#us secretary of state antony blinken

[xtruss]

US Security Commitments Bring More Harm Than Benefits To The Philippines

— By Dai Fan | March 22, 2024

Illustration: Liu Rui/Global Times

On Tuesday, during his visit to the Philippines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that China's "Provocative Actions" in the South China Sea violate the Philippines' rights, reaffirming the US security commitment to the Southeast Asian country. Prior to Blinken's visit, Washington also claimed that the top US diplomat's trip would "Promote Peace and Stability in the South China Sea."

Since the escalation of the South China Sea situation in 2023, several senior US officials have visited the Philippines. During these visits, they have either criticized Beijing indiscriminately or openly bolstered Manila's confidence. Apart from fanning the flames and escalating tensions in the South China Sea region, the US' actions have made no contribution to peace and stability in the region.

Since gaining independence in 1946, the Philippines has been an important link in the US' Military Strategic Deployment in the Pacific Region. The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty marked the formal establishment of the military alliance between the two countries. Under this treaty, both parties must fulfill alliance obligations to provide military assistance to the other, if they are attacked by a third party. However, considering Manila's limited military capabilities, this two-way military cooperation is more evident with the US stationing troops in the Philippines and providing military aid to it.

During the Cold War, the Philippines was part of US "First Island Chain" to contain the Soviet Union and China. As a result, the US gained access to a large number of military bases and stationed personnel in the Philippines. Currently, the US Lapdog Philippines is the Largest Recipient of US Military Aid in the Asia-Pacific Region.

There is no doubt that the military cooperation between the US and the Philippines to some extent meets the needs of the latter country. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. First, during the Cold War, or at least since the late 1990s, the multiple enhancements of the US-Philippines military relationship, on the surface, served the national interests of the Philippines. However, in the long run, it is actually the Philippines serving the national interests of the US. The Philippines is being used and tied to the track of the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" to serve its global hegemony. The Current Policy of the US is to Exploit the Philippines and the South China Sea Issue to Suppress China.

US State Department's support for Manila full of contradictions, serves to further militarize South China Sea

Second, such a relationship has trampled on the dignity of the Philippines, as exemplified by the frequent occurrence of sexual assault scandals of US soldiers in the Philippines. The So-Called Special Relationship Between the Philippines and the US Has Been Criticized by Many Philippine Scholars.

The US is a major destination country for Philippine military personnel studying and receiving training. Annual military exercises, personnel training and other exchanges have provided not only a strong impetus for the two countries' military relations, but also a steady stream of available resources for the US to control the Philippines and erode its strategic autonomy. The Philippine People, Basking in the Glow of Neocolonialism, Feel Proud and Fail to Recognize the Dangers of this Asymmetric Relationship.

Today, by Exaggerating Threats — For Example, Misinterpreting China's Intentions in the South China Sea - the US Artificially Creates the Femand for Security for the Philippines. By offering security commitments to Manila, the US Has fFrmly Controlled the Philippines, thus making the Southeast Asian country a screw in Washington's "Hegemonic Aircraft Carrier." The US military support has undoubtedly encouraged the Philippines to take bolder and more aggressive actions over the South China Sea issue. Frankly speaking, Over the Past Year or So, Manila's Constant Challenges to China regarding this issue are unprecedented in the history of bilateral and international relations. Why would the Philippines ignore the huge difference in strength and size when looking across its neighbor?

Will the US get involved in a conflict with China for its partners in East Asia? No one is certain about the answer. But what is certain is that once a conflict breaks out, it is unlikely the Philippines could obtain what does not belong to it.

— The Author is Director of the Center for Philippine Studies at Jinan University.

[timesofocean]

US, Bangladesh eye joint efforts to deal with climate crisis

New Post has been published on https://www.timesofocean.com/us-bangladesh-eye-joint-efforts-to-deal-with-climate-crisis/

US, Bangladesh eye joint efforts to deal with climate crisis

Dhaka (The Times Groupe) – US and Bangladesh have focused on the ongoing cooperation to address the climate crisis the world is facing, including Bangladesh’s vulnerable population.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen met at the US Department of State in Washington, DC.

During the meeting, they discussed bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest, including climate change, resolving the Rohingya crisis, strengthening the economic partnership, labor rights, civil liberties, and elections, according to a statement by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Bangladesh is ranked seventh in the UN’s Global Climate Risk Index 2021.

Climate change cost the country 1% of its GDP every year, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said.

It noted in an earlier statement that rising sea levels may submerge some 17% of Bangladesh’s coastal lands by the year 2050, displacing about 20 million people.

“It is an important fact that the relation between Bangladesh and the US has grown tremendously over the last 50 years –economically, our people-to-people ties, work we’ve been doing more recently on everything from climate to health, we very much value … and the generosity Bangladesh showed to 1 million Rohingya,” Blinken said, in his initial remarks in presence of the media.

Momen said that Blinken assured Bangladesh that the US would continue to support the repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar, citing Blinken’s comments.

In Myanmar, more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingya Muslims live in 33 congested refugee camps, including 30,000 on the silt island of Bhasan Char. There had been a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine State, a Buddhist-majority nation in Southeast Asia.

According to the statement, the US also asked Bangladesh to permit the refugees to work and engage in economic activities.

Momen, in response, said: “We have arranged some (economic activities) for them but we have 2 million fresh manpower to join the job market and we could not provide jobs to all of them, while some 500,000 of them have become migrant workers to find jobs. So, we could not arrange jobs for all Rohingya.”

As Bangladesh’s main priority, he emphasized the need for sustained international pressure on Myanmar to take back Rohingya.

According to Momen, if repatriation begins, the US, UN, and the global community will help improve things with the help of Blinken. TIMES OF OCEAN

[4ft10tvlandfangirl]

Not Blinken saying the genocide case against Israel is meritless in one breath then offering deep condolences to Wael Al-Dahdouh for the unimaginable losses he has suffered in another.

And how did Uncle Wael come to suffer these unimaginable losses I wonder? I mean, his family wasn't targeted by the same state with a 'meritless' genocide case against it or anything...right?

[head-post]

Blinken: Israel agreed to terms of withdrawal from Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that despite reported comments from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel agreed to withdraw IDF (Israel Defence Forces) troops from Gaza, according to CNN.

The agreement is very clear on the schedule and the locations of IDF withdrawals from Gaza, and Israel has agreed to that.

Blinken was responding to Israeli media reports that Netanyahu told a group of families of victims and hostages that Israel would not leave the Philadelphi corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border and the Netzarim corridor, which crosses into Gaza, “regardless of the pressure to do so.” They were “strategic military and political assets,” Netanyahu added, according to reports.

The ceasefire agreement comprises three phases and will eventually include a full IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. However, Israeli officials have repeatedly insisted that a solution must be found to better control the border between Egypt and Gaza, which has long been used for smuggling.

The US Secretary of State claimed that Netanyahu told him directly at their meeting that Israel had agreed to “the bridging proposal and thus the detailed plan” for withdrawal. According to Blinken, once Hamas agrees to the proposal, it will be “very important that everyone does what’s necessary to bring the flexibility to the table to make sure that we can get the implementation agreed to.”

Blinken referred to the so-called Tokyo Principles stating that the US will not allow “any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel.”

The top US diplomat wrapped up his Middle East trip on Tuesday with stops in Egypt and Qatar. Blinken said he had “very productive” meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and intel chief Abbas Kamel.

He was also due to meet Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in Doha on Tuesday night, but the meeting was cancelled due to the Qatari leader’s malaise. Instead, Blinken met with Minister of State Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi.

Earlier on Monday, he met in Israel with Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and President Isaac Herzog.

(This is) probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.

Read more HERE

[tieflingkisser]

don't let anyone tell you the tiktok ban is not directly related to Palestine because they're literally admitting it:

Blinken blames TikTok and social media for disrupting Israel’s narrative of war in Gaza

Social media sites like TikTok are partly to blame for widespread criticism of Israel’s war effort against Hamas in Gaza, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The comments came as part of a conversation at the McCain Institute’s 2024 Sedona Forum in Sedona, Arizona, between Secretary Blinken and US senator Mitt Romney. The Utah Republican asked the top diplomat why “the PR has been so awful” against Israel since the beginning of the 7 October conflict. “Why has Hamas disappeared in terms of public perception?” he continued. “An offer is on the table for a ceasefire and yet the world is screaming about Israel.” Mr Blinken said that part of the reason for that dynamic was a changing media environment, where people no longer all read from the same authoritative news sources and instead learn about current events on chaotic social media feeds.

[...]

The comments echoed a wider narrative that’s been put forth about critics of Israel in the US, particularly on college campuses: that their criticisms don’t stem from the facts of the conflict, and instead are the product of alarming outside influence. New York mayor Eric Adams recently accused students at universities of falling under the sway of “outside agitators,” though the NYPD has offered little compelling evidence to support that charge. Protesting students interviewed by The Independent said they had been moved to act by seeing images of destruction and suffering caused by Israel in Gaza, with the full backing of the US.

[opencommunion]

"The Biden administration, after reportedly finding three battalions within the Israeli occupation forces to be violating human rights and taking the decision to sanction it, decided not to proceed with the punitive measures.

The three battalions, found to be committing 'gross human rights violations' against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, will walk away scott-free as no sanctions will be imposed on them, ABC News reported.

US Secretary of State Antony Binken informed US House Speaker Mike Johnson of the decision in a Friday letter, wherein he reportedly said the fact that they were found to be violating human rights would not impede or delay the delivery of any type of assistance to the Israeli occupation.

Blinken underlined that the Israeli occupation forces would receive the full amount of arms and funds appropriated by Congress."

26 April 24

[niveditaabaidya]

Ukraine Has Taken Back 50% Of Territory. #wagner #nato #ukraine #belarus...

[sayruq]

The Joe Biden administration will work with Congress on possible sanctions against the International Criminal Court after its prosecutor announced it was seeking arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas officials, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. Congressional Republicans have signalled they plan to introduce legislation that will impose costs on the court for its decision and are expected to force a vote on a measure that could lay bare the divisions with the Democrats over the Israel-Hamas war. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate foreign relations committee, asked Blinken at a hearing whether he would support legislation to counter “the ICC sticking its nose in the business of countries that have an independent, legitimate democratic judicial system”. Risch said he and other members were working on legislation to address the court’s actions, which he described as “wrong-headed”. Blinken’s openness to bipartisan co-operation over the ICC is a sign of the level of anger in Washington over its request for arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant. Blinken told the committee that while the “devil’s in the details”, the Biden administration would consider Republican proposals and “take it from there”. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. “We want to work with you on a bipartisan basis to find an appropriate response,” Blinken said.The administration of Donald Trump in 2020 sanctioned top ICC officials in response to their efforts to investigate alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan. The sanctions were lifted by the Biden administration in 2021, although at the time it said it was opposed to the court’s actions relating to Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories.

[zvaigzdelasas]

A furious diplomatic spat between Israel and the United Nations has broken out, with Israeli officials calling for the resignation of Secretary General Antonio Guterres after he said Hamas’ October 7 attacks on the country “did not happen in a vacuum.” At a Security Council meeting, Guterres called for a humanitarian ceasefire on Tuesday amid the deepening crisis in Gaza, and told the Security Council that “clear violations of international humanitarian law” are being witnessed. He called Hamas’ October 7 murder and kidnap rampage “appalling,” and said “nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians, or the launching of rockets against civilian targets.” “It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum,” Guterres said. “The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished.”[...]

His comments angered Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who was in the chamber as Guterres spoke. “In what world do you live?” said Cohen. “Definitely, this is not our world.” Writing on social media later, Cohen said that “after the October 7th massacre, there is no place for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased off the face of the planet!” Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, called on Guterres to resign, saying he had “expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder.” Then, on Wednesday, Erdan said his country will block visas for United Nations officials. It had already rejected an application by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, Erdan told the Israeli Army Radio channel. “It’s time we teach them a lesson,” added Erdan.[...]

In an effort to “set the record straight,” Guterres said Wednesday he was “shocked by misinterpretations by some of my statement yesterday in the Security Council – as if I was was justifying acts of terror by Hamas.”[...]

But Guterres did not back away from his Tuesday call for a ceasefire, or from his nod towards the historical treatment of Palestinians. The main United Nations agency working in Gaza said it would be forced to halt its operations by Wednesday evening due to a lack of fuel, with the territory having faced days of airstrikes and near-total blockade following the Hamas attacks. Efforts in the UN to endorse a ceasefire have so far been scuppered, with the US vetoing a draft resolution raised by Brazil last week.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday told the agency that “humanitarian pauses must be considered” to allow aid to reach civilians in Gaza, though he notably avoided the phrase “ceasefire.”[...]

The World Health Organization meanwhile reiterated calls on Tuesday for a ceasefire, saying it is “unable to distribute fuel and essential, life-saving health supplies to major hospitals in northern Gaza due to lack of security guarantees.” Six hospitals in Gaza have been forced to shut due to a lack of fuel, WHO added.

There's literally no (0 (zero)) purchase gained by equivocating w these people btw. It is in fact seen as weakness [25 Oct 23]

[xtruss]

After Five Months of Strained Ties, US Admits Chinese Balloon Did Not Collect Information

— Global Times Staff Reporters | June 30, 2023

Graphic: Global Times

After repeated hyping of the so-called Chinese spy balloon incident for nearly five months, the Pentagon on Thursday admitted the airship did not collect any information, not to mention send any data back to China. This is an objective result that should be welcomed, but it came too late, as the incident has damaged mutual trust, totally changed the environment for communication between China and the US, and caused the two sides to miss a better time to restore relations, Chinese experts said.

Analysis of debris collected from a Chinese balloon drifting into the sky over the US and shot down by the latter in February showed that "it did not collect [any information] while it was transiting the US or over flying the US" despite that it "had intelligence collection capabilities," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder told media on Thursday.

A Chinese balloon spent a week in February flying over the US and Canada before it was shot down by a fighter jet off the Atlantic coast, on orders from President Joe Biden. Although Chinese authorities reiterated that the balloon was a civilian weather balloon, some US media and hawkish politicians continued to hype it as a spy balloon, underscoring the increasing tensions between the world's two largest economies.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference on Friday that China has reiterated on many occasions that the Chinese civilian airship drifting into the sky over the US was an unintended, unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure. Calling the airship a "spy balloon" and claiming it is used to collect intelligence is total slandering and smearing, Mao stressed.

Citing some anonymous officials, a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday claimed that the balloon was found to be carrying some American-made equipment helping it to collect photos, videos and other information. Ryder did not confirm the report on Thursday when he announced the result of the Pentagon's analysis.

The Pentagon's brief announcement on Thursday showed that the US, or at least the US' defense department, is trying to close the chapter on the incident as it must have realized that the facts are slapping them in the face, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

"We should welcome the move, but I have to say that it is far from enough. The US hyping damaged the basic mutual trust between China and the US and set a bad precedent in dealing with a foreign country's civilian facility by using the military to shoot down the balloon. They should express regret for the decision," Lü said.

The balloon incident fundamentally changed the atmosphere between the two countries. Blinken postponed a reported visit to Beijing. This led to a delay in the progress of China-US interactions of about five months for no good reason, which is very unfavorable given the already high tension between the two countries, Lü noted.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken was said to have been planning a diplomatic trip to China before the balloon incident, but reportedly postponed the plan soon after it occurred. The trip was rescheduled and Blinken visited Beijing in June.

However, the US Department of Defense's Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Thursday approved new arms sales to Taiwan worth $440 million. The arms package is to include 30mm ammunition, spare parts for wheeled vehicles and other items, according to media reports. This is the 10th arms-sales package to Taiwan made under US President Joe Biden.

China urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués, stop selling weapons to Taiwan island, stop creating factors that lead to tensions in the Taiwan Straits and stop damaging the peace and stability in the region, Mao Ning said in response to the deal at the Friday press conference.

The US is building Taiwan island into a powder keg and ammunition depot. This is not "protecting" or "defending" the island but damaging and ruining it, the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council said Friday, slamming the deal.

Earlier this week, a US bipartisan congressional delegation led by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers landed in Taiwan for a three-day visit.

We must face the fact that US diplomacy will continue to show a character of being two-faced, as it views China as a main strategic opponent and will not change its strategy of containing China before it regains an absolute advantage over China, Lü said.

The Chinese central government must have become aware of this and is making adjustments in its strategy in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea to maintain China's practical control of the regions amid the US' provocation, Lü pointed out, citing China's firm actions in the Taiwan Straits since last year including large-scale military drills and the flying of fighter jets across the so-called median line of the Taiwan Straits, which the Chinese mainland had declared a non-existent concept.

Some experts expect more windows of opportunity in China-US relations to open after US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was reported to be planning a trip to China in early July, but they also warned that the window will not be open for long, so Washington needs to make sincere moves rather than create new trouble.

When asked is there still a window of opportunity to repair China-US ties before US elections, former Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai told the Global Times on Thursday that it's never too late if there is political will. "China has shown its political commitment to improving relations."

[reasonsforhope]

"Palestinian plaintiffs and their legal representatives on Friday [January 26, 2024] presented a powerful case in federal court accusing President Joe Biden and other top US officials of complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza.

People around the world tuned in for the long-awaited hearing in Oakland, with plaintiffs appearing in person and over Zoom in an unprecedented effort to hold the Biden administration accountable for its actions in Gaza.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed the lawsuit in November 2023 on behalf of Defense for Children International–Palestine, Al-Haq, and eight Palestinians in the US and Palestine. The complaint accuses President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin of failing to live up to their legal responsibilities under the 1948 Genocide Convention and the 1988 Genocide Convention Implementation Act.

The United Nations convention classifies complicity in genocide, or the intentional destruction of a people in whole or in part, as a crime under international law and requires that states take measures to prevent such atrocities.

[Note: This is a big reason why politicians almost never call it a genocide, btw. Because if a country recognizes that it's a genocide, then they actually are legally required to do a bunch of things to stop it, under international law.]

The historic lawsuit contends that the Biden administration has failed to uphold its obligations by continuing to provide diplomatic and military support for Israel's brutal campaign in Gaza. Plaintiffs are asking the court to stop Biden from sending more weapons and munitions to Israel that are being used to kill Palestinians en masse.

The hearing before the US District Court for the Northern District of California took place just hours after the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures against Israel in a landmark case brought by South Africa.

-via TAG24, January 26, 2024. Article continues below.

Court contends with questions of jurisdiction and responsibility

In evaluating the allegations, questioning in Friday's hearing revolved around the so-called political question doctrine, by which federal courts regularly refrain from ruling on political matters seen as best resolved by the president and Congress.

The Department of Justice argued that according to the doctrine, the court has no jurisdiction to rule in the case.

"If the court condemns United States foreign policy toward Israel, it could cause international embarrassment and undermine foreign policy decisions in the sensitive context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," defense counsel Jean Lin told Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White.

Katherine Gallagher of the CCR countered that the court does, indeed, have a responsibility to step in: "Here, the question is a legal one, whether the actions undertaken by the United States failed to uphold the obligation to prevent genocide, and that is an active obligation that requires that the United States not provide the means by which a genocide is being furthered."

"There is no discretion for any state to evade its obligations, its legal obligations. These are not policy decisions," she said.

Palestinian plaintiffs share powerful testimonies before the court

After legal arguments in the case, Judge White heard two hours of gut-wrenching testimony from Palestinian plaintiffs and a renowned Holocaust and genocide expert.

Rubin Presidential Chair of Jewish History at Wake Forest University Dr. Barry Trachtenberg shared his remarks before the court in spite of vehement US government opposition.

"To have an event fall under the 1948 Convention on Genocide requires both action and intent, and here we see that very, very clearly in a way that seems really quite unique in history," he stated, noting that there is now an opportunity to stop Israel's unfolding genocide in real time to prevent further loss of lives...

Judge White said he would take the testimonies to heart as he evaluates his constitutional responsibilities, describing the case as "the most difficult judicial decision" he has ever had to make."

-via TAG24, January 26, 2024

-

Note: I know a lot of people are really not gonna appreciate that last line. I'm not thrilled with it either. But it is worth noting that having a federal court overrule the US president's huge foreign policy and military decisions would be an absolutely massive deal/precedent

This is a case that deserves to be ruled on with an incredible amount of seriousness, if only because if you're a federal judge who's going to make that call, your written decision/legal justification needs to be unimpeachable

That said, if the judge uses jurisdiction to pass the buck here and avoid his legal and human responsibility to do what he can to stop a genocide, I'm gonna be pissed

[head-post]

Tajani, Blinken discuss conflicts in Gaza, Red Sea, Ukraine

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed developments in the Red Sea and Gaza Strip by telephone, the Italian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The statement said:

“The recent attack by Yemen’s Houthis on the Greek oil tanker Sounion is a matter of grave concern due to the concrete risks of an environmental disaster and reaffirms the need to further intensify efforts to guarantee the safety of navigation in the Red Sea.”

Tajani reiterated “Italy’s “continued commitment to the Aspides (EU’s Red Sea safety of navigation) mission and that we will consider strengthening it,” it said.

Since October last year, in solidarity with Gaza, which is facing a devastating war from Israel, the Houthis have attacked ships belonging to Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel with rockets and drones.

Tajani also expressed full support for Rome’s US-led mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and prevent the risk of expanding conflict in the region, noting that coordination with Washington is important as a strategy to reduce tensions in the region and stop the spiral of violence.

Tajani and Blinken also discussed developments in the military conflict in Ukraine and recalled that the next meeting of the G7 foreign ministers will be held on September 23 in New York at the opening of the UN General Assembly.

They also agreed on the need to continue dialogue with China and expressed similar views on the need to consider joint initiatives to support the important role of the central bank in Libya and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.Tajani said on X:

“Long and friendly conversation with @SecBlinken. We shared assessments of the crises in #Gaza and in #MarRosso (Red Sea). Rome and Washington are united in calling for moderation from all regional actors. Avoid at all costs a further escalation to bring peace to the Middle East.”

Read more HERE

[politicoscope]

Here We Go: US Calls for Multinational 'Intrusion' In Haiti

Here We Go: US Calls for Multinational ‘Intrusion’ In Haiti

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads Thursday to Canada for talks expected to focus on Haiti, with an American official voicing hope for progress on setting up an intervention force to address the impoverished Caribbean nation’s spiralling security and health crises. Haiti’s government and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have both appealed for international intervention as armed gangs…