Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.

Axis Berlin-Paris Deters NATO War Provocation

by Oui Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 10:15:21 AM EST

Full break of Europe with aggressive war hawks in London and Washington DC.

The MEP could force the EU Commission to let the hammer fall on Poland and Hungary. Postponement of economic sanctions isn't longer an option. The EP had passed legislation a year ago to tackle the disregards by both nations to European norms and solidarity.

ECJ adviser backs rule-of-law measure in blow to Poland and Hungary | The Guardian - Dec. 2, 2021 |

Judgments in Cases C-156/21 Hungary v Parliament and Council Press and Information and C-157/21 Poland v Parliament and Council | ECJ |

Members of the EP threatened to file a motion for a vote of no-confidence against EU Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen ...

A day of reckoning with an outcome of uncertainty ...


European Parliament

East-West Schism: Destruction Process Inside Europe | Dec. 29, 2019 |

In the Ukraine a definite split was seen in the government of Zelensky between him and more hawkish ministers from MFA and Defense.

Unity and Resolve to Replace Invasion Day - Feb. 16

FM spoke of border crisis as "Tension with Dignity"

February 16 -- Historic day of the Russian Invasion at 03:00 hours that came and went ... US Intelligence supported by the UK and US.

Chancellor Scholz Defies War Hawks of US and NATO

... the other option was for France and Germany to exit NATO.  👍🏼 showing solidarity with mainland Europe.

Joe Biden a long career of participating in American aggression through his role in the Senate.

A lone voice came late last night from the White House to  ... the number of Russian troops in the words of war hawks has increased from 100k to 130k - 150k - 175k

Fort Bragg 3000 soldiers to Poland as the theater of war in Ukraine was emptied

The American Way of illustrating a willingness to give diplomacy a chance. Under,hing principle is not negotiable ... Ukraine will become part of NATO expansion and so will Georgia.

Ukrainian tweet scrambles Biden's press conference | Politico - June 14, 2021 |

Biden was inexplicably running late, two hours late, and the tweet suddenly appeared to explain what could be causing a delay.

Two days before Biden is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, news of Ukraine joining NATO would have sent a strong message to Russia.

The Joe Biden presidency is in a permanent state of confusion ...

We stand united. Vision of America and our mission of Freedom will prevail.

The ugly war rhetoric of "Munich 1938" has clearly backfired. Europe of the original six EEC member states will stay United against any attack on the four principles of its founding and avoiding unnecessary wars of destruction and loss of lives.

My diary ...

Whiff of Munich In the Air

Historic view ...

Nazi Germany, Appeasement, and Anglo-American Big Business, 1933-1941

NATO today meet in Brussels ... the agenda has been adapted from a military GO to a ON HOLD and decide how, what and when the defense alliance can do Russia more pain. British media are anxiously awaiting briefings from Stoltenberg and UK Defense minister Wallace.

NATO is ready ... all options are on the table ... just a minute, it seems I have mislaid the diplomacy option ... it's here somewhere 🤥

Central and Eastern Europe will be strengthened with armed forces of NATO, helping Romania and Bulgaria to do their share in defending the unity of the Alliance.

American spin and hardliners inside Ukraine

Reality of the day ...

Display:
France's Foreign and Security Policy under President Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced his goal of revitalising Franco-German relations and founding a "new partnership" between Paris and Berlin. However, in foreign and security policy, and in certain areas of his Europe policy, this aspiration has rarely been fulfilled.

The main reasons are structural changes in international relations, which the French and German sides have reacted to differently. Paris is looking for new ways of preserving its autonomy in defence policy and of filling the strategic vacuum that has been created by the waning US interest in Europe and its periphery. Berlin emphasises the development of NATO and the EU as fundamental organisations for German foreign policy.

The paper explores six case studies in which Germany was an­noyed by its partner's policy under President Macron: France's attitude in Libya; France's reshaped policy on Russia; its confrontational relations with Turkey; its criticism of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO); its questioning of Franco-German proposals for developing the European Union's (EU) Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP); and its overt dis­paragement of Germany's policy within the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 11:57:51 AM EST
The crisis of American power: How Europeans see Biden's America | ECFR - Jan. 19, 2021 |

  • Europeans' attitudes towards the United States have undergone a massive change. Majorities in key member states now think the US political system is broken, and that Europe cannot just rely on the US to defend it.
  • They evaluate the EU and/or their own countries' systems much more positively than that of the US - and look to Berlin rather than Washington as the most important partner.

Many Europeans believe in Biden's promise to re-engage internationally but - after witnessing America's response to Covid-19 and domestic polarisation - most doubt Washington's capacity to shape the world.

These divisions run through European countries rather than between them. Rather than splitting Europe into its `new' and `old' parts as in 2003, we can identify four new tribes based on their views of power in the twenty-first century.

Brexit added fuel to the fire of mistrust, but in certain ways the English managed to unite Europeans of the EU-27.

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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 11:59:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 12:00:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 12:29:09 PM EST
A bit of long Covid? Troubling ...

Ian Bremmer?

Trump - I'm Not A Crook

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 01:03:40 PM EST
During Yeltsin Era, UK and US Stripped Assets Off Russia | July 15, 2017 |

Exiled Russian billionaires profited from the Yeltsin era and are living the "Western Dream" in luxury in London and New York.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 01:04:25 PM EST


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 01:21:17 PM EST
Knows how to put countries people at ease ...



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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 03:56:29 PM EST
Hardliners @NATO and US Congress ... we don't compromise on expansion 🤡



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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 03:58:39 PM EST

Dutch not leading, but promising to share burden.

Military support to NATO - a overview

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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 04:01:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
NATO considering new battlegroups in eastern Europe as `signal' of uncompromising tough stance

Response to Russia was a non-starter ... and Stoltenberg knows it ... bullshitter in press conference.



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by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 05:07:39 PM EST
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 at 05:08:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

`Lasting security' in Europe can only be achieved with Russian help, Scholz says | France24 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 10:21:42 AM EST
Oh, there's still good chance the Azovians and Right Sector, seeing the painting on the wall with Kyiv and the "West" turning towards implementing Minsk accords and having loads of brand new weapons feel the last chance to aggressively return the Donbass under theirgovernment control being right about now.

They seem to be the kind of people who need to cause immense misery and be totally beaten by "untermench" before they see the err in their ways.

by pelgus on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 10:39:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
A diplomatic victory for Olaf Scholz

Scholz, and with him his partners in NATO and the European Union, do not want to allow Europe to be divided into "spheres of influence" as it was during the Cold War. Europe's efforts to prevent that from happening currently most benefit Ukraine, which oligarchs have long divided up among themselves into spheres of influence. Some 30 oligarchs and their clans chose to fly out of Ukraine on Sunday on chartered flights - only highlighting that Ukraine needs some saving from its own corruption as it does from Russia. Ukraine's stability will also depend on the EU pushing internal reforms.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says Kiev would not expect military help as it is not in NATO | National News - Dec. 18, 2021 |

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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 12:04:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 10:22:54 AM EST
Keynote speech
by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

And we should never accept that when independent sovereign nations make independent and sovereign decisions that that's a provocation against anyone else. If we accept that, we actually accept the old idea of spheres of influence, that big countries have the right to decide what other neighbours, smaller nations, can do. And I say that also very much as a Norwegian, because if anyone back in 1949 have asked Joseph Stalin whether he liked or disliked that Norway joined NATO, of course he would have said, `I disliked it.' Actually he didn't. Only this, as he actually . . . the Soviet Union was of the clear opinion that they didn't like a neighbour, as Norway, to join the Alliance. But it is a fundamental right of every nation to decide its own path and NATO enlargement has been a great demonstration of that sovereign right to decide your own path.

Therefore NATO respect the right of every sovereign nation to decide their own destiny without force and without interference, whether they decide to join NATO, or they decide to not join NATO. We believe in a world without spheres of influence. Coming from a small country like Norway, as I just said, this is a fundamental and important principle. In 1989, that was the year when Europe was utterly transformed. It was the most striking change in Euro-Atlantic . . . in the Euro-Atlantic area in our generation: with Communism losing its grip and the ideals of democracy and free market economy taking hold; with nuclear disarmament promising to end a costly and dangerous arms race; and cooperation replacing confrontation. Change came through peaceful protests, through popular movements and through the bravery of countless men and women.



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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 12:04:53 PM EST
I guess when you decide to actively submit to become part of someone's sphere of influence and then pretend decades that the sphere doesn't really exist, you start believing it and talk like that.
by pelgus on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 01:10:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
How Ping-Pong Diplomacy Thawed the Cold War

The two superpowers had met on the battlefield during the Korean War, but no official American delegation had set foot in the People's Republic in over 20 years. By 1971, however, both nations were looking to open a dialogue with one another. China's alliance with the Soviet Union had soured and produced a series of bloody border clashes, and Chairman Mao believed ties with the Americans might serve as a deterrent against the Russians. U.S. President Richard Nixon, meanwhile, had made opening China a top priority of his administration. In 1967, he had written, "We simply cannot afford to leave China forever outside the family of nations."

To get to know the Soviet Union ... Richard Nixon travels through the country

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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 12:05:40 PM EST
Series of Kitchen Debates - Nikita Khrushchev and VP Richard Nixon (1959)

In 1959, the Soviets and Americans agreed to hold exhibits in each other's countries as a cultural exchange to promote understanding. This was a result of the 1958 U.S.-Soviet Cultural Agreement. The Soviet exhibit in New York City opened in June 1959, and Vice President Nixon was on hand the following month to open the US exhibit in Moscow. Nixon took Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev on a tour of the exhibit. There were multiple displays and consumer goods provided by more than 450 American companies. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a geodesic dome which housed scientific and technical experiments in a 30,000 square-foot facility. The Soviets purchased the dome at the end of the Moscow exhibition.

William Safire was the exhibitor's press agent, and he recounted that the Kitchen Debate took place in a number of locations at the exhibition, but primarily in the kitchen of a suburban model house which was cut in half for easy viewing. This was only one of a series of four meetings that occurred between Nixon and Khrushchev during the 1959 exhibition. Nixon was accompanied by President Eisenhower's younger brother Milton S. Eisenhower, former president of Johns Hopkins University.



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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 12:06:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Did former U.S. President Richard Nixon really live in the USSR as a child?

According to the author of the book `Nixon: A Life', Jonathan Aitken, compared to his other overseas trips, Nixon's journey to the Soviet Union as Vice President in 1959 was the one that made the most impact on his strategic thinking. Officially, the trip aimed "to give the U.S. senior representation at the first-ever American trade exhibition to be held in Moscow". There were "low expectations for the mission so far as issues of substance were concerned", but Nixon himself apparently thought differently, spending six months preparing for the trip, taking Russian lessons, meeting experts, and studying relevant literature.

John A. Farrell, the author of another biography, `Richard Nixon: The Life', claims he was briefed on 132 topics, yet quoting the future president as saying that "all the briefings in the world could not have prepared me for Khrushchev's unexpected, unpredictable conduct."

...
Following his arrival in Moscow, and the famous "Kitchen Debate", where he "clashed" with the Soviet leader, Nixon then visited Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Novosibirsk, and the Ural industrial locations of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) and Degtyarsk. Accompanied by his wife Patricia and Milton S. Eisenhower (the President's brother), Nixon visited the Uralmash heavy machine production plant, Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant, the border of Europe and Asia and the Degtyarskiy copper mine.



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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 12:06:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Latin America: The United States sphere of influence

Ronald Reagan Made Central America a Killing Field

A long history of the United States that keeps repeating ... Afghanistan-Iraq-Libya-Syris-Yemen.

Parainstitutional Violence in Latin America

Mercenaries have a long history of abuse, rape, war crimes, humanitarian crisis in war zones: Belgian Congo - Dutch Indonesia - Cuban forces Angola - Cambodia - Blackwater - UAE hired mercenaries - Saudi jihadists - Russian Wagner Groups - and so on.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 12:08:10 PM EST
France and EU to withdraw troops from Mali, remain in region
President Emmanuel Macron accused Mali's authorities of neglecting the fight against Islamic extremists and said it was logical for France to withdraw.

"Victory against terror is not possible if it's not supported by the state itself," the French leader told a press conference with European Union and African Union officials.

What is a Medaro Mining ad doing in an article about "predators" in Sahel?
Goldman Sachs: "Lithium Is the New Gasoline"
And now we see another trillion-dollar industry trend in the clean energy revolution... it has the potential to do to the 21st century what computers or the internet did to the 20th. And a company that we think could aspire to be a part of such a transformative trend like what Microsoft did to computers... or Amazon did to the internet, even if only on a much smaller scale. [...] The company that, we believe, could develop the technology to potentially become a future clean energy conglomerate is Medaro Mining (OTC:MEDAF, CSE:MEDA).
Malian politicians and international experts worry the French pull-out will result in a security vacuum that will embolden jihadi groups to increase their power.

But Malian army spokesman Col. Major Souleymane Dembélé said that despite the presence of French and European forces in Mali [since 2013], the country continues to be plagued by jihadists who have encroached in many areas.

"What have they given us?" he asked during a press conference. "Mali is not alone and will not remain alone. France and European countries can leave. ... Let's give it time and you will see what will happen."

by Cat on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 09:21:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So America destroys the European economic trade between the EU-27 and Russia ... to whose benefit and deficit?

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 12:09:04 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 03:54:50 PM EST
Not part of NATO ...

British instructors train Ukrainian military to operate NLAW anti-tank systems | UkrInform - Jan. 25, 2022 |

The training started at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy in Lviv region on Tuesday, January 25, the director of the academy, Pavlo Tkachuk, announced on  Facebook.

"I personally attended the first lesson and talked to the instructors of the UK's training mission in Ukraine, Operation ORBITAL, who train our soldiers. I got acquainted with the tactical and technical characteristics and peculiarities of the use of these latest weapons. Very soon, the first several dozen service members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to effectively use these anti-tank missile systems and train other Ukrainian soldiers," Tkachuk wrote.

The Order of Battle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

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by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 03:55:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Di Maio a Kiev per una soluzione diplomatica: "Unica via da percorrere è quella che porta alla pace" | RAI News |

Italy ready to help settle Ukraine crisis, says top diplomat | Tass |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 10:33:13 PM EST
French MSM have been twisting the story of the civilians evacuation as concerning UKRANIAN civilians fleeing from "Russian-ruled" territories.
As to the CJEU, who cares about its decisions? I've heard an interview with an EU MP who was saying that she hoped the penalties will be implemented, because as for now, a year after expensive fines, nothing has moved because the EC blocks it.
The MSM will move on to a new episode ('a war at the doors of Europe') and we'll be talking about Hungary and Poland's infringements in a year from now. Actually the extreme-right must have been co-opted in welcoming Eastern EU migrants instead of the "bad, bad" dark guys.
by Tom2 on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 05:17:03 PM EST
Fortunately, for cash-strapped Poland
US State Department gives preliminary approval to $6 billion tanks sale to Poland
jobs saved or created!

archived the 'glue' which binds subsidarity, 2019

by Cat on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 07:39:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 07:20:30 PM EST
One may argue that for once the MSM were 'honest'. By making interviews of people near the frontline and asking them why they were not storing food for the coming war 2 weeks ago, then asking people in Kyev if they had a bag prepared in case they needed to flee, then planting a 24/7 camera on the main square, they sort of leaked that they had good tips. Knowing the incestuous relations between politics and journalism nowadays, one should take it into account the next time. Sholz was held a hero by the pacifists until he got a phone call from Biden (2 days ago). Macron's gesticulations were just meant as cheap PR for his re-election and to establish his new leading role in the post-Merkel era.
by Tom2 on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 07:27:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 08:27:51 PM EST


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by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 08:31:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The head of the Ministry of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, took part in the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

When asked about information about Russia's violations of the ceasefire in Donbas, Blaszczak said that "they are disturbing, as are the entire Russian attitude". He added that the unfulfilled declarations on de-escalation "this is the Kremlin's policy of breaking contracts."

...
On Thursday, at the "Foksal" Press Center, a meeting on the national security of Poland was held with the participation of the head of the Civic Platform, Donald Tusk, as well as former presidents Aleksander Kwasniewski and Bronisław Komorowski, former heads of the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and generals.

The talks were moderated by the leader of the Civic Platform. When asked about this event, Błaszczak said:

"God, thank you that they were 'former' presidents and 'former' ministers, because I would like to remind you that 2011 was a bad year for the Polish army. The First Warsaw Mechanized Division was liquidated at that time. Tadeusz Kościuszko, the regiment in Suwałki, the brigade in Lublin and the battalion in Siedlce were liquidated," - said the minister.



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by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 08:40:59 PM EST
Technically those can't be Russia's violation of the ceasefire, since Russia is not a participant in the ceasefire agreement.

I'm sure the journalist in presence corrected both the inquirer and the minister. Oh, wait, never mind...

I guess it's time for those sanctions from hell if Russia has finally invaded, then.

by pelgus on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 08:51:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

US-NATO escalate war threats against Russia: Are you ready for World War III?

The conflict that Washington is provoking Russia into over Ukraine threatens the world with an immense catastrophe. Driven by an unsolvable internal crisis and predatory geopolitical ambitions, US imperialism is heading ruthlessly towards the Third World War.

The crisis in Ukraine was started by the United States and its NATO allies on the basis of lies. The Biden administration condemns Russia for relocating troops within its own borders. The claim of Russia's impending invasion of Ukraine is repeated endlessly by the White House and unchallenged by the media.

This is hysterical war propaganda. Russia has never threatened to invade Ukraine. Moscow, however, says it cannot tolerate Ukraine becoming part of NATO.



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by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 08:43:09 PM EST

Any EU sanctions on Russia should not hit energy: Italian PM Draghi

Any eventual sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union should not include energy imports, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has said.

Draghi told reporters that the EU was studying various sanctions options if Russia pushes forward with a feared invasion of Ukraine.

Although Draghi said it was important to avoid sanctions on the energy sector, he added that the government was looking into other possible gas supplies should imports from Russia be hit due to any conflict.



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 09:56:58 PM EST
Failing into line ... a nasty man going for own glory, lack of courage and morals.

Former NATO Leaders to Trump: Don't Make Bad Deals with Putin | Atlantic Council - Nov. 16, 2016 |

US President-elect Donald Trump must not strike any deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin that turn Ukraine into a "bargaining chip," and must send a clear signal of commitment to the security of the United States' NATO allies.

Describing Putin as "a zero-sum player" and Trump as a would-be "transactional president," he said a deal between the two could very well come at the cost of the security of Ukraine and the Baltic States. "That is why NATO and, by the way, also the European Union, should take a very clear and strong position in this regard: that a transactional president does not get into this sort of agreement with a zero-sum player," De Hoop Scheffer said.

Scheffer and Rasmussen spoke in a conference call hosted by the Atlantic Council on November 15. They were joined on the call by Javier Solana, who served as NATO secretary general from 1995 to 1999. Susan Glasser, editor of Politico, moderated the discussion and Damon Wilson, executive vice president for programs and strategy at the Atlantic Council, introduced the speakers.

In an earlier interview with the New Atlanticist, Wilson described Russia as a wild card. "Key is that any deals made with Russia advance American interests and values, and do not sacrifice our friends, allies, and partners in the process," he said.



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 10:49:21 PM EST
As Secretary General ...

NATO Ministers Seek To Keep Door Open To Ukraine, Georgia | RFERL - Feb. 20, 2009 |

In the face of Russian opposition to membership for Kyiv and Tbilisi, NATO so far has held back on offering the two countries formal invitations to join the alliance.

Moscow sees NATO's eastward expansion as an encroachment in what it considers its historic sphere of influence.

However, NATO has offered to increase military and political cooperation to help both Kyiv and Tbilisi achieve their goal of eventual membership.

De Hoop Scheffer noted that Russia and NATO continue to be at odds over issues linked to the war between Georgia and Russia. But de Hoop Scheffer says those differences will not stop NATO from continuing to meet with Russian officials under the auspices of the NATO-Russia Council.

Jaap De Hoop Scheffer: "The West should respect the red lines of Russia" (Op-Ed Dec. 2017)

Related reading ...

Would Ukraine Breach its own Constitution if it Dropped its NATO Bid?

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 10:51:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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by Oui (Oui) on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 10:52:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
New file discovery from 1991 supports Russian accusation
Unfortunately behind a paywall, but Izvestiya says it's about a meeting between foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France and Germany on 6 March 1991, where they discuss about not being able to offer NATO membership to Poland because they promised not to expand beyond Elbe.

Probably will be drowned by all the noise from the invasion that's about to happen 13th16th20th of February.

by pelgus on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 11:16:55 PM EST
From Der Spiegel ...

Many politicians, military officials and journalists in the West see it like Stoltenberg. (...)

And yet the version of Stoltenberg and others is questionable. This is documented by a note from the British National Archives. The US political scientist Joshua Shifrinson discovered the document, which was originally classified as "secret". It is about a meeting of the political directors of the US, UK, French and German State Departments in Bonn on March 6, 1991."

Today's release ...

Document confirms US told Russia NATO won't expand | RT |

What I could find ...

Declassified documents show security assurances against NATO expansion to Soviet leaders from Baker, Bush, Genscher, Kohl, Gates, Mitterrand, Thatcher, Hurd, Major, and Woerner --
Slavic Studies Panel Addresses "Who Promised What to Whom on NATO Expansion?"

Pretty thorough analysis ...

Deal or No Deal? The End of the Cold War and the U.S. Offer to Limit NATO Expansion
By Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson

and my recent post ...

After the Berlin Wall: Europe's Struggle to Overcome Its Divisions | CFR - Jan. 6, 2022 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 12:03:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
On many issues a progressive blogger ... is American pledge of allegiance so dominant that it blinds the fact that imperialism has isolated many countries and it is forced upon Russia from the NATO bombing of Serbia and false flag operation in Kosovo. The aftermath of 9/11 attacks and the Afghan invasion changed NATO and the role of America in the world.



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by Oui (Oui) on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 09:16:06 AM EST


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 09:26:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Neither Poland or Finland were ever Soviet Republics.

Maybe check facts or gain even basic understanding of issues one is commenting.

As far as Finland goes, Russia is much more of a lost opportunity than a threat. Lost mainly because of ridiculous sanctions hurting and dividing Europe on behest of -- US (that's not what allies do).

by pelgus on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 02:07:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 09:27:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The question no journalist in France/Europe wants to ask: is Zemmour success related to his statements about leaving NATO? (google it: "Zemmour" "OTAN").
One could imagine that in the last two weeks this would have been mentioned, since he is so high in the polls and has managed to still a good number of high personalities from the inner circle of Marine Le Pen.
by Tom2 on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 11:38:00 AM EST
The 2017 French presidential election - opinion polls

Eric Zemmour, the French TV star who is stealing Marine Le Pen's thunder | Politico - June 4, 2021 |

Zemmour, a journalist-turned-celebrity pundit, has been convicted several times for inciting hate speech and is seen by many as responsible for sexist and racist rhetoric leaking into the mainstream. And yet even his political opponents admit his meteoric rise on French television shows that he is tapping into the declinist zeitgeist in France.

His diatribes are deemed so inflammatory that his daily shows are now pre-recorded and checked before going to air. This week, for instance, Zemmour compared puberty-blocking treatments prescribed for trans children to Nazi medical experiments.

Allegations of sexual misconduct against him have further heightened an already polarized debate about his influence.

The threat of a Zemmour presidential bid is taken so seriously that Le Pen has called on her own father, Jean-Marie, whom she excluded from the party, for help in fighting him.

French opposition reopens NATO exit debate after AUKUS submarine row | EurActiv - Sept. 27, 2021 |

French presidential election: Le Pen, Pécresse suffer defection to rivals Zemmour and Macron | France24 |

Related reading ...

Présidentielle 2022 : comment les candidats se positionnent sur la crise Ukrainienne

Latest ...

Zemmour rattrape Le Pen et Pécresse, Mélenchon en dynamique... le bilan hebdo de notre sondage Présidentielle 2022

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 02:03:54 PM EST
Reflecting on their bad karma, the EUrocrats in their wisdom decided not to repeat the same mistake as in Syria and this time to arm to the teeth the "endangered opposition" represented by the Ukrainian extreme-right.
(lifted from MoA's comments quoting, of all sources, UK's Sun: "Ukraine's special operations force has unveiled a fleet of indigenous "Punisher" stealth attack drones. The catapult-launched electric vehicle carries three powerful munitions capable of damaging military vehicles within a radius of 50 meters (164 feet). At 2.28 meters (7.5 feet) wide, the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly up to 30 miles (48.2 kilometers) at a maximum altitude of 396 meters (1,300 feet) controlled by a ground pilot with a laptop computer, The Sun reported.The aircraft has a maximum speed of 125 miles (201 kilometers) per hour and releases its explosive immediately after it locks on target. The British daily added that the munition can be preset to either burst into shrapnel or a ball of fire.
The Punisher flies alongside a smaller reconnaissance drone, the Spectre, which helps it identify targets.
"This weapon's power is its stealth capability," Engineer Eugene Bulatsev told The Sun.
According to the manufacturer, the drone has been deployed against the country's pro-Russian rebels since 2016, executing "hundreds" of successful missions.
"It has been causing havoc behind pro-Russian lines on Donbas for years because the enemy has no idea what has hit them.
"It's relatively small and light enough to be undetectable to radar and you can't see or hear it once it's airborne which makes it a nightmare on the battlefield.
"What's more, it can drop three bombs at a time or hit three separate targets then return to base to be reloaded and sent back into battle within minutes."
by Tom2 on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 04:24:33 PM EST


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sun Feb 20th, 2022 at 02:37:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"tactical observations" culled from a single twitter source invites contradictory interpretation of Russian and NATO mission objectives to date--UA pacification and UA border integrity, respectively. Mainly, if these maps faithfully represent progress beyond "red lines", anglophone press is sorely uninformed about RU advances to foreclose frivolous demands from Zelensky by the time he sat at the table.

RU press toward the Dnieper--which some alt-media immediately predicted be the true bulwark of Operation --seems now an obvious frontier from which to withdraw to the two, new UA republics if NATO encourages a federal state in UA.

by Cat on Mon Feb 28th, 2022 at 06:46:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I gather from euractiv and Al Jazeera talking points that nothing pertaining to ceasefire occurred Day 1, RU-UA Summit, Belarus. In sum, all the political action is happening everywhere but Ukraine. However, AJ's rough map appears to confirm MoA's insider.

And EU dusted off eurobonds, which seems to support Scholz's revolutionary aim to resume arms dealing: "EU agrees to finance arms delivery to Ukraine"

by Cat on Mon Feb 28th, 2022 at 08:34:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Drones may well be the key to the relative failure of the Russian campaign in Ukraine.
I wonder if you know the meaning of the word "indigenous", Tomtom : this is the Ukrainian drone.

The Turkish ones are even meaner, it seems they did for the Chechen column, and may have rendered tank warfare obsolete.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Mon Feb 28th, 2022 at 08:03:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sun Feb 20th, 2022 at 09:49:08 PM EST


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Sun Feb 20th, 2022 at 09:49:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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