Gareth Evans’ review of Australia’s strategic relationship with the United States (“Why Australia can’t rely on the US to save it from China,” 12 December) provides a timely wake-up call on the dangers of Australia sleepwalking into what would be a catastrophic conflict with China.

 

Australia sleepwalking into catastrophic conflict with China    By Jon Stanford

 

Josep Borrell, the top* diplomat of the European Union, has emphasized the potentially severe consequences for the EU if it fails to address the Russia-Ukraine conflict and resolve the ongoing Middle East crisis.

At a geopolitical summit organized by Le Grand Continent journal on Wednesday, Borrell highlighted the urgency of the Israel-Hamas conflict but deemed the Moscow-Kiev hostilities as “the most important existential threat that we are facing.”

Describing Russia as an “imperialist”and “colonial power, which is in search of its identity,” Borrell warned that the actions against Kiev pose a significant threat not only to Ukraine but also to Europe as a whole.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Washington has a clear strategy for the future of Ukraine but warned that financial support is wearing thin as an aid package stalls in Congress.

Speaking at his end-of-year press conference at the State Department on Wednesday, Blinken said that 2023 has been “a year of profound tests” as Washington attempts to navigate a series of global challenges in Ukraine, Gaza, and elsewhere.

But as signs grow, particularly among Republicans, that US enthusiasm to continue to support Ukraine in its near two-year conflict with Russia is waning, Blinken said to reporters that Washington has a concerted strategy for the future of the country.

There comes a time in a man’s life when your barber will pause for a moment after the traditional short back and sides is done. There will be a brief, meaningful silence.

Perhaps your barber will snip his scissors in the air a few times. But he won’t offer. You have to ask for it. You have to understand what has happened to you. You have to front up to the truth.

Your eyebrows? They need trimming. They are no longer content with being confined. You thought you had a lifetime of reliable face punctuation? You were wrong. They want out.

When this happens to you, you will find it confronting. You know full well what will happen if it’s left unchecked. The furry caterpillars will grow, gathering force, until they become bushy. Nothing stops them there either. They can keep going until you hit full John Howard. And you never want to go full John Howard.

For most of the post-WW2 period, Washington’s strength rested on its ability to convince other nations that it was in their vital interests to see the United States prevail in its role as the global leader.

 

America: a rogue state in the twilight of imperial age     By Scott Burchill

 

On 4 April 2023, Finland’s Blue Cross Flag was hoisted at NATO Headquarters, marking the nation’s entry into the Alliance. Finland’s formal accession to NATO was the culmination of an 11-month membership path that was triggered following Russia’s unprovoked• war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.

 

BY Dr Matti Pesu (on behalf of NATO)

 

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As the Israel/Gaza crisis continues unabated, eliciting massive protests around the world, US media offer a strikingly narrow debate. On the Sunday political news shows, which are both agenda-setting and reflect what corporate media view as the most important perspectives on the most important stories, the guests invited to speak on Gaza skew strongly toward US politicians—especially those with strong financial influence by the military industrial complex and pro-Israel advocates. The resulting conversations leave little room for dissent from a pro-war stance.

 

BY JULIE HOLLAR

 

Russia will again be absent from the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos early next year, Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergey Garmonin has confirmed.

The high-profile gathering of international business and political figures is scheduled to take place at the Swiss Alpine resort between January 15 and 19.

“Russia will not be represented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, since the organizers didn’t send invitations to the Russians last year and this year,” Garmonin told TASS news agency on Tuesday.

Russia skipped Davos 2023 after the organizers said its participation at the event would be“unwelcome” due to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. According to the WEF, its relations with Russian firms sanctioned due to conflict were frozen.

IT IS APPARENT — EXCEPT TO blind decrepit Biden and his mob of deluded supporters — that his regime is a full derivative of fascism. If this was not the case, he would not support the NAZI regime in Kiev, nor the Nazi regime in ISRAEL. And he would let Julian Assange FREE.

As well, the BIDEN administration secret crackdown on FREE SPEECH has pushed some organisation like Consortium News to sue the ADMINISTRATION for using a web of “independent companies” to vilify and shut down FREE SPEECH. WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO Twitter before it became X, to Facebook/YouTube and to the WEB all exposed by US SENATE inquiries. 

Iceland has called for Israel to be disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest next year amid the Jewish state’s war with Hamas terrorists. 

The Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland (FTT), which represents artists in the country, told its members in a statement that Iceland should not participate in the show unless Israel is removed.

In an official statement on their Facebook page, the board announced that they had formally requested the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) to refrain from participating. 

 

Zuesse: NATO’s having won Finland as a member is the worst blow to Russia’s national security in decades, and it wouldn’t have happened if Putin had played his cards right. This fact will be explained here:

No one is perfect; and, as I’ve explained elsewhere (such as here) I believe that Putin’s track-record during his now nearly 23 years of being the leader of Russia is vastly superior to that of any leader of any U.S.-and-allied country during any portion of that 23-year period. However, I shall explain here why I believe that Putin’s public-relations errors regarding his handling of Ukraine constitute a major flaw in his leadership-record and produced Finland’s becoming a NATO member — and potentially the most dangerous one to Russia in all of Europe.

         PREFACE

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv on Monday and vowed continued US military support for the Israeli onslaught on Gaza despite the massive civilian casualty rate.

In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Austin said the US “commitment to Israel is unshakeable,” according to The Times of Israel. “America’s commitment to Israel is unwavering, and no individual group or state should test our resolve,” he said.

Austin vowed the US would continue to provide Israel with “the equipment that you need to defend your country,” referring to bombs and other military aid the US has been shipping to Israel since October 7 on a near-daily basis.

RIP Refaat in Gaza

Sad news:

Muhammad Shehada @muhammadshehad2 - 19:52 UTC · Dec 7, 2023

Israel killed Prof. Refaat al-Areer, one of Gaza's most prominent writers, poets & activists who spent his life trying to get Gaza's voice to the outside world.

He was killed in a targeted airstrike on his sister's home that also killed his brother, sister & her 4 kids...

Refaat's pinned tweet:

Refaat in Gaza @itranslate123 - 13:01 UTC · Nov 1, 2023

If I must die, let it be a tale.

#FreePalestine
#Gaza

 

Refaat's last tweet:

Forcibly conscripted Ukrainians are performing poorly on the battlefield, Kiev’s military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, has admitted. He warned, however, that the country’s harsh recruitment drive must continue, and that no one will be able to “escape mobilization.” 

The spymaster made the remarks during a panel discussion titled ‘2024: Challenges and Prospects’, excerpts from which were circulated by local media on Sunday. Budanov backed the idea of continuing forced conscription into the country’s military, claiming it was the only way to maintain numbers.

“It is impossible to escape mobilization,” he stated. “There are currently 1.1 million people in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. No recruiting can cover such volumes.”