The noble rhetoric of American leaders about development, prosperity, freedom, liberty, safety and security is informed by their lust for land, markets and security. The US diplomacy is meant only to control the economic resources of other nations. To this end, it offers loans through international financial institutions. The World Bank and the International Monetary […]
NATO
An icy Moscow visit
For the handful of Americans attending this year’s Moscow International Security Conference (MISC), unsurprisingly, the Kremlin’s attitude towards Washington and, of course, NATO was icy, confrontational and accusatory. Russian participants made abundantly clear to the 700 or so participants from some fifty-five states the major dangers to international security: the U.S. and NATO. The U.S […]
Trump to hold White House talks with Slovak prime minister on May 3
US President Donald Trump will discuss security cooperation and other issues with Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini in Washington on May 3, the White House said on Friday. It said “recent, positive gains in bilateral security cooperation as well as our shared concerns on cyber threats and the importance of energy security” would be discussed […]
Which way will Turkey go?
The Treaty of Lausanne is due to expire in 2023. This has triggered a debate on how Turkey sees the opportunity and how it would choose to act. Will it seek to resurrect the Ottoman Empire or something resembling it in Europe? Will the geopolitical maps be redrawn? Will Turkey project hard power leading to […]
Spring time in Moscow
Moscow: Given the chilly if not frozen relations between America and Russia these days, the annual Moscow International Security Conference (MISC) is a good place to take stock of where, how or if a thaw is even remotely possible. With the decisions to withdraw from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF); New START in jeopardy; […]
Mueller probe over, but little chance for US-Russia reconciliation
A long-awaited US probe on Russian election meddling has divided Washington but on one point virtually all US policymakers are clear — there will be no reconciliation with Moscow. The 400-page document by Special Counsel Robert Mueller laid out Russia’s persistent efforts to tilt the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, although it did not […]
Kosovo starts work on museum to commemorate expulsions
A train that was used to ferry thousands of Albanians out of Kosovo during the 1999 NATO bombing will be made into a museum at the border crossing to remember Kosovo’s biggest exodus. Kosovo said some 440,000 ethnic Albanians were expelled by the Serb army and police officers into what is now known as North […]
UN chief calls for immediate halt to Libya fighting
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday strongly condemned the military escalation near Tripoli and called for an immediate halt to the fighting in Libya. The appeal followed an air attack by the forces of commander Khalifa Haftar on the Mitiga airport east of the capital. Guterres “urges the immediate halt of all military operations in […]
Three daggers
Three political daggers are aimed at America’s democracy and security. Whether these are stilettos- thin, stealthy and precise- or nearly foot long Bowie knives to hack, cut and maim makes little difference. The ultimate effect could be deadly. The first dagger threatens truthfulness; the second the constitution; and the third the nation’s most important alliance. […]
Escalating Libya conflict prompts international alarm
The conflict shaking Libya escalated Sunday as forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an air strike on a suburb of Tripoli and the UN-backed government vowed a major counteroffensive. The United Nations called for an urgent two-hour truce to allow evacuations of civilians and the wounded, while the unity government said the fighting had so […]