Richard Kidals’ Post

in case you wonder what western foreign policy means listen to this: https://lnkd.in/dTgUheBT

I joined David Swanson of Talk World Radio and Mike Ferner, Director of Veterans For Peace, to discuss how American lethal arms transfers to Israel for its use in context of its current attacks are not just immoral, but illegal. Veterans for Peace recently wrote a letter (linked below) to Secretary Blinken and other State Department officials drawing their attention to a list of policies and statutes of which the Biden Administration now stands in breach. In addition to covering those laws, and why it is so hard to enforce them in the absence of an Executive and Legislative will to do so, we discussed dissent within the Administration, and how the public can support those pushing back within the system. We wrapped up with a brief (if fiesty) exchange on why I continue to support U.S. military assistance to #Ukraine. What it comes down to is the right to self-determination - something the people of Palestine lack as they face Israeli occupation, and something the people of Ukraine are fighting for, as they face Russian aggression. Watch or listen here: https://lnkd.in/df2rP2Wt VFP letter: https://lnkd.in/eCKCPAyf Also, tomorrow (Wednesday) evening at 7pm Eastern I will be speaking with the World Affairs Council of Maine (WAC-M) via Zoom on the topic of military assistance in foreign policy. I anticipate a wide-ranging discussion that covers the basics of U.S. security assistance, its application in a host of contexts, and (inevitably!) why I resigned over U.S. lethal assistance to Israel in the current context.  Registration is free for members of the WAC-M and for Maine students, and is $5 for the general public.  Maine WAC Event Registration: https://lnkd.in/dHZ78gvX

Really interesting article about the lack of freedom/independence of the press and freedom of expression in Israel. “the views/opinion expressed in this post are mine only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Transport and Planning or the Victorian government”.

When US President Joe Biden recently signed off on a $80m (£64.6m) grant to Taiwan for the purchase of American military equipment, China said it "deplores and opposes" what Washington had done. To the casual observer it didn't appear a steep sum. It was less than the cost of a single modern fighter jet. Taiwan already has on order more than $14bn worth of US military equipment. Does a miserly $80m more matter? While fury is Beijing's default response to any military support for Taiwan, this time something was different. The $80m is not a loan. It comes from American taxpayers. For the first time in more than 40 years, America is using its own money to send weapons to a place it officially doesn't recognise. This is happening under a programme called foreign military finance (FMF). Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, FMF has been used to send around $4bn of military aid to Kyiv. It has been used to send billions more to Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and Egypt and so on. But until now it has only ever been given to countries or organisations recognised by the United Nations. Taiwan is not.

‼️LIVE: #Hamasleader in #Lebanon killed as #Israeliairstrikes reported across country 👁️BBC.com https://lnkd.in/gPSv9fHH 📍Summary #Hamas says the leader of its Lebanese group has been killed by Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon Separately, the #PopularFrontfortheLiberationofPalestine #militantgroup says three of its leaders were killed in a strike on central #Beirut #Israel has not commented on the Beirut incident - if confirmed, it would be the first Israeli strike on Beirut beyond Hezbollah’s base in the southern suburbs It comes a day after Israel carried out "large-scale" air strikes on #Yemen, targeting what it calls "#militarytargets of the #Houthi terrorist regime" In Lebanon, officials say more than 1,000 have been killed in the past week, while the prime minister says up to a million people may now be displaced 📍Analysis: The big question is what #Iran might do, writes Jeremy Bowen https://lnkd.in/gSjPSY9f The #MiddleEast region feels as if it is on the edge and the big question is what Iran might do. Israel almost seems to be taunting it to hit back, in the knowledge that their retaliation would be far stronger, and backed by the #Americans. If you look at it from the Iranian point of view, there’s the #USNavy reinforcing Israel in the #Mediterranean, Israel in a mood to do damage to its enemies, and thinking it may be in a position to reshape the Middle East. It is time for tough decisions for all the participants in this. What does Iran do, what does Israel do, and Hezbollah, who have sustained massive losses including their leader and are reeling from this – what do they do? One thing Iran watchers and some Israelis are warning about is that if the so-called #ringoffire – Iran’s build-up of #allies and #proxies formed over many years – is now shown to be flawed and ineffective, it leaves the question of whether they could decide to develop a #nuclearweapon. It’s possible – they are close to the technical knowledge. If so, and the Americans discovered it, then it could lead to a #USbombingcampaign against Iran. That’s the kind of wider scenario that people are worried this turbulence could lead to. What seemed to be the rules of the game have gone. Nobody knows where things are going, and for Israel’s allies, who continue to call for a #ceasefire and a #diplomaticsolution, that level of #unpredictability and #insecurity is full of dangers and possible mistakes.

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What’s coming up next? Snehesh Philip will discuss the Indian military-defence complex, its theatres of war, its command structure, and how it safeguards the country's borders. He will also talk about what it takes to become a sharp defence journalist. This and much more at ThePrint School of Journalism this weekend. #ThePrintSchoolofJournalism #TPSJ #TPSchoolofJournalism

In our latest video, J. Michael Waller outlines how intelligence agencies have strayed from the missions of protecting Americans from enemies, foreign and domestic, to make enemies of the people they are supposed to serve. Watch now: https://lnkd.in/gwxhsZ-x

New Post: Two years into Russia’s invasion, exhausted Ukrainians refuse to give up - https://lnkd.in/gUmHMF_s - Ukrainians may be fatigued by the war, but they still see it as a fight for survival. - #news #business #world -------------------------------------------------- Download: Stupid Simple CMS - https://lnkd.in/g4y9XFgR -------------------------------------------------- or download at SourceForge - https://lnkd.in/gNqB7dnp