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Zelensky issues demand to Trump


RT
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 15:56 UTC
Zelensky
© Pier Marco Tacca/Getty ImagesUkraine's Vladimir Zelensky
He wants the former US president to explain his plan to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

Former US President Donald Trump should set out his plan to resolve the Ukraine conflict, which he claims would take just 24 hours if he's returned to the White House in November, Vladimir Zelensky has said.

Following the launch of Russia's military campaign against Kiev in 2022, Trump has repeatedly said the conflict would not have escalated if he were still president, and has vowed to resolve the crisis in a single day if he is elected once again.

During last week's debate with President Joe Biden, Trump reiterated this promise, stating that he could quickly resolve the conflict - even before he officially assumes office. However, he has yet to specify how he would end the fighting.

In an interview with Bloomberg published on Wednesday, Zelensky demanded that Trump reveal the details of his plan so that Kiev can know what to prepare for in November:
"I would like to know what it would mean to finish a war fast. If Trump knows how to end this war, he should tell us today, because if there are risks to Ukraine's independence, and there are risks that we will lose our statehood, we want to be prepared for this."

Comment: Is Zelensky in any position to make demands? From Trump, of all people? It remains Z's responsibility to end the war.

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Dollars

Ukraine to be warned it's 'too corrupt' for NATO - Telegraph


RT
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:31 UTC
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speak to the media on July 12, 2023 in Vilnius, Lithuania
© Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesUkrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speak to the media on July 12, 2023 in Vilnius, Lithuania
Many of the bloc's members want "additional steps" from Kiev as they consider the issue a "priority," a source has told the paper

NATO wants Ukraine to make more effort to crack down on endemic corruption as a condition for any progress towards joining the bloc, the Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

According to the British paper, concerns that Ukraine is "too corrupt" to become a full-fledged NATO member will be highlighted in the communique at the bloc's Washington summit on July 9-11.

Comment:
1) It is inscribed in the Ukrainian Constitution, that NATO and EU membership is a priority for the government and its president. In spite of intentions and promises, the outlook is not bright in the short term. The constitution of Ukraine would have to be changed to make room for peace without NATO and EU membership. See this blog post discussion Would Ukraine Breach its own Constitution if it Dropped its NATO Bid?

2) From the article:
According to Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, Ukraine is in the 'red' zone, ranking 104th out of 180 countries.
This rating system is not worth much, but here are more details about it.
The Wiki for Corruptions Perceptions Index has that between 2021 and 2022 Ukraine improved six places in the ranking, and 12 places between 2022 and 2023. The NGO, Transparency International, aims to rate countries "by their perceived levels of public sector[1] corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." Place 104 must be close to sufficient for NATO, if Albania, NATO member since 2009, at place number 98 is anything to go by.

The Transparency International website has a page, that shows many sponsors to be from Western countries, with many also being sponsors of the NATO proxy war in Ukraine.

The Wiki include the controversies behind the CPU ratings:
According to the newspaper Le Monde: "In its main surveys, Transparency International does not measure the weight of corruption in economic terms for each country. It develops a Corruption Perception Index (CPI) based on surveys conducted by private structures or other NGOs: the Economist Intelligence Unit, backed by the British liberal weekly newspaper The Economist, the American neoconservative organization Freedom House, the World Economic Forum, or large corporations. (...) The IPC ignores corruption cases that concern the business world. So, the collapse of Lehman Brothers (2008) or the manipulation of the money market reference rate (Libor) by major British banks revealed in 2011 did not affect the ratings of the United States or United Kingdom."
The index may serve as a help for companies who wish to invest in a country as to what they might have to allocate to get what they want. On the state level it can be used as reference point for policies against some countries, and more generally as a front for information gathering and soft power influencing.

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Clipboard

Only Michelle Obama can beat Donald Trump - poll


RT
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:02 UTC
Michelle Obama
© Getty Images / NAACPMichelle Obama
Many Democrats believe US President Joe Biden should drop out of the race after his poor debate performance.

Michelle Obama, the wife of former US President Barack Obama, is the only potential Democratic candidate who could beat Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in November's election, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.

There is growing concern among Democratic voters over President Joe Biden's ability to secure a second term in office this year, particularly after his debate with Trump, in which the 81-year-old incumbent appeared frail and confused, and struggled to finish his sentences.

On July 1 and July 2, Ipsos market research company surveyed a representative sample of 1,070 US adults for Reuters, including 892 registered voters, 348 Democrats, 322 Republicans, and 303 independents.

According to the poll, if a vote were to be held now, Biden and Trump would both win an estimated 40% of the votes. However, around three in five voters, including nearly one-third of Democrats, believe Biden should drop out of the race altogether and that his party should put forward a new candidate, even at this late stage.

Comment: See also:

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Bullseye

UN experts call for Pakistan's Imran Khan to be released from 'arbitrary detention', expose fraud at recent election


Middle East Eye
Mon, 01 Jul 2024 21:43 UTC
imran khan
© Rizwan Tabassum/AFPSupporters of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan celebrate after he was acquitted of leaking state secrets, following a court verdict in Karachi, on 3 June 2024. Khan was acquitted from a state secrets conviction, but remains in jail on charges of having an unlawful marriage.
A group of United Nations experts said in a statement on Monday that former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's detention is both arbitrary and in contravention of international law, with the group calling for his release.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said in its statement that the "appropriate remedy would be to release Mr Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law".

"Mr Khan's detention was arbitrary [sic] because it resulted from his exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to political participation and the right to freedom of association," the group said.

Comment: It's about time. What took them so long? Jeffrey D. Sachs: The US toppling of Imran Khan

See also:

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Star of David

Israel set to re-invade Khan Younis, IDF issues new evacuation orders

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 19:07 UTC
Khan Younis Gaza IDF
© ReutersThe IDF has already wrecked Khan Younis, yet intends to return for another "offensive".
The Israeli army issued a new order for Palestinians to evacuate from the eastern portion of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Tuesday, suggesting a new offensive against the enclave is being prepared, after fresh rocket attacks from militants.

The military is reportedly focused on destroying a major rocket factory in the city which is overseen by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The IDF is urgently warning residents in specified districts they must move into the Western part of the city, as well as to al-Mawasi camp on the coast, designated a "humanitarian zone". Regional reports say at least 250,000 are directly impacted by the initial evacuation order.

The IDF had pulled out of Khan Younis in April, declaring military operations there complete, thus this would mark a re-invasion of the city akin to the limited operations still happening in the north upon the return of armed fighters to these areas. Monday saw some 20 rockets fired at IDF positions from Khan Younis, a first in many months.
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Newspaper

Iran's election runoff: Two candidates, two worldviews, and record voter apathy

Fereshteh Sadeghi
The Cradle
Mon, 01 Jul 2024 21:44 UTC
Masoud Pezeshkian Saeed Jalili
© The CradleThe hastily arranged Iranian presidential election to succeed Ebrahim Raisi saw a record low turnout, forcing a 5 July runoff between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and conservative Saeed Jalili and highlighting deep voter dissatisfaction.
Forty days after the passing of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, the Islamic Republic held snap elections on Friday, 28 June, to vote for a new head of the administrative branch. With no single candidate receiving a mandatory 51 percent of votes cast, however, the two leading candidates will now advance to a runoff poll on 5 July.

Conservative candidate Saeed Jalili and reformist-leaning Masoud Pezeshkian lead political factions that are not merely rivals but fierce adversaries, epitomizing the deep political divide within the country.

Voter apathy reaches historic high

According to Iran's Interior Ministry, 61,452,321 Iranians inside and outside the country were eligible to vote. However, only 24,535,185 cast their ballots, resulting in a turnout of approximately 40 percent. This figure is slightly lower than the 40.6 percent turnout in the March 2024 parliamentary vote and marks the lowest participation rate in the Islamic Republic's history.
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Cardboard Box

Ukraine 'weeks away' from sovereign debt default - Newsweek

Brendan Cole
Newsweek
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 20:51 UTC
Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko
© Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesUkrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko at the 2024 Ukraine Recovery Conference on June 11, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Marchenko has said a deal with Ukraine's creditors over debt should be reached by an August 1
Ukraine has fewer than four weeks to strike a deal with its creditors or risk a default that could seriously harm the economic recovery of the war-ravaged country.

Two years ago, Ukraine's private foreign bondholders had agreed to suspend debt wartime repayments — a let-off worth around 15 percent of the country's annual GDP. However, that agreement expires on August 1.

Defaulting on the estimated $20 billion of outstanding private bonds could jeopardize future funding and divert focus from fighting against Russia.


Comment: Lest we forget Ukraine has received well over $200 billion to sustain the proxy war against Russia already.


One expert told Newsweek that a default by Ukraine in the coming weeks would be "unlikely" but in the longer term could be "inevitable."

Comment: For the moment West can print more funny money and concoct accounting tricks to give the impression Ukraine's zombie economy is alive, however as Russia completes the goals of its SMO, and with investment opportunities opening up with groups like the BRICS alliance, few real investors would dare risk being involved with Ukraine, or its funders.

That said, with all the developments on the world stage, from Europe's populist parties gaining traction, Israel's threatening a Middle East conflagration, as well as Russia's SMO making significant strides, perhaps the West only needs to postpone the inevitable fora short period before more significant issues take precedence: Orban urges Russia-Ukraine ceasefire during surprise visit to Kiev, as Hungary assumes EU-presidency

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Arrow Down

Biden may drop out of presidential race - NYT


RT
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 16:23 UTC
bidem
© Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden
The White House has told the outlet that the claim is "absolutely false".

US President Joe Biden is seriously considering whether he can recover from his "disastrous" debate performance, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing a "key ally" who wished to remain anonymous.

Biden struggled through last week's exchange with challenger Donald Trump, hosted by CNN. The Times described his performance as "devastating," even though Biden's campaign had arranged the circumstances to be maximally favorable.

"He knows if he has two more events like that, we're in a different place" by the end of the Independence Day weekend, the unnamed ally told the newspaper.

While the unnamed source insisted that Biden is "still deeply in the fight for re-election," the 81-year-old is reportedly aware that the next several days must go well if he wishes to "salvage" his candidacy.

Biden is scheduled to record an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos - a Clinton White House veteran - on Friday and take part in campaign events in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. A meeting with Democratic governors is also on the schedule for Wednesday evening.

Comment: "They" will tell him what to do. It's already decided. Count on it.

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Explosion

Age of rage: Critics unleash threats and abuse on the Court following the presidential immunity decision

Jonathan Turley
jonathanturley.org
Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00 UTC
USSCourt
© unknownUS Supreme Court Justices
Below is my column in the New York Post on the Supreme Court's historic presidential immunity decision. I am not someone who has favored expansive presidential powers. As a Madisonian scholar, I favor Congress in most disputes with presidents. Yet, the reaction to the Court's decision has been baffling from academics who did not raise a whimper of opposition when President Barack Obama killed an American citizen without a trial or a charge. When former Attorney General Eric Holder announced the "kill list" policy (that included the right to kill any American citizen), he was met with applause, not condemnation. Moreover, even the government conceded before the Supreme Court that official acts did deserve protection from prosecution. The issue was only where to draw that line. The Court found that there was absolute immunity for actions that fall within their "exclusive sphere of constitutional authority" while they enjoy presumptive immunity for other official acts. They do not enjoy immunity for unofficial, or private, actions.

I felt that there were good-faith arguments on both sides of this issue. The reaction, however, of politicians and pundits is to again denounce and even threaten the justices. Rage has again replaced reason as commentators misrepresent the opinion and race to the bottom in reckless rhetoric. It is not clear what these paper-bag pundits are more upset about:
The fact that the Court ruled in favor of immunity or that the Court again failed to yield to years of harassment and threats from the left. What they fail to understand is that this is precisely the moment that the Court was designed for.
Here is the column:
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Target

Bolivia: The coup did not fail, it is still being prepared

Eduardo Vasco
Strategic Culture Foundation
Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00 UTC
Zuniga
© ReutersBolivian General Juan Jose Zuniga is presented following his arrest for a coup attempt in La Paz, Bolivia.
What happened on June 26th in Bolivia was not yet a coup d'état. It was a failed putsch given by the commander of the Armed Forces, Juan José Zuñiga, in an improvised manner, believing that it would be supported by the other coup officers.

But Zuñiga got ahead of himself.

He had declared, two days earlier, in an interview, that he would not accept a new candidacy from Evo Morales for president of the Republic. As the statement caused enormous controversy, President Luis Arce announced that Zuñiga would be dismissed. So, the military anticipated, organized a group from the Challapata Special Regiment "Mendez Arcos" and tried to invade the Government Palace.

But no one else accompanied him. No barracks were raised, anywhere in the country. However, contrary to what one might think, the police did not play a leading role in containing the putsch. Although she also did not join Zuñiga's adventure, she is even more reactionary than the army and was at the forefront of the 2019 coup.

Evo and Arce himself called on the people to mobilize against the coup attempt. Hundreds of people expelled Zuñiga's military from Murillo Square, demonstrating combativeness as they had done in thousands in 2019. But it was less popular mobilization and more the lack of initiative from the military that led to the failure of the Zuñiga putsch.
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