Afghanistan will fall to the Taliban, probably within days. For many Afghans, that’s very bad. There will be a bloodbath. The survivors will be dragged backward into the Tenth Century. Girls won’t be allowed to go to school, will be pushed into arranged marriages, forced to wear burkhas[...]
Archive for the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Category
“Biblical” wildfires ravage Greece
“Wildfires rampaged through Greek forests for yet another day,” Huffington Post reported on Saturday, August 7, 2021, “threatening homes and triggering more evacuations a day after hundreds of people were plucked off beaches by ferries in a dramatic overnight rescue. … Dozens[...]
Athlete’s defection spotlights Belarus dictatorship
Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya (bio here), 24, is the big story of the Tokyo Olympics. Not for winning medals, but for seeking asylum. Tsimanouskaya was kicked off Belarus’ Olympic team for complaining about being put into a relay race without warning, and hustled to Tokyo’s[...]
August 1st, 2021 - 12:55 pm § in Foreign Affairs, Misc.
Will we have to pay hackers for peace?
Hackers are sophisticated criminal gangs, often based in Russia or Iran, who lock computer systems and demand ransom payments to unlock them. They’ve “targeted schools, hospitals, councils, airports, government bodies, oil pipelines, universities, nuclear contractors, insurance companies[...]
As Arizona fake “audit” ends, even GOPers criticize it
The circus at an Arizona fairgrounds has ended, but the controversy hasn’t. As this month came to an end “the auditors stopped the counting and returned the ballots,” but a “report” is still weeks or months away, the Associated Press reported on Saturday, July 31, 2021 [...]
China wants to dictate our foreign policy, too
U.S.-China relations have been called “tense” and “stalemated.” That they are. After calling U.S. policy “misguided” and “dangerous,” a Chinese envoy told reporters the “fundamental reason” for tensions is America’s positions on issue[...]
No “hotline” to Beijing?
“The Biden administration is examining the possibility of setting up an emergency hotline with the Chinese government similar to the so-called ‘red phone’ established between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, which allowed for direct communication with the Kr[...]
Navy secretary nominee pledges to defend Taiwan
Biden’s nominee for Navy secretary, Carlos Del Toro (photo, left; bio here), spoke of defending Taiwan in strong terms during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. Del Toro said, “It’s incredibly important to defend Taiwan in every way possible. We should be focused on[...]
July 9th, 2021 - 10:19 am § in America, Biden, Business, Economics, Foreign Affairs, Misc., Politics
Who’s to blame for gas prices?
Republicans want to blame Biden (see story here), but that’s ridiculous. Gas prices are tied to supply and demand. Bottom line, supply is down from years of disinvestment in oil production, and demand is jumping as America comes out of pandemic hibernation and millions of us resume commuting t[...]
July 8th, 2021 - 11:03 pm § in Biden, Foreign Affairs
Is Afghanistan Biden’s first foreign policy mistake?
Will Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan become his first big foreign policy mistake? It’s likely the Taliban will again take over that country. We know what an Afghanistan run by the Taliban will be like, because they did once before. It will be a place where women[...]