Day: October 24, 2023

When I Doubt–Resign

Since the newest conflict exploded in Gaza my post have been about there needs to be ma more thought out response by Israel and too many armchair analyst too those comments as my support for HAMAS….that is BS I have never supported an attack of terrorism whether disguised as self-defense or as an outright attack.

My opposition to an all out push to destroy a foe is from years of watching such actions create more problems than they eliminate.

I recently read a report about employee of the US State Department….

An official with the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM) announced his resignation on Wednesday due to President Biden’s full-throated support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza that came after the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Josh Paul said in a statement on his LinkedIn account that he had worked for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for 11 years. He strongly condemned the Hamas’ attack on Israel, describing it as a “monstrosity of monstrosities,” but said Israel’s response will only make things worse.

“I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people – and is not in the long term American interest. This Administration’s response – and much of Congress’ as well – is an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia. That is to say, it is immensely disappointing, and entirely unsurprising,” Paul wrote.

Paul continued to criticize the history of the US’s “blind support” for Israel. “Decades of the same approach have shown that security for peace leads to neither security, nor to peace. The fact is, blind support for one side is destructive in the long term to the interests of the people on both sides. I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it for longer,” he said.

Discussing his time at the PM, Paul said he had made moral compromises but that he had reached his limit. “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact. I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain,” he said.

According to the State Department’s website, the PM is the department’s “principal link” to the Defense Department and “provides policy direction in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defense strategy and plans, and defense trade.” Paul said he was proud of some work he had done at the PM, including “on pending Administration decisions to transfer lethal weapons to countries that abuse human rights” and involvement in the policy of fueling the Ukraine war.

I agree since for decades HAMAS has been a thorn in Israel’s side and after several ‘wars’ the problem remains.

Then there is what the SecState has to say…..

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday rejected the idea of the US calling for a ceasefire in Gaza when confronted with the massive number of child casualties in Israel’s onslaught.

Blinken claimed that the death of children on both sides hits him “right in the heart” but did not criticize Israel’s vicious bombing campaign. He pointed to US efforts to get Israel to allow aid trucks to enter Gaza through Egypt, and Brennan then asked why the US isn’t pushing for at least a temporary ceasefire.

“Israel has to do everything it can to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Blinken said, referring to the October 7 Hamas attack. “Freezing things in place where they are now would allow Hamas to remain where it is and to repeat what it’s done some time in the future. No country could accept that,” Blinken said.

Blinken made a similar argument earlier this year when rejecting the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, saying a pause in fighting would only benefit Russia. Now, it’s clear Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed after months of brutal fighting and heavy Ukrainian casualties.

(antiwar.com)

Blinken sounds more like the SecDef than the US top diplomat…..his words are unacceptable.

Ask yourself….just who makes the State Department policy?

Should not be that hard of a question to answer.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Is It A Stalemate Or What?

Ukraine?

You remember that conflict that dominated the news until it became a stalemate and then as if right on cue….GAZA!

The West has been pumping weapons and cash into Ukraine for a very long time…..and the long awaited counteroffensive has seemed to sink into the stalemate that many of us feared.

The reports coming out of the conflict are pointing to a stalemate that few want to admit.

The good news for Ukraine this year is that Russia has barely gained any new territory in nearly 10 months of fighting. The bad news for Ukraine is that its army hasn’t won much land back in that same span. A comprehensive assessment of the war’s front line by the New York Times reveals that it has barely moved since Jan. 1. Russia by now had hoped to have control over all of the Donbas region, while Ukraine hoped to have pushed Russian troops way back through a summer offensive. But the Times analysis reveals that less than 500 square miles of territory has changed hands this year—Russia gained 331 of them and Ukraine 143. Though a seeming stalemate might not seem to favor either side, the gist of the analysis is that it serves Russia better.

For one thing, Western allies might tire of providing aid to Ukraine in a prolonged conflict. For another, Russia has far more fighters and a much larger population to draw from for replenishments. “The whole strategy in Ukraine is for the Russians to let the Ukrainians run against those defenses, kill as many as possible, and destroy as much Western equipment as possible,” says Marina Miron of King’s College London. Russia, she adds, is “not losing anything by not moving forward.” See the full Times analysis for maps and details. An editor at Yahoo News, meanwhile, makes the case that the term “stalemate” is inaccurate because of positive developments for Ukraine, including an attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet headquarters.

The report highlights that Russia forces have gained a small advantage…..

Russian forces have gained more territory in Ukraine this year than the Ukrainian side despite the Ukrainian counteroffensive that was launched in June, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

The report noted that despite nine months of heavy fighting in Ukraine, only about 500 square miles of territory have changed hands this year. Russia has gained 331 square miles while Ukraine has gained 143, a difference of 188, which amounts to Russia’s net gain in territory so far this year.

Most of the fighting in the first half of the year focused around the Donbas city of Bakhmut, which Russia fully captured in May after a brutal battle that started in August 2022. Ukraine’s counteroffensive has focused on the south, but fighting has continued near Bakhmut and across the entire eastern front.

The Times quoted Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher in war studies at King’s College London, who said Russia appears to be comfortable holding the territory it currently controls rather than seeking rapid gains.

Russia Has Gained More Territory This Year Than Ukraine

Neither side is achieving earth shaking results in this war.

There is another front that should be addressed….’war fatigue’.

That feeling that nations and people get when war rages on and control of lives seem to slip into obscurity.

‘War Fatigue’ Is a Big Problem for Ukraine Now – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. The leader of the embattled nation called for Russia to be removed from the Security Council, while he criticized the group for failing to prevent the conflict. However, Zelensky may have also seriously damaged his standing with some of his staunchest allies after suggesting that some nations in Europe were engaged “in a political theater – making a thriller from grain.”

Two Words That Ukraine Should Fear More Than Anything Else

Time for someone to step forward and find a solution.

But that is just my thought.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”