalition of opposition parties.

 

Polls suggest Mr González has a wide lead over the incumbent, but as Mr Maduro’s 2018 re-election was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair, there are fears that the result of this election could be tampered with, should it not go Mr Maduro’s way.

Communists don’t suffer election losses. The elections are just for show. The only way to oust communism once it has taken power is with violence. Americans would do well to remember this.

Netanyahu Meets With Biden and Harris Separately

by | 0656, 26 Jul 24 | , | 9 Comments

What is a foreign leader to think?

Vice President Kamala Harris — who is seeking to succeed Biden — met with Netanyahu later in the day and took the lead in addressing the public about their discussions.

 

She has been more outspoken than Biden about killed Palestinian civilians and called on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid in, and later stressed the importance for Israel to avoid more civilian casualties in Gaza.

I ask the question sincerely. Now, Netanyahu is an old hand and knows the nuances of American politics very well. He’ll be fine. But it is extremely weird and unsettling for the President and the Vice President to meet separately for foreign heads of state and give different messages. How is a foreign leader to interpret that? Who is speaking for America? Who’s policy is in force?

It may seem obvious that it is the president’s, but is it? His brain is mush and he can’t effectively communicate. Biden clearly allowed his VP to meet separately. Is the foreign leader to interpret that as the meeting with the president was for show and the meeting with the VP was the real one? If Biden is already acting as the president in setting and leading America’s foreign policy, then was that power delegated from the president?

This is not normal. This is not right. We should not pretend that it is.

Alleged Sabotage Disrupts Rail Traffic Before Olympics

by | 0640, 26 Jul 24 | , | 0 Comments

Olympics are going to be entertaining in many ways.

French rail company SNCF says 800,000 passengers have been affected by what the country’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal described as “acts of sabotage”.

 

A series of fires caused the disruptions early on Friday morning, hours before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

 

Several high-speed TGV lines have been hit to the west, north and east of the capital and SNCF has warned the disruption could last for days. Eurostar has also warned customers of longer journey times and cancellations.

Gazans Continue to Attack

by | 0649, 1 Jul 24 | | 0 Comments

Why are people telling the Israelis to stand down when the Gazans won’t? It is worth noting that the Gazans are filtering back into areas that the Israelis have left to stage more attacks. It confirms that the only way the violence ends for Israelis or Gazans if for Israel to reestablish full control of the region. It won’t be easy or painless. But it is necessary for peace.

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) – The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday, in an apparent show of force as Israeli tanks pressed their advance deeper into Gaza amid fierce fighting, residents and officials said.

 

The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed ally of Hamas, said its fighters fired rockets towards several Israeli settlements near the fence with Gaza in response to “the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our Palestinian people”.

The volley of around 20 rockets caused no casualties, according to the Israeli military. But it showed militants still possess rocket capabilities almost nine months into Israel’s offensive it says is aimed at neutralising threats against it.

 

In some parts of Gaza, militants continue to stage attacks on Israeli forces in areas that the army had left months ago.

Coup in Bolivia

by | 1700, 26 Jun 24 | | 1 Comment

These two things can’t possibly be related, can they?

In 2005, Morales, an Aymara India rode discontent with foreign-backed coca eradication programs into the presidency. For more than a decade he made a name for himself as the unyielding and insurgent leader of the coca-growers union. His defiant, leftist rhetoric electrified Bolivia’s long-marginalized indigenous majority. Morales spoke of nationalizing industries, empowering labourers, and forcibly redistributing land held by wealthy elites.

 

For some, he became a champion of the oppressed. For others, a dangerous demagogue threatening free markets and private property.

 

The socialist policies he implemented are credited by supporters with fueling economic growth and lifting many Bolivians out of poverty. His Movement for Socialism (MAS by its Spanish initials) party has dominated elections for two decades, giving him a 14-year-run as president.

And the coup…

Bolivia, a country of 12 million people, has seen intensifying protests in recent months over the economy’s precipitous decline from one of the continent’s fastest-growing two decades ago to one of its most crisis-stricken.

Let’s see…. for 20 years a socialist party has been in control. They implemented socialist policies and drove their once-flying economy into recession. And now civil unrest is manifesting as a coup.

Are you watching, America? We’ve seen this story play out the same way dozens of times. Yes, it can happen here. It already is.

EU Shifts Right

by | 2111, 9 Jun 24 | | 0 Comments

It’s a move in the right direction. Bear in mind, however, that when the media calls people “right wing,” they mean moderates from 10 years ago.

LONDON — Populist, far-right parties could have a bigger hand in European policymaking over the next five years after initial results from the EU election on Sunday suggested the parliamentary landscape is being redrawn.

 

Gains for the nationalist Identity and Democracy (ID) party — and losses for the Greens/European Free Alliance — could leave centrist parties dependent on the right for key votes in the 720 seat European Parliament.

The Parliament has, in the past, been led by a strong majority of centrist parties, who typically vote together on issues to win a majority in the 720 seat chamber. Indeed, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) is once again projected to win the most parliamentary seats and retain its dominance in the chamber.

 

But a centrist coalition led by the EPP might now depend on support from the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) to pass certain legislation, with research firm Eurasia Group describing the ECR in a pre-election note as potential “key players.”

 

[…]

 

Immigration will remain front and center of the policy agenda in the next Parliament, with right-wing parties expected to advocate for increased border security and a tougher stance on arrivals from outside the EU.

Mexico Continues to Slide

by | 1135, 8 Jun 24 | | 0 Comments

The Socialists continue to push Mexico into financial oblivion. This is why they support allowing their criminals and poor to cross into the United States. They need the inflow of money from expats and the outsourcing of social welfare to the American taxpayers.

But most worrisome to markets is that López Obrador’s Morena party won a two-thirds majority in Congress, which would allow them to pass changes to the Constitution, like the judicial reform, as well as mandates for a series of yet-unfunded government benefit programs.

 

López Obrador pledged Friday to continue to press for 20 constitutional changes, including one that would undo the country’s current system of individual retirement accounts and the elimination of most independent government oversight and regulatory agencies.

 

Sheinbaum has spoken by phone or in person this week with officials from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the head of the BlackRock investment company, after the peso plunged and the stock market briefly dipped on Monday.

Olympians Bringing Own ACs to Paris

by | 1109, 8 Jun 24 | , | 1 Comment

Normal people do not want to abandon modern life and modern conveniences for the sake of the climate change zealots – nor should they be forced to. And in this case, once again, it will be the poor countries who suffer most for the egotism of the rich countries.

PARIS – For all the steps Paris organizers have taken to put on the greenest Olympics ever, their boldest measure – the one they’ve touted again and again – pertains to the dorms in the Athletes’ Village. The rooms don’t have air-conditioning. Because of other cooling measures, organizers have assured, the athletes won’t need it.

 

But in a farcical turn, when the Games start next month, an Olympic Village designed to showcase sustainability will be more of an energy hog than organizers had hoped.

 

That’s because portable air-conditioning units will be everywhere. Wheeled in. Shipped in. Ordered by visiting countries that want their athletes to sleep well and perform at the highest level – even if it means a larger carbon footprint.

 

Worried about what potentially could be the world’s hottest year on record, wealthier nations have effectively undercut Paris’s marquee sustainability measure, signaling that, yes, they care about environmental aims – but not if it risks the comfort of their athletes. Some of those athletes are accustomed to temperatures cooler than what the dorms might have provided and raised concerns to their national Olympic committees.

 

“It’s a high-performance environment,” said Strath Gordon, the chief of public affairs for the Olympic committee of Australia, one of the countries opting for the ACs.

 

[…]

 

“We don’t have deep pockets,” said Donald Rukare, a lawyer who is president of the Uganda Olympic Committee. Rukare mentioned a sweltering international sports competition in Turkey a few years ago, where athletes stayed in rooms without air-conditioning. Some federations shipped in portable units; Uganda did not. “Because we didn’t have the money,” he said.

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