#Global Migration Consultancy

[christophercottonn]

Immigration Consultant in Amritsar

Immigration Consultant in Amritsar is an immigration company that helps immigrants in applying for their visa and other immigration services. The company provides the most convenient and professional services for the immigrants in India. The company also has a database of immigration consultants who can help immigrants in any city across the world.

[thenewpangea]

ONE WAY TO STOP THE MIGRATION...

Think about it!

[sbscglobal]

Revolutionize your IT ecosystem by transitioning to the cloud and accelerate business growth. Our adept developers have honed their skills in crafting dynamic, robust, and resilient systems within a high-grade IT environment using efficient methodologies. Partner with the top cloud application development company to innovate and create tech products that offer next-level digital experiences. Cloud computing has firmly established itself in the IT landscape and has been dominating it for over a decade now.

Our Service Offerings

Cloud Assessment A robust cloud strategy customized to your business objectives can be the differentiator between establishing a sustainable competitive edge in a rapidly evolving digital landscape and potentially wasting investment. Our hyper-focused cloud consulting services expedite digital transformation 

Managed Cloud The SBSC Cloud Managed Services offering introduces innovative strategies to tackle this challenge. As a seasoned Managed Services Partner with leading Cloud providers, we oversee all four dimensions of Cloud Management – Financial, Operational, Security/Compliance, and Technology.

Cloud Migration We expedite time-to-value with our near-zero risk cloud migration solutions. By utilizing a suite of industry-proven approaches, tools, and accelerators, we ensure that your cloud aspirations are aligned with a seamless digital transformation.

Cloud Native Apps Our cloud-native services enable digital enterprises to innovate, experiment, and scale rapidly in response to market demands. Leveraging Microservices, DevOps, Containers, and PaaS, we develop Cloud Native solutions that are both adaptable and secure.

Cloud Security Utilize our expertise in network, data, and application security to gain a competitive edge in the cloud space by developing customized Cloud Access Security Brokers automated testing solutions for compliance standards and Data Loss Prevention (DLP).

Monitoring and Maintenance As your one-stop solution for multiple cloud app development requirements, we provide SLA-driven ongoing support and maintenance to ensure your systems remain secure, bug-free, and evolve with the latest technological advancements.

Advantages Of SBSC Cloud Services

Best-fit: Cloud Solution to get high productivity and increase efficiency

Excellence: designing and implementing scalable architectures

Full Cycle: configuration, deployment, ongoing support and maintenance

Experience: Leveraging suitable platform features and optimized standards.

Don’t Hesitate To Contact With Us, We’ve Very Friendly

Call: +1 (877) 213 3835 Email: info@sbsc.com

Website: https://www.sbsc.com

[psm-global]

Kick Your Carrier With Best Automotive Courses

Are you passionate about cars and dream of pursuing a career in the automotive industry? Look no further than PSM Global Education & Visa Consultant With a rapidly growing automotive market, there has never been a better time to kickstart your career in this exciting field. Joining an automotive pre-trade course in Melbourne can be the first step towards a promising future. In this blog, we'll explore the benefits of Automotive courses and how they can help you get ahead in the industry.

Why Choose Melbourne for Automotive Studies?

Melbourne is renowned for its vibrant automotive industry, making it an ideal location for those aspiring to work with cars. The city is home to numerous automotive companies, dealerships, and repair shops, offering ample opportunities for hands-on experience and networking. Additionally, Melbourne boasts a robust automotive education ecosystem, with a wide range of automotive courses, designed to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in the industry.

The Importance of Automotive Pre-Trade Courses:

Automotive trade course Melbourne serve as a stepping stone for individuals looking to enter the automotive industry. These courses provide comprehensive training that covers both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. By enrolling in an automotive pre-trade course, you will gain a solid foundation in automotive systems, vehicle servicing, diagnostics, and repairs. This training will help you understand the complexities of modern automobiles, ensuring you are well-prepared to tackle real-world challenges.

Benefits of Automotive Pre-Trade Courses:

Hands-on Training:Automotive pre-trade courses Melbourne offer hands-on training opportunities, allowing you to work with industry-standard tools and equipment. This practical experience is invaluable when it comes to securing employment in the automotive sector.

Industry Connections:These courses often collaborate with local automotive businesses, providing you with valuable networking opportunities. Establishing connections with industry professionals can open doors for internships, apprenticeships, and future job prospects.

Accreditation and Recognition:Completing an automotive pre-trade course Melbourne demonstrates your commitment to professional development and increases your employability. Accredited courses are highly regarded by employers, giving you a competitive edge in the job market.

Tailored Learning Pathways:Melbourne's automotive pre-trade courses offer a variety of specializations, allowing you to choose a pathway that aligns with your interests and career goals. Whether you're interested in automotive mechanics, automotive electrical systems, or automotive technology, there's a course that suits your aspirations.

Career Prospects:The automotive industry in Melbourne is thriving, offering a wide range of career opportunities. Upon completing your automotive trade course melbourne, you can pursue roles such as automotive technician, vehicle mechanic, automotive electrician, or even start your own automotive business.

Conclusion:

If you're passionate about cars and want to turn your passion into a successful career, enrolling in an Automotive Courses in Melbourne is a wise choice. These courses provide you with the necessary skills, knowledge, and industry connections to excel in the automotive industry. As Melbourne continues to grow as an automotive hub, there's no better time to embark on your journey to becoming an automotive professional. So, take the first step towards an exciting career and enroll in an automotive pre-trade course in Melbourne today!

[westavenueglobal]

Dubai's Immigration and Visa Services

Dubai is a bustling metropolis that has established itself as a popular vacation spot for visitors from all over the world. Dubai provides numerous opportunities for professionals, job seekers, and entrepreneurs alike with its booming economy, tax-free environment, and world-class infrastructure. To ensure a smooth transition, you will need to obtain the necessary visas and immigration services if you intend to relocate to Dubai and begin a new life there. In this blog post, we'll talk about Dubai's immigration and visa services and give you an in-depth tutorial on how to start a new life in the UAE.

Dubai offers a variety of visa options, each of which is tailored to the visitor's purpose. The Tourist Visa is one of the most prevalent categories of visas. Visitors to Dubai for leisure purposes require this kind of visa. Depending on the nationality of the traveler, a tourist visa can be issued for either 30 or 90 days.

Visa to Go -  Individuals who wish to pay a visit to friends or family in Dubai are granted a visit visa. This visa can be granted for either 30 or 90 days, and it can also be extended for an additional 30 days.

Transit Permit -  People who are traveling through Dubai to another location are granted a transit visa. 

Working Visa - People who have found work in Dubai are granted an employment visa. The visa is valid for three years and must be applied for by the employer on behalf of the employee.

Residence Permit -  Individuals who intend to reside and work in Dubai are granted a residence visa. You must have a valid employment visa or own a property in Dubai to get a residence visa.

Student Permit -  Those who wish to pursue higher education in Dubai are granted a student visa. A valid admission letter from a Dubai-recognized institution is required to obtain a student visa.

Dubai's immigration services can assist you with your visa application. Dubai has a wide range of immigration services. Some of the services that are available are as follows: Visa Application Processing: Dubai has several centres for processing visa applications. You can apply online or in person at a visa processing centre.

Services for extending and renewing a visa: You can renew or extend your visa online or at one of the visa processing centres.

Services for sponsorships -  Your employer must sponsor your visa if you are moving to Dubai for work. Dubai also allows residents to sponsor their spouse, children, or parents through family sponsorship.

Services for Immigration Consultation - You can get valuable guidance on immigration laws and regulations from immigration consultants, who can also assist you with submitting a visa application.

Legal Assistance -  A Dubai law firm can assist you if you require immigration-related legal counsel.

How to Get a Visa in Dubai - The application process for a visa in Dubai is simple. The steps are as follows: Choose the kind of visa you need: Dubai provides a variety of visa options based on your travel plans.

Collect all necessary documents - You will be required to submit certain documents, such as a passport, passport-size photographs, a visa application form, and proof of accommodation, depending on the kind of visa you are applying for.

Complete the application for a visa - You can complete the form online or in person at a visa processing center.

Pay for the visa costs.

In conclusion, Dubai is a great place to start a new life in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai offers countless opportunities for personal and professional development due to its diverse culture, world-class amenities, and favorable business climate. You can realize your dream of starting a new life in Dubai by following the steps in this guide to obtain the necessary visas and immigration services.  Read more…  How to Choose the Right Citizenship Consultant in Dubai                         

[mariacallous]

In mid-January, Phil Gordon visited Guatemala to hand deliver a letter from Kamala Harris to a man who very likely owed his presidency to U.S. diplomatic intervention.

Bernardo Arévalo de León had just been inaugurated as Guatemala’s new leader, despite efforts by the country’s outgoing government over months to derail a democratic transition of power. Gordon, the U.S. vice president’s national security advisor, was in Guatemala to attend Arévalo’s inauguration with a delegation of other high-level Biden administration officials.

The letter congratulated him on his victory and invited him to Washington for a meeting with Harris, according to a copy reviewed by Foreign Policy. But its real significance was spelled out between the lines. A senior administration official involved in the discussions said the letter was a “signal that the U.S. gives full-throated support to Arévalo and Guatemala’s democratic transition of power.”

The inauguration itself took place after midnight on Jan. 15, following a dramatic final effort by members of Guatemala’s outgoing government to halt the proceedings. Gordon and other members of the U.S. delegation were instrumental in ensuring the transition of power took place, having imposed sanctions and visa restrictions, and back channeled with other embassies to pressure Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei to accept the election results and step aside.

The democratic transition in Guatemala represents one of the clearest victories of U.S. President Joe Biden’s agenda to promote democracy worldwide, as well as a rare example of Vice President Kamala Harris’s national security team playing a distinct and direct role in shepherding it through, according to interviews with multiple administration insiders and Central America experts. The episode provides possible insights into how Harris’s foreign-policy team would work should she win the presidential election in November.

While it went relatively unnoticed in Washington, where people are largely focused on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the U.S. maneuver to bolster democracy in Guatemala was a policy win—in stark contrast to some of the administration’s endeavors in other parts of the world. The Biden administration has faced criticism for embracing autocrats in ways that undermined his stated goals of promoting global democracy. Across West Africa, the United States has failed to stem an “epidemic” of coups that dealt a heavy blow to U.S. interests. In Afghanistan, which the United States withdrew from chaotically three years ago, democracy is more distant than ever.

“Probably the most key player for securing this transition for Arévalo was the international community and specifically the United States,” said Marielos Chang, a Guatemalan political consultant and professor at the Universidad del Valle in Guatemala.

When Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race last month and endorsed Harris, one of the many questions posed about the vice president was: What role had she played on foreign-policy issues? Many current and former U.S. national security officials say it is hard to discern where Harris and her small national security team have made a mark—but Guatemala stands as an exception.

Harris became the administration’s point person on Central America’s Northern Triangle region to tackle the root causes of migration, an assignment that later became a point of controversy on the campaign trail—and a source of criticism from Republicans. Migration encounters at the U.S. southern border hit a record high at the end of 2023, and border security and migration remains a major issue for both parties on the campaign trail, particularly for Republicans.

“President Biden gave Vice President Harris one job—‘border czar’—and she failed miserably,” Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last month, echoing similar charges across the board from Republicans that the Harris campaign has sought to push back on.

Throughout her time as vice president, Harris and her national security team worked closely with Giammattei’s government to try to tackle the root causes of migration from the source, even before Guatemala’s transition crisis.

Guatemala is Central America’s most populous country and a key hub for the flow of migrants north toward the U.S. southern border.

One key initiative Harris’s team and other National Security Council (NSC) officials worked on with Giammattei was the “safe mobility office” initiative, to try to establish offices in the region where people could apply for asylum in the United States from afar or learn about the convoluted U.S. migration system before ever reaching the U.S. border.

Gordon met with Giammattei for over nine hours in one of his numerous trips to Guatemala as they hashed out these proposals, according to a senior administration official familiar with the matter. This official and others spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the record about internal government deliberations.

The National Immigration Forum, a nonprofit organization that tracks migration issues, has said that “much remains unclear about the offices’ operational realities” but that it is aimed at lessening the burden on immigration systems at the border and deterring people from trying to venture there in the first place.

Arévalo won Guatemala’s presidential election in August 2023 by a comfortable margin on a campaign of anti-corruption reforms. In the wake of the election, “we were starting to see signs that Giammattei’s administration was seeking to block the outcome of the free and fair elections and prevent a peaceful transfer of power,” said Katie Tobin, the former top Biden migration advisor at the NSC.

From there, Harris’s team was well placed to launch the pressure campaign on the outgoing government to accept the election results. It was also coordinated by the top U.S. diplomat at the time in Guatemala, Patrick Ventrell, and other State Department and Treasury Department officials, according to the officials familiar with the matter.

In October, the administration announced sanctions on Guatemalan officials linked to corruption. In November, Gordon traveled again to Guatemala to meet with both Giammattei and Arévalo separately to “reinforc[e] the importance of the peaceful democratic transfer of power,” according to a White House readout of the meetings at the time. Days after his visit, the Biden administration sanctioned another former top Guatemalan official for his role in “ongoing efforts to undermine the democratic transfer of power.”

Then, on Dec. 11, the State Department announced visa restrictions on nearly 300 Guatemalans, including over 100 Guatemalan members of Congress and other business elites, for “ongoing anti-democratic actions” that sought to interrupt the transition of power.

“That sent a really strong message to all politicians, that the United States was not going to be just waiting to see what happens,” Chang said. Chang said that Guatemalans paid close attention to the diplomatic campaign by the United States, and in particular the top U.S. diplomat there, Ventrell. Harris’s personal role, Chang said, wasn’t visible in Guatemala in the same way it was back in Washington in internal government deliberations.

The pressure appeared to be working, and Giammattei and his proxies began backing down. But there would be one last dramatic political battle, and members of Harris’s national security team would find themselves at the center of it.

Biden in January announced he was sending a delegation of eight senior U.S. officials to Guatemala for Arévalo’s inauguration, led by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) chief Samantha Power. The delegation also included Gordon and Tobin, as well as Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Lawmakers who opposed Arévalo threw up more roadblocks, delaying the special session of Congress to finish the inauguration and sparking fears of a last-minute coup. Arévalo’s supporters rallying to celebrate his inauguration grew increasingly restive and impatient as the hours dragged on, eventually clashing with riot police and gathering outside the congressional building.

The showdown also intersected with the U.S. election campaign, as one of former President Donald Trump’s top confidants, Ric Grenell, traveled to Guatemala in the days leading up to the inauguration and threw his support behind the efforts to derail Arévalo’s ascent to the presidency, as the Washington Post reported. Grenell reportedly backed hard-line conservatives who sought to block the transition and alleged that the U.S. foreign-policy establishment was trying to “intimidate conservatives” in the country. Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence and ambassador to Germany, has emerged as one of the most influential voices in the MAGA movement advising Trump on his 2024 run.

On the day of the planned inauguration, Biden’s delegation went into crisis mode. “We were at the [U.S.] ambassador’s residence during this, for nine hours,” Tobin recalled. “The [USAID] administrator, Phil [Gordon], our charges d’affaires [Ventrell] were all making tons of calls to the outgoing government and incoming administration” and “coordinating with foreign delegations” in response to the eleventh-hour crisis, she said.

“We worked out a unified message as the international community there that we were expecting the Guatemalan government to do the right thing and uphold democratic values,” she added. They weren’t alone. Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s president, who was also in Guatemala for the inauguration and has outsized political influence in the region, vowed not to leave until Arévalo was inaugurated.

In the end, the pressure from Guatemalan protesters and the international community worked. Arévalo was sworn in shortly after midnight on Jan. 15. “That transition almost didn’t happen, until it finally did,” Tobin said.

Shortly after the inauguration, Harris issued a statement “commend[ing] the people of Guatemala for making their voices heard and this important transition.” Her team has maintained close contact with Arévalo in the months since; Gordon met him along the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany in February and Arévalo took Harris up on her offer for a White House meeting, visiting Washington in March. Giammattei, meanwhile, has been barred from entering the United States over U.S. allegations of “his involvement in significant corruption,” according to the State Department.

“A lot of people have critical views of the United States as not always a good player regarding their actions in Latin America,” Chang said, citing Guatemala among other cases. “With this specific example, however, you can see how the United States can actually help in countries that are struggling with democratic transitions.”

[highflysourcing]

In today’s globalized world, career advancement often means looking beyond your home country’s borders. Migration isn’t just about moving to a new place; it’s about embracing new opportunities, expanding your horizons, and accelerating your career growth. If you’re considering relocating abroad, you might be wondering how to navigate the complex immigration process. This is where visa immigration consultancy comes into play, offering valuable assistance to make your migration journey smoother and more successful.

Read More...

For more information or to schedule a consultation with Highfly Sourcing, visit their website or contact them directly on mail info@highflysourcing.com your global adventure awaits, and with the right support, you’ll be ready to embark on it with ease.

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[eliteimmigrationbangalore222]

best migration consultancy in Bangalore

If you’re looking for the best migration consultancy in Bangalore, Immigration Services is a premier choice for expert guidance and tailored support. Our consultancy is known for its exceptional service in handling all aspects of migration, including visa applications, residency permits, work permits, and more. We offer personalized advice and solutions, ensuring that your application process is smooth and efficient. With a dedicated team of professionals and a deep understanding of global immigration laws, Immigration Services is committed to helping you achieve your migration goals with confidence. Visit our website to discover how our top-rated consultancy in Bangalore can assist you in making your move successful and hassle-free. Read More

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Jesse Duquette

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 13, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAY 14, 2024

Today illustrated that the Democrats have become America’s cheerleaders, emphasizing how investment in the nation’s infrastructure has created jobs and rebuilt the country. This week, the Biden-Harris administration is touting its investments in rebuilding roads and bridges, making sure Americans have clean water, getting rid of pollution, expanding access to high-speed internet, and building a clean energy economy, contrasting that success with Trump’s eternal announcements of an “Infrastructure Week” that never came. 

The White House today announced that it has awarded nearly $454 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including more than 56,000 projects across more than 4,500 communities across the nation. Those include fixing more than 165,000 miles of roads and more than 9,400 bridges and improving more than 450 ports and 300 airport terminals. It has funded more than 1,400 drinking water and wastewater projects and projects to replace up to 1.7 million toxic lead pipes, as well as more than 8,000 low- and zero-emission buses. It has funded 95 previously unfunded Superfund projects to clean up contaminated sites. It has improved the electrical grid and funded 12,000 miles of high-speed internet infrastructure, and exposed internet junk fees.  

The White House explained that this investment is making it cheaper to install clean energy technology and lowering families’ monthly energy bills, and highlighted today the available rebates to enable people to take advantage of the new technologies. 

On Wednesday, May 8, a report from the Semiconductor Industry Association and the Boston Consulting Group explored the “breathtaking speed,” as the president of the semiconductor organization put it, at which the industry is growing. In the Financial Times on May 9, John Thornhill reported that the CHIPS and Science Act, which provided a $39 billion investment in  the semiconductor industry, has “primed a torrent of private sector investment.” With the influx of both federal money and an additional $447 billion of private investment in 83 projects in 25 states, the report forecasts that the U.S. will increase its share of global manufacturing capacity for leading-edge chips from today’s rate of 0% to 28% by 2032. Thornhill compared this investment to that spurred by Russia’s 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite. 

The Economist yesterday announced that the U.S. “is in the midst of an extraordinary startup boom,” and explored “[h]ow the country revived its “go-getting spirit.”

In contrast to the Democrats’ confidence in America, the Republicans are all-in on the idea that the country is an apocalyptic wasteland. At a rally in New Jersey Saturday, Trump announced: “On day one we will throw out Bidenomics and reinstate MAGAnomics.” He promised to extend his 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.

But the gist of his speech was an angry, vitriolic picture of a failing nation full of “enemies” that are “more dangerous” than China and Russia and who are “going to destroy our country.” In his telling, the criminal case against him in Manhattan is “bullsh*t,” and President Biden has done more damage than the “ten worst presidents in the history of our country” combined: “[h]e’s a fool; he’s not a smart man…[h]e’s a bad guy…the worst president ever, of any country. The whole world is laughing at him.”

Trump lied that other countries are “emptying out their mental institutions into the United States, our beautiful country. And now the prison populations all over the world are down. They don’t want to report that the mental-institution population is down because they’re taking people from insane asylums and from mental institutions.” Then he riffed into “the late great Hannibal Lecter,” the fictional murderer and cannibal in the film The Silence of the Lambs, apparently to suggest that similar individuals are migrating to the U.S.

House Republicans this week are working to pass a nonbinding resolution to condemn Biden’s immigration policies, although it was Republicans, under orders from Trump, who killed a strong bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year. 

The only way to turn back this apocalypse, Trump and his supporters insist, is to put Trump and his team back into the White House. From there, Republicans will return those they consider “real” Americans to power. 

The last few days have added new information about what that means. On Thursday, May 9, Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) act. Britt—who is best known for her disastrous response to Biden’s State of the Union speech from her kitchen—said the measure would provide a federal database of resources for pregnant women and women parenting young children, but that information excludes anything that touches on abortion.

The measure is clear that it enlists the government in opposition to abortion, but more than that, it establishes that the government will create a database of the names and contact information of pregnant women, which the government can then use “to follow up with users on additional resources that would be helpful for the users to review.” 

A government database of pregnant women would give the federal government unprecedented control over individuals, and it is especially chilling after the story Caroline Kitchener broke in the Washington Post on May 3, that a Texas man, Collin Davis, filed a petition to stop his ex-partner from traveling to Colorado, where abortion is legal, to obtain an abortion. Should she do so, his lawyer wrote, he would “pursue wrongful-death claims against anyone involved in the killing of his unborn child.” Now Davis wants to be able to depose his former partner along with others he says are “complicit” in the abortion. 

Antiabortion activists are also seeking to make mifepristone and misoprostol, drugs used in many abortions, hard to obtain. In Louisiana, state lawmakers are considering classifying the drugs as “controlled dangerous substances,” which would make possessing them carry penalties of up to ten years in prison and fines of up to $75,000. 

More than 240 Louisiana doctors wrote to lawmakers saying that the drugs have none of the addictive characteristics associated with dangerous controlled substances and warning that the drugs are crucial for inducing routine labor and preventing catastrophic hemorrhage after delivery, in addition to their use in abortions. “Given its historically poor maternal health outcomes, Louisiana should prioritize safe and evidence-based care for pregnant women,” the doctors wrote. 

Louisiana lawmakers also rejected a bill that would have allowed anyone under age 17, the age of consent in Louisiana, to have an abortion if they became pregnant after rape or incest. Passionate testimony from those who suffered such attacks or who treated pregnant girls as young as 8 failed to convince the Republican lawmakers to support the measure. “That baby [in the womb] is innocent.… We have to hang on to that,” said Republican state representative Dodie Horton. 

Today, at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization promoting Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander participation and representation at all levels of the political process, Vice President Kamala Harris encouraged young people to innovate and to move into spaces from which they have been traditionally excluded.

“So here’s the thing about breaking barriers,” she said. “Breaking barriers does not mean you start on one side of the barrier and you end up on the other side. There’s breaking involved. And when you break things you get cut. And you may bleed. And it is worth it every time…. We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won’t. And then you need to kick that f*cking door down.”

Harris’s advice reflects the history that happened on this date in 1862, when the enslaved mariners on board the shallow-draft C.S.S. Planter gathered up their families, fired up the ship’s boilers, and sailed out of the Charleston, South Carolina, harbor. The three white officers of the ship had gone ashore, leaving enslaved 23-year-old pilot Robert Smalls to take control. Smalls knew how to steer the ship and give the proper signals to the Confederates at Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, and three other checkpoints. 

Smalls piloted the Planter, the sixteen formerly enslaved people on it, and a head full of intelligence about the Confederate fortifications at Charleston to the U.S. Navy. In Confederate hands, the Planter had surveyed waterways and laid mines; now that information was in U.S. hands. Smalls went on to pilot naval vessels during the war, and in 1864 he bought the house formerly owned by the man who had enslaved him. 

A natural leader, Smalls went on to become a businessman, politician, and strong advocate for education. After serving in the 1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention that made school attendance compulsory and provided for universal male suffrage, he went on to serve in the South Carolina legislature from 1868 to 1874, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until 1887. When President Barack Obama signed an executive order establishing the nation’s first national monument concerning Reconstruction, he cited the life of Robert Smalls.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[acti-veg]

Someone recently posited that dismissing "harvesting grain kills mice tho" with statistics about how much grain is fed to livestock is too detached and akin to "repeating propaganda" because that's not true everywhere.

They used Australia as an example of a place that "doesn't do COFA" and has a huge problem with the astronomical numbers of rodents dying in grain harvest. They claim that over there there are way more animal lives lost to grain harvesting than slaughter and that grain consumption is as optional as meat consumption, but vegans "dismissing" those concerns are doing nothing to help. They also said something about some vegans thinking intentional slaughter is objectively worse than incidental death due to monoculture, but that "utilitarians are held to a stricter moral standard" and that the sheer number of deaths should make it worse.

I don't even know where to begin learning the details of the food systems in Australia. I know the statistics and some details globally and in my home country but I feel out of my depth with this conversation. Do you have any guidance you could share?

Well the first thing to recognise is that Australia absolutely does do intensive feeding operations, that’s a frankly bizarre claim. There is no way they could feed the number of animals they farm and kill without it. Here is a farming consultancy talking about it and advocating it, here is the department of agriculture acknowledging pigs, sheep and cattle in feedlots, here is meat and livestock Australia discussing it, here is RSPCA Australia discussing it.

It took me about five minutes to find all of these, so they can’t have done much honest research on this topic. The same thing is true of the ‘huge problems of astronomical numbers of animal lives lost to grain. Australia is currently experiencing an ‘epidemic’ of mice due to sustainable unseasonable weather and rainfall, every reference I could find on this topic was talking about how we can get rid of them - there doesn’t seem to be any such concern about mice being lost to grain harvesting.

In fact, the only source I could find talking about this (making the exact same points you’ve included here) was written by the Center For Consumer Freedom, a notorious animal agriculture lobbying group. It’s literal propaganda. The sole reference in that piece is a ‘study’ they link to, which is actually just an opinion piece in The Conversation. The only actual source there is a paper that actually supports the opposite conclusion.

“While the number of mice found in fields substantially decreased after harvest, their numbers substantially increased in the border regions. When it came to disappearances, a category that included both mouse deaths and migration out of the study area, there was no significant difference between the three habitats. The study concluded that changes in the number of field animals were “the consequences of movement and not of high[er] mortality in crops”.

So the factual basis of this argument is obviously deeply questionable, but you can still make the argument ‘ok we don’t know details but it’s highly likely some animals do die to provide plants for human consumption.’ This is undoubtedly true. However, it’s not just true of grain, it’s true of all the plants, it’s true of medicine, building materials, electronics - everything. If we stopped eating grain they’d be calling us hypocrites for not boycotting sprouts.

Furthermore, who is dismissing these problems? I don’t know any vegan who doesn’t want to improve plant agriculture, arguing for agriculture without animal inputs is a fundamental part of what veganism is about. Acknowledging the reality that whatever we eat will cause harm is not hypocrisy, nor is trying to reduce that harm by boycotting industries who directly and purposely exploit and kill billions of animals for profit.

Veganism is, as we all know, about doing whatever is possible and practicable to avoid animal exploitation. We have to eat something. Incidental vs purposeful deaths absolutely do matter, animals die as a result of grain harvesting, but they’re not exploited for grain. Those things are ethically very different, even if both are wrong. We can harvest crops without harming animals, that is what veganic farming is, there is no way to produce animal products without exploiting animals.

As for ‘utilitarians are held to a stricter moral standard,’ since when? If we feed more humans from harvesting grain than we kill in producing it, that’d be fine for most utilitarians. Interestingly, it’d also create the moral imperative to feed that grain to humans directly rather than farmed animals, since those farmed animals will suffer to produce less food and produce less good than would have been produced had that grain been fed to humans directly.

However, that data just does not exist. It is a hugely speculative assumption that more animals are killed to produce grain than to produce meat, there isn’t anything even resembling reliable statistics on that front. It is also an argument only relevant to utilitarians which… is fine for them, but for anyone is not a utilitarian the response is just… okay, so what? I’m not a utilitarian.

This is phrased as if veganism is dependent on utilitarianism as part of its ethical principles, which they may have gotten from someone like Singer but it’s a misunderstanding to suggest that is what vegsnism is, and arrogant to insist we should all hold ourselves to the same ‘strict standard’ as utilitarians, whatever the hell that means.

In conclusion, it’s a confused piece of pseudo-philosophy, likely sourced from corporate propaganda, which is based on assumptions, the misrepresentation of data and some odd assumptions about the ethical basis for veganism. You don’t need to learn anything about the food systems of Australia to debunk this argument, since evidently the person making it didn’t bother to learn about it themselves.

[govindhtech]

IBM Maximo AWS Deployment Strategies

The Business Value of IBM Maximo, a recent IDC report that surveyed 9 companies with an average of 8,500 employees, found that adopting IBM Maximo resulted in a business benefit of USD 14.6 million per year per organization, 43% less unplanned downtime, and USD 8.6 million in total equipment cost avoidances.

One comprehensive, cloud-based application platform for asset monitoring, management, predictive maintenance, and reliability planning is IBM Maximo Application Suite (MAS). Maximo optimizes performance, extends asset lifecycles, and reduces downtime and costs for high-value assets using AI and analytics. Hosting Maximo on a scalable infrastructure maximizes performance, hence the current tendency is to shift it to the cloud. In this trip, MAS migration and deployment on AWS Cloud are gaining popularity.

The growing demand for Maximo AWS Cloud migration

Migrating to cloud helps enterprises improve operational resilience and dependability while updating software with minimal effort and infrastructure constraints. Due to the growing demand for data-driven asset management, firms must aggregate data from diverse departments to identify trends, generate predictions, and make better asset management decisions.

Last April, IBM said Maximo 7.6 and add-on support would stop in September 2025. All Maximo EAM customers must upgrade to the latest cloud-based MAS. Maximo migration and modernization are become increasingly significant to clients.

IBM has released new containerized versions of Maximo Application Suite as a Service (MAS SaaS) on AWS Marketplace with Bring Your Own License (BYOL) to assist Maximo migration to AWS. MAS SaaS on AWS is another milestone in Maximo’s integration of Monitor, Health, and Visual Inspection into a unified suite.

What makes MAS SaaS distinct

IBM Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) specialists use best practices to continuously maintain and administer MAS SaaS, a subscription-based AWS service. This partnership gives customers an industry-leading IBM asset management system underpinned by AWS’s size, agility, and cost-efficiency.

Upgrades and migrations to MAS 8 are possible with MAS SaaS. The data update is similar to prior upgrades, but ROSA and other dependencies require architecture changes. The migration is comparable to how clients transitioned from on-premise to Maximo EAM SaaS Flex, but with MAS changes. Perpetual on-premises customers would stop paying Service & Support (S&S) and purchase a SaaS subscription, on-premises Subscription License customers would start a new subscription, and existing MAS Flex and MAS Managed Service customers would start a new subscription to migrate to MAS SaaS.

Our IBM Consulting Cloud Accelerator (ICCA) technology lets firms plan migration and upgrade strategies before investing.

Maximo migration strategy of a global energy firm

IBM worked closely with an energy company confronting the following challenges:

Infrastructure needed for latest Maximo version takes longer.

WebSphere, Maximo’s core, experienced high-availability and performance difficulties.

Lack of data fabric and integration layer hinders cross-application data interchange.

Complex setup, failures, and security with manual end-to-end deployment.

Since Maximo Application Suite 8 (MAS8) tackles industry issues like failure risk, escalating maintenance costs, sustainability, and compliance laws, the customer chose it. The client chose AWS Cloud for its deployment flexibility, scalability, high availability, and secure architecture. 

Approach to solution

This is how IBM accelerated the energy company’s Maximo move to AWS:

Used Infra as a code to upgrade Maximo from 7.6.0.9 to 7.6.1.2.

IaC allowed instance spin-up for auto scaling. This automation reduces the time to spin up and execute the new environment and addresses multi-AWS availability zone deployment latency.

Used AWS DMS for data migration and schema conversion.

IaC spun the DR environment on demand to reduce database replication (DR) infrastructure and expense. DR capabilities update data in availability zone and DR area.

Achieved data exchange across applications using IBM Cloud Pak for Data and standardized integration using IBM Cloud Pak for Integration components.

Solution components

Maximum Enterprise Application Management (EAM) has a 3-tier design with these components:

HTTP/Web Tier and Application Tier using IBM WebSphere and HIS installed EC2 instance under private subnet for application security.

Database Tier uses AWS Oracle RDS with replication for DR under private subnet.

AWS best practices were used to configure VPC with public and private subnets.

Application servers and deployment manager were autoscaled by Auto Scaling Group. 

Maximum web-based UI resolution for external access using AWS Route 53.

WAF was the initial line of defense against web exploits.

Integration of Terraform and CFT IaC scripts provided autoscaling architecture.

AWS Reference Architecture

Max on RedHat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA) helps clients

Containerized MAS 8.0 runs on RedHat OpenShift. AWS, IBM, and RedHat developed an IBM MAS on ROSA reference architecture to help customers inexperienced with production containerization. ROSA, a fully managed, turnkey application platform, supports IBM MAS configuration and offloads cluster lifecycle management to RedHat and AWS, allowing organizations to focus on application deployment and innovation. This means IBM MAS clients don’t need to develop, administer, or maintain RedHat OpenShift clusters.

Operating Model and Maximo Migration

Top 3 Maximo AWS migration accelerators

Clients can migrate to the cloud using three IBM MAS deployment methods on AWS Cloud:

ROSA-powered MAS SaaS on AWS

ROSA-powered AWS MAS

Customer-hosted ROSA

Why use customer-hosted ROSA

The customer-hosted ROSA option for hosting IBM MAS in a customer’s VPC with ROSA is powerful. ROSA is perfect for MAS deployments because it seamlessly deploys, scales, and manages containerized applications.

The benefits of this choice are enormous. Full control over the infrastructure while still subject to the organization’s monitoring, controls, and governance standards allows businesses to customize and adjust the environment to their needs. This control includes adding MAS integrations and enforcing cloud security and governance requirements. ROSA charges are combined into one AWS bill and drawn from any AWS enterprise agreement, simplifying financial management.

AWS enterprise agreements and Compute Savings Plans offer infrastructure savings for MAS implementations. Because the ROSA cluster operates under the customer’s AWS account, customers can buy upfront ROSA contracts and get a one-year or three-year ROSA service charge discount.

Why IBM for Maximo AWS migration?

Any modernization effort must include cloud migration. Cloud migration is not a one-size-fits-all method, and each organization faces unique cloud adoption difficulties.

IBM Consulting’s Application Modernization offering helps clients migrate and modernize AWS applications faster, cheaper, and more efficiently, reducing technical debt and accelerating digital initiatives while minimizing business risk and improving business agility.

IBM offers unique cloud migration services to accelerate customer application migration to AWS:

Cloud migration factory capabilities including proven frameworks and processes, automation, migrating templates, security policies, and AWS-specific migration squads speed up delivery.

IBM Garage Methodology, IBM’s cloud services delivery capabilities, ROSA, and AWS Migration tools and accelerators accelerate migration and cloud adoption.

ICCA, IBM’s proprietary framework for migration and modernization, reduces risk. ICCA for AWS Cloud automates various modernization procedures, simplifying and speeding up company agility. Before investing, businesses can plan migration and modernization strategies. Discover IBM Consulting Cloud Accelerator for AWS Cloud.

Our well-defined pattern-based migration methodology includes re-factor, re-platform, and containerization using AWS managed services and industry-leading tools to remove and optimize technical debt.

Finally, IBM offers customizable t-shirt-sized price models for small, medium, and large migration sizes, ensuring clients’ migration scope is obvious.

IBM helps clients migrate applications, like Maximo to AWS Cloud

In conclusion, clients seek IBM’s expertise to:

1.Upgrade Maximo 7.6x (expiring 2025) to MAS 8. 

2.On-premise workload to AWS Cloud for elastic, scalable, and highly available infrastructure and runtime

IBM Consulting can help

AWS Premier Partner IBM Consulting accelerates hybrid cloud journeys on the AWS Cloud by leveraging business and IT transformation skills, processes, and tools from many industries. On AWS Cloud, IBM’s security, enterprise scalability, and open innovation with Red Hat OpenShift��enable enterprises grow swiftly.

BM Consulting develops cloud-native apps in AWS Cloud with 21,000+ AWS-certified cloud practitioners, 17 validated SDD programs, and 16 AWS competencies. IBM Consulting is the best AWS partner due to acquisitions like Nordcloud and Taos, advancements at IBM Research, and co-development with AWS.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[sbscglobal]

Boost Efficiency & Innovation, The #Cloud-Powered Path to Business Transformation with SBSC

#CloudServices are IT resources delivered on-demand over the internet. These resources can include anything from data storage and servers to #SoftwareApplications and development tools. Instead of managing their physical infrastructure, businesses access these resources from a #cloud provider’s network

Benefits of #CloudServices for Businesses

💰 Cost Efficiency: #Cloudservices eliminate the upfront costs of buying and maintaining hardware and #software. Businesses only pay for the resources they use, leading to significant savings.

🖇 Scalability and Flexibility: #CloudResources can be easily scaled up or down based on business needs. This allows companies to adapt to changes in demand without significant investment.

🤝 Improved Collaboration: #Cloud-based tools enable real-time collaboration between employees regardless of location. Teams can access and share documents, data, and applications seamlessly.

🔐 Enhanced Security: #Cloud providers offer robust security features and data centers with advanced security measures. This can be more secure than relying on in-house IT infrastructure.

⚙ Automatic Updates: #Cloudservices are automatically updated by the provider, ensuring businesses always have access to the latest features and security patches.

🎯 Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: #Cloud services provide data backup and recovery options, allowing businesses to recover quickly from disruptions or disasters.

Use Cases of Cloud Services for Modern Businesses

✅ #CloudStorage: Securely store and access business data, files, and applications from anywhere with an internet connection.

✅ #CloudBackup and Disaster Recovery: Ensure business continuity by backing up data to the cloud and recovering it quickly in the event of a disaster.

✅ #Cloud-Based Applications (#SaaS): Access a wide range of business applications, such as CRM, ERP, and project management tools, on a subscription basis.

✅ #CloudInfrastructure (#IaaS): Rent virtual servers, storage, and networking resources to run business applications.

✅ #Cloud Platform (#PaaS): Develop, deploy, and manage business applications on a cloud platform.

✅ #DesktopAsAService (#DaaS): Provide employees with virtual desktops accessible from any device.

SBSC is offers #CloudDeploymentModels

Amazon Web Services (#AWS) #MicrosoftAzure #GoogleCloudPlatform #IBM (Hybrid) #Rackspace (Hybrid) #Oracle #Salesforce #ServiceNow #NetApp #SAP #CISCO #Workday #VMWare / Dell Technologies (Private) #HP Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Private)

Which Cloud service is right for your business? Ask us Now!

Email: info@sbsc.com Call: +1 (877) 213 3835 Visit Website: https://shorturl.at/hqK47 Book an Intro Call: https://lnkd.in/dwibzrtg Follow us on Linkedin: https://lnkd.in/dhHRVXxD

[apexhours234]

Mastering the Digital Frontier with a Certificate of Salesforce

The Certificate of Salesforce is a recognized credential that opens doors to thriving opportunities in the ever-evolving field of customer relationship management (CRM). Salesforce, being one of the most widely used CRM platforms globally, offers certifications designed to validate your expertise in various aspects of the ecosystem, including administration, development, marketing, and consulting.

Earning a Certificate of Salesforce signifies your commitment to excellence in leveraging Salesforce tools and solutions to drive business success. These certifications are categorized into different levels: Administrator, Advanced Administrator, Developer, Architect, and specialized roles like Marketing Cloud Consultant or Service Cloud Consultant. Each level corresponds to specific skills and knowledge areas, making it easier for professionals to choose the right path for their career goals.

One of the standout benefits of obtaining a Certificate of Salesforce is its ability to showcase your expertise to potential employers or clients. As companies increasingly migrate to cloud-based solutions, Salesforce-certified professionals are in high demand. This certification not only boosts your resume but also positions you as a trusted expert in managing and optimizing Salesforce solutions.

The process to acquire a Certificate of Salesforce involves rigorous preparation, hands-on experience, and passing a proctored exam. Salesforce provides a wealth of resources, such as Trailhead, official documentation, and online courses, to help candidates prepare effectively.

Whether you are an aspiring professional looking to start your journey in the CRM domain or an experienced practitioner aiming to specialize further, the Certificate of Salesforce equips you with the credentials to succeed. Invest in this certification to elevate your career prospects and stay ahead in the competitive tech landscape.

Achieving a Certificate of Salesforce is not just a milestone; it’s a testament to your expertise and dedication in the digital era.

[westavenueglobal]

How to Choose the Right Citizenship Consultant in Dubai

If you're considering obtaining citizenship in Dubai, it can be a complicated process, and it's essential to work with the right consultant. Choosing the right citizenship consultant is crucial to the success of your application process. Here are some tips on how to choose the right citizenship consultant in Dubai-

Look for experience and expertise: One of the essential qualities to look for in a citizenship consultant is experience and expertise. Choose a consultant who has a proven track record of success in helping clients obtain citizenship in Dubai. Look for consultants who are knowledgeable about the various citizenship programs available in Dubai and the requirements for each.

Check for certifications and licenses: When selecting a citizenship consultant in Dubai, it's essential to check if they have the necessary certifications and licenses. It ensures that the consultant has the proper training and qualifications to assist you in obtaining citizenship.

Read reviews and testimonials: Reading reviews and testimonials from other clients who have used the services of the consultant can be helpful in determining their reputation and quality of work. Check the consultant's website, social media pages, or review websites to find reviews and ratings from other clients.

Ask for references: Asking for references from the consultant is another excellent way to determine the quality of their work. Contact the consultant's past clients and ask them about their experience and satisfaction level with the consultant's services.

Look for excellent customer service: Choose a consultant who is responsive and has excellent customer service. You want someone who is available to answer your questions and concerns throughout the process.

Consider the cost: The cost of the consultant's services is an essential factor to consider when choosing the right citizenship consultant. Ensure that the consultant's fees are reasonable and within your budget.

West Avenue is a reputable and reliable company that offers a range of professional services to its clients. Whether you are looking to set up a business, obtain a visa, or get citizenship in Dubai, West Avenue has a team of experienced consultants who can provide you with the guidance and support you need. 

In addition to the above-mentioned factors, it is also important to consider the reputation and experience of the citizenship consultant. Look for a consultant who has a proven track record of successfully assisting clients in obtaining citizenship or residency in Dubai.

One way to verify a consultant's reputation is to read online reviews and testimonials from previous clients. This can provide valuable insight into the consultant's communication style, level of professionalism, and success rate.

It's also essential to ensure that the consultant is licensed and authorized to provide citizenship and residency services in Dubai. Check for any certifications or affiliations with reputable organizations or government entities.

Another important aspect to consider is the level of personalized service provided by the consultant. A good consultant will take the time to understand your unique situation and goals, and provide tailored advice and guidance accordingly. They should also be responsive to your questions and concerns, and provide regular updates on the progress of your application. 

Finally, be sure to ask about the consultant's fees and payment structure upfront. A reputable consultant will be transparent about their fees and will not charge hidden or excessive costs. They should also be willing to provide a detailed breakdown of the services included in their fees.

choosing the right citizenship consultant in Dubai requires careful consideration of their credentials, reputation, experience, level of personalized service, and fees. By taking the time to research and compare different consultants, you can ensure that you work with a professional who can provide the guidance and support you need to achieve your goals of obtaining citizenship or residency in Dubai. Read more… Making the Move to UK - Understanding the Immigration Process

[mariacallous]

In October 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis, ministers from the six member states of the European Economic Community (EEC), the European Union’s predecessor, met several times. But while the world was teetering on the brink of nuclear war, with European newspapers writing alarming stories about the “worst crisis since the end of the Second World War,” that was not what the ministers discussed during those meetings. The historian Kiran Klaus Patel, who researched this for his book Project Europe, discovered that according to the agenda of the Council of Ministers meeting on Oct. 9-10, they negotiated import regulations for vegetables and fruit. And during the next session, on Oct. 22-23, they tackled the common budget, including “arrangements relating to the value of the unit of account and to the exchange rates.”

When the European Union comes under criticism today for not being ready to deal with the geopolitical implications of Russia’s war in Ukraine, it’s important to realize just how far the EU has already come—from the almost total isolation, and insulation, from geopolitical events evident during the Cuba crisis. Today, with national and European politicians dealing with security issues on a daily basis, that level of strategic diffidence would be unimaginable.

Of course, in 1962, in the corridors outside the official meeting room, the six ministers must have discussed the Cuba crisis: All six EEC member states were also in NATO, which was supposed to defend Europe if things escalated. They all knew that in the case of a nuclear confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, Europe would be one of the battlegrounds. But the official agenda of the council, which represented the interests of the member states and was—and is, in the case of the present-day European Council—the place where decisions were taken in Europe, shows no official trace of any geopolitical or Cuba discussion. As Patel wrote, incredible as it may seem today, the council “was much too busy to save the world from annihilation.”

During those nerve-wracking October days, it was the White House that dealt with the Soviet nuclear missiles that the Americans had just discovered in Cuba: assessing how many missiles were already stationed there, how many were still on the way, and how to get them out of Cuba or prevent them from arriving there without unleashing a nuclear Armageddon. It is well documented that it was Washington that pulled the Western strings during the Cuba crisis. The Europeans were barely consulted.

It is true that Europe still mostly relies on the United States for its security. The past few years have made that abundantly clear. During the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, last week, Washington’s caution over Ukraine’s accession to NATO prevailed over strong pleas, especially from Eastern European leaders, to offer Kyiv a fixed entry date. Nevertheless, one look at the conclusions of the meeting of the 27 European heads of state and government in Brussels at the end of June reveals how much has changed since 1962. No negotiations on vegetables or fruit, this time; almost the entire agenda was taken up with strategic foreign-policy matters, predominantly security-related. EU leaders made decisions on future security guarantees to Ukraine, EU enlargement with new countries in the east, the development of its defense sector, better migration management through “partnerships” with North African countries, more efficient surveillance of Europe’s external borders, de-risking trade relations with China, and increasing trade with Latin American and Caribbean countries. And these are just a few issues on the list.

Europe, once a mere spectator to global power games, is now becoming more of a player. It has come a long way.

In the 1950s, Western Europe isolated itself from power politics in the international arena. Coming out of two devastating world wars, it focused on internal peace instead. This mostly meant peace between France and Germany—jealous rivals that had started Europe’s three last wars—through a common agricultural policy, trade, and social policies. While the United States took care of the collective Western defense, Europeans set up institutions to reduce power politics, rebuilt their economies, and tried, in general, to become better people. European integration was about de-politicizing problems. In a way, “Europe stepped out of history,” Jean-Louis Bourlanges, a French centrist parliamentarian, once said.

With the war in Ukraine, this phase is definitely over. Europe is now stepping into history again. It once more risks becoming the main battleground. It surely took the Europeans a long time to realize this. Now, all European countries are beefing up their defense capacity and trying to improve the interoperability of their armed forces through joint training exercises and more harmonized procurement of equipment.

With an aggressive power waging a war at Europe’s doorstep, continuing to de-politicize issues can be dangerous nowadays—even internally. Today, the opposite is sometimes what is called for, both on the European and the national level: not de-politicizing issues but politicizing them to a certain extent. Recent years have marked “the end of the age of innocence” for Europe, as Carnegie Europe scholar Stefan Lehne wrote in 2020.

Everything Europe does when it goes through its normal business suddenly has a strong security component. For instance, Europeans now realize they must protect their free press against fake news from Russian troll factories, their infrastructure against sabotage, their internal market against state-sponsored companies from hostile countries, and their democratic institutions against malicious interference. The furor last week about an American getting appointed to a European Commission job with responsibility for dealing with big U.S. tech companies is telling in this regard. Europeans, who until recently looked at the world with an open mind—or, as some would say, naiveté—are becoming increasingly suspicious. In just a few years’ time, their mindset has completely changed.

Another sign that Europe is stepping into history again is that it is heavily involved with the provision of military aid to Ukraine. Brussels is buying weapons and ammunition on behalf of the 27 member states. It financially supports member states that pass their equipment on to Ukraine and tries to keep track of which country does what. It also coordinates work on roads, airports, and bridges in order to facilitate the transportation of heavy goods to the east. This logistical work is more difficult than many people realize. During the Cold War, for instance, there were signs on every bridge in Western Europe indicating how much weight it could take, precisely to facilitate military maneuvers. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, when the threat of war disappeared, these signs also disappeared. Now, EU military planners are having a hard time scrambling to collect this information from all the member states. One military official who requested anonymity said moving heavy tanks from one corner of Europe to another can be quite a logistical challenge: “We have had to take detours of hundreds of kilometers.”

Some argue that Europe should have done all these things earlier. They are right. But European leaders, who decide on these matters, only ever act jointly when they have pressing problems that they have not managed to solve themselves—when they see no alternative. This explains why Europe seldom acts (except perhaps on climate change) and mostly reacts. It is late in the game per definition. We saw this with vaccine procurement, the eurozone rescue fund, European banking supervision, the Turkey refugee deal, and now with Russia’s aggression: First, there needs to be a crisis; second, EU member states don’t manage to stamp out the fire themselves—and only then can there be decisive, collective action. As the Irish political scientist Brigid Laffan has argued, this is happening so often that they are actually getting quite good at it. In a lecture last year at the Asser Institute, she said that despite the complex and sometimes chaotic decision-making process in the EU, there is a “Collective Power Europe” emerging. Member states seem to be understanding that the EU does not only take away some of their national sovereignty but actually gives them sovereignty, too—in the form of the power to act in a dangerous, instable world where raw mercantilism replaces the multilateral, rules-based system.

The symbolism of European integration and the high expectations it raised after two world wars were monumental. The Europeans may have been largely ignored during the Cuba crisis, but the strength of their project was that at least someone tried to learn from history and try out a model of peaceful, international governance. It brought them peace and prosperity. It continues to inspire many all over the world, not just illustrated by the fact that 10 countries are eager to join—whose trust in the EU seems to be rapidly increasing—but also that regional organizations in Africa and Asia have used the model of the EU’s internal market as an example.

Despite setbacks and challenges—which to a certain extent are normal in multinational governance—member states continue to invest in the EU. The challenge now is to keep what they managed to build during the decades spent “outside history” to make it more secure while jointly building more geopolitical capacity. Europeans still have a long way to go. But reading about those scary days during the Cuban missile crisis, and their absence from any decision-making, also serves as a reminder of how far they have come already.

[visaaffix]

Canada is one of the most demanded destinations globally, especially for those who would love to live life better, have wonderful career prospects, and multicultural environment. So, for a person staying in Dubai, migrating to Canada shall turn out to be an adventure that comes with numerous advantages such as providing the best education systems worldwide, universal health care, and a very societal environment. Canada Immigration from Dubai however can prove to be quite complex to work through. For that reason, it is often advised that you seek an immigration consultant in Dubai for Canada to make the process more straightforward.