01 Thursday Feb 2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Michel
Charles Michel serves as the President of the European Council. When the news comes straight from the authority who makes it, no further confirmation would seem needed.
–33–
13 Friday Jan 2023
FNS=Fast News Share and Quick Comments.
*
Russia said the capture of Soledar was “important for the continuation of successful offensive operations in the Donetsk region.” It added that “establishing control over Soledar makes it possible to cut off the supply routes for Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut.”
The significance of Soledar in military terms is minimal. However, its capture would allow Russian forces, and especially the Wagner mercenary group, to turn their focus on nearby Bakhmut, which has been a target since the summer.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-1-13-23/index.html
Soledar represents at best a Pyrrhic victory for Wagner as any concentration of force and development of feeding lines is certain to be met with an aggressive Ukrainian military response.
*
Dudley, 35, was reported missing last year by authorities in Lansing, Michigan. A spokesman for his family said Dudley had traveled to Europe to backpack, had gone to Poland for a music festival and at some point crossed into Kaliningrad and was detained in April, 2022.
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2023/01/12/russia-releases-us-navy-veteran-who-crossed-border/?utm_campaign=dfn-ebb&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sailthru&SToverlay=2002c2d9-c344-4bbb-8610-e5794efcfa7d
Backpacker Taylor Dudley’s compass and map skills may have been rusty at the time, imho. In any case, no ballyhoo, no need for a swap, just nine months of diplomacy by a veteran in such negotiations, Bill Richardson, former governor (D) of New Mexico. Richardson had a counterpart in Ara Abramyan, a counterpart in negotiating prisoners associated with Russia out of foreign prisons.
Portent?
Possibly, Russia will try begging American patience over the war in Ukraine, and so friendly and quiet a return–never mind the nine months Dudley spent detained–may lend its little bit of color to the larger and more nefarious picture of #PutinFullTonto and a Moscow fully berserk in Ukraine and elsewhere and beyond the pale of humanity.
*
President Biden, facing a special counsel investigation amid new revelations of classified documents in his possession after the vice presidency, suddenly confronts a ballooning political problem that threatens to hamstring his agenda and blunt the momentum he hoped to seize at the halfway mark of his term.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/12/biden-trump-classified-documents-politics/
Really?
On January 24, 2020, the Foreign Agents Registration Act unit of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice received from Christopher M. Kise, now the lawyer representing Donald John Trump in his defense in relation to the FBI’s investigation of Trump’s holding documents stamped as Top Secret/Secure Compartmented Information (TS/SCI), FARA registration #6787. In the form, Kise had listed as his principle Reinaldo Munoz Pedroza, the Attorney General of Venezuela appointed by the dictator Nicolas Maduro. At that time, Pedrozo had been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for undermining democracy in Venezuela and related election interference.
https://conflict-backchannels.com/2022/09/19/trump-lawyer-christopher-m-kise-registered-foreign-agent/
Has–or had–President Biden a Registered Foreign Agent potentially (and directly) selling out American Democracy via the Maduro-Putin relationship?
One doubts it.
Only Trump has demanded personal fealty over loyalty to the Constitution from powerful Federal subordinates, e.g., and from the git-go, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/i-expect-loyalty-trump-told-comey-according-to-written-testimony/2017/06/07/46413298-4bab-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html .
*
Soledar?
Wagner mercenaries have at most captured a salt mine and may now position themselves for greater wholesale slaughter.
Dudley?
It’s good to have him back in the U.S.A.
Biden’s TSI/SC?
Biden’s President, current, sworn to uphold the Constitution and refreshingly authentic about it. The “oops” in a locked garage? Investigation will have to resolve how that classified data got left there and–always the most important question–why.
–33–
16 Tuesday Nov 2021
Anne Applebaum on Democracy and those who mean to destroy it –>
All of us have in our minds a cartoon image of what an autocratic state looks like: There is a bad man at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents.
But in the 21st century, that cartoon bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy but by networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, security services, and professional propagandists. The members of these networks are connected not only within a given country but among many countries. The corrupt, state-controlled companies in one dictatorship do business with their counterparts in another. The police forces in one country can arm, equip, and train the police forces in another. The propagandists share resources—the troll farms that promote one dictator’s propaganda can also be used to promote the propaganda of another—and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.
Applebaum, Anne. “The Bad Guys Are Winning”. The Atlantic, November 15, 2021.
Bandits and Fulani Land Pirates amuck in Kaduna State and assorted communities in Nigeria –>
“Bandits, herdsmen kill 22 in Kaduna State, Taraba, Vanguard, November 11, 2021.
Sudanese dictatorship takes a big bite out of Ethiopia –>
Since the Sudanese military was willing to lose millions in aid and support from the United States by knocking out prospects for a transitional civilian government, they are unlikely to be phased by the White House’s call for peace and stability. If anything, Sudan’s military may be more emboldened to deepen its foothold over al-Fashaga as they no longer have U.S. monetary support on the line. If the conflict worsens, Egypt, Eritrea, and other African nations are likely to pick sides, squandering the chances for stability in the Horn of Africa.
Carlin, Maya. “How Sudan Exploited Ethiopia’s Tigray Conflict.” National Interest, November 15, 2021.
Having won Afghanistan by force of arms, the Taliban now find themselves embattled and lost –>
If the widespread impression was that the Taliban was a radical Islamic group, (which it is) it is being challenged by an even more extreme group, the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISK). Sporadic attacks, claimed by the ISK, has claimed lives and kept the ruling dispensation on the tenterhooks.
Within the Taliban itself, there appears to be a tussle between hardliners (aligned to Pakistan) like Sirajuddin Haqqani and moderates like Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who don’t have a problem having a relationship with India and Russia. The differences within the ruling government have prevented the Taliban from coming out with a clear vision on its way ahead other than reiterating that its interpretation of the Islamic Sharia will be the basis for the rule of law, social behaviour, and governance in the country.
Murthy, KS Dakshina, “Afghanistan under Taliban in danger of slipping into ‘black hole’.” The Federal, November 16, 2021.
Coalition appeals for aid in the interest of saving Afghan lives from Taliban targeting –>
WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition of organizations working to evacuate people who could be targeted by the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan appealed Monday for more assistance from the U.S. government and other nations as conditions deteriorate in the country. / Members of the AfghanEvac Coalition met in a video call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to press the case for additional resources to help tens of thousands of people get out of Afghanistan, now faced with a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in addition to a precarious security situation following the U.S. withdrawal.
Fox, Ben. “US urged to help more people escape Taliban-led Afghanistan.” AP News, November 14, 2021.
Well, there above is a bit of morning curiosity over coffee. Anne Applebaum fighting for democracy against autocratic and feudal power worldwide; Nigeria riven with bandits and “land pirates” as it fails to rise tot he defense of its people as horrors take place; a Taliban leadership struggling to “win the peace” having bulled its way into power with violence . . . — good morning!
I maintain a “reading page” on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BackChannels .
I awoke one day not too long ago in a medieval version of the United States of America with a Medieval Internet Commons, passionate mobs Far Out Left and Far White or Strident Right, and loaded with the zealots of Olde Institutions, generally religious or, well, Far Out, man.
And I awoke one day to . . . Kidults, preening and self-indulgent, bent on profit or glorious decadence and dissolution, and then I got to read about Medieval Absolute Power (the Russian Way) and Modern Democracy (see “Rumor Control,” CISA,Gov) and realized the would-be “MODERN” — culturally inclusive, modern, middle-of-the-aisle but also the avant garde “politicos” of a 21st Century — or a 22nd Century “Newest World” — compassionate, loving, and prudent and responsible had a fight for the future on their hands. Well, there’s no need to erase the past or start over if I / you / we choose to stand on the shoulders of giants for a good look ahead.
–33–
25 Thursday Feb 2021
I’ve no idea how many megabytes of e-junkmail I handle each morning, but in the sludge — and a separate folder for circulars associated with defense, diplomacy, and security — there are often gems. Some I share to the BackChannels “Reader” on Facebook, but this morning I thought to share a few here as well.
Forwarded by Katrina Lantos Swett on behalf of the real life hero of “Hotel Rwanda”, Paul Rusesabagina — Birrell, Ian. “The dictator who fooled us.” UnHerd, February 23, 2021 | Barbaro, Michael. “A Battle for the Soul of Rwanda.” Podcast. The New York Times, February 18, 2021 | Kellner, Mark A. “Paul Rusesabagina, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero Who Credited Adventist Upbringing, On Trial in Kigali.” Religion Unplugged, February 24, 2021. The Lantos Foundation accepts donations, and there is a petition for Paul Rusesabagina: “President Biden: Demand the Release of Paul Rusesabagina.”
Recent and related: Burke, Jason. “Hotel Rwanda dissident goes on trial accused of terrorism and murder.” The Guardian, February 17, 2021.
The trial is controversial. Kagame, who won a third term in power with 98% of the vote at elections in 2017, is credited with the development and stability Rwanda has experienced since the genocide in 1994, but is also accused of intolerance of any opposition, whether domestic or international. Critics of his rule are frequently detained and several high-profile political dissidents have been murdered abroad.
Burke, Jason. “Hotel Rwanda dissident goes on trial accused of terrorism and murder.” The Guardian, February 17, 2021.
Well, perhaps that’s enough before I get into listing what catches my attention (what doesn’t?) from the global defense and security shops and others moving related information worldwide.
–33–
08 Friday May 2020
— On Thursday, Gov Abbott said in a news release: “Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault of their own is nonsensical, and I will not allow it to happen.”
“That is why I am modifying my executive orders to ensure confinement is not a punishment for violating an order. This order is retroactive to April 2nd, supersedes local orders and if correctly applied should free Shelley Luther.” —
Earlier —
In a letter to state District Judge Eric Moyé, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called Shelley Luther’s sentencing outrageous.
“The trial judge did not need to lock up Shelley Luther,” Paxton wrote. “His order is a shameful abuse of judicial discretion, which seems like another political stunt in Dallas. He should release Ms. Luther immediately.”
https://abc13.com/society/tx-ag-blasts-judge-for-jailing-dallas-salon-owner/6156834/
Later —
“As a current Member of the Bar, you certainly should be aware of the impropriety of this contact, as prohibited by Canon 3(b)(8) of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct,” the letter to Paxton stated. “In this context, for you to “Urge” a Judge towards a particular substantive outcome in this matter is most inappropriate and equally unwelcome. Please do not communicate with the Court in this manner further.”
The letter was obtained by the Dallas Morning News. It was signed by Eric Moyé, the judge who sentenced Luther, and 11 others.
The cover of a national medical emergency — and so the emergence of COVID-19 was that for a brief period — made way for the absolute power of governors (whose states have rightly had jurisdiction over emergencies within their boundaries) who then got their constituents to shutter their businesses and leave their jobs, willingly or not, in the name of containing the (uncontainable) contagion. Now has come the time to reverse tracks, assess and address the damage done, and get America fully back to work — and then some.
Some rote —
More than 7,700 Americans die every day from all causes, for America’s annual rate of morbidity has been about 2.813 million souls annually (may all rest in peace).
COVID-19 continues to associate with preexisting conditions in the vast majority of deaths (may we please all stop ageing and remain healthy forever!).
And the unfortunate story of money: exchange –> tax base –> public spending –> private earnings via contracts and investments; interagency exchange; $$$ in support of basically every system of defense and survival we collectively depend on for what we have called “The American Way of Life”.
Given our spending on defense and security, we really should have been ready to roll out treatment and morbidity facilities and services much, much more quickly than we have. Generally speaking, how we choose to assess and meet risk — whatever the source may be — has been up to us privately rather than collectively.
From global pandemic to the barber shop, there’s the whole story unless we “Earthlings” choose to do away with money altogether.
. . . .
Nope.
I’m not seeing it.
Rx. Avoid exhaustion and stress; find love; stay healthy and well; and for how it ends, inevitably, try to develop a good and noble philosophy with which both to fight a fair battle and, sigh, return to God, nature, and the universe in the way that all living must (with partial exception made for the elders among cedars and redwoods).
# # #
28 Monday Oct 2019
Posted in Fast News Share
Vladimir Konstantinovich Bukovsky, once dubbed “a hero of almost legendary proportion among the Soviet dissident movement” by the New York Times, died of cardiac arrest in Addenbrookes Hospital, in Cambridge, England at 9:46 PM Greenwich Time on 27 October, 2019. He was 76. His health had been poor in recent years.
A gifted writer, Bukovsky was revered for his ability to document both the daily insults and grand oppression of Soviet prison life, and to convey with detail the soul-crushing effects of torture on both prisoner and jailer.
https://www.vladimirbukovsky.com/obit – 10/27/2019 (more on website).
https://www.vladimirbukovsky.com/ —
https://www.vladimirbukovsky.com/bio —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Bukovsky —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Bukovsky_bibliography —
https://www.cato.org/people/vladimir-bukovsky —
https://www.rferl.org/a/soviet-era-dissident-vladimir-bukovsky-dies-aged-77/30240022.html —
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/28/vladimir-bukovsky-obituary —
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50206084 —
In 1971, between prison sentences, Bukovsky helped smuggle to the West the psychiatric hospital records of six well-known dissidents – exposing a Soviet practice of declaring dissidents mentally ill in order to detain and discredit them, rather than have them labelled as political prisoners.
Then in 1976 Bukovsky was expelled to the West, in exchange for the imprisoned Chilean Communist Party leader Luis Corvalán. He settled in Cambridge in the UK.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50206084 – 10/28/2019.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50206084 —
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Vladimir_Bukovsky —
–33–
06 Wednesday Mar 2019
Tags
Baghouz – Internally Displaced: 43,000.
Regarding the women . . . the mothers —
Many of them have fled from town to town to town under bombing. They have seen the most terrible things in war. And yet they are true believers. It’s going to take a lot to get them to change their minds.
https://www.channel4.com/news/speaking-to-the-syrian-and-iraqi-women-still-loyal-to-islamic-state-who-married-fighters (3/5/2019)
US-supported forces besieging Islamic State holdouts in the Syrian village of Baghouz cannot cope with the more than 43,000 men, women and children who fled the battlefield and are currently being held in an internment camp and prisons in the north.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/kurdish-led-forces-struggle-to-cope-with-escapees-amid-baghouz-siege-1.3815462
Among those who fled are 500 foreign jihadi wives and children. The women, who are held in a separate compound from other escapees, say their husbands are fighting, are fugitives, are dead or are in prison.
The Pentagon rerouted millions of dollars’ worth of weapons and vehicles from Iraq to Syria in the second half of 2018, Al-Monitor has learned, as US-backed forces cornered the last remnants of the Islamic State (IS).
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/03/us-shifts-weapons-iraq-syria-pentagon.html – 3/4/2019.
In a series of notifications to Congress reviewed by Al-Monitor, the Defense Department said it had determined that a bevy of supplies purchased by the Pentagon for the Iraqi military would instead go to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Pentagon sent lawmakers its last reprogramming notification for 2018 on Dec. 31, 12 days after President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria.
Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/03/us-shifts-weapons-iraq-syria-pentagon.html#ixzz5hOnD1L2
While much of the U.S. presence in Syria has been diminished, the transfer of war equipment and materiel to SDF forces tells Damascus (Moscow and Tehran) that nothing’s over as regards their intents to sustain medieval absolutism (and its characteristic sadism, power in that mode being the power to inflict suffering on others with impunity).
While some idiots view east-west conflict in the region as being all about oil, the cynicism conveniently overlooks the more compelling of ethical and moral arguments for the defense of some goodness still in the world.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/world/syria-bodies/ — 12/23/2018
BEIRUT — As Syria’s government consolidates control after years of civil war, President Bashar al-Assad’s army is doubling down on executions of political prisoners, with military judges accelerating the pace they issue death sentences, according to survivors of the country’s most notorious prison.
In interviews, more than two dozen Syrians recently released from the Sednaya military prison in Damascus described a government campaign to clear the decks of political detainees. The former inmates said prisoners are being transferred from jails across Syria to join death-row detainees in Sednaya’s basement and then be executed in pre-dawn hangings.
God must be in the mind and a malign narcissism in the heart that produces so painful a mission as that of doing God’s will on earth by striking terror into the souls of others. Add: beheading, burning, enslavement, mass murder, rape, and torture.
God has helped the Islamic State jihadists in Baghouz lose everything but their madness.
# # #
27 Wednesday Feb 2019
Start with the cassus beli on this long journey backward to barbaric feudalism and wars founded in religious animosity and contempt.
http://time.com/5529661/soldiers-kashmir-car-bomb/ – 2/15/2019
(SRINAGAR, India) — The death toll from a car bombing on a paramilitary convoy in Indian-controlled Kashmir has climbed to 41, becoming the single deadliest attack in the divided region’s volatile history, security officials said Friday.
A local Kashmiri militant rammed an explosive-laden van into the convoy along a key highway Thursday. In addition to the dead, the attack wounded nearly two dozen other soldiers, India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force spokesman Sanjay Sharma said.
Related page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackChannels/
Related Online: BBC: “India Pakistan: Kashmir fighting sees Indian aircraft downed.” February 27, 2019 6:40 EST | “IAF strikes in Pakistan live updatesw: IAF shot down Pakistani fighter aircraft; one Indian pilot missing in action, MEA says.” The Times of India, February 27, 2019.
If you have news from Kashmir, either side, feel welcome to share it with BackChannel’s editor via the contact page.
–33–
BackChannels 