Tag: NATO
Stevenson’s army, September 24
– Turkey approved Sweden in NATO; Hungary still needs to act.
– Republican Senators fight over border & Ukraine, shows weakened McConnell
– Some Senators question Biden authority to attack Houthis [My view: President has authority & precedents for Red Sea operations, not for defense of Israel]
– Taiwan Caucus group goes to Taiwan.
– WOTR writer sees corruption in Chinese rocket forces
– Scottish prof says AI is already changing the battlefield
– WSJ says US sees new threats in West Africa
– Deja vu: Heritage supports Jimmy Carter’s road-mobile ICBM plan
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My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Has the sunset of the West begun?
Pantelis Ikonomou writes:
After the collapse of then existing socialism in 1991, the clash of ideologies seemed finished. Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History” became a bestseller.
It did not take long for him to admit the error of his prophecy. At the same time, humanity was realizing that hopes for global peace were false. History continued to flow, yet more violently and at higher human costs.
The US is to blame
The undeniable protagonist of the new hot war era was the winner of the 45-year Cold War: the American-led democratic West. The Warsaw Pact dissolved, but NATO continued to exist and to progressively encircle Russia, the collapsed adversary.
The US, with or without NATO, led a series of wars that go on to this day: the Gulf War (1991), the devastating bombardments of Yugoslavia (1995 and 1999), the military interventions in Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Libya (2011), Syria (2014) and the latest, indirect but decisive US involvement in Ukraine (2022) and the slaughter in Gaza (2023).
Human values and democratic principles are not the driving force of this on-going violence. It is the superpower’s eternal greed to achieve and maintain global hegemony.
What’s next?
In periods of crises, political change is critical. Is there a basis for hope?
Although history’s next games remain unknown, we will get to know one of them relatively soon. Recent polls in the US sugest that the presidential election next November will likely get Donald Trump, or a Republican politician with similar views, back on the top of the global American superpower.
The entire world, including the European democratic West, should not forget ex-President Trump’s unorthodox, unpredictable, and thus perilous persona.
Flash back
In 2016, president-elect Trump announced his doctrine for world order: “America First”. Its main pillar was the dissolution of the EU. He strongly urged European countries to follow the example of Brexit.
The head of the Munich Security Conference, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, called this “a non-military declaration of war.” The response of the then President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, was characteristic: “Europe is threatened from all sides, including the USA.” Then German Chancellor Angela Merkel wondered whether “we will be able to cooperate with the US in the future or will we retreat into parochial policies.” At the same time, she underlined the importance of international multilateral institutions, such as the EU and the UN, which Trump defiantly discredited.
Trump also encouraged US allies Japan and South Korea, and indirectly Saudi Arabia, to acquire nuclear weapons. This violated American obligations, as well as the binding commitments of the countries in question to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Trump publicly described NATO as “obsolete.” He even proposed a retreat to bilateral agreements, a proposition Russia would support.
Hence, there are well-founded doubts worldwide about the future posture of the US in defending the security, principles, and interests of the democratic West as well as abiding by historic alliances and international treaties.
Is the West at a geopolitical turning point? Has the sunset begun?
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Stevenson’s army, December 18
– Netanyahu brags that he has blocked a Palestinian state.
– Semafor says US is considering attacks on Houthis.
– WSJ says US & Israel knew of Hamas funding but didn’t act.
– David Ignatius reports on the West Bank.
– Critics see problems in DOD drone program
-New NDAA includes provision requiring congressional action to pull out of NATO. [I sympathize with the intent but am unsure of its legality.]
– Lawyers urge SIOP for economic conflict with China
– Atlantic notes history of changing Supreme Court jurisdiction over cases
– On the 250 anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Smithsonian has history.
Semafor editor suggests these newsletters for following China: Flagship Senior Editor Prashant Rao recommended Sinocism, The Wire China, ChinaTalk, and WSJ China for all your in-depth China-watching needs.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, December 9
-Economist says Netanyahu isn’t the real leader of the war cabinet
– US & Guyana are conducting joint military exercises.
– Greece and Turkey make nice.
– NYT says Europe fears NATO withdrawal by Trump
– WSJ says Israel has plotted grid for Gaza
-Politico has a report on the meeting pressuring Tuberville
– SAIS’ James Mann has a piece about the myths Kissinger created about himself
– Two recent CRS reports: on FY2024 State/Foreign Ops appropriations and a big background report on IEEPA
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, October 24
– Jake Sullivan has a big think piece in Foreign Affairs, updated to mention Gaza.
-WOTR article challenges administration’s legal authority to commit forces in Israel, and links to recent HFAC hearing.
-France is sending weapons to Armenia.
– US promises to defend Philippine ships threatened by China
– WaPo reports CIA links to Ukraine spies.
– Turkish parliament gets Sweden NATO bill
– Trump advisors suggest NATO pullout
– CSIS has big report criticizing CISA
– Writer suggests rule change to get around Tuberville holds
– Vanity Fair has new book chapter on Operation Warp Speed, a real success story.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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You wouldn’t be able to publish what I really think
I did this interview Monday for Shpat Blakcori of Kosovo’s TV1:
Q: How do you comment that the Government of Kosovo has taken some measures to ease the situation in the north, but European Union has not removed the measures against Prishtina?
A: You wouldn’t be able to publish what I really think. It is time to stop the nonsense of hyper-pressuring Pristina while allowing Belgrade to encourage attacks on Kosovo police and KFOR peacekeepers, boycott Kosovo elections, and mobilize its military forces.
Q: Do you think that the image of Kosovo has been damaged by measures from the US and the EU?
A: Yes, unquestionably. Neither Brussels nor Washington has made a secret of their distaste for the current authorities in Kosovo. How you could be more concerned with which buildings the mayors work from rather than about attacks on KFOR police and NATO peacekeepers is inexplicable.
Q: Prime Minister Kurti says that the dialogue mediated by the European Union is not balanced. What is your view on this?
A: It has not been balanced for the last year or more. I am glad that the American and European parliamentarians have spoken up against the imbalance.
Q: Do you think that with the upcoming local elections whenever they take place in the north of the country, Serbian List will continue to have full control as in the past?
A: I imagine so. Vucic shows know sign of easing up on his control of the north. That is what Brussels and Washington should be worried about. He is playing Russia’s game, not the West’s.
Q: In your opinion, what should be done to have more pluralism in the northern part of Kosovo?
A: Pristina needs to reach out to the north and do what it has done successfully with at least some of the Serbs who live south of the Ibar: convince them that they will be better off cooperating than defying. I am not seeing enough effort of that sort, though more may go on in private than I know about.
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