Monday 5 May 2014
Photo, above: Latvian Lawmakers Reject Soviet Occupation Bill RIGA, 2012 – A parliamentary commission in the Baltic nation of Latvia has supported proposed legislation criminalizing the denial of Soviet and Nazi occupation. The bill presented by former Justice Minister Janis Bordans is likely to draw the ire of Russia, which has long condemned efforts by former Soviet Baltic republics to liken the Nazi and Soviet regimes, both of which occupied the region. Offenders would under the proposal supported by parliament’s law commission Tuesday face a maximum penalty of three years in prison if found guilty of publicly denying, justifying and glorifying . . .
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Hour One
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 1, Block A: Aaron Task, Yahoo Finance, in re: Jobs Report: U.S. Economy Added 288K Jobs inApril ... Economists were expecting around 218,000 jobs added and a 6.6% unemployment rate. Spring stunner: Jobs report blows past forecasts
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 1, Block B: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: AQAP notes death of local leader in drone strike Ali bin Lakraa' al Kazimi, the leader of Ansar al Sharia in Al Mahfad district, was killed in a US drone strike on April 20.
Saudis, Chechens, Afghans killed during recent fighting in southern Yemen Foreigners are said to make up the majority of the 37 al Qaeda fighters killed during Yemeni military operations in the southern province of Shabwa.
Zawahiri makes another attempt at reconciliation in Syria Ayman al Zawahiri offers an olive branch to the head of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS), which has been disowned by al Qaeda. But he also details the history of ISIS and its predecessor in Iraq, saying the leadership of this group was a part of al Qaeda.
Al Nusrah Front says it will comply with Zawahiri's orders The Al Nusrah Front has issued a statement saying it will comply with Ayman al Zawahiri's orders with respect to the ongoing dispute with the Islamic State of . . .
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 1, Block C: David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent, in re: the politics of the Benghazi Special Committee.
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 1, Block D: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: China factory sector still losing momentum, HSBC PMI shows Activity in China’s manufacturing sector contracted for a fourth consecutive month in April, a private survey showed on Monday, suggesting the world’s second-largest economy is still losing momentum. The final reading of the HSBC/Markit purchasing managers index (PMI) came in at 48.1, lower than a preliminary reading of 48.3 but up slightly from an eight-month low of 48 in March.
Hour Two
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 2, Blocks A & B: Thomas H. Henriksen, Hoover; Abraham D. Sofaer, Hoover; Kori Schake, Hoover; in re: US policy in world affairs. US isn’t deterring malfeasants. Administration not explaining its policy. Afghan election going surprisingly well under Afghan security. We've had thirty-two years of weakness vis-à-vis Iran, incl under Reagan, resulting in power amplification of Iran throughout the Middle East, certainly in Syria and even in Gaza, of Hamas. Note that Bahrain and Yemen are undermined by Iran. US could have prevented this. Inn 2011 when the Syrian uprising began, the US certainly could have intervened discretely. Syrians wanted democracy, a pluralistic govt, and what all their Arab brethren demanded. Another extremely important opportunity lost. Most important issue in US foreign policy: president's job is to explain to citizenry why Americans should make sacrifices. Pres Obama wasted the first 18 months in [desuetude}, then put a time limit on the surge and so caused all the region to hedge bets. Imagine the beneficial results if Pres Obama said, "Trade of all sorts is good for the US." Ancient Greeks said that nine years of war is too much; and the US? "I have no hope that we could advance American interests by trying to redo these countries." Might work in a country where the populace holds to basic tenets of democratic functioning. Pres Obama speaks consistently of toning down US power – yet endlessly asserts that US interests will prevail, from Middle East to Ukraine.
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In collective security: the Europeans do the collecting, the US does the security.
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Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 2, Block C & D: Thomas H. Henriksen, Hoover; Abraham D. Sofaer, Hoover; Kori Schake, Hoover; in re: Europeans have grown used to American support when they get in trouble. Some have noted that things have changed; most have not. NATO agree that all members wd pay 2% of GDP on membership. In collective security: the Europeans do the collecting, the US does the security. Poles and Baltic states note the shift; the Germans do not. Russians might Finlandize along its southern rim, but not the Baltics, which fought for Article V guarantees. Breedlove spoke bluntly of his capabilities vs Russia in a pinch. Newly-admitted, former Warsaw Pact members, NATO members, are highly sensitive to Russian intimidation. Germans evince sanctimony about protecting EU economy - meaning; the German economy – but are feeling too secure because Poland lies between Germany and Russia. Would be a lot more nervous were it not. Putin isn't intending to roll over motile countries and bite off a real fight; rather, a lot of his deeds are aimed at pleasing his domestic constituency. Crimean and Georgia were cakewalks, getting a lot of Russian credit. Reuters: China is selling weapons to Iran. Is the US overcommitted? Can't fight everyone, but recall "connecting dots" metaphor: China has done, sees US weakness – crossed Syrian redline, no challenge to Russia, Iran (third-rate military but clever – and North Korea are unchallenged. Rogue states looking to Russia or China for backing. Yes, it’s expensive but it'll only get worse if we don't take firm steps, will court a strong reaction from malicious powers.
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Thomas H. Henriksen is a senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His current research focuses on American foreign policy, international political affairs, and insurgencies. He specializes in the study of US diplomatic and military courses of action toward terrorist havens in the non-Western world and toward the so-called rogue states, including North Korea and Iran. Henriksen's most recent volume, America and the Rogue States, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2012. Its predecessor, American Power after the Berlin Wall, narrated US military and diplomatic interventions around the globe after the Cold War. His most recent monograph is WHAM: Winning Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan and Elsewhere.
Abraham D. Sofaer, George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and National Security Affairs, Hoover Institution; Legal Advisor, U.S. Department of State, 1985 to 1990; Author, Taking on Iran. Dr. Sofaer was a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then a legal adviser to the United States State Department. After retirement he became a George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and National Security Affairs at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. During the 2008 presidential election, she was senior policy adviser to the McCain-Palin campaign, responsible for policy development and outreach in the areas of foreign and defense policy. From 2007 to 2008 she was the deputy director for policy planning in the state department. In addition to staff management, she worked on resourcing and organizational effectiveness issues, including a study of what it would take to “transform” the state department so as to enable integrated political, economic, and military strategies.
During President Bush's first term, she was the director for Defense Strategy and Requirements on the National Security Council, responsible for interagency coordination for long-term defense planning and coalition maintenance issues. She has held the Distinguished Chair of International Security Studies at West Point, also served in the faculties of the Johns Hopkins SAIS, NDU, and University of Maryland’s School of Public Affairs. From 1990 to 1996, she worked in Pentagon staff jobs, first in the Joint Staff’s Strategy and Policy Directorate (J-5) and then in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
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Hour Three
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 3, Block A: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Happy 65th birthday, Israel. Martin Indyk blames Israel. Hamas marries Palestinian Authority. China sells to Iran. Turkey builds a wall to block out Syrian refugees and politicao-military ops. (1 0f 2)
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 3, Block B: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: : Happy 65th birthday, Israel. Martin Indyk blames Israel. Hamas marries Palestinian Authority. China sells to Iran. Turkey builds a wall to block out Syrian refugees and politicao-military ops. (2 0f 2)
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 3, Block C: A Merciless Place: The Fate of Britain's Convicts after the American Revolution by Emma Christopher (1 of 2)
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 3, Block D: A Merciless Place: The Fate of Britain's Convicts after the American Revolution by Emma Christopher (2 of 2)
Hour Four
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 4, Block A: Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor: The Forging of American Independence, 1774-1776 by Richard R Beeman (1 of 4)
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 4, Block B: Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor: The Forging of American Independence, 1774-1776 by Richard R Beeman (2 of 4)
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 4, Block C: Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor: The Forging of American Independence, 1774-1776 by Richard R Beeman (3 of 4)
Monday 5 May 2014 / Hour 4, Block D: Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor: The Forging of American Independence, 1774-1776 by Richard R Beeman (4 of 4)
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Music
Hour 1: Breaking Bad. Green Zone. Cowboys & Aliens. Uncharted.
Hour 2: Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Hour 3: Eastern Promises. Revolution.
Hour 4: Liberty.