The U.S. announced Friday it will send Ukraine the ground-launched small-diameter bomb, a weapon that can double Kyiv’s strike range….
The package’s GPS-guided GLSDB from Boeing has arange of 93 miles and can be launched from mobile artillery systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS. It comes after reports the Biden administration was considering helping Ukraine target the Crimean peninsula, which Russia has been using to launch strikes.
Ground-launched small diameter bombs will give Ukraine “a long-range fires capability that will enable them [to] tak[e] back their sovereign territory in Russian-occupied areas.” the Pentagon’s press secretary, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, told reporters.
Asked whether the weapons would be used against Russian targets in Crimea, Ryder declined to say.
Funding in the package for long-term purchases includes two HAWK air defense firing units, anti-aircraft guns, counter drone systems and Puma drones. The package also for the first time includes unspecified equipment to connect all the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Ukraine’s own air defenses….
In recent months, the U.S. has pledged medium- to long-range National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and truck-launched short-range Avenger air defense systems; the Netherlands, Germany and the U.S. are sending Patriot missile defense systems; Germany is sending medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems; and Spain is sending Aspide anti-aircraft air defense systems.
We have failed to respect the Haitian struggle for justice and self-determination
The Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network (ARSN), founded in 1981, works in solidarity with people standing up for self-determination, social justice and for the Earth in the Americas. We have been following Canada’s role in Haiti since 2004.
On March 20, 2021, the ARSN co-hosted a webinar entitled “Countering the Roots of Anti-Black Racism: From Atlantic Canada to Canada’s Complicity in the Crisis in Haiti.” Georges Gabrielle Paul, who spoke from Jérémie, Grand’Anse, Haiti told us about the situation Haitians were facing at the time, under the dictatorship of de facto President Jovenel Moise:
We are fighting for our survival. Like George Floyd we say we cannot breathe because of the knee of this dictatorship upon our necks. We cannot breathe because of the weight of the racism by the international community. Yes, we dare to be free. We challenge White supremacists. We demonstrated to the whole world that we reject the exploitation of human beings on the basis of skin colour. We did so long before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written. We issued this declaration at the cost of our blood. We want the world to know that as much as the Canadian, the French, the Americans, we Haitians are moun… if you want to translate moun it’s human being.
After the assassination of Moïse on July 7, 2021, Ariel Henry became Haiti’s new de facto prime minister, and the ongoing socio-political crisis worsened considerably. It became even more dangerous and more difficult for people to attain the necessities of life, and an organized system of kidnapping continued. Since early September 2022 people have been rising up across Haiti, calling for Henry to step down, for better living conditions, and for an end to imperial control by the Core Group.
The Core Group and Canada’s role
The Core Group in Haiti is made up of the Ambassadors of Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Brazil, Spain and the European Union, and Special Representatives of the United Nations Secretary-General and the Organization of American States (OAS).
Jemima Pierre, Haiti-America coordinator for the Black Alliance for Peace, refers to the United States, France, Canada and the Core Group “the biggest gangsters in Haiti.” In 2003, before the Core Group was officially formed, Canada hosted the “Ottawa Initiative on Haiti,” a series of meetings which began on January 31 and February 1, at Meech Lake and in Ottawa. At these meetings, representatives of the US, France, Canada, El Salvador, and the OAS discussed Haiti’s future without any Haitian officials being present. According to government documents obtained by Green Party MP Paul Manly through an Access-to-Information request, plans to oust Haiti’s democratically elected government were discussed.
A little more than a year later, on February 29, 2004, France, Canada and the US helped to overthrew the democratically elected Fanmi Lavalas government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. This occurred during a paramilitary insurrection in Haiti that was almost certainly backed by the US, in the form of training, supplies and military equipment provided to the insurgents. The Haitian government was replaced by a brutal dictatorship led by Prime Minister Gérard Latortue.
The Core Group and the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) were formed by UN Security Council Resolution 1542 on April 30, 2004. Although the resolution document affirmed “its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of Haiti” and the stated mandate of MINUSTAH was in part to promote human rights and facilitate the democratic process in Haiti, MINUSTAH was in fact an occupation force. The stated purpose of the Core Group was “to facilitate the implementation of MINUSTAH’s mandate, promote interaction with the Haitian authorities as partners, and to enhance the effectiveness of the international community’s response in Haiti.”
During MINUSTAH’s 13-year mandate, it often assisted the Haitian National Police in attacks on poor neighbourhoods, where many supporters of Fanmi Lavalas lived. It was implicated in serious human rights violations, including a massacre of civilians during an incursion into the Cité Soleil neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince on July 5, 2005. There are reports that MINUSTAH soldiers and employees sexually assaulted, abused, and exploited Haitian women and children. What’s more, it is widely understood that MINUSTAH’s negligence caused a cholera outbreak in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
The Core Group works closely with the current UN entity in Haiti, the Integrated Bureau of the United Nations in Haiti (BINUH). The Core Group, and the countries and organizations with representation in it, have had inordinate influence over Haitian governance and economics since the Core Group was formed almost two decades ago. They have used their influence to maintain an extremely inequitable economic system, and have created a more favourable investment climate for textile factory owners, foreign apparel companies, and mining firms, among other business sectors. The imperial control that Haiti has been subjected to has led to dictatorship and corruption in Haitian governance, deep and entrenched inequality, violence, insecurity, and the inability of the state to carry out basic public functions.
Haitians have often been forced to flee their country by land and water due to the harsh and perilous living conditions they face. During the crisis in 2004 caused by the paramilitary insurrection and the coup, 905 people trying to leave Haiti in boats were intercepted by the US Coast Guard and sent back to Haiti between February 21 and March 6.
Now, during the dictatorship of Ariel Henry, more Haitians have been leaving their country to seek asylum, paying exorbitant prices to human smugglers to board overloaded boats that travel through dangerous waters. Between October 2021 and July 2022, the US Coast Guard stopped over 6,100 Haitian people travelling by boat from arriving in the US and sent them back to Haiti. On July 24, 2022, a boat carrying about 60 Haitian passengers attempting to reach the United States capsized off the coast of the Bahamas, causing the deaths of 17 people.
Canada supports a dictator in Haiti
There was no constitutional provision for Henry to be sworn in as prime minister in 2021, let alone assume the powers of president, as he has done. His leadership only became possible because the US and the Core Group decided to impose it on the Haitian people. After a US delegation made arrangements for Henry’s role as prime minister to be accepted by key political figures in Haiti, the Core Group posted a communique on the BINUH website calling for “Prime Minister designate Ariel Henry to form a ‘consensual and inclusive’ government.”
On October 7, 2022, after thousands of Haitians had taken to the streets to denounce the actions of his dictatorship, Henry requested international armed intervention. Henry’s request was widely denounced by Haitians, and it almost immediately sparked protest, to which the Haitian National Police responded violently, killing one or more people. Despite this violent state response, and the history of repression by the Haitian National Police against the civilian population in Haiti, Canada and the US responded urgently to Henry’s request. A Canadian company sold armoured vehicles to the Haitian government, which were delivered by the Canadian and US air forces on October 15, allegedly to “assist the [Haitian National Police] in their fight against criminal actors who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically needed humanitarian assistance, hindering efforts to halt the spread of cholera.” Protests quickly erupted against this delivery.
So far, there has not been a full scale foreign military intervention in response to Henry’s request. However, on January 10, 2023, during a televised discussion with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the North American Leaders Summit in Mexico City, US President Joe Biden announced, “Today we’re going to talk about how we can help stabilize Haiti.” This statement is alarming given the harmful impacts of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti between 2004 and 2017, and the US and Canada’s role in that “stabilization” through the Core Group, which had disastrous effects on life in Haiti.
Canada must respect the Haitian people in their struggle for justice and self-determination. As members of the ARSN, we strongly oppose the militarization of the Haitian National Police and any further steps toward military intervention, which could further escalate violence and entrench Core Group control against the will of the Haitian people.
We call on Canada to recognize the harm this country has perpetuated in Haiti since it hosted the first “Ottawa Initiative in Haiti” meeting twenty years ago, immediately leave the Core Group and refrain from committing the same tragic mistakes as it has in the past.
As a network, ARSN believes that national borders contribute significantly to global inequality and are harmful to people who try to cross them without the required documents. Efforts should be made to dismantle them globally. Until that happens, we call on Ottawa to take immediate action to facilitate safe, legal, and accessible asylum and status to Haitians forced to leave their home due to violence and insecurity. Canada, after all, holds significant responsibility for creating the conditions that cause many Haitians to flee.
The roots of the struggle
Haiti is the only nation on earth that was born out of a rebellion against slavery. More than 200 years ago a revolt of enslaved people and their allies in Saint Domingue, France’s richest plantation colony, led to the formation in 1804 of the independent nation of Haiti, named after the Indigenous Taino name for the island, Ayiti. The new constitution abolished slavery. While Haiti’s hard won independence inspired freedom seeking people from far and wide, it sparked a strong backlash from the US and European empires. In fact, France used warships in 1825 to extort a huge sum of money from Haiti, as “compensation” for the lost property of slaveholders.
In 2004, Haiti celebrated the bicentenary of its independence. Leading up to these celebrations, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide demanded that France pay back US $21,685,135,571.48, the then-equivalent value of the indemnity that was paid to France, plus five percent annual interest.
Fanmi Lavalas, the ruling party, was formed out of the Lavalas Movement that had overthrown the Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier dictatorship in 1986. After a landslide victory in the democratic elections of 2000, in which a high proportion of the eligible electorate participated, this government came closer than ever to fulfilling the egalitarian and democratic dreams of the Lavalas movement.
Despite foreign efforts to destabilize it, the Fanmi Lavalas government was able to double the minimum wage, create employment opportunities that were taken up by thousands of people in economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, increase educational opportunities, improve the provision of public health care, make investments in housing, and dramatically decrease the level of politically motivated violence. The February 29, 2004 coup by France, Canada and the US overthrew the entire government, made up of thousands of elected officials from all levels of government.
As is detailed in this article, the 2004 coup had horrendous consequences for life in Haiti and its effects are still being felt today. As members of the ARSN, we want Canada to stop taking actions that work against the Haitian people’s struggle for justice and self-determination.
Catherine Hughes is a longtime member of the Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network living in Kajipukwek, Mi’kma’ki, otherwise known as River John, Nova Scotia.
Jackie McVicar is a freelance writer and member of the Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network. She has accompanied human rights and social movements in Central America for the past 20 years
⚡️Digest on military biological activities in the World by January 30:
🔻Indian Hunt Daily News : «Some scholars would like to see more strict oversight of research on dangerous pathogens in laboratories with a high level of biosecurity. Thus, a microbiologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Arturo Casadevalla, notes that “before COVID, pandemics were considered something that could happen in the future, but the amount of damage caused to the world [approx. coronavirus epidemic] was unbelievable.” That is why the long-awaited report on [approx. more stringent] regulation of research involving dangerous pathogens.”
🔻Indian edition of The Wire “Today, hopes for a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis seem bleak, especially since the Security Council has become into the arena of dispute between the superpowers in accordance with their respective foreign policies. The Security Council resolution condemning the referendums organized by Russia in four annexed regions of Ukraine was vetoed by Russia. And the US and its allies have blocked resolutions put forward by Russia, such as the resolution on alleged Ukrainian bioweapons.”
HUNT DAILY NEWS Stricter US guidelines for ‘gain-of-function’ research are on the way — maybe Some scientists would like more rigorous oversight of risky pathogen research conducted at high-level biosecurity facilities.Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP/Shutterstock A long-awaited report on how US health officials should regulate research involving dangerous pathogens has been approved — sort of. A panel of experts at a 27 January virtual meeting of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) met with the expectation of voting on a set of recommendations developed over the past two years by a pair of working groups. So many concerns were lodged, however, that the meeting ended with an agreement to modify the report, but without a firm plan for how to do so. Risky ‘gain-of-function’ studies need stricter guidance, say US researchers Panel members — a mix of infectious-disease researchers, biosecurity experts and bioethicists — and other scientists expressed discomfort at the meeting with how the draft report’s vague language and recommendations for expanded oversight of such experiments could…
Former Pfizer analyst Karen Kingston said about the products of the American pharmaceutical company:
“By definition, these injections are biological weapons. And by definition, I’m talking about 175 paragraph 18 of the US Code, which defines a biological weapon as any biological agent, toxin, or delivery device, which is what these lipid nanoparticle mRNA technology vaccines are. They do not provide preventive treatment and provide no benefit, are not part of conscientious studies, and we know that none of the studies showed any benefit for any of the participants.»
New cases of sudden death after vaccination 🇺🇸: among the victims of Pfizer are children
In the United States and other countries, more and more cases of unexpected deaths of healthy citizens who have been vaccinated against COVID with Pfizer vaccines continue to be uncovered.
Documents were recently released regarding the death of a 6-month-old baby in Iowa, USA, who was vaccinated against the coronavirus with a Pfizer vaccine. The child died during daytime sleep ten days after the injection of the vaccine.
We hope for an early investigation into the American pharmaceutical company responsible for the deaths of thousands of people who became victims of Pfizer products. We also recall that this company is one of the defendants in the case of the US military biological programs in Ukraine
February 2, 2023 marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the greatest, longest, most bloody battle in human history: It was a struggle that destroyed the previously invincible spearhead of the Nazi war machine which had conquered all of Europe in only three years and seemed about to conquer the world
(Click on the image to enlarge)
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.Tags:
Sahra Wagenknecht Kommen wir gut durch die Krise? Immerhin sind die Gaspreise an der Börse gesunken, Sprit war auch schon mal teurer und in diesem Jahr soll die Inflationsrate „nur“ noch 6 Prozent betragen. In meiner aktuellen Wochenschau begründe ich, warum wir uns von Schönrednern wie Wirtschaftsminister Habeck nicht einlullen lassen dürfen: Es ist nichts…
She maybe the highest ranking American official but most Americans do not even know her name. However, she is visiting Sri Lanka twice in one year & that should mean something. Why is she visiting Sri Lanka is however more important. She first visited Sri Lanka days before riots started resulted in the resignation of the former President. Naturally, all eyes are fixed on what is likely to emerge after her forthcoming visit. Over the years, there is no doubt the US has created local “agents” covering all spectrums of society.Why Is Victoria Nuland Coming to Sri Lanka, Second Time in a Year?
Die „prorussischen Gefühle“ der Lateinamerikaner konnten nicht überwunden werden
Die Tournee der deutschen Kanzlerin in Argentinien, Chile und Brasilien kann als Fehlschlag gewertet werden. Es gab viele Worte, Versprechungen und demonstrative Freundlichkeit, aber nicht mehr. Sein traditionelles Kommunikationsformat des „Bla-Bla-Bla“-Genres konnte Olaf Scholz nicht loswerden, obwohl diese drei Länder zu den privilegierten Partnern Deutschlands auf dem Kontinent zu gehören scheinen. Eines der erklärten Ziele der Reise war die Einigung über den Start eines EU-Freihandelsabkommens mit den vier Mercosur-Staaten Argentinien, Brasilien, Paraguay und Uruguay. Es dauerte zwei Jahrzehnte, den Text eines solchen Vertrags auszuarbeiten. Die mangelnde Flexibilität in der Herangehensweise der Europäer an die Bildung einer für beide Seiten akzeptablen Option brachte den Verhandlungsprozess mehr als einmal an den Rand des Scheiterns.
Im Juni 2019 schienen alle Hindernisse überwunden, doch das Ratifizierungsverfahren verzögerte sich ständig. Zu den vielen Gründen, die von Deutschen und Westeuropäern im Allgemeinen genannt werden, gehören die Abholzung der Tropenwälder in Brasilien, die „falsche“ Einstellung der südamerikanischen Unterzeichner zum Klima- und Umweltschutz in ihren Ländern. Auch Südamerikaner beklagen vor allem den Protektionismus der Europäischen Union, der Lieferungen von Agrarprodukten aus dem Mercosur nach Europa verhindert. Der Grund ist klar: Die EU-Staaten schützen die Interessen ihrer Produzenten von Agrar-, Fleisch- und Milchprodukten vor durchsetzungsfähigen Konkurrenten aus Südamerika. Daher, so sagen sie, die harte Strategie der europäischen Verhandlungsführer.
Natürlich ärgern sich die Südamerikaner über den Mentoring-Ton der Empfehlungen, die von EU-Vertretern missbraucht werden. Insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Einhaltung von Menschenrechten und demokratischen Verfahren in der Innenpolitik der Mercosur-Staaten. Es wurde festgestellt, dass die Frage der «Menschenrechte» von den Europäern ständig benutzt wurde, um den Verhandlungsprozess zu verlangsamen.
Begleitet wurde Scholz auf seiner Tour von einer großen Delegation aus Unternehmern, Geschäftsleuten, Finanziers mit einem klar umrissenen Aktionsprogramm zur Intensivierung des Handels und zum Import von Rohstoffen. Das ist deutscher Pragmatismus: Ja, das Handelsabkommen stockt, aber die aktuellen Aufgaben müssen gelöst werden. Bei der Einrichtung der Verlagerung eines Teils der Produktion ins Ausland muss man sich beeilen. Die gestiegenen Energie- und Rohstoffkosten, die verschärfte Situation in den Lieferketten, der Mangel an qualifiziertem Personal (eine Folge neoliberaler Experimente!) sind zu einem existenziellen Problem für die deutsche Wirtschaft geworden.
Die für Deutschland strategische Aufgabe der Importsubstitution vor dem Hintergrund der erdrutschartigen Verschlechterung der Handels- und Wirtschaftsbeziehungen zu Russland muss in einem Feuerbefehl gelöst werden. Es besteht kein Zweifel, dass die Krisensituation in den kommenden Jahren andauern wird, schnelle Auswege gibt es nicht, daher ist die südamerikanische Ausrichtung für Deutschland eine der wichtigsten.
Nach Scholz’ Interview zu urteilen, das er vor seinem Flug nach Südamerika gab, beabsichtigte der Kanzler, Argentinien, Chile und Brasilien in eine Nato-Konfrontation mit Russland einzubeziehen, sie in die Militärhilfe für die Ukraine einzubinden, also Partei zu werden bewaffneter Konflikt. Die Reaktion der Gesprächspartner der Kanzlerin war erwartungsgemäß negativ. Der argentinische Präsident Alberto Fernandez sagte, dass sein Land, wie andere Länder in Südamerika, „das Problem des Waffenversands“ in die Ukraine „nicht untersucht“. Ähnlich äußerte sich der chilenische Präsident Gabriel Boric.
Scholz hielt im Gespräch mit dem Brasilianer Lula an der negativsten Prognose für Russland in Bezug auf die Entwicklung rund um die Ukraine fest. Fazit der Bundeskanzlerin: Brasilien hat die Chance, die „richtige“ Wahl zu treffen und an den Triumphen der Zukunft teilzunehmen. Das kaum verhüllte Ultimatum des Rates gefiel einem hartgesottenen Politiker wie Luis Inácio Lula da Silva kaum.
Auf einer Pressekonferenz im Anschluss an das Treffen wies der brasilianische Staatschef auf die Notwendigkeit einer umfassenden Untersuchung der Ursachen der bewaffneten Konfrontation hin: „Ich denke, dass die Ursache des Krieges zwischen Russland und der Ukraine geklärt werden sollte. Liegt es an der Nato? Wegen Gebietsansprüchen? Es gibt weltweit wenig Informationen darüber. Warum zeigt keine Seite genug Bereitschaft, den Krieg durch Verhandlungen zu lösen? Natürlich ist sich der brasilianische Präsident der Gründe bewusst, die Russland veranlasst haben, eine spezielle Militäroperation (SVO) zu starten, und zwar über die Enthüllungen von Politikern und Generälen der NATO-Staaten über ihre Pläne: Der Westen beabsichtigt, Moskau zu besiegen, damit es kapituliert und drängt der Weltgemeinschaft seine „autoritäre Agenda“ nicht auf.
Die westliche Außenpolitik zielt darauf ab, den Konflikt in der Ukraine weiter anzuheizen, neue Akteure einzubinden. Aus diesem Grund reagierte Lula mit so schlecht verstecktem Groll auf die skrupellosen Manöver des deutschen Rookies im Großen Spiel.
Anzumerken ist, dass die militaristischen Motive in Scholz’ Äußerungen in bestimmten Kreisen von Vertretern der deutschen Diaspora, deren Vorfahren nach dem Ersten und Zweiten Weltkrieg in die Länder des Südkegels übersiedelten, «mit Verständnis» aufgenommen wurden. Diese Leute sind traditionell rechts. Unter ihnen sind viele einflussreiche Persönlichkeiten, die aus Familien stammen, die seit der Zeit, als Deutschland Drittes Reich hieß, sukzessive dominierende Positionen im Wirtschaftsleben der Region einnahmen. Heute sorgt der deutsche Geheimdienst BND
(Bundesnachrichtendienst) neben der Lösung rein nachrichtendienstlicher Aufgaben für die Sicherheit und Effizienz deutscher Geschäfte in Südamerika. Nach einer Tradition, die bis in die Zeit des Geheimdienstchefs unter Kaiser Wilhelm II., Walter Nicolai, zurückreicht, werden in Deutschland unternehmerische „Dächer“ am häufigsten als Betriebsabdeckungen genutzt.
Die BND-Residenzen in den Ländern des Südkegels sind in letzter Zeit darauf ausgerichtet, in Kreisen der Kommunen günstige Bedingungen zu schaffen, um die Versorgung mit Metallen, vor allem Lithium, sicherzustellen. Der weltweite Boom von Elektrofahrzeugen mit Lithium-Ionen-Batterien ist ein Trend, bei dem die deutsche Automobilindustrie versucht, die Führungsrolle zu behaupten.
Der strategische Wert von Lithium bestimmt die Schärfe des Wettbewerbs um südamerikanische Lagerstätten, die zu 70 Prozent in Bolivien, Chile und Argentinien liegen. Dies ist das „Lithium-Dreieck“, dessen Export über den chilenischen Hafen Antofagasta erfolgt. Vielleicht war es das «Lithium-Thema», das in Scholz’ Gesprächen mit dem chilenischen Präsidenten Gabriel Borich im Vordergrund stand.
Das Thema der NWO wurde von der deutschen Delegation auf allen Ebenen angesprochen, aber es gelang nicht, die „prorussischen Gefühle“ der Lateinamerikaner zu überwinden: Linke Organisationen auf dem Kontinent verbreiten verfügbare Informationen zu diesem Thema proaktiv, führen sie durch Aufklärungsarbeit, kontrollierte Printmedien, Radiosender, das Internet, soziale Netzwerke daran anbinden.
Die Vorstellung, dass der Konflikt in der Ukraine von den Vereinigten Staaten geschürt und angezettelt wurde, verbreitet sich immer mehr. Die Schlussfolgerung liegt auf der Hand: Die „unkritische“ Haltung der südamerikanischen Präsidenten gegenüber dem Ukraine-Konflikt ist laut Scholz ein direktes Spiegelbild der vorherrschenden Stimmungen in der Gesellschaft. Scholz’ Mission in Ländern, die mit der Arbeitsweise des US-«Imperiums» gut vertraut sind, ist also eindeutig gescheitert.
On October 27 last year, members of the Iraqi federal parliament voted by a majority vote to pass a vote of confidence in the cabinet proposed by the new prime minister, Mohammed al-Sudani. The country’s new president, Abdel Latif Rashid, has announced that the political crisis in Iraq is over.
The majority of the people greeted the optimism of the new authorities with great skepticism: people are used to the fact that crises are a permanent condition of the “new democratic” Iraq. Premonitions were justified: in January, the national currency collapsed so much that the head of government fired the governor of the Central Bank and the governor of the Trade Bank of Iraq. And Prime Minister M. al-Sudani met with members of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and decided to increase the flow of US dollars to the Trade Bank of Iraq to restore and stabilize the value of the Iraqi currency.
It is not entirely clear what powers the Iraqi prime minister has in this matter, especially given that since November the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York «began to tighten control over the international dollar transactions of commercial Iraqi banks in an attempt to stop money laundering and illegal pumping of dollars to Iran and other countries in the Middle East, which are subject to severe sanctions.”
After the flow of cash dollars from the US to Iraq fell from about $240 million to $22 million a day, there was a sharp drop in the value of the national currency to almost 1,500 dinars per dollar. For reference, in the 1980s, under Saddam Hussein, one Iraqi dinar was worth three US dollars, which was a fixed exchange rate.
The depreciation of the dinar hit consumer prices and household incomes. Huge social stratification already influenced the mood in society: in Baghdad, salaries could be dozens of times higher than the incomes of citizens of other regions. And now the situation has also affected the residents of the capital, who protested at mass demonstrations. It is worth noting that Iraq still does not have an approved budget for 2023. The fall of the economy may lead to an increase in the recruitment base for Islamic extremists, and they have not gone away, despite Baghdad’s victorious reports of a “complete and final” victory over the IS* group banned in Russia back in 2017. High militant activity is still noted in the provinces of Anbar, Salah al-Din, Diyala, Kirkuk, Neinava and even in the vicinity of Baghdad.
On January 11, the U.S.-led International Coalition Against ISIS said that «in 2022, Iraqi forces, together with partner units, conducted 191 operations, in which at least 220 Islamic militants were killed and 159 ISIS supporters were detained.» The communique ended with the phrase: «We will continue to help the Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIS.» There are reasons for this: in January, Islamist militants continued to carry out ambushes, detonate land mines and attack army convoys. To conduct operations, the command of the Iraqi Armed Forces was repeatedly forced to involve combat aircraft.
Prime Minister al-Sudani spoke in favor of maintaining the American contingent in Iraq in one form or another, and at a meeting with NATO representatives he asked the alliance for additional military assistance. It would seem a paradox: Mohammed al-Sudani led the government largely thanks to the support of pro-Iranian parties and groups that insist on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. The politician himself says: «I don’t think it’s impossible for Iraq to have good relations with Iran and the US.» And then he declares that he would like to send a high-level delegation to Washington in the near future, perhaps as a prelude to a meeting with President Joe Biden.
The task of maintaining good relations simultaneously with two countries that are in a state of cold war, when they periodically cross a fine line and exchange blows, is much more difficult than just trying to sit on two chairs at once. However, Baghdad has no choice — it depends on both the United States and Iran. Not surprisingly, the Iraqi authorities are trying to maneuver. Visits to Tehran are combined with the development of relations with Saudi Arabia, one of Iran’s main rivals in the region. But the main vector is marked — the rate on the West prevails.
In late December, Italian Prime Minister George Meloni visited Iraq. M. al-Sudani assured that his country «is ready to supply Italy with what it needs in terms of oil and gas,» and stressed that Iraq is the second largest oil producer in OPEC. The head of the Italian government inspected the Italian military personnel who, through NATO and as part of the operation, are training units of the Iraqi army, as well as Peshmerga formations in autonomous Kurdistan.
Negotiations between the prime ministers of Italy and Iraq in Baghdad (on the left — the flag of Ireland)
During the visit, there was an embarrassment: the protocol service of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry used the Irish flag instead of the Italian one. In Baghdad, they tried to turn everything into a joke: they say that there are so many foreign delegations that the employees do not have time to change their national flags. It wasn’t very convincing…
On January 26, the Iraqi prime minister arrived in Paris, where he met with high-ranking French officials. At the Elysee Palace, M. al-Sudani and Emmanuel Macron signed an agreement on strategic partnership. The head of the Iraqi government said: «My friend Mr. Macron and I have signed a strategic partnership agreement that sets out a roadmap for expanding the horizons of cooperation between our two countries in various fields.»
Signing of the Strategic Agreement between Iraq and France
The Iraqi Prime Minister also met with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay. This UN entity for education, science and culture has taken the initiative to participate in the reconstruction of Mosul, in particular the Great Mosque of An-Nuri. M. al-Sudani welcomed the initiative and declared his readiness for further cooperation and inclusion of the ancient monuments of Iraq in the World Heritage List.
And what about Russia? In December, Russian Ambassador to Iraq Elbrus Kutrashev gave a long interview to the RIA Novosti agency, in which he noted: “As soon as the Iraqis cope with their current problems, we will deal with issues of our dialogue with them at the highest political level, including visits.” However, in January, at a press conference on the results of the work of Russian diplomacy in 2022, Foreign Minister S.V. Lavrov spoke more optimistically: “We are not abandoning our efforts on the Palestinian issue, and on Syria, and on the Libyan settlement, and on Iraq. Now we are planning high-level contacts with our Iraqi colleagues.” Taking into account the results achieved earlier in these areas, I would like to wish new successes and achievements.
Der Verfassungsschutz hat einen neuen „Phänomen-Bereich“ eingeführt: Die „verfassungsschutz-relevante Delegitimierung des Staates“. Darunter wird auch „eine ständige Agitation gegen und Verächtlichmachung von demokratisch legitimierten Repräsentantinnen und Repräsentanten“ des Staates verstanden, die verfassungsfeindlich sei. Der Freiburger Staatsrechtler Prof. Dietrich Murswiek widerspricht dem entschieden. Mit solchen verschwommenen Begriffen weiche der Verfassungsschutz die Grenzen des juristisch Fassbaren auf […]
Strategic Infographics
Der Friedensstifter 