Inför Ryssarnas invasion (2022)

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

RBC-Ukraine har en intressant intervju med den förre amerikanske diplomaten Kurt Volker: It would be smart to have an air defense dome over everything from Mykolaiv to Romania

Volker har en komplicerad historia, både i sin relation till Trump och till Ukraina.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Scholz har ånyo varit i den kinesiska kommunistdiktaturen och krumbuktat sig för Onkel Xi:


China Says 'Lot of Work to Be Done' Before Ukraine Peace Summit Takes Place (Kyiv Post)

Ja, det kan man säga! Tror han ens på det där själv?

Kyiv Posts satirtecknare tror i alla fall inte det: Futile Efforts to Persuade China to Restrain the Rasszist Monster

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Som sagt, USA prioriterar Israel och därefter inrikespolitiken.

Ja, Israel, det är något helt annat, det: US State Department Press Briefing – April 16, 2024

I think it is important to note the context that we have an entirely different relationship with Ukraine and Israel in that our relationship with Israel goes back decades and – in terms of a security partnership. We have had a decades-long security partnership with Israel where we have been providing them direct military aid – not just going back two years of a conflict but for decades – and have had long, broad-standing communications between our military and the Israeli military that goes back decades.

Israel is a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Ukraine is just in a different position in that we did not have that kind of agreement with them prior to the immediate months before this conflict.

OPINION: When Was Ukraine’s ‘War’ Downgraded to ‘Conflict?’ (Kyiv Post)

Monday editorial in the Washington Post asked the same question that a journalist at John Kirby’s (Talesperson för USA:s nationella säkerhetsråd, min anm.) Monday press conference posed:
“If the US and its allies can shoot down Iranian drones, why can’t you do the same for Ukraine?”

Kirby presaged his answer by saying: “I knew this question was coming,” which begs the further question why he hadn’t prepared a better answer:

“Different CONFLICTS, different airspace, different threat picture. The President has been clear ever since the beginning of the CONFLICT in Ukraine that the US is not going to be involved in that CONFLICT in a combat role. We have been providing Ukraine with the tools they need to help defend their airspace. Unfortunately, we can’t do that right now because we don’t have that Supplemental National Security funding that the so desperately need.”
[..... ]

In the current situation, perhaps words and rhetoric are all that the White House has to offer, since it is Congress that holds the reins of power. But Kirby should have chosen his words more carefully. Ukraine is not involved in a “conflict” it is fighting a WAR for its very existence and that message needs to be got across to every member of the US House of Representatives at every opportunity. If not, how can Kyiv and the rest of the world believe the US promises to “be there for how ever long it takes.”

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Talman Mike Johnson fortsätter att söla: Speaker Johnson advances aid bills, but time running out as Ukraine’s supplies dry up (Kyiv Indxependent)

Man kan ju undra vilka instruktioner han fick av Trump när de träffades senast? (AP)

[Enceladus]

Ja, det kan man säga! Tror han ens på det där själv?

Finlands nye president om sin relation till Putin: "Den existerar inte"

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Ja, det kan man säga! Tror han ens på det där själv?

Finlands nye president om sin relation till Putin: "Den existerar inte"

Ovanstående kommentar rörde Olaf Scholz - inte Finland.

Ja, en ganska tillbakalutad attityd:

– Jag tillhör fortfarande kategorin som tror att det är rätt så omöjligt att Ryssland kommer att använda någon slags militärkapacitet mot Europa, säger han i Aktuellt.

Stubb menar att Ryssland två år senare fortfarande ”inte lyckats” att ta över Ukraina.

– Vi borde ta det lugnt, vi borde inte köra in på den här krigshysterin. Lugna puckar, som jag brukar säga.

[Enceladus]

F.ö. övrig så spelar en storkonflikt i mellanöstern inte någon "i händerna". Utom möjligen Netanyahu, förstås:

Ja, det är Ben-Gvir det - jag citerar ett stycke ur skribentens artikel:

Once again, Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are bent on ignoring the wishes of allies who have gone the extra mile to help Israel against its enemies. His ultranationalist allies are demanding a crushing attack on Iran. One of them said Israel should "go berserk".

Israel har den mest högerorienterade, religiösa och nationalistiska regeringen någonsin. Den vill naturligtvis inte vara sämre än Pakistan:

Iran, desperate to show some muscle, launched missiles into Pakistan, saying it was targeting Jaish al-Adl. But nuclear-armed Pakistan wouldn’t back down, hitting back with missiles and fighter jets within Iran — the first bombing attack on Iranian soil since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

Som sagt, denna konfrontation spelar Ukraina i händerna. Hur ska Iran kunna skicka hundratals missiler till Ryssland nu? Glöm inte heller Sydkaukasien!

Russian peacekeepers start withdrawing from Azerbaijan's Karabakh region

Russian peacekeepers have begun withdrawing from Azerbaijan's Karabakh and other regions, ending a multi-year deployment which gave Moscow a military foothold in the strategic South Caucasus region.

The step, confirmed by the Kremlin and Azerbaijan on Wednesday, comes as Russia faces pressure in the wider region with neighbouring Armenia demanding Russian border guards leave its main airport and protesters in Georgia confronting what they say is a Russia-leaning government.

[...]

Pashinyan has since publicly questioned his country's traditional alliance with Russia - which has a string of military facilities inside Armenia - and has started to forge closer ties with the West.

Iran och Ryssland är en förlorande koalition!

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Som sagt, denna konfrontation spelar Ukraina i händerna. Hur ska Iran kunna skicka hundratals missiler till Ryssland nu? Glöm inte heller Sydkaukasien!

Det finns några enkla problem som kollektivet förbiser:

1. Om "konfrontationen" övergår i öppna krigshandlingar vet vi ingenting om var de leder
   The WarZone spekulerar ex.vis om att Israel skulle slå till med sin interkontinentala kärnvapenmissil Jericho 3, då möjligen med en konventionell stridsladdning, som tros vara något större än de som Hitlers V-2:a medförde: Could Israel Use Conventionally-Armed Jericho Ballistic Missiles To Strike Iran?
2. Vi vet ingenting om och i såfall när det är aktuellt med iranska missiler i ryska händer
   Det finns ju t.om. rykten om att det redan är gjort: Exclusive: Iran sends Russia hundreds of ballistic missiles

Och Sydkaukasien ska vi inte heller glömma. Där är det tydligen fullt tillåtet av med hot eller våld avtvinga andra länder deras territorium:

iran is also concerned Baku could forcibly seize territory in southern Armenia to create territorial continuity with Naxcivan, which would cut off Tehran from Yerevan

Banditen Erdogans manövrerande i denna region har vi berört tidigare: viewtopic.php?p=415877#p415877

I övrigt:

Vi förlorar fokus på trådens ämne. Det är olämpligt att denna blir någon slags allmän utrikespolitisk blogg, därför föreslår jag i all vänlighet att vi minimerar utflykterna till andra konflikter, som Armenien-Azerbajdzjan eller Israel-Palestina.

[Enceladus]

CSIS brukar skriva bra texter, men den här var väl spekulativ. USA:s Representanthus (inkl. dess talman) är just nu en oöverskådlig, för att inte säga oformlig entitet.

Mike Gallagher could postpone early retirement for foreign aid vote

A spokesperson for Gallagher, whose early retirement from Congress is set for Friday, confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the congressman has “flexibility to stay and support the aid package on Saturday.”

Johnson announced to members that bill text for his four-pronged foreign aid package would drop sometime on Wednesday, setting up votes for Saturday evening. With Gallagher’s intended departure, Johnson would have seen his majority narrow to 217-213, meaning he could only lose one GOP vote without any help from Democrats on any given measure to pass legislation.

However, gaining back Gallagher’s vote —which is likely given the Wisconsin Republican’s TikTok bill will be wrapped into the fourth bill — will be advantageous to Johnson as he tries to persuade his conference to pass foreign aid to United States allies like Israel and Ukraine.

Kaos är bara förnamnet! Nu har Johnson presenterat sin proposition. Det finns inga större skillnader jämfört med senatens dito, förutom denna (se sidan 34):

TRANSFER OF LONG-RANGE ATACMS REQUIRED.

—As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall transfer long range Army tactical Missile Systems to the Government of Ukraine to assist the Government of Ukraine in defending itself and achieving victory against the Russian Federation.

Dessutom kan hälften av lånet avskrivas nästan direkt (för att göra Trump och Orban nöjda). Det är bara att tacka och ta emot!

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Och så har Europas högerextremister och putinister haft konferens i Bryssel inför det stundande EU-valet.

[Enceladus]

F.ö. övrig så spelar en storkonflikt i mellanöstern inte någon "i händerna". Utom möjligen Netanyahu, förstås:

Nja, förutom att republikanerna fick tummen ur så kan Israel också lösa Ukrainas drönarproblem:

The Iranian attacks also succeeded in pushing the Republican Party to accelerate an aid bill for Israel, which otherwise would have been stalled in the House.

[...]

An Israeli strike on Iran’s drone facilities would not only be a fitting rejoinder to Saturday’s strikes, but would also help Ukraine in the face of Russian attacks. It would also be a message to Biden and the Europeans to consider the larger regional picture as they push Israel to wind down the campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

F.ö. övrig så spelar en storkonflikt i mellanöstern inte någon "i händerna". Utom möjligen Netanyahu, förstås:

Nja, förutom att republikanerna fick tummen ur så kan Israel också lösa Ukrainas drönarproblem:

The Iranian attacks also succeeded in pushing the Republican Party to accelerate an aid bill for Israel, which otherwise would have been stalled in the House.

[...]

An Israeli strike on Iran’s drone facilities would not only be a fitting rejoinder to Saturday’s strikes, but would also help Ukraine in the face of Russian attacks. It would also be a message to Biden and the Europeans to consider the larger regional picture as they push Israel to wind down the campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Orsakssambandet är väl inte helt glasklart. Dessutom är vi inte där ännu - med storkonflikten, alltså.

" a message to Biden and the Europeans to consider the larger regional picture as they push Israel to wind down the campaign against Hamas in Gaza."

Jojo, det märks att Times of Israel är en högertidning, Netanyahu ska få fria händer att fortsätta sitt urskillningslösa svältkrig i Gaza.

Times of Israel Cofounder Gave $1.5 Million to Right-wing Media Watchdog That Routinely Goes After News Outlets

The American billionaire who cofounded The Times of Israel website has given more than $1.5 million through his foundation to Camera, a right-wing media watchdog that routinely attacks news outlets over their coverage of Israel, Haaretz has learned. Camera publishes – and widely disseminates – criticism of Israeli and foreign news outlets, but does not disclose that it receives donations from owners of media outlets.

Nåja, Jerusalem Post är värre, den är helt Netanyahu-trogen numera. Netanyahu jobbar ungefär som Orban, han låter rika allierade köpa upp media.

Naturligtvis kan inte Israel "lösa Ukrainas drönarproblem", det är önsketänkande.

[Enceladus]

Frasen "'No American taxpayer should be tasked with propping up the pension system of the nation of Ukraine." säger ju allt.

Speaker Johnson is moving forward with foreign aid bills despite threat to oust him

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Johnson reiterated his commitment to bringing the bills to the floor, even if that triggers his opponents to move forward with a push to oust him. Reps. Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have co-sponsored a motion to vacate the chair, and have said that Johnson passing aid to Ukraine without border provisions would be a betrayal of the conference.

"I could make a selfish decision a...But I'm doing here what I believe to be the right thing. I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important," Johnson told reporters. "I'm willing to take personal risk for that because we have to do the right thing and history will judge us."

He added that he has not asked Democrats to help him if the motion to vacate comes to the floor, and that he plans to "let the chips fall where they may."

Jaså? Det verkar snarare som om Johnson inte låter sig definieras av en enstaka fras:

When I first started seeing reports about the congressman referring to himself as “a wartime speaker,” I more or less assumed he was referring to ongoing crises in Ukraine and the Middle East. It seemed a bit hyperbolic — usually, U.S. House speakers refer to themselves as “wartime” leaders when it’s the United States at war — but it didn’t seem worth making a fuss about.

The problem, however, was that there was some ambiguity in Johnson’s unscripted rhetoric.

[...]

Johnson wrapped up the press conference moments later, denying congressional reporters an opportunity to ask the obvious follow-up question: Exactly which “war” was the House speaker referring to?

Här är en referat som säger mer om en viss person i USA:s representanthus (om "Jewish space lasers" har något att göra med Iron Beam får läsaren avgöra):

Greene introduces DOA amendments to compel U.S. lawmakers to enlist in the Ukrainian military and to deploy "space laser technology on the southwest border."

Det slutar inte där. Ett annat tillägg från Greene fordrar att "Ukraina stänger alla biolaboratorier". Ytterligare ett tillägg fordrar att "Ukraina slutar förfölja kristna".

Russian rouble hovers at lowest since October vs dollar

The Russian rouble was mostly unchanged against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, trading at a near six-month low.

By 0715 GMT, the rouble was 0.02% lower at 94.44 to the dollar after trading in a range of 94.220 to 94.518, its weakest point since Oct. 23, 2023.

Against the euro, the rouble fell 0.07% to 100.32 and dropped 0.29% to 13.02 against the yuan, its weakest point since early December 2023.

Jag hoppas att Greene får betalt i rubel!

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Jaså? Det verkar snarare som om Johnson inte låter sig definieras av en enstaka fras:

Säkert inte. Kyiv Post har för vana att ta in essäer från internationella opinionsbildare, denna gång från svenske nationalekonomen (karln är tydligen polyglott också) Anders Åslund (fastän numera mest verksam i USA): Ukraine Should Not be Left to the Mercy of Devious US Politicians

The Supreme Court legalized dark money in US politics through its verdict Citizens United in 2010. In the last elections, both parties received hundreds of millions of dollars of unidentified money. It may come from foreign-owned companies in the United States.

When Mike Johnson was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, he received $37,000 from a firm, American Ethane. It turned out to be owned 88 percent by three Russian nationals belonging to the Kremlin elite. We know that thanks to brave Newsweek journalists.

When this was revealed, Johnson returned these funds, but he had already been elected. His prior acceptance of these funds was not deemed illegal because how could he know of their illegal foreign ownership? Why is he still in Congress? How can he be the Speaker? Why is this not a scandal?

Fast det är klart, Newsweek nämns här ovan.

För övrigt är Newsweek ingen trovärdig källa.

Beträffande nyss nämnde Greene behövs inte spillas något mer digitalt bläck. Det är ju övertydligt i vilket fack hon ska stoppas in.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Det slutar inte där. Ett annat tillägg från Greene fordrar att "Ukraina stänger alla biolaboratorier".

Putinismen kring "biolaboratorier" har jag beskrivit redan här: viewtopic.php?p=405311#p405311
Den propagandan har som synes spridits även av svenska högerextremister.

[Enceladus]

Man kan ju undra vilka instruktioner han fick av Trump när de träffades senast?

Trump asks why Europe isn’t giving Ukraine more aid as Johnson presses forward

“Why can’t Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a Country in desperate need?” he continued. “As everyone agrees, Ukrainian Survival and Strength should be much more important to Europe than to us, but it is also important to us! GET MOVING EUROPE!”

A tracker maintained by the Institute for the World Economy shows that total European aid for Ukraine has actually overtaken U.S. assistance, though much of that is in the form of financial and humanitarian aid. The United States has provided significantly more military aid to Ukraine, with the tracker showing Europe would have to double its pace of arms assistance to fully replace the U.S. commitment.

[...]

During a meeting last week with Johnson at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the former president signaled an openness to Republicans approving additional aid for Ukraine if it came in the form of a loan.

Polen är en viktigare allierad än Ungern - den senare köper ju inte ens amerikanskt: Trump says 'We're behind Poland' as he meets with President Duda

Duda, whose term in office expires in 2025, was one of Trump’s preferred international partners during his 2017-2021 presidency and they have described themselves as friends.

In contrast, many other European leaders have long been nervous that a second Trump presidency would mean decreased U.S. support for Poland’s eastern neighbor Ukraine and for the NATO military alliance.

“The people of Poland love him (Duda)... and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but he’s done a fantastic job and he’s my friend,” Trump told reporters as Duda arrived at Trump Tower.

Notera att polacker har den mest positiva synen på USA i världen - förmodligen inklusive amerikaner själva!

Leadership mulling changes to make it harder to boot Mike Johnson

“This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage. I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing.

“I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do. I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten. I believe Xi, Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil. I think they’re in coordination on it.

“So I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed. I think he might go to the Balkans next. I think he might have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies.

“To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys. My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live-fire exercise for me as it is so many American families. This is not a game, this is not a joke.”

[...]

In addition, Johnson says he believes the intelligence briefings that he has gotten as a member of the Gang of Eight. Imagine that!

Mike Johnson fortsätter att leverera, denna gång genom att hänvisa till sin son som tydligen ska börja på sjöfartsakademin i höst. Vilka uppgifter har han fått!?

Skillnaden är förstås att en av personerna är statschef. Vi får väl se vad Trump tycker om det. Dessutom snackar Milei, som alla högerextremister (eufemismen "anarkokapitalist" saknar innebörd - Musk har väl också betecknats som det, kanske rent av Trump) vitt och brett. Argentinas folk kommer snart att få erfara att röstar man på högerpolitiker så får man högerpolitik.

Argentina asks to join NATO as President Milei seeks a more prominent role for his nation

Argentina formally requested on Thursday to join NATO as a global partner, a status that would clear the way for greater political and security cooperation at a time when the right-wing government of President Javier Milei aims to boost ties with Western powers and attract investment.

[...]

Geoana said he welcomed Argentina's bid to become an accredited partner in the alliance — a valued role short of “ally” for nations that are not in NATO's geographical area and not required to take part in collective military actions. NATO membership is currently limited to countries of Europe, Turkey, Canada and the United States.

[...]

Over his past four months as president, he has reshaped Argentina's foreign policy to one of almost unconditional support for the United States — part of an effort to return Argentina to prominence in the global economy after past administrations allowed relations with Washington and European allies to wither.

Mileis villkorslösa stöd till USA fortsätter. Först lovade han en amerikansk militärbas i landet, nu vill han gå med i Nato - i den utsträckning det är möjligt.

Det vill även Venezuela och Argentina, och den feta skurken och diktatorn i Venezuela Nicolas Maduro (Latinamerikas Lukasjenko) ska hålla ett anti-Nato toppmöte inom BRICS:

Det var då det. Sedermera backade Milei från ett medlemskap i Brics. Det är Nato som gäller för det post-peronistiska Argentina. Donationer till Ukraina ingår!

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Man kan ju undra vilka instruktioner han fick av Trump när de träffades senast?

Trump asks why Europe isn’t giving Ukraine more aid as Johnson presses forward

“Why can’t Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a Country in desperate need?” he continued. “As everyone agrees, Ukrainian Survival and Strength should be much more important to Europe than to us, but it is also important to us! GET MOVING EUROPE!”

A tracker maintained by the Institute for the World Economy shows that total European aid for Ukraine has actually overtaken U.S. assistance, though much of that is in the form of financial and humanitarian aid. The United States has provided significantly more military aid to Ukraine, with the tracker showing Europe would have to double its pace of arms assistance to fully replace the U.S. commitment.

[...]

During a meeting last week with Johnson at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the former president signaled an openness to Republicans approving additional aid for Ukraine if it came in the form of a loan.

Polen är en viktigare allierad än Ungern - den senare köper ju inte ens amerikanskt: Trump says 'We're behind Poland' as he meets with President Duda

Duda, whose term in office expires in 2025, was one of Trump’s preferred international partners during his 2017-2021 presidency and they have described themselves as friends.

In contrast, many other European leaders have long been nervous that a second Trump presidency would mean decreased U.S. support for Poland’s eastern neighbor Ukraine and for the NATO military alliance.

“The people of Poland love him (Duda)... and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but he’s done a fantastic job and he’s my friend,” Trump told reporters as Duda arrived at Trump Tower.

Notera att polacker har den mest positiva synen på USA i världen - förmodligen inklusive amerikaner själva!

Här kokas det soppa på en spik. Men Europas högerextremister köar hos Trump och Trump öser lovord över dem. Det är egentligen inte Polen som är den viktiga allierade, utan högerextremisten och PiS-presidenten Duda. Att PiS-regeringen blev avsatt i de senaste parlamentsvalen, trots Dudas manipulationer, sågs förstås inte med blida ögon i Trump-lägret, men polackerna kommer aldrig att bli några putinister. Minnena av det historiska ryska förtrycket sitter alltför djupt för det.

Men det är ju uppenbart att Trump vill ha kelgrisar bland de europeiska Nato-länderna för att förhindra att de bildar gemensam front. Sedan tycks Trump, i likhet med andra amerikanska högerextremister anse att det är Europa som ska betala för stödet till Ukraina, samtidigt som de ska köpa amerikanska vapen. Det är ju detta som utarmat den europeiska försvarsindustrin och som gör att europeiska Nato har för små arsenaler.

Men man kan ju inte förvänta sig några sammanhängande resonemang från The Donald. Däremot är det enkelt att konstatera att europeiska ledare som betecknar sig som "vänner" till Trump inte är några pålitliga ledare.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Leadership mulling changes to make it harder to boot Mike Johnson

“This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage. I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing.

“I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do. I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten. I believe Xi, Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil. I think they’re in coordination on it.

“So I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed. I think he might go to the Balkans next. I think he might have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies.

“To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys. My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live-fire exercise for me as it is so many American families. This is not a game, this is not a joke.”

[...]

In addition, Johnson says he believes the intelligence briefings that he has gotten as a member of the Gang of Eight. Imagine that!

Mike Johnson fortsätter att leverera, denna gång genom att hänvisa till sin son som tydligen ska börja på sjöfartsakademin i höst. Vilka uppgifter har han fått!?

Mike Johnson är en opportunist och kappvändare. Däremot finns det en del, som jag påpekat tidigare, klarsynta republikaner också: Republican lawmaker says Russian propaganda has 'infected a good chunk' of GOP base

US Naval Academy är f.ö. inte någon "sjöfartsakademi" utan en kadettskola avsedd att utbilda officerare inom den amerikanska örlogsflottan och marinkåren. Letar man efter en "sjöfartsakademi" så är det nog US Merchant Marine Academy som avses. Den institutionen kan sägas motsvara de svenska Sjöfartshögskolorna i Göteborg (Chalmers) och Kalmar (Linnéuniversitetet).

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Skillnaden är förstås att en av personerna är statschef. Vi får väl se vad Trump tycker om det. Dessutom snackar Milei, som alla högerextremister (eufemismen "anarkokapitalist" saknar innebörd - Musk har väl också betecknats som det, kanske rent av Trump) vitt och brett. Argentinas folk kommer snart att få erfara att röstar man på högerpolitiker så får man högerpolitik.

Argentina asks to join NATO as President Milei seeks a more prominent role for his nation

Argentina formally requested on Thursday to join NATO as a global partner, a status that would clear the way for greater political and security cooperation at a time when the right-wing government of President Javier Milei aims to boost ties with Western powers and attract investment.

[...]

Geoana said he welcomed Argentina's bid to become an accredited partner in the alliance — a valued role short of “ally” for nations that are not in NATO's geographical area and not required to take part in collective military actions. NATO membership is currently limited to countries of Europe, Turkey, Canada and the United States.

[...]

Over his past four months as president, he has reshaped Argentina's foreign policy to one of almost unconditional support for the United States — part of an effort to return Argentina to prominence in the global economy after past administrations allowed relations with Washington and European allies to wither.

Mileis villkorslösa stöd till USA fortsätter. Först lovade han en amerikansk militärbas i landet, nu vill han gå med i Nato - i den utsträckning det är möjligt.

Det vill även Venezuela och Argentina, och den feta skurken och diktatorn i Venezuela Nicolas Maduro (Latinamerikas Lukasjenko) ska hålla ett anti-Nato toppmöte inom BRICS:

Det var då det. Sedermera backade Milei från ett medlemskap i Brics. Det är Nato som gäller för det post-peronistiska Argentina. Donationer till Ukraina ingår!

Det där är ju mest symbolpolitik. Argentina har ingenting att bidra med mer än glada tillrop, och det gäller för Milei att vända uppmärksamheten bort från de inrikespoliiska problemen. Geopolitiskt sett är USA mer oroliga för för den kinesiska kommunistdiktaturens inflytande i Latinamerika, och det var ju därför Argentina fick köpa Danmarks skrotfärdiga F-16AM, till synnerligen förmånliga villkor, för att förhindra att Argentina vände sig till kommunistdiktaturen: In Argentina’s fighter competition, Washington and Beijing fight for regional influence

Meanwhile, multiple local outlets say Washington is putting pressure on Buenos Aires to pick the F-16 in order to deny China an expanded footprint in Latin America.

Concern about China increasing its footprint in Latin America is hardly a secret. In August, US Southern Command head Gen. Laura Richardson spelled it out clearly, saying Chinese investment in the region means Beijing is “on the 20-yard line of our homeland, or we could say that they’re on the first and second island chain to our homeland and the proximity in terms of this region.”

“There’s not a Chinese base yet in this hemisphere. But I see with all of this critical infrastructure investment,” Richardson added later, “that there could possibly be someday.”

Efter att den affären gjorts upp producerade Milei-regimen propagandasmörja av följande slag:

“You are moving the country forward, you are taking Argentina out of decades of decline and are carrying the flags of freedom to all corners of the world, and this is also felt here in Denmark,” the minister said during the broadcast. “As of today, Argentines once again have forces from the sky to protect us, under the leadership of President [Javier] Milei and with the support of allies like Denmark and the United States.”

Milei hoppas väl på Trump, han som alla andra högerextremister. Sedan skulle man ju kunna tänka sig att Argentina avsäger sig sina anspråk på Falklandsöarna, en konflikt som USA helst vill sopa under mattan: U.S. Position on the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands

We recognize de facto United Kingdom administration of the islands but take no position regarding sovereignty.

Ronald Reagan var inte glad åt att Thatcher genomförde Falklands-fälttåget. Vad har vi fler för "de facto administrations" i världen?

Men danskarna vet på vilken sida av brödet de har oljan, och de kanske får rabatt på F-35 också.

Sådär, då var morgonens städjobb avklarat. Fortsättning följer, förstås.

[Enceladus]

Var vänlig håll denna konflikt borta från tråden i fortsättningen. Eventuella politiska kannstöperier får, om behovet tränger på, tas i den politiska Ukraina-tråden. Det här är ingen allmän världspolitisk blogg, inte heller någon allmän militärteknisk dito.

Democrats help advance Ukraine, Israel aid in rare rules move

Rule votes — in committee and on the floor — are typically mundane, party-line occurrences, with the members from the majority party backing the rule and lawmakers in the minority party voting against it. But with conservatives voting against the rule out of opposition to Ukraine aid and the exclusion of border security measures, Democrats crossed the aisle to back the procedural vote.

The rule for the foreign aid legislation allows votes on specific amendments to the Ukraine, Indo-Pacific and national security measures. The Israel bill, however, will not have any amendments considered.

Also included in the rule is language that says if the House approves each of the four bills — they will receive separate floor votes — they will be merged together and sent to the Senate as one package.

Greenes Israel-tillägg om "Jewish space lasers" kommer inte att beaktas, men väl alla absurda Ukraina-tillägg. Däremot sitter Israel och Ukraina i samma båt.