http://davidraymondamos3.
Monday, 12 March 2018
I am constantly amazed at just how dumb Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's
people are in Ottawa and Washington
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-latvia-visit-nato-1.4740098
Trudeau in Latvia commits to extra troops, extended stay in NATO mission
Canada leads one of three NATO multinational battle groups in the Baltic States
Canada will commit extra troops and remain in Latvia as part of NATO's mission to deter potential Russian aggression until 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed Tuesday.
The announcement was made following a bilateral meeting in the capital Riga with Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis. CBC News first reported the extended contribution on Monday.
Trudeau announced not only that Canada was extending its stay for four years but also that it would add another 85 troops, bringing the total army contingent to 540 soldiers.
PM Justin Trudeau announces a 4 year extension of Canada's military mission to Latvia, as well as an increase in troops that will serve there. 1:38
Deployments could last a decade
Prior to the bilateral meeting, the two prime ministers laid wreaths at the Freedom Monument in Riga, which commemorates the lives lost during the country's war of independence.
Trudeau also reaffirmed Canada would continue to supply fighter jet and frigate deployment as part of other ongoing NATO operations.
The Canadian contingent in Latvia includes soldiers from Albania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, and Spain.
NATO military planners anticipate that the deployment of battle groups in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania could last a decade.
Preparations for the extension have been underway for months. Canada has been quietly securing acknowledgements from its partner nations that they are prepared to stick around, said a defence source.
Trudeau will address Canadian troops and soldiers from those other nations during his visit.
Comments
Ronald Canell
I am looking forward to seeing the Prime minister fighting in the front lines. I want to see the Prime Minister holding a rifle and shooting at the enemy.
Mark Gregory
@Ronald Canell As all PMs do. Much like your favourite Trump who fought with a gun in hand in Vietnam right!
Garry Watson
@Mark Gregory
Are y’all aware that Trump is an American??
Are y’all aware that Trump is an American??
Richard Nichols
@Ronald Canell
CBC, pseudonym alert.
CBC, pseudonym alert.
David R. Amos
@Ronald Canell Methinks Mr Prime Minister Trudeau the Younger and all his questionable NATO buddies should review my emails and blogs and tweets ASAP N'esy Pas?
![David R. Amos]()
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-latvia-visit-nato-1.4740098
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
David R. Amos
@Richard Nichols "CBC, pseudonym alert.
Methinks your all points bulletin kinda sorta worked. This thread went from the top most liked to deep in the dungeon of disliked comments in about 6 hours or so N'esy Pas?
Surevey Says as of right now
Canell 23 likes 38 dislikes
You 10 likes 4 dislikes
Me 0 likes 13 dislikes
Methinks your all points bulletin kinda sorta worked. This thread went from the top most liked to deep in the dungeon of disliked comments in about 6 hours or so N'esy Pas?
Surevey Says as of right now
Canell 23 likes 38 dislikes
You 10 likes 4 dislikes
Me 0 likes 13 dislikes
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-latvia-visit-nato-1.4740098
'No plans to double our defence budget,' Trudeau says
Canada spends 1.23% of GDP on military spending, according to new NATO figures
· CBC News· Posted: Jul 10, 2018 4:12 AM ET
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set himself on a political collision course with U.S. President Donald Trump Tuesday by laying out unequivocally that Canada will not meet NATO's benchmark for defence spending.
"There are no plans to double our defence budget," Trudeau told reporters at the end of a bilateral visit to Latvia, where he announced Canadian troops would remain until 2023.
NATO asks its members to set aside the equivalent of two per cent of their gross domestic product for military spending.
New figures released Tuesday by the military alliance show Canada only hits 1.23 per cent of GDP.
Demanding allies meet the two per cent metric has been an often-repeated mantra for Trump ahead of this week's leaders summit in Brussels.
"What we are demonstrating here with this battle group is that NATO is not just a relic of the past, but as an essential element as we build a future based on our shared values," he told soldiers assembled at an outdoor ball hockey rink.
Politics News
Trudeau extends Latvia military mission
00:0001:38
Trump says they'll 'work something out'
The two benchmark was originally set at the 2002 Prague Summit, but leaders of the western alliance signed a pledge in 2014 saying they would work towards that goal by 2024.
Trump, in a series of speeches recently, has vowed to force allies to pay up, although he sounded somewhat conciliatory on departing Washington on Tuesday.
"NATO has not treated us fairly, but I think we'll work something out," he told reporters.
"We pay far too much and they pay far too little. But we will work it out and all countries will be happy."
Several times on Tuesday, Trudeau outlined the spending his government plans, including the expected purchase of 88 new fighters for the air force and 15 frigates for the navy.
He described the NATO target as "easy shorthand" and a "limited tool" and said Canada is always focused on having the capacity to respond when called upon.
The argument is not dissimilar to one the former Conservative government made when it faced pressure to ramp up defence spending prior to 2015.
He said the percentage doesn't matter and it's all about capability.
Kucinskis seemed happy to have Canada's commitment to continue to lead one of the three NATO battle groups in the Baltics.
"Today all of us are a little bit Canadian," he told troops at Adazi. "And we see and we feel that all of the Canadians have become a little bit Latvian."
In addition to announcing the extension, Trudeau revealed that the army will deploy an extra 85 soldiers, many of them logisticians and engineers to help run the battle group.
The additional commitment will play well at NATO, which is in the process of organizing a division headquarters to co-ordinate the operations in the Baltics.
Gen. Jonathan Vance, Canada's top military commander, said the additional troops and the extension are welcome.
Comments (Was
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David R. Amos
I wonder if Putin Trump or Trudeau will read my Tweet about this article
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
David R. Amos
Heres hoping Trump gets laughed out Dodge, NATO is dissolved and Putin cancels the meeting because he would rather go fishing than make a deal with a clown. Yea I know I'm dreaming but its 4 in the morning and I'm back to bed. Methinks that sometimes dreams come true N'esy Pas?
Nighty Night
Nighty Night
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@David R. Amos Shame on CBC forever for blocking that comment
Gina Davis
NATO is past its due date. The cold war is long over except for the new one attempting to gain steam. Russiaphobia, Iranphobia, Northkoreaphobia. There is no threat big enough to justify this massive war machine anymore.
So good on him, he should be cutting them off and leaving. We have better things to spend our tax dollars on.
So good on him, he should be cutting them off and leaving. We have better things to spend our tax dollars on.
David R. Amos
@Gina Davis "NATO is past its due date."
I agree
So good on him, he should be cutting them off and leaving
Nope He win no cigar from me because he committed our troops for a longer deployment
I agree
So good on him, he should be cutting them off and leaving
Nope He win no cigar from me because he committed our troops for a longer deployment
Eric Houghton
@David R. Amos
Just cut an run and drop the alliance right? Haha then if we ever end up in trouble what happens? Why should "allies" answer our call if we don't answer theirs?
Just cut an run and drop the alliance right? Haha then if we ever end up in trouble what happens? Why should "allies" answer our call if we don't answer theirs?
Gina Davis
@David R. Amos Cant disagree with you, he also sent a 1000 to waive swords at Russia on their border. He did that 2 years ago.
His own campaign promise was better relations with Russia. I didn't know being aggressive was part of that.
His own campaign promise was better relations with Russia. I didn't know being aggressive was part of that.
David R. Amos
@Eric Houghton Why should "allies" answer our call if we don't answer theirs?
How long did the Yankees stay out of WW I and WWII How many times have we helped them for no reason I will ever understand?
Methinks our troops are for defense not attack keep them home to defend our borders not to piss off Russians for the Yankees benefit.
How long did the Yankees stay out of WW I and WWII How many times have we helped them for no reason I will ever understand?
Methinks our troops are for defense not attack keep them home to defend our borders not to piss off Russians for the Yankees benefit.
David R. Amos
@Gina Davis Perhaps you should Google the following
David Amos Federal Court
Then scroll down to the statement numbered 83 if you really want to embarrass The Powers That Be ASAP
David Amos Federal Court
Then scroll down to the statement numbered 83 if you really want to embarrass The Powers That Be ASAP
Tim Trites
@Gina Davis
perhaps not going to war is proof of NATO's success. after all that is its point, as a deterrent
perhaps not going to war is proof of NATO's success. after all that is its point, as a deterrent
David R. Amos
@Tim Trites How is being at War in Iraq and Afghanistan, Syria and Libya etc any sort of deterrent?
Otto Vanderberg
@David R. Amos
Can you summarize it?
Can you summarize it?
Doug Henderson
No plans because he has no clue
Julian Hoyak
@Doug Henderson - As much clue as Con posters. besides it's not his call. Canada's gov't has experts that do have a clue and that's who makes the recommendations to the gov't.
Doug Henderson
@Julian Hoyak AND THEY HAVE NO CLUE
David R. Amos
@Doug Henderson YUP
Don King
I think I speak for many Canadians when I say I don’t particularly care about Latvia and I’d rather my tax dollars were spent elsewhere.
Richard Sharp
@Don King
I agree. Why are we allowing the USA and NATO to lead our foreign policy and fighting their multiple disastrous wars, e.g., Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria. And their belligerent encroachment on Russia’s borders despite promising Gorbachev that would NOT happen when he freed the former Soviet republics. Freeland is a Russia hater who should be left to trade deals.
I agree. Why are we allowing the USA and NATO to lead our foreign policy and fighting their multiple disastrous wars, e.g., Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria. And their belligerent encroachment on Russia’s borders despite promising Gorbachev that would NOT happen when he freed the former Soviet republics. Freeland is a Russia hater who should be left to trade deals.
Spencer McDougall
@Richard Sharp 10/07/2018....I agree with Richard Sharp. OMG.
David R. Amos
@Don King " I think I speak for many Canadians when I say I don’t particularly care about Latvia"
Methinks folks in Latvia were tired of Trudeau the Youngerbefore he got there and the other Yankee allies should be tired of Trump after all the people I called, emailed and tweeted today about NATO etc N'esy Pas?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-nato-summit-putin-meeting-helsinki-1.4740071
Methinks folks in Latvia were tired of Trudeau the Youngerbefore he got there and the other Yankee allies should be tired of Trump after all the people I called, emailed and tweeted today about NATO etc N'esy Pas?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-nato-summit-putin-meeting-helsinki-1.4740071
Lou Parks
@David R. Amos
What's that ridiculous "N'esy Pas" nonsense of yours?
What's that ridiculous "N'esy Pas" nonsense of yours?
David R. Amos
@Spencer McDougall Me Too
Methinks even Trudeau The Younger would have to admit that amazing things never cease N'esy Pas?
Methinks even Trudeau The Younger would have to admit that amazing things never cease N'esy Pas?
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks Methinks you are rather redundant with that question N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks "What's that ridiculous "N'esy Pas" nonsense of yours?"
Methinks its strange that every time I reply and explain it to you I am blocked. So lets just say many Acadian folks who don't vote for them get my joke on the liberals N'esy Pas?
Methinks its strange that every time I reply and explain it to you I am blocked. So lets just say many Acadian folks who don't vote for them get my joke on the liberals N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks What's that ridiculous "N'esy Pas" nonsense of yours?
Methinks that even you and your buddy Oaktree have lost track of how many times you asked me the same question not just today but for many months Not once have you dared to dispute what I posted N'esy Pas?
So in return I will be redundant as well
Methinks that even you and your buddy Oaktree have lost track of how many times you asked me the same question not just today but for many months Not once have you dared to dispute what I posted N'esy Pas?
So in return I will be redundant as well
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks @Don King " I think I speak for many Canadians when I say I don’t particularly care about Latvia"
Methinks folks in Latvia were tired of Trudeau the Younger before he got there and the other Yankee allies should be tired of Trump after all the people I called, emailed and tweeted today about NATO etc N'esy Pas?
Methinks folks in Latvia were tired of Trudeau the Younger before he got there and the other Yankee allies should be tired of Trump after all the people I called, emailed and tweeted today about NATO etc N'esy Pas?
George Mayne
Why haven't we put a "hold" on his credit card? he continues to spend and put Canada further and further into debt!
James Carpenter
@George Mayne
Who's we? Me, myself and I?
Who's we? Me, myself and I?
David R. Amos
@James Carpenter Who's we? Me, myself and I?
Nope thats me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1azdNWbF3A
Nope thats me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1azdNWbF3A
John Napier
while he commits no troops to protect our own borders
David R. Amos
@Carl Juneau "If you're referring to "illegal immigrants", refugees aren't illegal, and the CBSA and RCMP are handling it"
I agree
"Are you afraid of an American invasion?"
Methinks we should because Trump was talking about the War of 1812 and Canadain burning down the White House etc As far as I know that War was never resolved just like the Korean conflict wasn't because the oh so great Yankees hate to lose N'esy Pas?
I agree
"Are you afraid of an American invasion?"
Methinks we should because Trump was talking about the War of 1812 and Canadain burning down the White House etc As far as I know that War was never resolved just like the Korean conflict wasn't because the oh so great Yankees hate to lose N'esy Pas?
Eric Biallas
Committing more troops is great. Yet, looking at our own border situation, having troops sharing supplies and knowing that our PM puts his popularity above all else. Makes this another photo op and selfie expedition.
David R. Amos
@Eric Biallas "Committing more troops is great."
NOPE
NOPE
David R. Amos
@John Smith "Lets get this straight . JT wants to prevent the illegal border crossing of Russians over the Latvian border"
YUP
YUP
John Towler
Trudeau wants to play the world stage and photops at the expense of our out of control debt.
Somehow he knows where the largest pig troughs are.
Canada's trough is running dry
Somehow he knows where the largest pig troughs are.
Canada's trough is running dry
Jim McAlpine
@John Towler - so you don't believe Canada has a role to play in supporting NATO? Explain why (other than suggesting it's just a photo op for Trudeau) and maybe we'd have something to comment on.
David R. Amos
@Jim McAlpine "so you don't believe Canada has a role to play in supporting NATO? "
Methinks Russia has been no threat whatsoever for nearly 30 years so why do we need NATO to use an excuse assist Yankee in their evil wars particularly when we also send troops to do the UN bidding and Trump has no respect for that organization at all N'esy Pas?
Methinks Russia has been no threat whatsoever for nearly 30 years so why do we need NATO to use an excuse assist Yankee in their evil wars particularly when we also send troops to do the UN bidding and Trump has no respect for that organization at all N'esy Pas?
Earl Sargent
I see he's waving again to somebody. Nice hands. Maybe he should stay and help the troops.
David R. Amos
@Earl Sargent "Nice hands. Maybe he should stay and help the troops."
Methinks if a blind man were to shake Trudeau the Younger's hand he would be quick to inform you it ain't working man's hand N'esy Pas?
Methinks if a blind man were to shake Trudeau the Younger's hand he would be quick to inform you it ain't working man's hand N'esy Pas?
Comment thread was deleted before I could save what he posted
Phillip Potter
David R. Amos
@Phillip Potter YUP Methinks thats the guy that all Harperites love to hate N'esy Pas?
Steve Sax
No worries about Trudeau he has 12 months left. At this time next year he will be promising ever special interest group millions of dollars again.
The question is, will these people fall for it again
The question is, will these people fall for it again
David R. Amos
@Steve Sax "The question is, will these people fall for it again"
Methinks many folks see no choice between Mr Dressup and Harper 2.0 or the mindless NDP. Hence it should prove to be quite circus N'esy Pas?
Methinks many folks see no choice between Mr Dressup and Harper 2.0 or the mindless NDP. Hence it should prove to be quite circus N'esy Pas?
Jim Dandee
Trudeau was elected on a spend, spend, spend platform and now he has a trade war on his roaming hands. There are no more funds available.
David R. Amos
@Jim Dandee Methinks it wasn't so much that Trudeau The Younger won it was more like Harper and Mulcair lost bigtime so Trudeau got the PMO by default. I call him our accidental PM but liberals can't stand my joke just like Trudeau The Elder's minions hate my next two words N'esy Pas?
Pierre Filion
The BIGGEST CON MAN Canada as ever elected . Trudeau
David R. Amos
@Pierre Filion Methinks many would agree that Mulroney should have that honour You can't deny what became of the PC Party once he was done N'esy Pas?
Ronald Canell
I am looking forward to seeing the Prime minister fighting in the front lines. I want to see the Prime Minister holding a rifle and shooting at the enemy.
Richard Nichols
@Ronald Canell
CBC, pseudonym alert.
CBC, pseudonym alert.
David R. Amos
@Ronald Canell Methinks Mr Prime Minister Trudeau the Younger and all his questionable NATO buddies should review my emails and blogs and tweets ASAP N'esy Pas?
Content disabled.
@Richard Nichols "CBC, pseudonym alert.
Methinks your all points bulletin kinda sorta worked. This thread went from the top most liked to deep in the dungeon of disliked comments in about 6 hours or so N'esy Pas?
Surevey Says as of right now
Canell 23 likes 38 dislikes
You 10 likes 4 dislikes
Me 0 likes 13 dislikes
Methinks your all points bulletin kinda sorta worked. This thread went from the top most liked to deep in the dungeon of disliked comments in about 6 hours or so N'esy Pas?
Surevey Says as of right now
Canell 23 likes 38 dislikes
You 10 likes 4 dislikes
Me 0 likes 13 dislikes
Fred Rickert
@Ronald Canell
For a preliminary tryout why don't you challenge him to a boxing match?
For a preliminary tryout why don't you challenge him to a boxing match?
David R. Amos
@Fred Rickert Methinks folks would have far more fun watching me debate him like I did with the lawyer Rob More several times N'esy Pas?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cFOKT6TlSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cFOKT6TlSE
Trump's 'déjà vu' Eurotrip: Upcoming Putin, NATO summits raise concerns after G7 debacle
U.S. allies on edge amid relationship that is already strained
Those words may help him navigate a familiar scenario — a potentially strained meeting with allies just ahead of a tête-à-tête with a major U.S. adversary.
"Déjà vu is one way of thinking about it," said Alina Polyakova, an expert on Russian foreign policy at the D.C.-based Brookings Institution.
It was only last month that Trump travelled abroad to meet, then insult one of his country's closest allies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, before he departed to laud a Western adversary, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
NATO members "are trying to understand what this president might do, and watching how he's interacted with other authoritarians — Kim being the most prominent recent example," Polyakova said.
"They're trying to take lessons from that."
But if it's solidarity the alliance of 29 North American and European powers is after, Trump seems comfortable playing the role of disrupter, lashing out at members over military spending while treating Russian President Vladimir Putin amicably.
'Europe is almost powerless'
Trump will enter the talks in Brussels amid an already strained relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Last week, the White House sent missives to several NATO leaders, including Trudeau, admonishing the U.S. allies for their defence spending shortfalls, though the spending guidelines are not formal rules, only targets.
In June, Trump departed the G7 in Quebec, then rejected a joint communiqué, in order to meet with Kim in Singapore. Now, NATO members are reportedly concerned about whether the president will renege on U.S. commitments to the alliance before his one-on-one with Putin.
The Europeans won't like the sequencing, Polyakova said, especially if a routine diplomatic affair goes off the rails, as the G7 did, leading right into a "glowing meeting of Trump and Putin."
"It's like Europe is almost powerless as they have to sit by and watch as their fates are decided by two men," she said, the implication being that Russia is back at the table with superpower status.
Putin would likely request a lifting of sanctions, she said.
'Putin's wish list'
Trump reportedly hinted at the G7 that Crimea in Ukraine should belong to Russia, reasoning that most citizens there speak Russian. But legitimization of Russian annexation of Crimea would be a huge win for Putin, possibly incentivizing other land grabs, said Brian Klaas, author of The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy.
"It's not just about Ukrainian territory, it's about a bedrock principle that has created international security and prosperity since World War Two, and that's the principle that you can't divide by force."
The Western world is held together by NATO and the European Union, and Trump is attacking them.- Brian Klaas , author of The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on DemocracyAlliance members worry that the U.S. would withdraw its forward presence in Baltic states such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, leaving them vulnerable to a possible Russian military offensive.
If Trump was distracted during the G7 by his summit with Kim, his planned sit-down with Putin threatens to overshadow NATO discussions set to begin on Wednesday, said Klaas, a comparative-politics fellow at the London School of Economics.
"The Western world is held together by NATO and the European Union, and Trump is attacking them at the same time he's trying to make friends with Putin."
After all, he said, "NATO exists largely to deter Russian aggression."
A weakened NATO and a U.S. president who's seemingly reluctant to criticize the Kremlin "are literally what Putin's wish list has been for the last two decades."
Article 5 'in question again'
How Trump can square his commitments to what the alliance stands for with a cozier relationship with the Kremlin will likely keep NATO members on edge. They will want reassurances from the Americans, Klaas said, and Trump campaigned in the 2016 election as a NATO skeptic.
It took Trump nearly half a year into his presidency for him to formally endorse NATO's Article 5 principle of collective defence, in which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all allies.
"I think that's up in question again," Klaas said.
Polyakova's worry, based on reports of satellite images showing ongoing nuclear activity in North Korea, is what kind of concessions Putin may be able to extract from Trump "without getting much in return, if anything at all."
Kim may have deceived this administration, she said, "but Putin has shown himself to be absolutely untrustworthy as a partner, potentially more so than Kim."
Experts expect Trump to continue pressing NATO allies toward more burden-sharing, in line with a 2024 goal for members to contribute two per cent of their GDP on defence.
"That's already a positive move," said Elena Sokova, a nonproliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, in California. "Because no matter how you slice and dice it, there's a need for countries to be stepping up their spending for allocations for the military budgets."
Despite the president's rhetoric, his administration has arguably reinvigorated NATO, hiking spending on European defence by approving $6.3 billion.
A more fortified NATO is bad news for Putin, though he's at least scored a win by securing a meeting with Trump.
The president, for his part, said he is "looking forward" to the meeting in Finland, though one of his tweets on Monday raised eyebrows about just how willing he'll be to take the Russian leader to task.
Following reports that Kim had not honoured what Trump termed a denuclearization "contract,"
Trump wrote that he remained confident the North Korean would stay true to his word, based on "our handshake."
I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!
That reminded Sokova of Trump's rationale for doubting the Russians meddled in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump said he was certain because Putin told him so.
"You could say that's the equivalent of a handshake," Sokova said.
About the Author
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David R. Amos
Heres hoping Trump gets laughed out Dodge, NATO is dissolved and Putin cancels the meeting because he would rather go fishing than make a deal with a clown. Yea I know I'm dreaming but its 4 in the morning and I'm back to bed. Methinks that sometimes dreams come true N'esy Pas?
Nighty Night
Nighty Night
Chris Jones
@David R. Amos
Putin always speaks very diplomatically and respectfully about Trump, and almost every leader, but he especially seeks reconciliation with the US. That's why Trump's opponents are flim flammed about being bypassed. But what's really interesting, if I have this right, is that John Bolton will be beside Trump during the talks? To give the devil his due, or the devils, that could be interesting, since Bolton is really deep deep south.
Putin always speaks very diplomatically and respectfully about Trump, and almost every leader, but he especially seeks reconciliation with the US. That's why Trump's opponents are flim flammed about being bypassed. But what's really interesting, if I have this right, is that John Bolton will be beside Trump during the talks? To give the devil his due, or the devils, that could be interesting, since Bolton is really deep deep south.
David R. Amos
@Chris Jones Trust that I know Bolton very well Perhaps you should Google me
Chris Jones
@David R. Amos
OK later
OK later
Chris Jones
The German Parliament seems to know better than Merkel.
German Parliament Report: U.S. Presence in Syria Is Illegal
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49823.htm
German Parliament Report: U.S. Presence in Syria Is Illegal
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49823.htm
David R. Amos
@Chris Jones Methinks you have no idea I little I respect bible pounding war mongers N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@Chris Jones 'German Parliament Report: U.S. Presence in Syria Is Illegal"
This is interesting though
This is interesting though
john carter
One of my favorites from the good book, Lazarus.
Matt has not been correct on any analysis of Trump for about 2 years, he still alludes that Russia hacked the US election, at the end of the article and via a third party quote.
As for the Brooking's Institute?
Uh oh...
Matt has not been correct on any analysis of Trump for about 2 years, he still alludes that Russia hacked the US election, at the end of the article and via a third party quote.
As for the Brooking's Institute?
Uh oh...
Chris Jones
@john carter
I think that it is Trump's racism that bothers him most. That's the same for a lot of people. They think that by getting rid of racists in positions of authority that they will ease the problem. But there are too many and it is part of human nature, the fear of the stranger. It's racism that's the problem, not the flesh and blood racist. People can change but racism is a spirit that lives forever.
I think that it is Trump's racism that bothers him most. That's the same for a lot of people. They think that by getting rid of racists in positions of authority that they will ease the problem. But there are too many and it is part of human nature, the fear of the stranger. It's racism that's the problem, not the flesh and blood racist. People can change but racism is a spirit that lives forever.
David R. Amos
@john carter Methinks for obvious reasons the best part of the "Good" Book is the Book Of Amos N'esy Pas?
William Perry
Trump attending a NATO summit is a disaster waiting to happen. He will accuse all members of not living up to their 2% commitment , that's a given. He will want to be the center of attention, that's a given. He will strut around with arms folded with a raised head and a downward look showing a disdain to all, that's a given. He will tell untruths, that's a given. He will push aside anyone that gets in front of him, that's a given. He has done it before.
There is an expression that the British have that should be applied to Trump for his normal boorish behaviour. It is called "send him to Coventry". Basically it means "pretend that he is not there". Do not acknowledge his presence . When he asks a question, do not answer it. He simply will not know how to handle it.
David R. Amos
@William Perry "Trump attending a NATO summit is a disaster waiting to happen"
Methinks Trudeau the Younger and the other Yankee allies should be really on edge after all the people I called, emailed and tweeted today about NATO etc N'esy Pas?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-latvia-visit-nato-1.4740098
Methinks Trudeau the Younger and the other Yankee allies should be really on edge after all the people I called, emailed and tweeted today about NATO etc N'esy Pas?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-latvia-visit-nato-1.4740098
Lou Parks
@David R. Amos
What's that "N'esy Pas" nonsense?
What's that "N'esy Pas" nonsense?
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks Methinks you are rather redundant with that question N'esy Pas?
John Oaktree
@Lou Parks
I think he means "messy paws", or "big claws", or "wood saws". I'm not really sure. I'm just guessing at the gibberish...
I think he means "messy paws", or "big claws", or "wood saws". I'm not really sure. I'm just guessing at the gibberish...
Lou Parks
@David R. Amos
Methinks you are rather redundant with your
nonsensical repetition of "N'esy Pas", Dave
Methinks you are rather redundant with your
nonsensical repetition of "N'esy Pas", Dave
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks Methinks young liberal spin doctors in short pants at play in CBC should address me as Mr Amos to at least show some respect until they run for public office five times N'esy Pas?
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@John Oaktree Methinks I see another comment from the left wingnut peanut gallery N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks "Lou - look up "The Cold War". Once you read that, come back and we'll talk"
This article is about NATO and you wish to argue history correct?
Methinks you and your buddy Lou should Google the fllowing David Amos Federal Court then scroll down t Paragraph 83 of my lawsuit and read it real slow. Once you read that, come back and we'll talk N'esy Pas?
This article is about NATO and you wish to argue history correct?
Methinks you and your buddy Lou should Google the fllowing David Amos Federal Court then scroll down t Paragraph 83 of my lawsuit and read it real slow. Once you read that, come back and we'll talk N'esy Pas?
John Oaktree
@David R. Amos
What??
Singing Grandpa's???
What??
Singing Grandpa's???
Content disabled.
David R. Amos
@John Oaktree Methinks its interest that CBC blocked my last reply to your insults. Well one year ago kids in short pants from the left wing peanut gallery sang a different tune about Trump while I said enough to see CBC kill my account. Yet you still make fun of my lawsuits as a singing Grandpa? Clearly you kids watched the Fundy Royal Debate N'esy Pas?
Go to most liked comments for a little Deja Vu just like the title of this article states.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-ustr-trump-renegotiation-1.4208794
Go to most liked comments for a little Deja Vu just like the title of this article states.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-ustr-trump-renegotiation-1.4208794
Lou Parks
@David R. Amos
> Methinks young liberal spin doctors ... should address me as Mr Amos to at least show some respect ...
You must first *earn* that respect, Dave
> ... N'esy Pas?
So, again, what's that "N'esy Pas" nonsense all about?
> Methinks young liberal spin doctors ... should address me as Mr Amos to at least show some respect ...
You must first *earn* that respect, Dave
> ... N'esy Pas?
So, again, what's that "N'esy Pas" nonsense all about?
David R. Amos
@John Oaktree "Singing Grandpa's???"
Hey kid why does CBC block every reply to you?
Hey kid why does CBC block every reply to you?
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks "You must first *earn* that respect"
Methinks that whereas you and Oaktree do not have mine perhaps you should Google your names sometime N'esy Pas?
Methinks that whereas you and Oaktree do not have mine perhaps you should Google your names sometime N'esy Pas?
David R. Amos
@Lou Parks Methinks whereas you left wingers make fun of my lawsuits as a singing Grandpa clearly you watched the Fundy Royal Debate N'esy Pas?
John Oaktree
@David R. Amos
Why do you continue to use gibberish at the end of your posts when you know perfectly well it's gibberish?
Why do you continue to use gibberish at the end of your posts when you know perfectly well it's gibberish?
pat fisher
The US is no longer a reliable ally or trading partner.
David R. Amos
@pat fisher "The US is no longer a reliable ally or trading partner"
Methinks it never was. In fact Louis Riel explained why in his writings N'esy Pas?
Methinks it never was. In fact Louis Riel explained why in his writings N'esy Pas?
Arlond Lynds
The other NATO nations pay for their nations healthcare before defense. As it should be in the USA as well. To expect the rest of the world to spend like the USA would be ludicrous, America spends on offense not defense. To consider the USA spends on defense would be to suggest they are the most paranoid nation on the planet, then again ....
David R. Amos
@david mccaig "70% of the American congress are millionaires and billionaires."
True
Methinks whereas you are easily the most prolific of commenters within the CBC domain I suspect a lot folks think you work with them N'esy Pas?
True
Methinks whereas you are easily the most prolific of commenters within the CBC domain I suspect a lot folks think you work with them N'esy Pas?
Nigel Marshall
The US is the world's largest exporter of weapons. The demand that NATO countries spend more on defence is a thinly disguised demand that they buy more American exports. His decision to meet with Putin directly after the NATO summit is intimidation. He has already publicly stated tacit approval for Russian aggression against its neighbours. This takes protectionism to the level of a protection racket: 'Buy our weapons and stay safe. Be a shame if any small countries got invaded, wouldn't it?'
David R. Amos
@Nigel Marshall "The US is the world's largest exporter of weapons. The demand that NATO countries spend more on defence is a thinly disguised demand that they buy more American exports."
I agree
I agree
Wil Brown
Trump and Putin without cameras, advisers or witnesses. What could possibly go wrong?
Gia Adams
@Karen King
If Trump was ever kidnapped no one would pay the ransom.
If Trump was ever kidnapped no one would pay the ransom.
David R. Amos
@Gia Adams "If Trump was ever kidnapped no one would pay the ransom".
I disagree
Methinks Trump's number one lawyer Mikey Cohen has a suitcase already loaded just in case N'esy Pas?
I disagree
Methinks Trump's number one lawyer Mikey Cohen has a suitcase already loaded just in case N'esy Pas?
Neil Gregory
In the past year and a half, Trump has proven to America's trading partners and allies that the USA can no longer be trusted to live up to the treaties it has signed. Countries who are members of NATO and the G-7 need to be very wary of any further dealings with America as long as Trump and company hold office.
John Smith
@Neil Gregory Of coarse the all of NATO never bothered living up to their agreement to spend 2% of their GDP on defense but that doesn't matter at all this is about trump not being trust worthy for not living up to his agreement. Do as I say not as I do.
David R. Amos
@John Smith "Of coarse the all of NATO never bothered living up to their agreement to spend 2% of their GDP on defense"
Methinks most of the NATO members know their club should be a matter of history that should have bee disbanded after the Cold War was over nearly 30 years ago. It appears that only Trump wants it to be great again N'esy Pas?
Methinks most of the NATO members know their club should be a matter of history that should have bee disbanded after the Cold War was over nearly 30 years ago. It appears that only Trump wants it to be great again N'esy Pas?
Brian Cohen
Starting trade wars, attempting to destabilize the west, slagging his closest allies, threatening to scrap NATO, promoting Russian interests .....
Best money Putin ever spent was buying the orange sack of
Best money Putin ever spent was buying the orange sack of
Jackson Thomson
@Brian Cohen
This is the greatest coup in the 21st century and without any bloodshed.
Quite civilized and brilliant on part of Putin. Ghandi would be proud.
This is the greatest coup in the 21st century and without any bloodshed.
Quite civilized and brilliant on part of Putin. Ghandi would be proud.
David R. Amos
@Jackson Thomson "Quite civilized and brilliant on part of Putin."
Methinks Putin did not do a thing except possibly laugh at the Yankee nonsense N'esy Pas?
Methinks Putin did not do a thing except possibly laugh at the Yankee nonsense N'esy Pas?
Gorden Feist
"Trump reportedly hinted at the G7 that Crimea in Ukraine should belong to Russia, reasoning that most citizens there speak Russian. "
By that logic most of southern USA should belong to Spain, and the rest to England.
By that logic most of southern USA should belong to Spain, and the rest to England.
Yugo Ivanovich
@Gorden Feist
For over 280 years Crimea was Russian and Soviet Union territory. In 1954 Hruscov give Crimea to Ukraine (at that time part of USSR).
Close to 90% of Crimea population are Russians. Since break up of the USSR Ukraine is no longer part of Russian Federation and Russia took Crimea back without a single bullet fired.
In the referendum 87% Crimea citizens voted to join Russian Federation.
For over 280 years Crimea was Russian and Soviet Union territory. In 1954 Hruscov give Crimea to Ukraine (at that time part of USSR).
Close to 90% of Crimea population are Russians. Since break up of the USSR Ukraine is no longer part of Russian Federation and Russia took Crimea back without a single bullet fired.
In the referendum 87% Crimea citizens voted to join Russian Federation.
David R. Amos
@Yugo Ivanovich Well Done Sir
Methinks political pundits hate irrefutable facts Thats why they ignore you N'esy Pas?
Methinks political pundits hate irrefutable facts Thats why they ignore you N'esy Pas?
Andrew McLaren
![fred smith]()
![David R. Amos]()
![Ivor Sargent]()
Ivor Sargent
![Jack Kileen]()
![David R. Amos]()
There are already more grounds for impeachment with the currently serving US President than any who have preceded him, bar none. Trump's agenda consists of nothing more than defending the indefensible, enabling corruption, and malicious spite towards anyone who knows or upholds anything better; he does not deserve to be treated with deference, nor with respect.
fred smith
@Andrew McLaren
'Spite' is not a impeachable offense, nor is 'defending the indefensible'. Now 'enabling corruption' might be but if you want to up hold western jurisprudence, prove it in a court of law.
Just curious what are you referring to when you say 'enabling corruption'?
'Spite' is not a impeachable offense, nor is 'defending the indefensible'. Now 'enabling corruption' might be but if you want to up hold western jurisprudence, prove it in a court of law.
Just curious what are you referring to when you say 'enabling corruption'?
David R. Amos
@fred smith I agree
Methinks the ghost of General Andrew Jackson the seventh President would affirm that banksters and corruption were part and parcel of the US Congress long before Trump's grandfather immigrated to the USA in 1885 N'esy Pas?
Methinks the ghost of General Andrew Jackson the seventh President would affirm that banksters and corruption were part and parcel of the US Congress long before Trump's grandfather immigrated to the USA in 1885 N'esy Pas?
Ivor Sargent
The best hope for NATO is the impeachment of Trump.
Jack Kileen
@Dan Joseph Well, given the Senate map for mid-terms and libs staring down a GOP super-majority, lets see indeed
David R. Amos
@Ivor Sargent "The best hope for NATO is the impeachment of Trump'
Methinks it would not be wise to hold any hope for NATO whatsoever. Many folks would agree that it should have went the way of the Dodo Bird long ago N'esy Pas?
Methinks it would not be wise to hold any hope for NATO whatsoever. Many folks would agree that it should have went the way of the Dodo Bird long ago N'esy Pas?
http://davidraymondamos3.
Monday, 12 March 2018
I am constantly amazed at just how dumb Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's
people are in Ottawa and Washington
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https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/04/nato-hungary-authoritarianism/557459/
The Threat Within NATO
Speaking days before an election most observers thought him sure to win, a long-serving Eurasian strongman railed against human rights, malevolent western powers, and rapacious “international speculators.” If delivered a fourth term in office, he vowed, vengeance against enemies of the state would be swift. His ruling party would achieve “satisfaction” against its adversaries, both foreign and domestic, he pledged in language that sounded both threatening and heartfelt.
This could easily have been Vladimir Putin, but it wasn’t. It was the leader of an American treaty ally. Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who faces an election this weekend, Hungary has become an increasingly autocratic and pro-Russian state—and it’s one that also happens to be in NATO.
In addition to the threat of Russian adventurism, NATO is facing a new menace, and the enemy is within. The alliance of 29 states bound by a pledge of collective defense has, particularly since the conclusion of the Cold War, defined itself by a set of common values and a membership composed of human rights-respecting democracies. The accuracy of this self-conception preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall was at times debatable. Today, it may be falling apart.
“Russia aims to weaken U.S. influence in the world and divide us from our allies and partners,” says the Trump administration’s 2017 National Security Strategy. The line, while accurate, reflects poorly on the strategy’s ostensible author, given that among other things it implicitly refers to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump. Left unwritten is that Russia’s goal of creating distance between the United States and its allies is part of what attracted it to Trump in the first place. As a candidate, Trump called NATO“obsolete.” As president, he initially declined to reaffirm America’s commitment to the alliance’s mutual defense provision, before begrudgingly reversing course at the insistence of his advisers.
Russian interference in elections on both sides of the Atlantic, and particularly its recent alleged poisoning of a former spy in the United Kingdom, may have had the unintended consequence of drawing many NATO allies closer. Yet divisions emerging from democratic backsliding by NATO states may have the effect, over the longer run, of contributing to Russian aims.
Start with Hungary, once considered a post-Cold War democratic success story. Since coming to power in 2010, the government led by Viktor Orbán has enacted far-reaching changes to the country’s constitution, election laws, and courts. The effect has been to politicize virtually all elements of national government to advantage Orbán’s Fidesz party, and to facilitate blatant crony capitalism.
Orbán, who lacks a strong political opponent to run against this weekend, has instead focused a stream of invective against migrants, Muslims, the European Union, and George Soros, while repeatedly flirting with anti-Semitism. These messages are delivered via a once-independent media that has largely been captured by the prime minister’s allies. Civil-liberties groups in the country, under legal attack for years, are bracing for increased hardship if not outright elimination by a leader who has publicly praised Putin’s illiberal state.
Not content to simply emulate the Russian model domestically, Orbán has also adopted an increasingly pro-Russian foreign policy, and, in the words of a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee minority staff report, “has taken no discernable steps to stop or even discourage Russian malign influence.” Orbán has been explicit in his criticism of Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Multiple reports, meanwhile, indicate that Russian intelligence services may be using Hungary as, in the words of a former U.S. embassy official, “an intel[ligence] forward operating base in NATO and the EU.”
Since coming to power in 2015, Poland’s conservative Law and Justice party has maintained the country’s longstanding antagonism toward Russia, and welcomed NATO forces (including those of the United States) into the country. Bound by a common platform of nationalism, euroskepticism, and anti-migrant sentiment, Warsaw has also emulated and protected Hungary’s illiberal turn within the EU. The party led by Jarosław Kaczyński, a former prime minister, has followed Orbán’s Hungarian model at an accelerated pace—undermining independent courts, curtailing the ability of non-governmental organizations to operate freely, and impairing the country’s media.
Most recently, in February, the Polish government absorbed international opprobrium, including from the State Department, for enacting legislation that criminalizes speech related to the involvement of the Polish government or people in the Holocaust. The EU, criticized for failing to stop Hungary’s illiberal slide, has responded to these actions by invoking the EU Treaty’s Article 7 procedure, or so-called “nuclear option,” which would ultimately strip Poland of its voting rights within the bloc.
The chances of such an outcome, however, are slim. Orbán and Kaczyński have made clear that they will ride to each other’s rescue, creating an emerging “axis of illiberalism” within Europe. The NATO alliance thus faces a problematic odd couple. On one hand is a leader whose government openly seeks closer ties with the Kremlin. On the other is a Russia hawk whose government hosts one of four multinational “battlegroups” on NATO’s eastern periphery, yet may be strengthening Russia’s hand in the long run by hollowing out his country’s institutions and backing his southern neighbor.
For all of these troubling aspects, the parallel assaults on rule of law in Hungary and Poland pale in comparison to those in Turkey. Since an attempted coup in July 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government has maintained a state of emergency under which an estimated 60,000 people have been arrested, with many tens of thousands more losing their jobs. Earlier this year, Freedom House downgraded the country from “partly free” to “not free” in its annual survey. According to human rights groups, Erdoğan’s government is engaged in disappearances and torture, and has begun prosecuting its citizens for critical posts on social media.
Turkey’s slide into authoritarianism has coincided with a worsening diplomatic relationship with the United States. On March 13, Turkish prosecutors indicted American pastor Andrew Brunson on charges related to the failed coup, seeking life imprisonment. Brunson has been held in pre-trial detention for 18 months in what some analysts describe as a hostage-taking related to Turkish requests for the United States to extradite cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the failed coup. The Brunson indictment follows the conviction in February of dual Turkish-American citizen and NASA employee Serkan Golge, who was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison in a trial the U.S. embassy in Ankara alleged lacked credible evidence.
Throughout the Cold War, NATO alliance members did at times fail to live up to the democratic principles enshrined in the North Atlantic Treaty. Portugal joined NATO as a founding member while under the corporatist dictatorship of António Salazar. Turkey, which joined in 1952, suffered three breakdowns of democratic governance and subsequent military rule during the Cold War. Likewise, Greece remained a NATO member in good standing following a 1967 coup d'état and seven ensuing years of military dictatorship marked by grievous human rights violations.
Yet the mounting authoritarianism in Hungary, Poland, and Turkey likely poses the greatest internal threat to the NATO alliance in its history. Any alliance depends on its members sharing common goals. During the Cold War, NATO served to keep peace in post-WWII Europe by “keep[ing] the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down,” in the famous telling of its first secretary general. With the raison d'etre of territorial defense essentially nullified by the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO has until recently largely justified itself through so-called “out-of-area” operations in places like Bosnia and Afghanistan, and by the presumed power of the alliance to bind its members around respect for democratic values and institutions. In 2016, the leaders of NATO member states went so far as to say that its “essential mission” was “to ensure that the Alliance remains an unparalleled community of freedom, peace, security, and shared values, including individual liberty, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”
As tensions rapidly escalate with Russia, territorial defense, particularly of those former Soviet states now anchoring the alliance’s eastern edge, has come roaring back. But it would be a mistake to prioritize short-term expediency over long-term cohesion. Ultimately, alliances rely on trust, and shared values are one of the core reasons that treaty members can trust one another. Illiberal turns can have direct consequences for intelligence-sharing and defense cooperation. Turkey’s pending acquisition of the S-400 air defense system is case in point.
And while the North Atlantic Treaty contains no provision to suspend members deemed to be operating in contravention of its principles, member states can challenge offending governments. Congress and the administration are already taking halting steps in this direction. The State Department recently advertised a grant that would help bolster Hungary’s beleaguered independent media sector, and has in the past has barred the travel to the United States of Hungarian officials over corruption allegations. The administration and members of Congress have criticized the Polish government for its steps to erode judicial independence and chill free speech. In October, the U.S. embassy in Ankara took the unprecedented step of ceasing to process visas in response to Turkey’s detention of Turkish citizens employed at U.S. consulates.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/2494977-ukraine-to-participate-in-nato-meeting-despite-hungarys-opposition-prystaiko.html
Ukraine to participate in NATO meeting despite Hungary's opposition - Prystaiko
Ukraine has managed to bypass the blocking of the NATO summit by Hungary, and the meeting will be held jointly with Georgia in Brussels.
Vadym Prystaiko, head of the Ukrainian delegation to the North Atlantic Alliance, said this on the program "Tomorrow," a joint project of the 112 Ukraine television channel and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty."Thanks to cooperation with NATO allies, we managed to overcome an obstacle created by Hungary, which is trying to abuse the principle of consensus that exists in NATO. The option, which was determined, is a joint meeting with Georgia just ten years after the Bucharest summit, when both Ukraine and Georgia were promised that they would become NATO members. We are going to meet again with the alliance and will discuss how Ukraine and Georgia have progressed over this time, what else to do, and what kind of assistance the alliance can provide to both countries," he said.
Prystaiko also suggested that Hungary might block a statement of the meeting, but stressed that the declaration of the summit would be more important to Ukraine.
As reported, Hungary has been blocking meetings as part of Ukraine's cooperation with the EU and NATO due to the law on education adopted by Kyiv, which entered into force on September 28, 2017. Budapest saw in the law a violation of the rights of the Hungarian minority regarding compulsory education in the state language. Kyiv rejects these accusations.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Hungary's decision to block NUC political meetings remained in force. At the same time, Szijjarto confirmed that Hungary had eased requirements for Ukraine related to the law on education - now it is not about abolishing the language norm, but rather fulfilling two norms of the Venice Commission's recommendations.
Read more on UNIAN: https://www.unian.info/politics/10179875-ukraine-to-take-part-in-nato-summit-despite-hungary-s-resistance-envoy.html
Read more on UNIAN: https://www.unian.info/politics/10179875-ukraine-to-take-part-in-nato-summit-despite-hungary-s-resistance-envoy.html
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https://www.indepthnews.net/index.php/the-world/eu-europe/1608-nato-demands-cause-headaches-in-iceland
Photo: U.S. Navy Poseidon P-8A at Keflavik. 8 November 2017. Credit: b737.org.uk
NATO Demands Cause Headaches in Iceland
By Lowana Veal
REYKJAVIK (IDN) – In February 2016, the U.S. government started discussions with its Icelandic counterpart on the possibility of carrying out necessary changes to the doors of the NATO hangar at Keflavik airport so that newer, larger submarine reconnaissance planes could be housed there. The matter was eventually concluded in December 2017, when the U.S. government agreed to funding.
The hangar is located in the security zone of the old U.S. military base, “Naval Air Station Keflavik”, and the reconnaissance planes in question are of the Poseidon P-8A type, designed to track the increased presence of Russian nuclear and conventional submarines in waters around Iceland – the so-called Greenland, Iceland and United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap.
There are now more Russian nuclear and conventional submarines in the GIUK Gap than during the Cold War. According to Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, surveillance flights were made from Iceland on 77 days in 2016, whereas in 2017 such flights were made on 153 days, using P-3 and P-8A surveillance planes operated by the United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) states. The P-3 is the predecessor of the P-8A.
“It was assumed from the beginning that the alterations would be funded by the U.S. government,” a Foreign Affairs ministry press officer said. In the United States 2018 Defence Budget, 14.4 million dollars was requested and allocated for “airfield upgrades” in Iceland, under Section 4602, Military Construction for Overseas Contingency Operations, and Section 2903, Air Force Construction and Land Acquisition Project. The latter allows the Secretary of the Air Force to acquire “real property” and carry out military construction projects for installations outside of the United States.
However, expenditure was also increased on the Icelandic side. In a report entitled Iceland’s Defence and NATO Operations in Iceland, dated March 8, 2017, the Icelandic Coastguard reports “increased maritime operations and capabilities”, while the Foreign Affairs Ministry says that operational funding was increased by 34 percent in the 2017 Icelandic budget “due to the operation of structures and an air defence system at Keflavik airport”.
The topic has been controversial, partly because the U.S. military left Iceland in September 2006 and there are fears that they may be considering a return. Although much of the deserted base is now being used for educational and high-tech purposes, part of the base is still closed to the public. Here, the Coastguard is responsible for maintaining hangars and other military facilities intact, while also overseeing air traffic control over Iceland, both of civilian and military planes.
In July 2016, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a report in which it openly suggested: “NATO can optimise its ASW [anti-submarine warfare] posture to ensure that the right capabilities are in the right places at the right time by reopening Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland...”
After parliamentary elections in October 2017, Katrin Jakobsdottir became Prime Minister. Allegedly the most trusted politician in Iceland at the time, she is leader of the Left-Green party, the second-largest party in the Althingi [Iceland’s Parliament], which has always had Iceland’s withdrawal from NATO as part of its manifesto although the issue was hardly mentioned in the run-up to the elections.
Its policy, however, is not shared by the other two coalition parties, the centrist Progressive Party and the right-wing Independent Party, which holds the most seats in the 63-member Althingi.
Nevertheless, in early December 2017, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, she had asked the Foreign Affairs Minister, Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, what exactly was involved in revamping of the hangar and reiterated the opposition of the Left-Greens to a military presence in Iceland. She was told that there was no intention of setting up a NATO military base in Iceland again.
Early in 2017, Steinunn Thora Arnadottir from the Left-Greens asked Foreign Affairs Minister Thordarson whether Iceland would take part in discussions leading up to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Thordarson explained that as a NATO member, it decided to boycott the talks because “Iceland considered it necessary that the nuclear states take part in the disarmament process and it was clear that this would not be the case.”
When the Left-Greens were part of the Opposition last year, Jakobsdottir was one of the seventeen Icelandic politicians who signed ICAN’s Parliamentary Pledge after the TPNW was adopted by the United Nations in July 2017. Most of the signatories were from the Left-Green and Pirate parties.
On their way back from accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in December 2017, Ray Acheson from Reaching Critical Will/WILPF and ICAN Australia’s Tim Wright visited Iceland. “Katrin [Jakobsdottir] came to the public talk that Tim and I gave at the university, and we also met with the rest of the Left-Greens, as well as the Pirate Party, the foreign ministry and the mayor of Reykjavik,” Acheson said.
Acheson is positive about Iceland in relation to the new Treaty, saying “there is always hope of any democratic government joining the nuclear ban treaty, as such governments are subject to the will of their people. But we do think, with Katrín Jakobsdóttir as prime minister, Iceland is in a strong position to join the treaty and lead other NATO countries to support real steps towards nuclear disarmament.”
She believes that “while Katrín and others in the government who support the ban treaty face opposition from other colleagues, it's going to be important for Iceland to reclaim its position as a country opposed to nuclear weapons, not one that hides behind the position of NATO or the United States and allows the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians to be threatened on its behalf.”
Acheson goes on to say that “the new government, with its principled positions on issues of humanitarianism and disarmament, must make it clear that Iceland does not agree that nuclear weapons are legal or acceptable weapons for anyone to have or to use."
Tim Wright is optimistic. “I believe it's inevitable that Iceland will sign and ratify the treaty. It would be irresponsible not to. Katrin Jakobsdottir has pledged her support, and I'm confident that other members of her government will do the same. Nuclear weapons serve no legitimate purpose whatsoever. Iceland should be unequivocal in its opposition to them,” he pointed out.
“As a nation with no military, Iceland has a proud history of supporting peace efforts. It should be leading global efforts to eliminate the worst weapons of mass destruction, not dragging its feet.” [IDN-InDepthNews – 15 January 2018]
Photo: U.S. Navy Poseidon P-8A at Keflavik. 8 November 2017. Credit: b737.org.uk
IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.
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REYKJAVIK (IDN) – In February 2016, the U.S. government started discussions with its Icelandic counterpart on the possibility of carrying out necessary changes to the doors of the NATO hangar at Keflavik airport so that newer, larger submarine reconnaissance planes could be housed there. The matter was eventually concluded in December 2017, when the U.S. government agreed to funding.
The hangar is located in the security zone of the old U.S. military base, “Naval Air Station Keflavik”, and the reconnaissance planes in question are of the Poseidon P-8A type, designed to track the increased presence of Russian nuclear and conventional submarines in waters around Iceland – the so-called Greenland, Iceland and United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap.
There are now more Russian nuclear and conventional submarines in the GIUK Gap than during the Cold War. According to Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, surveillance flights were made from Iceland on 77 days in 2016, whereas in 2017 such flights were made on 153 days, using P-3 and P-8A surveillance planes operated by the United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) states. The P-3 is the predecessor of the P-8A.
“It was assumed from the beginning that the alterations would be funded by the U.S. government,” a Foreign Affairs ministry press officer said. In the United States 2018 Defence Budget, 14.4 million dollars was requested and allocated for “airfield upgrades” in Iceland, under Section 4602, Military Construction for Overseas Contingency Operations, and Section 2903, Air Force Construction and Land Acquisition Project. The latter allows the Secretary of the Air Force to acquire “real property” and carry out military construction projects for installations outside of the United States.
However, expenditure was also increased on the Icelandic side. In a report entitled Iceland’s Defence and NATO Operations in Iceland, dated March 8, 2017, the Icelandic Coastguard reports “increased maritime operations and capabilities”, while the Foreign Affairs Ministry says that operational funding was increased by 34 percent in the 2017 Icelandic budget “due to the operation of structures and an air defence system at Keflavik airport”.
The topic has been controversial, partly because the U.S. military left Iceland in September 2006 and there are fears that they may be considering a return. Although much of the deserted base is now being used for educational and high-tech purposes, part of the base is still closed to the public. Here, the Coastguard is responsible for maintaining hangars and other military facilities intact, while also overseeing air traffic control over Iceland, both of civilian and military planes.
In July 2016, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a report in which it openly suggested: “NATO can optimise its ASW [anti-submarine warfare] posture to ensure that the right capabilities are in the right places at the right time by reopening Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland...”
After parliamentary elections in October 2017, Katrin Jakobsdottir became Prime Minister. Allegedly the most trusted politician in Iceland at the time, she is leader of the Left-Green party, the second-largest party in the Althingi [Iceland’s Parliament], which has always had Iceland’s withdrawal from NATO as part of its manifesto although the issue was hardly mentioned in the run-up to the elections.
Its policy, however, is not shared by the other two coalition parties, the centrist Progressive Party and the right-wing Independent Party, which holds the most seats in the 63-member Althingi.
Nevertheless, in early December 2017, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, she had asked the Foreign Affairs Minister, Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, what exactly was involved in revamping of the hangar and reiterated the opposition of the Left-Greens to a military presence in Iceland. She was told that there was no intention of setting up a NATO military base in Iceland again.
Early in 2017, Steinunn Thora Arnadottir from the Left-Greens asked Foreign Affairs Minister Thordarson whether Iceland would take part in discussions leading up to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Thordarson explained that as a NATO member, it decided to boycott the talks because “Iceland considered it necessary that the nuclear states take part in the disarmament process and it was clear that this would not be the case.”
When the Left-Greens were part of the Opposition last year, Jakobsdottir was one of the seventeen Icelandic politicians who signed ICAN’s Parliamentary Pledge after the TPNW was adopted by the United Nations in July 2017. Most of the signatories were from the Left-Green and Pirate parties.
On their way back from accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in December 2017, Ray Acheson from Reaching Critical Will/WILPF and ICAN Australia’s Tim Wright visited Iceland. “Katrin [Jakobsdottir] came to the public talk that Tim and I gave at the university, and we also met with the rest of the Left-Greens, as well as the Pirate Party, the foreign ministry and the mayor of Reykjavik,” Acheson said.
Acheson is positive about Iceland in relation to the new Treaty, saying “there is always hope of any democratic government joining the nuclear ban treaty, as such governments are subject to the will of their people. But we do think, with Katrín Jakobsdóttir as prime minister, Iceland is in a strong position to join the treaty and lead other NATO countries to support real steps towards nuclear disarmament.”
She believes that “while Katrín and others in the government who support the ban treaty face opposition from other colleagues, it's going to be important for Iceland to reclaim its position as a country opposed to nuclear weapons, not one that hides behind the position of NATO or the United States and allows the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians to be threatened on its behalf.”
Acheson goes on to say that “the new government, with its principled positions on issues of humanitarianism and disarmament, must make it clear that Iceland does not agree that nuclear weapons are legal or acceptable weapons for anyone to have or to use."
Tim Wright is optimistic. “I believe it's inevitable that Iceland will sign and ratify the treaty. It would be irresponsible not to. Katrin Jakobsdottir has pledged her support, and I'm confident that other members of her government will do the same. Nuclear weapons serve no legitimate purpose whatsoever. Iceland should be unequivocal in its opposition to them,” he pointed out.
“As a nation with no military, Iceland has a proud history of supporting peace efforts. It should be leading global efforts to eliminate the worst weapons of mass destruction, not dragging its feet.” [IDN-InDepthNews – 15 January 2018]
Photo: U.S. Navy Poseidon P-8A at Keflavik. 8 November 2017. Credit: b737.org.uk
IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.
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