Category Archives: International news

International news

Trump-Vance bashing draws heat from right

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance decided to form a tag team in the Oval Office, taking turns bashing Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he came to D.C. ostensibly to sign a mineral-rights deal with the United States.

What the Ukrainian president received instead was a shameful and unconscionable hectoring from the U.S. president and vice president who stunningly decided to stand with the dictator who unleashed his army on Ukraine three years ago.

Trump and Vance made a bit of notoriety with their lecture of Zelenskyy, who has stood firm with his troops who have inflicted tremendous injury and death on the invaders. They became the first American president and VP to turn their backs on an ally while he is fighting quite literally a hostile force intending to do this nation harm.

The tag-team approach was particularly galling, it appears, even to congressional conservatives who have been talking up their displeasure over what they witnessed in the Oval Office.

The true measure of their displeasure will come when they have to cast votes on Trump policies. Newfound anger at Trump well could be just so much bluster and bravado. The validation could come when they propose tangible measures to strike back at what many of them have called a betrayal of an ally fighting for democracy.

Indeed, what we witnessed was a sickening display by the former leader of the Free World.

International news

What could go wrong?

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House today supposedly to cement a deal over some mineral rights with the United States.

It didn’t end with anything signed. It ended instead with Zelenskyy storming out a shouting match with Donald Trump, who along with Vice President J.D. Vance, managed to insult the beleaguered Zelenskyy to the point of immense frustration.

This man is our ally, or at least he was our ally when Russian forces attacked Ukraine three years ago while Joe Biden was president of the United States.

It’s all changed now that Biden has retired and Trump has returned to power. Trump has buddied up to Russian goon Vladimir Putin, taking up where he left off when he lost his re-election bid to Biden in 2020.

That a meeting with Zelenskyy would crater as it did today should have surprised no one, given Trump’s propensity for saying the wrong things at the wrong time.

International news, military news

Trump betrays our ally

Donald J. Trump has made history in a sickening sort of way by being the first American president to pivot away from an ally at war with an aggressor nation.

The United States, led by President Joe Biden, went all in to defend Ukraine against the Russian invaders. The former president rallied our NATO and EU allies and mustered considerable support in the United Nations. The result has been a stiffening of resistance by Ukraine against Russia.

Now we hear Trump parroting Vladimir Putin dogma, and then Trump blames Ukraine for starting a war that began when Russian troops and tanks crossed into Ukraine.

Putin is a war criminal. He has violated multiple provisions lined out in the Geneva Accords that dictate the conduct of a land war.

Trump and Putin are seeking to negotiate an end to the three-year war without any input from Volodymr Zelenskyy.

Sickening.

International news, military news

Trump blames Ukraine for war … seriously

Donald J. Trump put his depravity on full display with a bizarre social media message that blames Ukraine for starting the war that began when Russia invaded its sovereign neighbor.

According to The Independent: In a post on his Truth Social website, Trump accused Zelensky, who he called a “modestly successful comedian” in a reference to his previous career as a sitcom star and entertainer, of having “talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start.”

I am utterly speechless. This guy’s incessant enfatuation with a known killer and goon — Vladimir Putin — is simply beyond description.

Geez, Louise! This clown has turned his back on a dependable ally in Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. He has stood up to Russia’s immoral and illegal invasion for three years. Ukraine has inflicted stunning casualties against an enemy force that sought to enter Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, just days after crossing the border.

President Joe Biden pledged financial support. He mustered full-throated NATO and EU support for Ukraine’s defense of its territory.

Now we have Donald Trump siding with his pal Putin.

Absolutely disgraceful for the new president to forsake our national pledge to help an ally defend itself against a tinhorn dictator.

International news

Trump to abandon Ukraine

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Donald J. Trump is on the verge of abandoning a longheld U.S. foreign policy, which calls for this nation to stand firm against aggression from nations that seek to undermine democratic sovereignty.

He’s going to meet soon with Russian thug/goon Vladimir Putin to “negotiate” a deal to end the war in Ukraine. The two pals no doubt are going to stick in the ear of Ukraine President Volodymr Zellenskyy, who’s been fighting his heart out against the Russian aggressors for the past three years.

How was he able to keep the Russians at bay while inflicting grievous casualties on the aggressors? Because U.S. support provided by President Joe Biden in concert with our NATO allies.

Well, Trump is now sitting in Biden’s former office and he and his MAGA cultists appear set on flattening Zellenskyy’s efforts against the Russian invaders.

I have no clue the direction these “negotiations” will take. I’m not smart enough to figure that out. I sense, though, that NATO, the EU and much of the free world is going to feel betrayed by the new administration’s cozying up to Putin.

I also believe Putin will see this suck-up policy as giving him license to continue his aggression in eastern Europe.

International news

Hope may lead to possibility in Gaza

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While it is virtually impossible to expect any long-term gain from the ceasefire that has taken hold in the 15-month-long Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, there remains room for hope.

The fighting has stopped in Gaza as Israel and the terrorists in Hamas have agreed to the ceasefire. Three Israeli women held hostage since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023 have been released; more will follow them on the path to freedom.

Aid is flowing into Gaza. Rebuilding the shattered region has begun.

What does any of this portend for a permanent peace? Probably nothing … at least not at this point. However, my limitless font of optimism harbors the hope that could spring from the ashes. It might emerge as a peace framework that could bring some semblance of calm to a region that has known far more than its share of bloodshed, mayhem and heartache for centuries.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas when it sent the tanks and troops into Gaza after the horrific missile attack that killed an estimated 1,200 Israeli civilians. The gunfire, bombs, rockets and artillery shells fired into Gaza have killed tens of thousands of civilians in return … as well as thousands of Hamas fighters.

It’s not altogether clear whether Israel achieved its mission of destroying Hamas. The terrorist organization is gravely wounded, which well could explain why Hamas is willing to accept the ceasefire framework hammered out months ago by President Biden.

So … what happens now? The bloodshed has ceased for the time being. I cannot possibly predict anything good will come from this. However, I damn sure can hope it will.

That is what I will do. Hope for the best.

International news, military news

Is peace now possible?

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In this season of never-ending negativity, we now might be able to rejoice in some seriously good news … from the Middle East of all places!

Israel and the terrorists known as Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire that begins Sunday. Furthermore, they have agreed to a significant swap of hostages, meaning that the families of Israelis and Americans held captive since the Oct. 7, 2023, rocket attacks can be set free.

I am going to hold out hope that the cease fire agreement holds up and that the violence that erupted with Hamas’s brazen and bloody attack will end. Let us not call it a peace agreement, because the cease fire only means the bitter enemies will stop killing each other for the time being.

Let’s be clear on a couple of key points. Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and said the only path to peace would require the destruction of the terrorist leadership; it appears that Israel has accomplished its stated aim. However, it has come at a horrific price for the Palestinians caught in the middle of the fight between Israel and Hamas. Thousands of innocent people have died since Hamas started this war.

Thus, the ceasefire — brokered in large part by President Biden’s team — requires an immediate rebuilding effort. It must commence fully, not on a piecemeal basis. It must include massive deliveries of food, water, construction equipment, medical supplies and personnel to help Gaza residents seek to restore their shattered lives.

To that end, Joe Biden and his team deserve the highest praise any of us can give for their tireless work in bringing an end to the bloodshed in Gaza.

Now, though, the hardest task of all awaits … finding a path to a permanent piece in a region that knows only heartache and despair.

business news, International news

No, you cannot just ‘take back’ canal

Donald J. Trump is all bluster and fake bravado and zero substance and knowledge of the limits of the power of the office he is about to inherit.

He said he wants to “take back” the Panama Canal from the country that owns it outright, Panama. Why? Because he doesn’t like the steep fees the Panamanians are charging U.S.-flag ships using the canal.

Good grief! Panama took over the canal decades ago in a deal worked out with the U.S. government. It belongs to them! Panama is a sovereign nation that can do whatever it chooses with its assets. The United States has zero legal authority to seize property owned and operated by another nation.

I get that Trump doesn’t like the fees being charged U.S. shipping. I don’t particularly like it either. However, disliking another nation’s policies does not give us the inherent right to do the kind of thing that Trump is suggesting.

Let’s all get ready for this kind of nonsense to repeat itself for the next four years.

International news

Good riddance, Mr. Despot

It’s not too often we can cheer news from the Mideast but today is one of those rare days.

Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad’s government has been toppled and the dictator has received asylum in Russia. Armed rebels managed to run this madman out of the country.

I consider this reason to cheer the news. Assad is a bad guy. One of the worst guys on Earth. He has been indicted as a war criminal because of the immense pain he inflicted on his people. The man needs to be delivered to the justice system.

I won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen, given that he is living now in Russia, home to another war criminal, thug/goon/killer Vladimir Putin.

Indeed, the fighting in Syria likely won’t end soon. Without Assad, the pro-government forces have no one for whom to fight … and die!

So, we have reason to cheer some news out of a region that has ripped to pieces by the ravages of war.

International news

Hell freezes over!

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Dare I declare that hell has frozen over with the announcement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah?

Netanyahu is considered widely to be a warmonger, that he prefers violence to a negotiated settlement with a known and dreaded terrorist organization.

I don’t buy into the pejorative view of him. The man’s country is surrounded by nations that wish Israel’s destruction. Hezbollah governs Lebanon and has been at war with Israel after launching a missile attack that killed hundreds of Israelis.

Israel has the right to defend itself.

Still, I am surprised to hear today of the Israeli agreement to call a halt to the bloodshed in Lebanon. Netanyahu hasn’t agreed to a permanent peace and the hope now should exist that the warring sides can breathe deeply and get the wheels turning toward a settlement that can end the bloodshed over the long term.

I do not want hell to thaw.