Wars have unintended consequences. Gallipoli changed Australia from a place name on maps to a country with a national identity. Although Canada was farther along in its national evolution, to some extent that happened to Canadians at Vimy Ridge, too. National identity is an intangible thing, althoug[...]
Archive for the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Category
What’s with Putin’s long tables?
This is new; he hasn’t held meetings this way before (photo, left). The media’s typical explanation is that so-and-so hasn’t been tested for Covid-19, or something like that (see, e.g., story here). However, there are other possibilities. It’s well known that Putin is paranoi[...]
March 1st, 2022 - 5:17 am § in Foreign Affairs, Russia
Many U.S. officials are worried about Putin’s state of mind
In many ways, Putin is a known quantity. “He has always been a killer,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) tweeted last week. But now he, and many others with access to classified briefings, worry that Putin may be “unhinged.” All will concede the Kremlin is impenetrable, and U.S. intel[...]
Stupid China left citizens in Ukraine
The U.S. warned Americans to get out of Ukraine. China didn’t warn its citizens to leave, so now about 6,000 Chinese are stuck there. “Unlike nationals from many other countries, they did not receive instructions to leave the country before the invasion began, as Chinese officials pushed[...]
February 27th, 2022 - 4:50 pm § in Foreign Affairs, Russia
Map: What Russia holds on Day 4
(Source: Al Jazeera here; click on map to enlarge) Return to The-Ave.US Home Page[...]
Is Putin creating a giant of history?
In August 1914, Germany demanded passage for its troops through tiny Belgium. King Albert refused, “took personal command of the Belgian Army, and held the Germans off long enough for Britain and France to prepare for the Battle of the Marne” (quoted from Wikipedia here), the pivotal ba[...]
Whose side is she on?
Yesterday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin broke his agreements to respect Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty. When he massed troops on Ukraine’s border, he denied intending to attack Ukraine. He was lying (and everyone knew he was). Here’s what Elise Stefanik, the #3 ranking Hou[...]
Trump praises Putin’s Ukraine invasion
“Two nauseating, fearful pigs who hate what America stands for and whose every action is driven by their own weakness and insecurity, rubbing their snouts together and celebrating as innocent people lose their lives.” — Andrew Bates, deputy White House press secretary, Feb. 23, 202[...]
Ukraine through Putin’s eyes
Western media likes to portray Putin’s mind as a mysterious and unknowable place. It’s true that predicting what he’ll do next is a guessing game. It’s also very likely true that emotion, as well as rationality, plays a role in his decision-making. (Isn’t that somewhat [...]
Trump lavishes praise on Putin’s move into Ukraine
From The Hill on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (here): Former President Trump on Tuesday called Russia’s recognition of two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine a “genius” move ahead of its military invasion. In an interview on “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,”[...]