Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Brad
@usafshortwave
2m2 minutes ago
Brad Retweeted Ryan Browne
Oh?
Brad added,
@usafshortwave
2m2 minutes ago
Brad Retweeted Ryan Browne
Oh?
Brad added,
WAR 06-09-2018-to-06-15-2018___****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
ELINT News
@ELINTNews
9m9 minutes ago
#BREAKING: UAE Naval vessel struck by Houthi missiles off the coast of Yemen and is now on fire after missiles impacted it and exploded, heavy damage
ELINT News
@ELINTNews
35s36 seconds ago
#UPDATE: Local sources report emergency craft carrying dead off the boat, reports coming in that the UAE naval vessel has now sank, attack occured in the last 24 hours
^^^^ has to be the same one I posted earlier on post #30
@ELINTNews
9m9 minutes ago
#BREAKING: UAE Naval vessel struck by Houthi missiles off the coast of Yemen and is now on fire after missiles impacted it and exploded, heavy damage
ELINT News
@ELINTNews
35s36 seconds ago
#UPDATE: Local sources report emergency craft carrying dead off the boat, reports coming in that the UAE naval vessel has now sank, attack occured in the last 24 hours
^^^^ has to be the same one I posted earlier on post #30
Last edited:
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Global: MilitaryInfo
@Global_Mil_Info
5m5 minutes ago
#BREAKING: South and North Korea are set to hold their first high-level military talks in more than 10 years to discuss ways to ease cross-border tension. It will begin in a few hours - @YonhapNews
@Global_Mil_Info
5m5 minutes ago
#BREAKING: South and North Korea are set to hold their first high-level military talks in more than 10 years to discuss ways to ease cross-border tension. It will begin in a few hours - @YonhapNews
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
See http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...ter.-Yemen-proves-this.&p=6909738#post6909738 for discussion of Yemen, at USNI Blog (USNaval Information (Intel) )Blog
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
CivMilAir
✈
@CivMilAir
16m16 minutes ago
Cobra Ball - Ballistic Missile detection platform inbound Yokota AB, Japan
���� US Air Force
RC135S 61-2662 TORA88
Intel Doge
@IntelDoge
10m10 minutes ago
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled on the Cobra Ball airborne over Japan currently. It's just interesting timing and a location for the plane considering it's purpose. Also, just to add to concern, this article was posted about a year ago. https://theaviationist.com/2017/07/...take-place-look-for-this-u-s-aircraft-online/ …
✈
@CivMilAir
16m16 minutes ago
Cobra Ball - Ballistic Missile detection platform inbound Yokota AB, Japan
���� US Air Force
RC135S 61-2662 TORA88
Intel Doge
@IntelDoge
10m10 minutes ago
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled on the Cobra Ball airborne over Japan currently. It's just interesting timing and a location for the plane considering it's purpose. Also, just to add to concern, this article was posted about a year ago. https://theaviationist.com/2017/07/...take-place-look-for-this-u-s-aircraft-online/ …
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Search Twitter
Conversation
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
News_Executive
News_Executive
@News_Executive
BREAKING: Houthi rebels in Yemen attack a military vessel od the UAE, the vessel then caught fire in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah, vessel still on fire, casualties unknown as of now.
6:47 PM · Jun 13, 2018
21
Conversation
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
News_Executive
News_Executive
@News_Executive
BREAKING: Houthi rebels in Yemen attack a military vessel od the UAE, the vessel then caught fire in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah, vessel still on fire, casualties unknown as of now.
6:47 PM · Jun 13, 2018
21
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
ShiaPulse
ShiaPulse
@ShiaPulse
Israeli Army chief of intelligence met today with foreign officials behind closed doors, presented a map showing the Iranian military bases across Syria
Matthew Levitt
@Levitt_Matt
Assad: No Iran Bases in Syria, Premature to Talk of Hizbullah Withdrawal (link: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/247303) naharnet.com/stories/en/247…
6:06 PM · Jun 13, 2018
ShiaPulse
ShiaPulse
@ShiaPulse
Israeli Army chief of intelligence met today with foreign officials behind closed doors, presented a map showing the Iranian military bases across Syria
Matthew Levitt
@Levitt_Matt
Assad: No Iran Bases in Syria, Premature to Talk of Hizbullah Withdrawal (link: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/247303) naharnet.com/stories/en/247…
6:06 PM · Jun 13, 2018
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
I posted an article and some other info on post #40 and #33 that connects some things together info and timing wise.
ETA: #32 makes things a bit interesting too
Last edited:
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
ELINT News
@ELINTNews
7m7 minutes ago
#UPDATE: First the RC-135S Cobra Ball Ballistic Missile Detection Platform plane went up near Japan, now the RC-135V River Joint SIGINT plane has just gone up near Japan... same path Via @AircraftSpots
ELINT News
@ELINTNews
4m4 minutes ago
Rivet****
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Intel Doge
@IntelDoge
6m6 minutes ago
Cobra Ball and Rivet Joint are both reportedly heading to Yokota, loading up surveillance aircraft in the area possibly.
Intel Doge
@IntelDoge
5m5 minutes ago
The Rivet Joint mission statement:
The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft supports theater and national level consumers with near real time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.
@IntelDoge
6m6 minutes ago
Cobra Ball and Rivet Joint are both reportedly heading to Yokota, loading up surveillance aircraft in the area possibly.
Intel Doge
@IntelDoge
5m5 minutes ago
The Rivet Joint mission statement:
The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft supports theater and national level consumers with near real time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Joe
@Jtruzmah
2h2 hours ago
An unknown group was able to hack the networks at various #Iran|ian airports. The monitors broadcasted messages against the regime and the involvement of the IRGC in #Lebanon, #Syria and #Gaza.
@Jtruzmah
2h2 hours ago
An unknown group was able to hack the networks at various #Iran|ian airports. The monitors broadcasted messages against the regime and the involvement of the IRGC in #Lebanon, #Syria and #Gaza.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/12/kims-nukes-and-the-giant-in-the-room/
Kim's nukes and the giant in the room
By Daniel Gallington - - Tuesday, June 12, 2018
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Assuming Kim Jong-un has — so far — agreed to “complete denuclearization,” whatever that means, in exchange for the suspension of U.S.ROK military exercises. Where do we go from here?
Well, get ready folks, because there is nothing quite like negotiating with an Asian country, whether friend or foe.
Because I’ve spent much of my career “doing” arms control and other national security-related negotiations — both bilateral and multilateral — I can offer some suggestions as to what we might expect next from Mr. Kim, et al.
I say, et al, because the giant in the room — whether we want it or not — is China.
First: The North Koreans will never “give” us their nuclear weapons and/or their means to deliver them.
Second: They may — if and as these discussions continue — suggest that they will transfer custody of their nukes to China, to hold in some kind of “escrow” arrangement.
Hence, China gets directly into the negotiations as a full partner, and making it a “two to one” game with all kinds of other equities involved.
Third: A dozen years ago, I actually suggested arms control discussions with China. The logic — and risks involved — with such negotiations remain much the same. Here are the core dynamics of dealing with China in national security matters:
• We should begin with the proposition that if we decided to negotiate arms control agreements with China we should assume the same degree and intensity of deception we got from the Soviets. China, like the Soviets, won’t want us knowing much about their military capabilities, especially their strengths or weaknesses.
• But, does this mean that arms control with China is a fundamentally bad idea for us? Maybe not. There are dramatic differences between our present relationship with China and our relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
• In fact, a whole different set of incentives drives the basic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China: They can be summed up in one word — trade. There never was an economic relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War because the Soviets never produced anything we or anybody else wanted to buy. Our “relationship” then with the Soviets was based solely on a military and political competition for superpower status and influence in Europe, and not at all on an economic symbiosis. Put simply: We didn’t sell 747s to Russia and we didn’t buy consumer goods from them.
• Contrasted with this, we have hundreds of billions of dollars of trade with the PRC: We are their biggest world market — by far — for the stuff they make. And they know it. In fact, it is the main reason we are so important to them: In short, they want and need our business, and we want and need theirs. It is, quite simply, the most important part of our relationship with China.
• This kind of relationship offers the best possibilities for “real” arms control, the kind that actually saves money and allows “market economies” a real choice between guns and butter. While the PRC economy still has deep elements of state control, especially in banking, the basic forces that drive it are supply, demand, costs and the profit motive.
• What other issues, could be part of a comprehensive arms control and national security dialogue between the U.S. and the PRC?
• Several come to mind, e.g., Taiwan and North Korea. And, there are other regional incentives that could serve as reasons for the PRC to behave differently on a whole range of issues that interest us, including their economic and monetary policies.
To this list I would add the militarization of the South China Sea as part of the mix — if such discussions actually got underway as a result of Mr. Kim’s proposal to “transfer” his nukes and missiles to China.
The main point here is that dealing with Mr. Kim in the context of his nukes and missiles is really a smaller part of a much larger puzzle that directly involves China, and there will be no way around this reality.
The Chinese lost a million men in the Korean War and they will be forever the main player in security matters in this region of the world, especially having to do with the Korean peninsula.
So, if we’re really serious about the “situation” in North Korea, we had better start looking at a much bigger picture for the “deal.”
• Daniel Gallington served through 11 rounds of bilateral negotiations in Geneva as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Nuclear and Space Talks with the former Soviet Union. He also negotiated with several Asian host countries in the context of military related relationships with the U.S.
• Editorial note: The bulleted material comes from https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-times-daily/20061112/281981783089657
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/12/kims-nukes-and-the-giant-in-the-room/
Kim's nukes and the giant in the room
By Daniel Gallington - - Tuesday, June 12, 2018
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Assuming Kim Jong-un has — so far — agreed to “complete denuclearization,” whatever that means, in exchange for the suspension of U.S.ROK military exercises. Where do we go from here?
Well, get ready folks, because there is nothing quite like negotiating with an Asian country, whether friend or foe.
Because I’ve spent much of my career “doing” arms control and other national security-related negotiations — both bilateral and multilateral — I can offer some suggestions as to what we might expect next from Mr. Kim, et al.
I say, et al, because the giant in the room — whether we want it or not — is China.
First: The North Koreans will never “give” us their nuclear weapons and/or their means to deliver them.
Second: They may — if and as these discussions continue — suggest that they will transfer custody of their nukes to China, to hold in some kind of “escrow” arrangement.
Hence, China gets directly into the negotiations as a full partner, and making it a “two to one” game with all kinds of other equities involved.
Third: A dozen years ago, I actually suggested arms control discussions with China. The logic — and risks involved — with such negotiations remain much the same. Here are the core dynamics of dealing with China in national security matters:
• We should begin with the proposition that if we decided to negotiate arms control agreements with China we should assume the same degree and intensity of deception we got from the Soviets. China, like the Soviets, won’t want us knowing much about their military capabilities, especially their strengths or weaknesses.
• But, does this mean that arms control with China is a fundamentally bad idea for us? Maybe not. There are dramatic differences between our present relationship with China and our relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
• In fact, a whole different set of incentives drives the basic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China: They can be summed up in one word — trade. There never was an economic relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War because the Soviets never produced anything we or anybody else wanted to buy. Our “relationship” then with the Soviets was based solely on a military and political competition for superpower status and influence in Europe, and not at all on an economic symbiosis. Put simply: We didn’t sell 747s to Russia and we didn’t buy consumer goods from them.
• Contrasted with this, we have hundreds of billions of dollars of trade with the PRC: We are their biggest world market — by far — for the stuff they make. And they know it. In fact, it is the main reason we are so important to them: In short, they want and need our business, and we want and need theirs. It is, quite simply, the most important part of our relationship with China.
• This kind of relationship offers the best possibilities for “real” arms control, the kind that actually saves money and allows “market economies” a real choice between guns and butter. While the PRC economy still has deep elements of state control, especially in banking, the basic forces that drive it are supply, demand, costs and the profit motive.
• What other issues, could be part of a comprehensive arms control and national security dialogue between the U.S. and the PRC?
• Several come to mind, e.g., Taiwan and North Korea. And, there are other regional incentives that could serve as reasons for the PRC to behave differently on a whole range of issues that interest us, including their economic and monetary policies.
To this list I would add the militarization of the South China Sea as part of the mix — if such discussions actually got underway as a result of Mr. Kim’s proposal to “transfer” his nukes and missiles to China.
The main point here is that dealing with Mr. Kim in the context of his nukes and missiles is really a smaller part of a much larger puzzle that directly involves China, and there will be no way around this reality.
The Chinese lost a million men in the Korean War and they will be forever the main player in security matters in this region of the world, especially having to do with the Korean peninsula.
So, if we’re really serious about the “situation” in North Korea, we had better start looking at a much bigger picture for the “deal.”
• Daniel Gallington served through 11 rounds of bilateral negotiations in Geneva as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Nuclear and Space Talks with the former Soviet Union. He also negotiated with several Asian host countries in the context of military related relationships with the U.S.
• Editorial note: The bulleted material comes from https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-times-daily/20061112/281981783089657
Hummm.....
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/analysis/future-gulf-cooperation-council
The Future of the Gulf Cooperation Council
JUNE 13, 2018 | DR. YOEL GUZANSKY
(Ed note: The Gulf Cooperation Council has been under significant strain for the past year, namely because of an ongoing rift between Qatar and its neighbors, seemingly nudging Qatar closer to Iran, as reported previously by The Cipher Brief. The GCC was established in 1981 to help safeguard against broader regional involvement in the Iran-Iraq war. This analysis was submitted by the INSS – the Institute for National Security Studies, associated with Tel Aviv University, and headed by Amos Yadlin, the former Chief of Intelligence for the IDF.)
By Yoel Guzansky and Ari Heistein
Claiming that Doha’s ties to Iran and support for terror endangered their national security interests, the “Arab Quartet” of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt have enforced a diplomatic, economic, and physical blockade of Qatar for over one year. The crisis has been the most serious for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – which includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar – since its establishment in 1981. In addition to affecting relations between specific Gulf States, the rift could also negatively impact the viability of the GCC and the U.S. ability to coordinate and execute regional policies.
The establishment of the GCC was the product of ambitions to improve the collective security of the Gulf States. Its founding was based on the common ground between the member states: dynastic monarchies as governing bodies, the Sunni identity of the ruling elite, and a shared Arab ethnicity. The Council’s aim, as declared by its founders, was “To effect coordination, integration and inter-connection between Member States in all fields in order to achieve unity between them.” Yet, to overcome the divergences between the states as well as the feeling of suspicion felt amongst them, they needed a unifying factor. The 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and the Iran-Iraq war that followed pushed the Gulf States together and provided the organizational glue required to build the project.
However, beyond several notable economic achievements, the GCC has remained divided on many important issues. In the eyes of its critics, the GCC serves as little more than a podium from which to broadcast a message of Arab unity. In fact, in a sense, its founding added to the many disagreements in the Gulf as the member states then proceeded to argue about the organization’s goals, structure, and function. The public displays of brotherhood and solidarity between the leaders of the GCC states distorted a reality of competing interests, mistrust, tribal rivalries, territorial disputes, and personal feuds.
At the same time, the Council was able to adapt itself to the changing regional contexts as well as the shifting policies of its members, while slowly advancing its goals. For example, on several occasions, the GCC served to mediate disputes between members. In addition to that, the “flexible” and slow-moving decision-making process allowed for some GCC members – like Oman and Qatar – to operate outside of the Council’s consensus and that likely contributed to extending the body’s lifespan. In reference to the many other attempts at creating organizations to promote Arab unity, including the short-lived United Arab Republic (1958-1961) and the Arab Maghreb Union that is paralyzed by disputes regarding the Western Sahara, the GCC was comparatively successful in promoting regional cooperation. Council institutions continue to function today undisturbed, promoting economic initiatives and joint energy projects, while gradually reducing the barriers to trade between the member states. In addition, the GCC serves as a framework for coordination on political matters and security matters.
Zooming out and looking at regional dynamics from Washington’s perspective, the GCC is a valuable tool for advancing its regional interests. In practice, the collective body is useful in orchestrating missile defense, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, and counter-terror efforts among U.S. allies in the region. Beyond that, by presenting a united front, the GCC as an organization helps to deter hostile actions from subversive actors like Iran.
Yet, the seeds for the decline in Saudi-Qatari relations were planted when Hamed bin Khalifa al-Thani took the reins from his father in 1995 and established the regime’s mouthpiece Al-Jazeera in 1996. Hamed’s desire to take a more active role in regional affairs translated into nurturing ties to Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which often oppose the status quo actors supported by the Saudis and Emiratis, leading them into a number of proxy wars throughout the region. In addition, the critical eye with which Al-Jazeera looks at its Gulf neighbors has become a bone of contention between Qatar and the other member states who consider the public critiques of their policies a form of interference in their domestic affairs.
Three years prior to the eruption of the latest crisis, Saudi Arabia and its partners took diplomatic steps, including downgrading their representation, to pressure Qatar to change its regional policies. Later that year, the crisis was resolved when the parties reached an agreement not to interfere in one another’s internal issues and not to harm each other’s interests, security, and stability.
But the resolution did not hold, and the 2017 crisis represents an unprecedented escalation and casts doubt on the feasibility of Gulf unity; apparently, this time the Arab Quartet even contemplated military action to promote regime change in Qatar. Shortly after launching the blockade, the Arab Quartet set out a list of 13 demands to be met by Qatar in order to end the crisis, and they include reducing its relations with Iran, closing Al-Jazeera, and shuttering the Turkish military base in Qatar.
Even without Iran’s efforts to create tension among U.S. allies, the friction between Gulf States on the Iranian issue make formulating a unified stance extremely difficult. While it is true that the Gulf States generally see Iran as a threat to their stability, they each maintain different policies with respect to the Islamic Republic based on their unique geographic and demographic circumstances. For example, Saudi Arabia has long been hostile to Iran for several reasons including internal considerations, while Qatar, Oman, and to a certain extent even Kuwait, preferred to maintain comparatively friendly ties to Tehran. Even the UAE, which has taken a hard line against Iran politically, has tens of billions of dollars of trade with that very same country every year.
With the Arab Quartet’s 13 demands unmet one year on, the Gulf crisis appears to have taken on inertia of its own and appears neither to be heading towards escalation nor resolution. If that is indeed the case, what may result is the worst of all worlds: a fragmented GCC complicating economic and security cooperation, Qatar continuing its activities in the region, and Doha possibly moving towards Turkey and possibly even Iran. As it turns out, trying to force the richest country in the world per capita to concede through economic warfare can make it quite difficult to build leverage and extract concessions as it means challenging Qatar in an arena in which it has a comparative advantage.
What is apparent thus far is that what happens in the Gulf does not stay there. The feuding GCC states have found arenas around the world in which to engage each other – including the clash between lobbyists representing the two parties in Washington, DC as well as competing efforts to establish a military presence in the Horn of Africa. These efforts could ultimately exacerbate the tensions between the parties and result in events that are dangerous to the stability of the region and harmful to U.S. interests there.
The timing of the crisis, shortly after President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, provides some indication that Washington knowingly or unknowingly gave the “green light” to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh to initiate the blockade of Qatar. The involved parties may now look to Washington once more, this time for how to extricate themselves from the predicament, and the White House should provide a roadmap to resolve the issue or mediate an end to the crisis, because failure to do so could mean the worsening of a serious crack in U.S. regional security architecture.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/analysis/future-gulf-cooperation-council
The Future of the Gulf Cooperation Council
JUNE 13, 2018 | DR. YOEL GUZANSKY
(Ed note: The Gulf Cooperation Council has been under significant strain for the past year, namely because of an ongoing rift between Qatar and its neighbors, seemingly nudging Qatar closer to Iran, as reported previously by The Cipher Brief. The GCC was established in 1981 to help safeguard against broader regional involvement in the Iran-Iraq war. This analysis was submitted by the INSS – the Institute for National Security Studies, associated with Tel Aviv University, and headed by Amos Yadlin, the former Chief of Intelligence for the IDF.)
By Yoel Guzansky and Ari Heistein
Claiming that Doha’s ties to Iran and support for terror endangered their national security interests, the “Arab Quartet” of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt have enforced a diplomatic, economic, and physical blockade of Qatar for over one year. The crisis has been the most serious for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – which includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar – since its establishment in 1981. In addition to affecting relations between specific Gulf States, the rift could also negatively impact the viability of the GCC and the U.S. ability to coordinate and execute regional policies.
The establishment of the GCC was the product of ambitions to improve the collective security of the Gulf States. Its founding was based on the common ground between the member states: dynastic monarchies as governing bodies, the Sunni identity of the ruling elite, and a shared Arab ethnicity. The Council’s aim, as declared by its founders, was “To effect coordination, integration and inter-connection between Member States in all fields in order to achieve unity between them.” Yet, to overcome the divergences between the states as well as the feeling of suspicion felt amongst them, they needed a unifying factor. The 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and the Iran-Iraq war that followed pushed the Gulf States together and provided the organizational glue required to build the project.
However, beyond several notable economic achievements, the GCC has remained divided on many important issues. In the eyes of its critics, the GCC serves as little more than a podium from which to broadcast a message of Arab unity. In fact, in a sense, its founding added to the many disagreements in the Gulf as the member states then proceeded to argue about the organization’s goals, structure, and function. The public displays of brotherhood and solidarity between the leaders of the GCC states distorted a reality of competing interests, mistrust, tribal rivalries, territorial disputes, and personal feuds.
At the same time, the Council was able to adapt itself to the changing regional contexts as well as the shifting policies of its members, while slowly advancing its goals. For example, on several occasions, the GCC served to mediate disputes between members. In addition to that, the “flexible” and slow-moving decision-making process allowed for some GCC members – like Oman and Qatar – to operate outside of the Council’s consensus and that likely contributed to extending the body’s lifespan. In reference to the many other attempts at creating organizations to promote Arab unity, including the short-lived United Arab Republic (1958-1961) and the Arab Maghreb Union that is paralyzed by disputes regarding the Western Sahara, the GCC was comparatively successful in promoting regional cooperation. Council institutions continue to function today undisturbed, promoting economic initiatives and joint energy projects, while gradually reducing the barriers to trade between the member states. In addition, the GCC serves as a framework for coordination on political matters and security matters.
Zooming out and looking at regional dynamics from Washington’s perspective, the GCC is a valuable tool for advancing its regional interests. In practice, the collective body is useful in orchestrating missile defense, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, and counter-terror efforts among U.S. allies in the region. Beyond that, by presenting a united front, the GCC as an organization helps to deter hostile actions from subversive actors like Iran.
Yet, the seeds for the decline in Saudi-Qatari relations were planted when Hamed bin Khalifa al-Thani took the reins from his father in 1995 and established the regime’s mouthpiece Al-Jazeera in 1996. Hamed’s desire to take a more active role in regional affairs translated into nurturing ties to Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which often oppose the status quo actors supported by the Saudis and Emiratis, leading them into a number of proxy wars throughout the region. In addition, the critical eye with which Al-Jazeera looks at its Gulf neighbors has become a bone of contention between Qatar and the other member states who consider the public critiques of their policies a form of interference in their domestic affairs.
Three years prior to the eruption of the latest crisis, Saudi Arabia and its partners took diplomatic steps, including downgrading their representation, to pressure Qatar to change its regional policies. Later that year, the crisis was resolved when the parties reached an agreement not to interfere in one another’s internal issues and not to harm each other’s interests, security, and stability.
But the resolution did not hold, and the 2017 crisis represents an unprecedented escalation and casts doubt on the feasibility of Gulf unity; apparently, this time the Arab Quartet even contemplated military action to promote regime change in Qatar. Shortly after launching the blockade, the Arab Quartet set out a list of 13 demands to be met by Qatar in order to end the crisis, and they include reducing its relations with Iran, closing Al-Jazeera, and shuttering the Turkish military base in Qatar.
Even without Iran’s efforts to create tension among U.S. allies, the friction between Gulf States on the Iranian issue make formulating a unified stance extremely difficult. While it is true that the Gulf States generally see Iran as a threat to their stability, they each maintain different policies with respect to the Islamic Republic based on their unique geographic and demographic circumstances. For example, Saudi Arabia has long been hostile to Iran for several reasons including internal considerations, while Qatar, Oman, and to a certain extent even Kuwait, preferred to maintain comparatively friendly ties to Tehran. Even the UAE, which has taken a hard line against Iran politically, has tens of billions of dollars of trade with that very same country every year.
With the Arab Quartet’s 13 demands unmet one year on, the Gulf crisis appears to have taken on inertia of its own and appears neither to be heading towards escalation nor resolution. If that is indeed the case, what may result is the worst of all worlds: a fragmented GCC complicating economic and security cooperation, Qatar continuing its activities in the region, and Doha possibly moving towards Turkey and possibly even Iran. As it turns out, trying to force the richest country in the world per capita to concede through economic warfare can make it quite difficult to build leverage and extract concessions as it means challenging Qatar in an arena in which it has a comparative advantage.
What is apparent thus far is that what happens in the Gulf does not stay there. The feuding GCC states have found arenas around the world in which to engage each other – including the clash between lobbyists representing the two parties in Washington, DC as well as competing efforts to establish a military presence in the Horn of Africa. These efforts could ultimately exacerbate the tensions between the parties and result in events that are dangerous to the stability of the region and harmful to U.S. interests there.
The timing of the crisis, shortly after President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, provides some indication that Washington knowingly or unknowingly gave the “green light” to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh to initiate the blockade of Qatar. The involved parties may now look to Washington once more, this time for how to extricate themselves from the predicament, and the White House should provide a roadmap to resolve the issue or mediate an end to the crisis, because failure to do so could mean the worsening of a serious crack in U.S. regional security architecture.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.buzzfeed.com/karlazablu...ason-in-mexico?utm_term=.xnKA2MZp2#.qaMD4K7r4
113 Politicians Have Been Killed Ahead Of Mexico’s Election. There Are Still Two Weeks To Go.
A politician killed on a public bus. A candidate murdered while taking a selfie. This campaign season may be the deadliest ever.
Posted on June 13, 2018, at 9:40 a.m.
Karla Zabludovsky
BuzzFeed News Reporter
MEXICO CITY — It has been a brutal electoral season, even by Mexico’s violent standards.
At least 113 candidates, pre-candidates, and current and former politicians have been killed and 300 more have suffered some form of aggression since September, according to Etellekt, a Mexico City–based public policy consultancy. Even the government’s tally — 34, which considers only candidates — pushes this particular death toll to nearly four per month.
Astonishing as these numbers are, they only tell part of the story: There are hundreds of candidates who have backed out of their races out of fear for their safety, and many others who have curbed their campaign activities. This poses a significant challenge to Mexico’s relatively young democracy, already crippled by systemic corruption and widespread impunity.
“Violence is altering the profile of candidates,” Alejandro Hope, a security analyst, told BuzzFeed News. “Who sticks around? The reckless and those who collude [with criminals].”
The attacks have been brazen. Last month, several commandos went around Ignacio Zaragoza, a town of less than 7,000 people about 200 miles southwest of El Paso, Texas, burning houses and cars belonging to several local candidates. They killed Liliana García, who was running for town councilor. In a video circulating on social media, a large plume of smoke is seen coming out of a building in broad daylight while a woman weeps in the background. In another, rapid gunfire is heard on an empty street.
Less than three weeks ago, Paula Gutiérrez Morales, a local leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, in a tiny community in Guerrero State, was shot inside a public bus in front of other passengers.
On Friday, Fernando Purón, a candidate for local congress, was shot while posing for a selfie in Piedras Negras, just west of Eagle Pass, Texas, after an election debate.
Representatives for two of the main political parties confirmed to BuzzFeed News that some of their strongest candidates have chosen to step away, leaving a vacuum that has been difficult to fill. About 600 people in total from the different parties have backed out of their races in recent months, according to Carlos Figueroa Ibarra, head of human rights at Morena, the political party leading presidential polls.
“We’ve had to register comrades that are perhaps less well-known,” said Ángel Ávila, spokesperson for the “For Mexico to the Front” coalition, whose presidential candidate, Ricardo Anaya, is second in most polls.
The Interior Ministry announced in April that it would again provide the presidential candidates with secret service and federal police agents, as it has in the last two elections. But the concern goes beyond the top tier. Last month, Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete Prida said that the federal government is providing security to more than 30 candidates — six of them local.
Despite this, politicians feel more vulnerable than ever.
“This is evidence of Mexico’s decay,” said Figueroa, adding that volunteers couldn’t enter a handful of neighborhoods in Durango State, in northern Mexico, to hand out flyers, because it was simply too dangerous.
“One cannot carry out a normal campaign,” said Ávila. He said that one of the parties in the coalition, the Party of the Democratic Revolution, did not present candidates in at least three municipalities in Sinaloa State because “the necessary security conditions” did not exist.
Homicides reached a record high in 2017, a foreseeable outcome after several years marked by mass disappearances and massacres committed by state forces alongside ubiquitous drug violence. Despite this, the ruling PRI said no corner of Mexico has become off-limits.
The PRI’s candidates are “visiting every house, every street, every neighborhood of the country,” said César Castillejos, the party’s spokesperson. The PRI is in third place in most polls.
Candidates, skeptical about having police escort them since local forces are often in cahoots with criminal groups, have instead adhered to guidelines often followed by the general population: Stay away from highways and deserted towns after 7 p.m., and travel in groups whenever possible.
Election season in Mexico is usually a violent affair, but this year violence may hit an all-time high, says Rubén Salazar, director of Etellekt. One of the reasons may be that there have never been so many positions up for grabs during one electoral period in the country’s history: 3,408, including local lawmakers, mayors, and the federal congress.
Adding to the chaos, the state’s 12-year-long offensive against cartels has led to their fragmentation and the proliferation of hundreds of tiny local offshoots. Whereas before the cartels operated on the sidelines — with the state’s tacit acceptance — the smaller groups are looking to gain official power.
“Many years ago, crime used to be controlled, or administered, by the state,” Supreme Court Judge José Ramón Cossío told BuzzFeed News. Now, “in some cases, it seems like crime is beginning to gain territory in the governing bodies.”
One of the most egregious examples of this growing trend was José Luis Abarca, the mayor of Iguala, where 43 students were taken by municipal police agents in 2014, never to be seen again. Abarca was arrested shortly after on murder, kidnapping, and organized crime–related charges. (His wife was also arrested for alleged organized crime connections.)
Figueroa said that Morena staffers have had to ask some pre-candidates and candidates to back down from the race after getting tips from locals about potential ties to organized crime.
“We cannot see a line between organized crime and legal politics,” said Figueroa.
Virtually every political party has had a candidate, pre-candidate, or affiliated politician killed, though the ruling party leads the list with 40 homicides, according to Etellekt’s latest report. Nearly all of the 32 states in the country have also been affected, with Guerrero and Oaxaca States, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, accumulating the bulk of the homicides. Analysts say organized crime and local criminal groups are behind many of the murders, though some appear to have been committed by political rivals.
The effects of this onslaught will be felt for a long time, analysts warn. If elected officials are discovered to have links to organized crime, they will first have to be stripped of their official immunity and then tried in a criminal court — an unlikely outcome in the country topping the Americas list within the 2017 Global Impunity Index.
And yet, people are focused on election day, as if “the entire country will end on July 1 and the entire country will be reborn on July 1,” said Cossío, the Supreme Court judge, who called the current state in Mexico an electoral fog.
“I’m worried about July 2.”
Karla Zabludovsky is the Mexico bureau chief and Latin America correspondent for BuzzFeed News and is based in Mexico City.
Contact Karla Zabludovsky at karla.zabludovsky@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.buzzfeed.com/karlazablu...ason-in-mexico?utm_term=.xnKA2MZp2#.qaMD4K7r4
113 Politicians Have Been Killed Ahead Of Mexico’s Election. There Are Still Two Weeks To Go.
A politician killed on a public bus. A candidate murdered while taking a selfie. This campaign season may be the deadliest ever.
Posted on June 13, 2018, at 9:40 a.m.
Karla Zabludovsky
BuzzFeed News Reporter
MEXICO CITY — It has been a brutal electoral season, even by Mexico’s violent standards.
At least 113 candidates, pre-candidates, and current and former politicians have been killed and 300 more have suffered some form of aggression since September, according to Etellekt, a Mexico City–based public policy consultancy. Even the government’s tally — 34, which considers only candidates — pushes this particular death toll to nearly four per month.
Astonishing as these numbers are, they only tell part of the story: There are hundreds of candidates who have backed out of their races out of fear for their safety, and many others who have curbed their campaign activities. This poses a significant challenge to Mexico’s relatively young democracy, already crippled by systemic corruption and widespread impunity.
“Violence is altering the profile of candidates,” Alejandro Hope, a security analyst, told BuzzFeed News. “Who sticks around? The reckless and those who collude [with criminals].”
The attacks have been brazen. Last month, several commandos went around Ignacio Zaragoza, a town of less than 7,000 people about 200 miles southwest of El Paso, Texas, burning houses and cars belonging to several local candidates. They killed Liliana García, who was running for town councilor. In a video circulating on social media, a large plume of smoke is seen coming out of a building in broad daylight while a woman weeps in the background. In another, rapid gunfire is heard on an empty street.
Less than three weeks ago, Paula Gutiérrez Morales, a local leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, in a tiny community in Guerrero State, was shot inside a public bus in front of other passengers.
On Friday, Fernando Purón, a candidate for local congress, was shot while posing for a selfie in Piedras Negras, just west of Eagle Pass, Texas, after an election debate.
Representatives for two of the main political parties confirmed to BuzzFeed News that some of their strongest candidates have chosen to step away, leaving a vacuum that has been difficult to fill. About 600 people in total from the different parties have backed out of their races in recent months, according to Carlos Figueroa Ibarra, head of human rights at Morena, the political party leading presidential polls.
“We’ve had to register comrades that are perhaps less well-known,” said Ángel Ávila, spokesperson for the “For Mexico to the Front” coalition, whose presidential candidate, Ricardo Anaya, is second in most polls.
The Interior Ministry announced in April that it would again provide the presidential candidates with secret service and federal police agents, as it has in the last two elections. But the concern goes beyond the top tier. Last month, Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete Prida said that the federal government is providing security to more than 30 candidates — six of them local.
Despite this, politicians feel more vulnerable than ever.
“This is evidence of Mexico’s decay,” said Figueroa, adding that volunteers couldn’t enter a handful of neighborhoods in Durango State, in northern Mexico, to hand out flyers, because it was simply too dangerous.
“One cannot carry out a normal campaign,” said Ávila. He said that one of the parties in the coalition, the Party of the Democratic Revolution, did not present candidates in at least three municipalities in Sinaloa State because “the necessary security conditions” did not exist.
Homicides reached a record high in 2017, a foreseeable outcome after several years marked by mass disappearances and massacres committed by state forces alongside ubiquitous drug violence. Despite this, the ruling PRI said no corner of Mexico has become off-limits.
The PRI’s candidates are “visiting every house, every street, every neighborhood of the country,” said César Castillejos, the party’s spokesperson. The PRI is in third place in most polls.
Candidates, skeptical about having police escort them since local forces are often in cahoots with criminal groups, have instead adhered to guidelines often followed by the general population: Stay away from highways and deserted towns after 7 p.m., and travel in groups whenever possible.
Election season in Mexico is usually a violent affair, but this year violence may hit an all-time high, says Rubén Salazar, director of Etellekt. One of the reasons may be that there have never been so many positions up for grabs during one electoral period in the country’s history: 3,408, including local lawmakers, mayors, and the federal congress.
Adding to the chaos, the state’s 12-year-long offensive against cartels has led to their fragmentation and the proliferation of hundreds of tiny local offshoots. Whereas before the cartels operated on the sidelines — with the state’s tacit acceptance — the smaller groups are looking to gain official power.
“Many years ago, crime used to be controlled, or administered, by the state,” Supreme Court Judge José Ramón Cossío told BuzzFeed News. Now, “in some cases, it seems like crime is beginning to gain territory in the governing bodies.”
One of the most egregious examples of this growing trend was José Luis Abarca, the mayor of Iguala, where 43 students were taken by municipal police agents in 2014, never to be seen again. Abarca was arrested shortly after on murder, kidnapping, and organized crime–related charges. (His wife was also arrested for alleged organized crime connections.)
Figueroa said that Morena staffers have had to ask some pre-candidates and candidates to back down from the race after getting tips from locals about potential ties to organized crime.
“We cannot see a line between organized crime and legal politics,” said Figueroa.
Virtually every political party has had a candidate, pre-candidate, or affiliated politician killed, though the ruling party leads the list with 40 homicides, according to Etellekt’s latest report. Nearly all of the 32 states in the country have also been affected, with Guerrero and Oaxaca States, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, accumulating the bulk of the homicides. Analysts say organized crime and local criminal groups are behind many of the murders, though some appear to have been committed by political rivals.
The effects of this onslaught will be felt for a long time, analysts warn. If elected officials are discovered to have links to organized crime, they will first have to be stripped of their official immunity and then tried in a criminal court — an unlikely outcome in the country topping the Americas list within the 2017 Global Impunity Index.
And yet, people are focused on election day, as if “the entire country will end on July 1 and the entire country will be reborn on July 1,” said Cossío, the Supreme Court judge, who called the current state in Mexico an electoral fog.
“I’m worried about July 2.”
Karla Zabludovsky is the Mexico bureau chief and Latin America correspondent for BuzzFeed News and is based in Mexico City.
Contact Karla Zabludovsky at karla.zabludovsky@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.yahoo.com/news/india-says-pakistan-firing-kills-4-soldiers-kashmir-013959453.html
India says Pakistan firing kills 4 soldiers in Kashmir
MUNIR AHMED and AIJAZ HUSSAIN, Associated Press • June 13, 2018
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian and Pakistani forces traded fire along the highly militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir early Wednesday after Pakistani firing killed at least four Indian paramilitary soldiers and injured three others on border patrol, Indian officials said.
Pakistan denied initiating the firing, saying its soldiers only responded to the Indian "unprovoked" fire. Islamabad also summoned an Indian diplomat to protest a civilian's killing.
The nuclear-armed nations had recently agreed to stop fire exchanges along the volatile frontier and uphold a cease-fire accord dating back 15 years.
Indian border guards said Pakistani soldiers first targeted a soldier around midnight by sniper fire as the Indian soldiers patrolled a border area in the Jammu region.
As other soldiers tried to rescue their fallen comrade, Pakistani soldiers opened a volley of gunfire at them, triggering further exchange, two border officials said. The two, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with border guards' policy, said three soldiers were killed on the spot while the other died later while being evacuated.
They said Indian soldiers retaliated, and the cross border firing stopped early Wednesday.
In Islamabad, two security officials said Pakistani troops only returned fire after coming under unprovoked fire from the Indian border guards.
The officials said India troops also targeted a village in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, killing a villager who was grazing cattle in a field near his home. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat to protest the "unprovoked cease-fire violation" that killed a civilian. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the "deliberate targeting of civilian-populated areas was deplorable" and that cease-fire violations threatened peace and security.
In May, Indian and Pakistani commanders of military operations talked by phone and agreed to defuse tensions in Kashmir. They also agreed to use existing mechanisms of hotline contacts and border flag meetings at local commanders' level to resolve the issues.
Early June, local border guards' commanders on the two sides met along the frontier and reiterated unsuccessfully to stop deadly hostilities.
Tensions have soared in recent months, as both sides have shelled border posts and villages, causing fatalities of soldiers and civilians on both sides. Tens of thousands of villagers have fled homes in dozens of affected villages along the frontier on both sides.
Like in the past, each side has accused the other of starting the hostilities in violation of the 2003 accord.
India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, which both claim. They have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over their competing claims to the region.
This year, soldiers from the two nations have engaged in fierce border skirmishes along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, as well as a lower-altitude 200-kilometer (125-mile) boundary separating Indian-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab, where most of the latest fighting has taken place. This somewhat-defined portion, which India refers as "international border" and Pakistan calls "working boundary," is marked by coils of razor wire, watch towers and bunkers that snake across foothills marked by ancient villages, tangled bushes and fields of rice and corn.
The fighting has become a predictable cycle of violence as the region convulses with decades-old animosities over Kashmir, where rebel groups demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
___
Ahmed reported from Islamabad.
5 reactions
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.yahoo.com/news/india-says-pakistan-firing-kills-4-soldiers-kashmir-013959453.html
India says Pakistan firing kills 4 soldiers in Kashmir
MUNIR AHMED and AIJAZ HUSSAIN, Associated Press • June 13, 2018
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian and Pakistani forces traded fire along the highly militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir early Wednesday after Pakistani firing killed at least four Indian paramilitary soldiers and injured three others on border patrol, Indian officials said.
Pakistan denied initiating the firing, saying its soldiers only responded to the Indian "unprovoked" fire. Islamabad also summoned an Indian diplomat to protest a civilian's killing.
The nuclear-armed nations had recently agreed to stop fire exchanges along the volatile frontier and uphold a cease-fire accord dating back 15 years.
Indian border guards said Pakistani soldiers first targeted a soldier around midnight by sniper fire as the Indian soldiers patrolled a border area in the Jammu region.
As other soldiers tried to rescue their fallen comrade, Pakistani soldiers opened a volley of gunfire at them, triggering further exchange, two border officials said. The two, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with border guards' policy, said three soldiers were killed on the spot while the other died later while being evacuated.
They said Indian soldiers retaliated, and the cross border firing stopped early Wednesday.
In Islamabad, two security officials said Pakistani troops only returned fire after coming under unprovoked fire from the Indian border guards.
The officials said India troops also targeted a village in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, killing a villager who was grazing cattle in a field near his home. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat to protest the "unprovoked cease-fire violation" that killed a civilian. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the "deliberate targeting of civilian-populated areas was deplorable" and that cease-fire violations threatened peace and security.
In May, Indian and Pakistani commanders of military operations talked by phone and agreed to defuse tensions in Kashmir. They also agreed to use existing mechanisms of hotline contacts and border flag meetings at local commanders' level to resolve the issues.
Early June, local border guards' commanders on the two sides met along the frontier and reiterated unsuccessfully to stop deadly hostilities.
Tensions have soared in recent months, as both sides have shelled border posts and villages, causing fatalities of soldiers and civilians on both sides. Tens of thousands of villagers have fled homes in dozens of affected villages along the frontier on both sides.
Like in the past, each side has accused the other of starting the hostilities in violation of the 2003 accord.
India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, which both claim. They have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over their competing claims to the region.
This year, soldiers from the two nations have engaged in fierce border skirmishes along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, as well as a lower-altitude 200-kilometer (125-mile) boundary separating Indian-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab, where most of the latest fighting has taken place. This somewhat-defined portion, which India refers as "international border" and Pakistan calls "working boundary," is marked by coils of razor wire, watch towers and bunkers that snake across foothills marked by ancient villages, tangled bushes and fields of rice and corn.
The fighting has become a predictable cycle of violence as the region convulses with decades-old animosities over Kashmir, where rebel groups demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
___
Ahmed reported from Islamabad.
5 reactions
Considering the following thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?537694-Politicians-Fear-for-Safety-as-Threats-Against-Congress-Skyrocket
I submit that the U.S. is also experiencing some significant levels of decay.
bump
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Not sure if people realize there has been some upheaval and changes taking place in Egypt the last few weeks/months; and not all of it has been "good". I don't know anything about this dude to know if it is good or not.
parallel universe
Retweeted
Adel El-Adawy
Verified account @adeladawy
26m26 minutes ago
Breaking News: Lt. Gen. Mohamed Zaki will be #Egypt’s new Defense Minister.
parallel universe
Retweeted
Adel El-Adawy
Verified account @adeladawy
26m26 minutes ago
Breaking News: Lt. Gen. Mohamed Zaki will be #Egypt’s new Defense Minister.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Matthew Levitt Retweeted
Program On Extremism
Verified account @gwupoe
10h10 hours ago
‘Wisconsin Woman Charged With Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS’ https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wisconsin-woman-charged-attempting-provide-material-support-isis …
Program On Extremism
Verified account @gwupoe
10h10 hours ago
‘Wisconsin Woman Charged With Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS’ https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wisconsin-woman-charged-attempting-provide-material-support-isis …
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
ISIS has a strong presence in South Africa so odds are high they are connected, not sure which other groups do. It could have been a non-mus doing the attacking...wait and see.
News_Executive
@News_Executive
41m41 minutes ago
BREAKING: A man stabbed two people to death and wounded two others in an attack at a mosque in Malmesbury near Cape Town, South Africa before being shot dead by police, The attacker’s motive remains unclear.
News_Executive
@News_Executive
41m41 minutes ago
BREAKING: A man stabbed two people to death and wounded two others in an attack at a mosque in Malmesbury near Cape Town, South Africa before being shot dead by police, The attacker’s motive remains unclear.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
ShiaPulse
@ShiaPulse
31m31 minutes ago
Iranian media reports that, from now on, to facilitate freedom of movement, Lebanon will not require Iranian citizens to stamp their passports as they pass through Beirut Airport
@ShiaPulse
31m31 minutes ago
Iranian media reports that, from now on, to facilitate freedom of movement, Lebanon will not require Iranian citizens to stamp their passports as they pass through Beirut Airport
Last edited:
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.realcleardefense.com/ar...europes_inconvenient_truth_teller_113535.html
Trump: Washington and Europe’s Inconvenient Truth Teller
By Douglas Macgregor
June 14, 2018
From the moment President Trump won the presidency, he became an object of scorn and derision in Washington and most European capitals. The reason: Trump insists on seeing the world as it is; a virtue that mobilized 60 million Americans to vote for him.
Serious-minded people can come to different conclusions about a given set of facts, but Trump’s willingness to declare openly that the world changed dramatically from what it was 20, 30 or 50 years ago was too much for the self-appointed elites in Washington and Western Europe. Trump’s early recognition that the Trade Agreements Washington made in the 1960s are legacies of the Cold War when America’s interest revolved around creating and maintaining a global community of nations committed to containment made him extremely unpopular in Europe’s capitals.
Absolved of the responsibility to defend themselves for many decades, West Europeans grew accustomed to a kind of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” approach to national security. Trump’s underlying message that Washington would no longer play the role of a global “Daddy Warbucks”—that the national economies previously in recovery from two world wars had in fact recovered—was unwelcome news.
Since 1991, the deterioration of the postwar order has accelerated, in part, because of U.S. actions in the Middle East after 2001, but in larger part due to the dramatic rise of new regional powers and coalitions of powers with renewed economic strength. The outcome is a mixed bag for NATO States.
Smaller powers inside NATO—like Greece—are behaving more and more like neutral States. Greece, like many Mediterranean and East European States, is trying to maneuver for advantage within the framework of Washington’s competition with Moscow. Why not? Greece shares Russia’s religion and much of its culture making reliance on Russia in a conflict with Turkey a safer bet than reliance on Western Europe or the United States.
On the one hand, the Europeans struggle to reconcile their desire for prosperity and stability with an increasingly aggressive Russian State. But Europeans also decline to go their own way, or at least, push for a European Defense Community with a focus that is different from the Cold War Atlantic Alliance.
Europe’s NATO members also refuse to collectively eject the Turks from NATO and expel the ‘soft’ Muslim invasion orchestrated by Elites in the Arabian Peninsula and Ankara. Why not? The strategic implications for Europe of Turkish-led Muslim hostility to the West are far more ominous than Moscow’s re-conquest of Crimea.
It’s all too clear that the mass migration aims to demographically replace Europeans with Muslims. How can Europe ignore Erdogan’s brand of Islamist Nationalism distinguished by its hostility to Christianity and Israel has decisively triumphed inside Turkey?
In Washington, the real question is what the West European powers would actually do to help the Baltic States if the Russians suddenly marched into Tallinn on the pretext that Moscow is protecting a large Russian minority? The answer is unknown, however, many in uniform think they would whine, complain and beg the United States to act for them. Trump sees no future in this kind of behavior. Like the great European powers of the past, he seeks a viable alternative.
In 1878, the Russians were poised to occupy the Bosporus. The Russians did not do so, and a war was avoided. Why? Because the European Powers led by Britain and Germany found alternative solutions that were not designed to humiliate or punish the Russians. The unspoken truth was that the negotiated arrangements were also backed up by the Royal Navy and the Imperial German Army.
Would Otto von Bismarck and Benjamin have sought a settlement over territory that had no strategic importance to Britain or Germany, or would they have presented Moscow with an ultimatum similar to the one Vienna sent to Belgrade in July 1914? The answer is clear: the two would have sought a settlement that closed the open wound.
In Singapore, Trump prefers the approach that Disraeli and Bismarck favored. Trump recognizes that North Korea is a dying society. North Korea is as moribund as postwar order that created it. Trump also understands that China is not a military threat to the United States or its strategic interests.
Trump and Xi have serious disagreements on trade, but both believe that business can be conducted on new terms that minimize the potential for conflict. For this wise policy, Trump is attacked in Washington even as an agreement is emerging. After all, an end to nearly 70 years of conflict on the Korean Peninsula and a mutually beneficial modus vivendi with Beijing would change the redistribution of cash in Washington, D.C., would it not?
Colonel Douglas Macgregor (U.S. Army, Ret.) is a decorated combat veteran, a Ph.D. and the author of five books. His most recent is: Margin of Victory, (Naval Institute Press, 2016).
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.realcleardefense.com/ar...europes_inconvenient_truth_teller_113535.html
Trump: Washington and Europe’s Inconvenient Truth Teller
By Douglas Macgregor
June 14, 2018
From the moment President Trump won the presidency, he became an object of scorn and derision in Washington and most European capitals. The reason: Trump insists on seeing the world as it is; a virtue that mobilized 60 million Americans to vote for him.
Serious-minded people can come to different conclusions about a given set of facts, but Trump’s willingness to declare openly that the world changed dramatically from what it was 20, 30 or 50 years ago was too much for the self-appointed elites in Washington and Western Europe. Trump’s early recognition that the Trade Agreements Washington made in the 1960s are legacies of the Cold War when America’s interest revolved around creating and maintaining a global community of nations committed to containment made him extremely unpopular in Europe’s capitals.
Absolved of the responsibility to defend themselves for many decades, West Europeans grew accustomed to a kind of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” approach to national security. Trump’s underlying message that Washington would no longer play the role of a global “Daddy Warbucks”—that the national economies previously in recovery from two world wars had in fact recovered—was unwelcome news.
Since 1991, the deterioration of the postwar order has accelerated, in part, because of U.S. actions in the Middle East after 2001, but in larger part due to the dramatic rise of new regional powers and coalitions of powers with renewed economic strength. The outcome is a mixed bag for NATO States.
Smaller powers inside NATO—like Greece—are behaving more and more like neutral States. Greece, like many Mediterranean and East European States, is trying to maneuver for advantage within the framework of Washington’s competition with Moscow. Why not? Greece shares Russia’s religion and much of its culture making reliance on Russia in a conflict with Turkey a safer bet than reliance on Western Europe or the United States.
On the one hand, the Europeans struggle to reconcile their desire for prosperity and stability with an increasingly aggressive Russian State. But Europeans also decline to go their own way, or at least, push for a European Defense Community with a focus that is different from the Cold War Atlantic Alliance.
Europe’s NATO members also refuse to collectively eject the Turks from NATO and expel the ‘soft’ Muslim invasion orchestrated by Elites in the Arabian Peninsula and Ankara. Why not? The strategic implications for Europe of Turkish-led Muslim hostility to the West are far more ominous than Moscow’s re-conquest of Crimea.
It’s all too clear that the mass migration aims to demographically replace Europeans with Muslims. How can Europe ignore Erdogan’s brand of Islamist Nationalism distinguished by its hostility to Christianity and Israel has decisively triumphed inside Turkey?
In Washington, the real question is what the West European powers would actually do to help the Baltic States if the Russians suddenly marched into Tallinn on the pretext that Moscow is protecting a large Russian minority? The answer is unknown, however, many in uniform think they would whine, complain and beg the United States to act for them. Trump sees no future in this kind of behavior. Like the great European powers of the past, he seeks a viable alternative.
In 1878, the Russians were poised to occupy the Bosporus. The Russians did not do so, and a war was avoided. Why? Because the European Powers led by Britain and Germany found alternative solutions that were not designed to humiliate or punish the Russians. The unspoken truth was that the negotiated arrangements were also backed up by the Royal Navy and the Imperial German Army.
Would Otto von Bismarck and Benjamin have sought a settlement over territory that had no strategic importance to Britain or Germany, or would they have presented Moscow with an ultimatum similar to the one Vienna sent to Belgrade in July 1914? The answer is clear: the two would have sought a settlement that closed the open wound.
In Singapore, Trump prefers the approach that Disraeli and Bismarck favored. Trump recognizes that North Korea is a dying society. North Korea is as moribund as postwar order that created it. Trump also understands that China is not a military threat to the United States or its strategic interests.
Trump and Xi have serious disagreements on trade, but both believe that business can be conducted on new terms that minimize the potential for conflict. For this wise policy, Trump is attacked in Washington even as an agreement is emerging. After all, an end to nearly 70 years of conflict on the Korean Peninsula and a mutually beneficial modus vivendi with Beijing would change the redistribution of cash in Washington, D.C., would it not?
Colonel Douglas Macgregor (U.S. Army, Ret.) is a decorated combat veteran, a Ph.D. and the author of five books. His most recent is: Margin of Victory, (Naval Institute Press, 2016).
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Hezbollah refuses to vacate several locations in Syria Liad Osmo|Published: 06.14.18 , 14:30
A Syrian human rights monitoring group reported on Thursday that the Hezbollah terror group’s leadership has refused to accede to a Russian request that its forces vacate a number of locations in southwest Syria near the Lebanese border. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5287130,00.html
A Syrian human rights monitoring group reported on Thursday that the Hezbollah terror group’s leadership has refused to accede to a Russian request that its forces vacate a number of locations in southwest Syria near the Lebanese border. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5287130,00.html
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Lebanon's president says phased return of Syrian refugee now possible
Reuters|Published: 06.14.18 , 14:53
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Thursday refugees in Lebanon could begin a phased return to areas of Syria that have become safe, and that should happen before a political solution is reached for the conflict.
"Lebanon considers that a return has become possible in stages to areas that have become safe and stable in Syria, which are five times the size of Lebanon. Most displaced people in Lebanon are from these areas which have become secure," Aoun said on his Twitter page, in remarks to the ambassadors from the countries in the International Support Group for Lebanon. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5287149,00.html
Reuters|Published: 06.14.18 , 14:53
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Thursday refugees in Lebanon could begin a phased return to areas of Syria that have become safe, and that should happen before a political solution is reached for the conflict.
"Lebanon considers that a return has become possible in stages to areas that have become safe and stable in Syria, which are five times the size of Lebanon. Most displaced people in Lebanon are from these areas which have become secure," Aoun said on his Twitter page, in remarks to the ambassadors from the countries in the International Support Group for Lebanon. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5287149,00.html
danielboon
TB Fanatic
UN sees movement in Syria talks, US weighing in
Reuters|Published: 06.14.18 , 15:00
US officials will join talks in Geneva later this month on forming a Syrian constitutional committee, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters on Thursday, signalling movement in a process that had appeared at risk of stalling.
De Mistura plans to meet senior Russian, Turkish and Iranian officials early next week and said he expected a similar meeting a week later with US, British, French, German and Jordanian officials.
"We are seeing movement and we will keep seeking more of it," he told reporters, adding that he did not expect a major breakthrough.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5287154,00.html
Reuters|Published: 06.14.18 , 15:00
US officials will join talks in Geneva later this month on forming a Syrian constitutional committee, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters on Thursday, signalling movement in a process that had appeared at risk of stalling.
De Mistura plans to meet senior Russian, Turkish and Iranian officials early next week and said he expected a similar meeting a week later with US, British, French, German and Jordanian officials.
"We are seeing movement and we will keep seeking more of it," he told reporters, adding that he did not expect a major breakthrough.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5287154,00.html
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
6h6 hours ago
#Pompeo says US demands a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization from North Korea, after this expression was not included in #SingaporeSummit
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
4h4 hours ago
South #Korea President Moon says he will consider 'change' to pressure on North, review drills with US
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
3h3 hours ago
US intelligence assessment of the nuclear and other military threat posed by North #Korea to US and allies remained unchanged despite Trump and Moon's assertions about the nuclear threat being over: senior US official
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
21m21 minutes ago
#BREKAING North Korea's Kim Yong Nam hands a written message to #Putin from leader Kim: RIA
^^^I haven't found out anything about what it said
Verified account @guyelster
6h6 hours ago
#Pompeo says US demands a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization from North Korea, after this expression was not included in #SingaporeSummit
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
4h4 hours ago
South #Korea President Moon says he will consider 'change' to pressure on North, review drills with US
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
3h3 hours ago
US intelligence assessment of the nuclear and other military threat posed by North #Korea to US and allies remained unchanged despite Trump and Moon's assertions about the nuclear threat being over: senior US official
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
21m21 minutes ago
#BREKAING North Korea's Kim Yong Nam hands a written message to #Putin from leader Kim: RIA
^^^I haven't found out anything about what it said
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Brad
@usafshortwave
10m10 minutes ago
Major military exercises 'suspended indefinitely' on Korean peninsula: US official
@usafshortwave
10m10 minutes ago
Major military exercises 'suspended indefinitely' on Korean peninsula: US official
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
ELINT News Retweeted
InsideNK
@inside_nk
1h1 hour ago
North Korea and South Korea agree to restore military communication lines during their talks today. Also, North Korea have stated they will dismantle Tongchang-dong missile launch facility.
InsideNK
@inside_nk
1h1 hour ago
North Korea and South Korea agree to restore military communication lines during their talks today. Also, North Korea have stated they will dismantle Tongchang-dong missile launch facility.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
The Associated Press
Verified account @AP
4h4 hours ago
BREAKING: German prosecutors say they have thwarted an Islamic extremist plot to launch an attack with the deadly toxin ricin.
David Videcette
Verified account @DavidVidecette
3h3 hours ago
German prosecutors have charged a 29-year-old Tunisian citizen in Cologne with producing a biological weapon.
The suspect ordered 1000 ricinus seeds and a coffee grinder from an online store, and successfully produced ricin in his apartment.
Verified account @AP
4h4 hours ago
BREAKING: German prosecutors say they have thwarted an Islamic extremist plot to launch an attack with the deadly toxin ricin.
David Videcette
Verified account @DavidVidecette
3h3 hours ago
German prosecutors have charged a 29-year-old Tunisian citizen in Cologne with producing a biological weapon.
The suspect ordered 1000 ricinus seeds and a coffee grinder from an online store, and successfully produced ricin in his apartment.
Well isn't that just special....
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Guy Elster
Verified account @guyelster
3m3 minutes ago
#BREAKING Attack on #Turkey ruling AK party members campaigning in South-West kills three, injures eight: AA
Verified account @guyelster
3m3 minutes ago
#BREAKING Attack on #Turkey ruling AK party members campaigning in South-West kills three, injures eight: AA
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Joyce Karam
Verified account @Joyce_Karam
5m5 minutes ago
Joyce Karam Retweeted العربية عاجل
BREAKING #Turkey : Shooting kills 3 and injures 8 from AKP ruling party
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Kremlin says Trump-Kim summit proves Putin was right about North Korea
Published 4:52 AM ET Wed, 13 June 2018 Updated 7:18 AM ET Wed, 13 June 2018
Reuters
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un showed Russian President Vladimir Putin had been right to advocate direct dialogue as the only way of reducing tensions with North Korea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that the summit, held in Singapore on Tuesday, had helped reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
But he said it would have been wrong to have expected that all of the issues surrounding North Korea's missile and nuclear program could have been solved in an hour.
"We still need to analyze the results of the meeting," said Peskov. "But the fact that it took place can only be welcomed. Such meetings help ease tensions and move us away from the critical point reached several months ago."
Here are some moments from President Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un Here are some moments from President Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un
7:17 AM ET Wed, 13 June 2018 | 02:09
Russia and China have long been pushing a joint de-escalation plan that suggests Pyongyang suspend its ballistic missile program in return for the United States and South Korea ceasing large-scale missile exercises.
Peskov said the summit showed that Putin — who he said would meet Kim Yong Nam, a top official from North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly in Moscow on Thursday — had been right all along.
"In such complicated conditions, it would have been wrong to hope that the problems could be solved in an hour," said Peskov, referring to the meeting. "But the very fact (that the summit took place) underlines that Putin was right. The only possible path is one of direct dialogue."
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow with his Greek counterpart that Moscow advocated a return to six-party talks to work through some of the issues and that it was important that the entire Korean Peninsula, not just North Korea, was free of nuclear arms.
Lavrov said it was unlikely that Washington and Pyongyang would be able to fully solve all the problems on the Korean Peninsula, saying a new security system was needed for all of north-east Asia. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/13/kre...mit-proves-putin-was-right-about-n-korea.html
Published 4:52 AM ET Wed, 13 June 2018 Updated 7:18 AM ET Wed, 13 June 2018
Reuters
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un showed Russian President Vladimir Putin had been right to advocate direct dialogue as the only way of reducing tensions with North Korea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that the summit, held in Singapore on Tuesday, had helped reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
But he said it would have been wrong to have expected that all of the issues surrounding North Korea's missile and nuclear program could have been solved in an hour.
"We still need to analyze the results of the meeting," said Peskov. "But the fact that it took place can only be welcomed. Such meetings help ease tensions and move us away from the critical point reached several months ago."
Here are some moments from President Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un Here are some moments from President Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un
7:17 AM ET Wed, 13 June 2018 | 02:09
Russia and China have long been pushing a joint de-escalation plan that suggests Pyongyang suspend its ballistic missile program in return for the United States and South Korea ceasing large-scale missile exercises.
Peskov said the summit showed that Putin — who he said would meet Kim Yong Nam, a top official from North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly in Moscow on Thursday — had been right all along.
"In such complicated conditions, it would have been wrong to hope that the problems could be solved in an hour," said Peskov, referring to the meeting. "But the very fact (that the summit took place) underlines that Putin was right. The only possible path is one of direct dialogue."
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow with his Greek counterpart that Moscow advocated a return to six-party talks to work through some of the issues and that it was important that the entire Korean Peninsula, not just North Korea, was free of nuclear arms.
Lavrov said it was unlikely that Washington and Pyongyang would be able to fully solve all the problems on the Korean Peninsula, saying a new security system was needed for all of north-east Asia. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/13/kre...mit-proves-putin-was-right-about-n-korea.html
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
the image is from May 26, 2018, so I guess it is possible they did something after that....or not.
Amichai Stein
Verified account @AmichaiStein1
3m3 minutes ago
#BREAKING: @38NorthNK exclusive: Sattellite images show no activity associated with the dismantlement of facilities at Sohae testing site or any other test sites in North Korea - in contrary to Trump statement
posted for fair use and discussion
images at link
https://www.38north.org/2018/06/sohae061418/
No Indications of Missile Test Stand Dismantlement Yet at Sohae Satellite Launch Facility
By: 38 North
June 14, 2018Satellite Imagery
A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.
During his post summit press conference on June 12, President Trump first stated that, “Chairman Kim has told me that North Korea is already destroying a major missile engine testing site,” without specifically identifying which site. However, a Chosun Ilbo report this morning states that the site Kim promised to destroy is a large-scale facility in Tongchang-ri (Sohae Satellite Launching Station), North Pyongan Province.” While this has yet to be confirmed, 38 North has conducted a survey of the North Korea’s rocket and missile launch and engine test facilities using recent high-resolution satellite imagery and has not yet identified any activity associated with the dismantlement of facilities at Sohae or any other test sites in North Korea. 38 North will continue to monitor Sohae and the other known test facilities for any activity.
Figure 1. Sohae satellite launch facility’s vertical engine test stand.
Amichai Stein
Verified account @AmichaiStein1
3m3 minutes ago
#BREAKING: @38NorthNK exclusive: Sattellite images show no activity associated with the dismantlement of facilities at Sohae testing site or any other test sites in North Korea - in contrary to Trump statement
posted for fair use and discussion
images at link
https://www.38north.org/2018/06/sohae061418/
No Indications of Missile Test Stand Dismantlement Yet at Sohae Satellite Launch Facility
By: 38 North
June 14, 2018Satellite Imagery
A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.
During his post summit press conference on June 12, President Trump first stated that, “Chairman Kim has told me that North Korea is already destroying a major missile engine testing site,” without specifically identifying which site. However, a Chosun Ilbo report this morning states that the site Kim promised to destroy is a large-scale facility in Tongchang-ri (Sohae Satellite Launching Station), North Pyongan Province.” While this has yet to be confirmed, 38 North has conducted a survey of the North Korea’s rocket and missile launch and engine test facilities using recent high-resolution satellite imagery and has not yet identified any activity associated with the dismantlement of facilities at Sohae or any other test sites in North Korea. 38 North will continue to monitor Sohae and the other known test facilities for any activity.
Figure 1. Sohae satellite launch facility’s vertical engine test stand.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Intel Doge
@IntelDoge
3m3 minutes ago
#BREAKING:
A possible explosive device has been found at the Puget sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington -- @Breaking911
@IntelDoge
3m3 minutes ago
#BREAKING:
A possible explosive device has been found at the Puget sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington -- @Breaking911
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Not explosive, now they are checking it for hazardous materials.
Naval Base Kitsap
@NavalBaseKitsap
19m19 minutes ago
UPDATE:
A suspicious package was reported on Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, today at 11:45 a.m.
Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians determined the package is not an explosive... https://www.facebook.com/kitsapnavy/posts/1766049733514947 …
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
ShiaPulse
@ShiaPulse
2m2 minutes ago
ShiaPulse Retweeted Fereshteh Sadegh
Badr Organization chief al-Ameri pledged obedience to Khomeini and then to Khamenei, proved his loyality to the Iranian interest and in return receives huge financial support from the IRGC
ShiaPulse added,
@ShiaPulse
2m2 minutes ago
ShiaPulse Retweeted Fereshteh Sadegh
Badr Organization chief al-Ameri pledged obedience to Khomeini and then to Khamenei, proved his loyality to the Iranian interest and in return receives huge financial support from the IRGC
ShiaPulse added,
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
~~~~~SNICKER~~~~~ All he needed to do was be patient and harvest some of the Castor Beans from any number of public buildings that use the Castor Beans as a decorative plant, and then follow the easy to do formula for extraction of the ricin from the MASH after the extraction of the Castor Oil.
It really IS a Kitchen Krafts process.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Joe
@Jtruzmah
1m1 minute ago
Da'esh in the Sinai has executed Egyptian soldiers in an ambush. The Egyptian Army including #Israel have been waging a campaign of airstrikes against Da'esh in the Northern Sinai. I'll be elaborating on what has been going on South of #Israel's border in the next 24hrs.
@Jtruzmah
1m1 minute ago
Da'esh in the Sinai has executed Egyptian soldiers in an ambush. The Egyptian Army including #Israel have been waging a campaign of airstrikes against Da'esh in the Northern Sinai. I'll be elaborating on what has been going on South of #Israel's border in the next 24hrs.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
This article is from yesterday, so sorry if it is a dupe.
The Intel Crab
@IntelCrab
12m12 minutes ago
Russian navy put on high alert off #Ukraine coast - sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-off-ukraine-coast-sources-idUSKBN1JA2BS?il=0
June 14, 2018 / 10:40 AM / Updated 20 hours ago
Russian navy put on high alert off Ukraine coast: sources
Anton Zverev
3 Min Read
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Sources close to the Russian military said on Thursday that Russian naval forces in the Black Sea had been put on heightened alert to discourage Ukraine from trying to disrupt the soccer World Cup as the tournament got under way.
However, the Defence Ministry itself dismissed the reports, saying in a statement: “The forces of the Black Sea Fleet are working in routine mode. No measures to put (them) on high combat alert have taken place.”
Reuters was not able to verify a Ukrainian build-up independently, and there was no confirmation of that from officials in Kiev.
One of the military sources said there were concerns that Ukraine was building up its military presence in the area as a “provocation” during the tournament.
Three sources said Russia’s forces around the Black Sea Crimea peninsula had been put on a state of high combat readiness. Two of them said it was linked to the tournament.
“Because of the World Cup and expectations of possible provocations by Ukraine around the Crimean coast, commanders took the decision to increase the fleet’s level of military preparedness,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media about operational plans.
SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT
The sources said the mobilization involved deploying extra vessels to the Azov Sea, an arm of the Black Sea where Russia and Ukraine share the coastline, and naval aircraft flying extra sorties. Naval and coastguard units were involved.
“There is a concern that Ukraine could organize a provocation during the World Cup,” said a source in the navy’s aviation arm who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
“For that reason, we need a concentration of forces in the Azov Sea that will discourage thoughts of trespassing in (Russian) territorial waters.”
The third source, in the naval coastguard, said the state of heightened readiness would remain in place until July 31, about two weeks after the World Cup concludes.
The Ukrainian navy and the office of Ukrainian National Security Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov did not comment on the alleged Russian deployments.
Asked if Ukraine was planning provocations, Turchynov’s office said in a statement: “Regardless of the moaning of scared Russian mercenaries and the threats of the Russian president, the Ukrainian military will act in a way appropriate to the threats.”
Russia and Ukraine have been in a military standoff since early 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine and armed pro-Moscow separatists seized control of eastern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the World Cup is an opportunity for Russia and Western countries to put politics to one side and focus on sport.
The Intel Crab
@IntelCrab
12m12 minutes ago
Russian navy put on high alert off #Ukraine coast - sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-off-ukraine-coast-sources-idUSKBN1JA2BS?il=0
June 14, 2018 / 10:40 AM / Updated 20 hours ago
Russian navy put on high alert off Ukraine coast: sources
Anton Zverev
3 Min Read
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Sources close to the Russian military said on Thursday that Russian naval forces in the Black Sea had been put on heightened alert to discourage Ukraine from trying to disrupt the soccer World Cup as the tournament got under way.
However, the Defence Ministry itself dismissed the reports, saying in a statement: “The forces of the Black Sea Fleet are working in routine mode. No measures to put (them) on high combat alert have taken place.”
Reuters was not able to verify a Ukrainian build-up independently, and there was no confirmation of that from officials in Kiev.
One of the military sources said there were concerns that Ukraine was building up its military presence in the area as a “provocation” during the tournament.
Three sources said Russia’s forces around the Black Sea Crimea peninsula had been put on a state of high combat readiness. Two of them said it was linked to the tournament.
“Because of the World Cup and expectations of possible provocations by Ukraine around the Crimean coast, commanders took the decision to increase the fleet’s level of military preparedness,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media about operational plans.
SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT
The sources said the mobilization involved deploying extra vessels to the Azov Sea, an arm of the Black Sea where Russia and Ukraine share the coastline, and naval aircraft flying extra sorties. Naval and coastguard units were involved.
“There is a concern that Ukraine could organize a provocation during the World Cup,” said a source in the navy’s aviation arm who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
“For that reason, we need a concentration of forces in the Azov Sea that will discourage thoughts of trespassing in (Russian) territorial waters.”
The third source, in the naval coastguard, said the state of heightened readiness would remain in place until July 31, about two weeks after the World Cup concludes.
The Ukrainian navy and the office of Ukrainian National Security Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov did not comment on the alleged Russian deployments.
Asked if Ukraine was planning provocations, Turchynov’s office said in a statement: “Regardless of the moaning of scared Russian mercenaries and the threats of the Russian president, the Ukrainian military will act in a way appropriate to the threats.”
Russia and Ukraine have been in a military standoff since early 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine and armed pro-Moscow separatists seized control of eastern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the World Cup is an opportunity for Russia and Western countries to put politics to one side and focus on sport.
Lilbitsnana
On TB every waking moment
Al-Masdar News
Verified account @TheArabSource
2h2 hours ago
Russian naval ship heads to Syrian port to deliver more military equipment https://aml.ink/cEd6w #Russia #Syria #Tartous #Turkey
Verified account @TheArabSource
2h2 hours ago
Russian naval ship heads to Syrian port to deliver more military equipment https://aml.ink/cEd6w #Russia #Syria #Tartous #Turkey