Displaying posts published in

November 2018

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The Middle East “Truce”: Why Hamas Cannot Be Trusted by Bassam Tawil

By on November 5th, 2018

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13240/hamas-truce-trust

These benefits for Hamas are exactly why the proposed truce is dangerous and sends the wrong message to Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists. A truce now says that if you engage in violent, extortionistic acts, you get what you want.

This victory for Hamas will, of course, only increase the terrorists’ appetite and motivation to continue their attempts to kill as many Jews as possible. They will see any truce as a retreat on the part of Israel in the face of violence and terrorism.

Hamas will now have more time to prepare for the next war against Israel. The proposed truce will give Hamas breathing space to smuggle more weapons into the Gaza Strip, dig new tunnels and recruit thousands of Palestinians to its ranks.

A real truce between Israel and the Gaza Strip will be achieved only after the jihadi terrorists are removed from power, and not rewarded for violence and threats.

It is no secret that most of the Arab countries do not trust Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group. President Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, for instance, as well as many Palestinians, do not have any confidence in Hamas, particularly after the summer of 2007, when the Islamist movement violently seized control of the Gaza Strip. Earlier this year, Abbas threatened that “shoes will be pouring” onto the heads of Hamas leaders.

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Asia Bibi: Pakistan’s Judicial Betrayal by Giulio Meotti

By on November 5th, 2018

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13250/asia-bibi-pakistan-betrayal

“I am requesting the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to help us exit from Pakistan.” — Ashiq Masih, Asia Bibi’s husband.

“Placing Asia Bibi on the ECL [no-fly list] is like signing her death warrant.” — Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association.

Blasphemy laws in Pakistan “have been used to target religious minorities, pursue personal vendettas, and carry out vigilante violence. On the basis of little or no evidence, the accused will struggle to establish their innocence while angry and violent mobs seek to intimidate the police, witnesses, prosecutors, lawyers and judges.” — Amnesty International.

The joy over the acquittal of Asia Bibi lasted barely 24 hours. The Christian mother of five from Pakistan was forced to spend eight years in prison, much of the time on death row, ostensibly for “blasphemy,” before the Supreme Court cleared her of any offense.

“I can’t believe what I am hearing, will I go out now? Will they let me out, really?”, Asia Bibi said by phone after the historic sentence, according to AFP news agency.

Unfortunately, massive street protests by extremist Muslims immediately erupted to pressure the government to delay her release. The phone network in some areas was suspended for reasons of “security”. Rioting caused schools in Islamabad, Punjab and Kashmir to close. Roads were blocked, paralyzing parts of Islamabad, Lahore and other cities. Christian schools warned parents to come and get their children for fear of violence. Churches were put on high alert. Protesters hold placards that read: “Hang Asia Bibi”.

“There will be a war if they send Asia out of country,” warned Khadim Hussain Rizvi, leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamist party that supports blasphemy laws.

Threats by vigilante mobs who called for her death and warned of national unrest evidently worked. Pakistan’s government, after saying it would begin the process of preventing Asia Bibi from leaving the country, has now been accused of signing her “death warrant”.

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro takes aim at communist Cuba By Monica Showalter

By on November 4th, 2018

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/11/brazils_bolsonaro_takes_aim_at_communist_cuba.html

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, the conservative former military man painted by the press as a madman, “Tropical Trump,” and all that, is showing signs of a strategic mindset.

In his first noticible foreign policy move, he’s threatened to just shut down ties with Cuba. According to Reuters:

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro said there was no point maintaining diplomatic relations with Cuba because it trampled on human rights and there was no business to be done with the communist-run island.

In an interview published on Friday by Correio Braziliense newspaper, Bolsonaro criticized the Mais Medicos (More Doctors) program under which 11,420 Cuban doctors work in poor or remote parts of Brazil.

He said that 75 percent of the doctors’ salaries was paid to Cuba’s government and their children were not allowed to join them in Brazil, citing the case of a doctor whose three young children had to stay in Cuba.

“That is just torture for a mother,” Bolsonaro said. “Can we maintain diplomatic relations with a country that treats its people that way?”

Seems family separations, something the Democrats have a big cow about, aren’t such a big deal when Castro does it.

The Miami Cubans over at Babalu blog, as you can imagine, are pleased. Alberto de la Cruz wrote:

If you wondered why leftists hate Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro so much, this is one of the reasons.

What a move like this would show is two things: One, ties with Cuba are a waste of time, given that Castro doesn’t allow private business to flourish, the communist regime doesn’t believe in paying bills and as a result, the country doesn’t have money. It’s a permanent freeloader state, in search of a patron.

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Churchill’s Grandeur Andrew Roberts has written a masterful biography of the British statesman. Barry Strauss

By on November 4th, 2018

https://www.city-journal.org/winston-churchill-biography

Churchill: Walking with Destiny, by Andrew Roberts (Penguin, 1,152 pp., $40)

Greatness is terrifying. The ancients understood this, but nowadays, we forget. Even after Alexander the Great’s death, the mere sight of a statue of him frightened one of his generals. When a tribune of the plebs tried to stop Caesar from breaking into Rome’s public treasury, Caesar threatened to kill him, adding, “You surely know, young man, that it is more unpleasant for me to say this than to do it.”

Plutarch, who reports this story, had no illusions about the interplay of sunshine and shadow in the lives of the noble Greeks and Romans. Now, like a modern Plutarch, Andrew Roberts gives us a biography in the round of Winston Churchill, one of the last century’s leading men. Roberts’s brilliant new book is not only learned and sagacious but also thrilling and fun. An award-winning historian and biographer, an expert on statecraft, leadership, and the Second World War, Roberts writes with authority and confidence. Enriched by such previously unseen material as King George VI’s wartime diaries, Walking with Destiny should stand as the definitive one-volume Churchill biography.

An infinitely more genial character than Alexander or Caesar, and much more respectful of constitutional limitations, Churchill nonetheless could be every bit as unreasonable. And, as Roberts points out, his pugnacity wasn’t always in the service of a good cause. He remained a convinced imperialist, for example, long after the inhabitants of Britain’s colonies sought independence. He opposed women’s suffrage. He underestimated Japanese military ability in 1942, largely because of his bigotry. His numerous military misjudgments spanned two world wars, and included sticking with the Gallipoli Campaign after its sell-by date in March 1915 and describing the rugged Italian Peninsula in 1943 as a soft underbelly. Yet Churchill got it right when it most mattered, on the three biggest threats to democracy: Prussian militarism, Nazism, and Soviet Communism.

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The Jewish left botched its response to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting by Jonathan Neumann

By on November 4th, 2018

https://nypost.com/2018/11/03/the-jewish-left-botched-its-response-to-the-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/

The aftermath of Pittsburgh has been a disgrace.

In ordinary times it would have been unseemly to comment on the atrocity at the Tree of Life Synagogue so soon after it unfolded. It was the most deadly anti-Semitic attack this country has ever seen. It should have given us pause and brought us together.

But these are not ordinary times. Donald Trump is president.

Before the bodies of the dead had gone cold, let alone been buried and mourned, the Jewish left sacrificed an opportunity to cry in unity and chose instead to call for division.

Bend the Arc, reputedly the largest Jewish social-justice organization in the nation, published a letter blaming the president for the attack. Other groups, such as The Jewish Vote and If Not Now, also saw the attack as a chance to castigate the president.

Apparently these liberal groups need reminding that the shooting at a Jewish community center in Kansas occurred during the Obama administration.

Instead of trying to score political points, would not a more appropriate response have been to urge calm upon the hyper-partisanship that has seen both sides court incivility?

Yet more egregious, however, was the excoriation by Jewish liberals of their fellow Jews who support President Trump. Another three Jewish social justice groups — Torah Trumps Hate, Hitoreri and Uri L’Tzedek — penned an open letter to the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), blasting the Orthodox synagogue umbrella group for its statement condemning the attack.

NCYI’s sin?

Concluding its heartfelt statement by expressing appreciation for “the strong words of support from President Trump and the administration in urging everyone to work together to combat anti-Semitism.”

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Our House Divided: Multiculturalism vs. America Thomas D. Klingenstein

By on November 4th, 2018

https://americanmind.org/essays/our-house-divided-multiculturalism-vs-america/
Following Trump’s lead—and Lincoln’s.

Many conservatives did not see that Trump had framed the 2016 election as a choice between two mutually exclusive regimes: multiculturalism and America. What I call “multiculturalism” includes “identity politics” and “political correctness.” If multiculturalism continues to worm its way into the public mind, it will ultimately destroy America. Consequently, the election should have been seen as a contest between a woman who, perhaps without quite intending it, was leading a movement to destroy America and a man who wanted to save America. The same contest is being played out in the upcoming midterm elections.

I realize the term “multiculturalism” is somewhat dated, but I mean to freshen it up by using it in its most comprehensive sense: a political philosophy. Multiculturalism conceives of society as a collection of cultural identity groups, each with its own worldview, all oppressed by white males, collectively existing within permeable national boundaries. Multiculturalism replaces American citizens with so-called “global citizens.” It carves “tribes” out of a society whose most extraordinary success has been their assimilation into one people. It makes education a political exercise in the liberation of an increasing number of “others,” and makes American history a collection of stories of white oppression, thereby dismantling a unifying, self-affirming narrative without which no nation can long survive.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump exposed multiculturalism as the revolutionary movement it is. He showed us that multiculturalism, like slavery in the 1850’s, is an existential threat. Trump exposed this threat by standing up to it and its enforcement arm, political correctness. Indeed, he made it his business to kick political correctness in the groin on a regular basis. In countless variations of crassness, he said over and over exactly what political correctness prohibits one from saying: “America does not want cultural diversity; we have our culture, it’s exceptional, and we want to keep it that way.” He also said, implicitly but distinctly: the plight of various “oppressed groups” is not the fault of white males. This too violates a sacred tenet of multiculturalism. Trump said these things at a time when they were the most needful things to say, and he said them as only he could, with enough New York “attitude” to jolt the entire country. Then, to add spicy mustard to the pretzel, he identified the media as not just anti-truth, but anti-American.

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Israel to host forum of leading digital nations for first time Yehuda Shlezinger

By on November 4th, 2018

http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/11/04/israel-to-host-forum-of-leading-digital-nations-for-first-time/

Conference will be held in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on November 19-21 • Participating countries to present their visions for a digital future • Conference host Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel: “Our uniqueness is that we leave nobody behind.”

The annual international Digital 9 forum, comprising the world’s nine leading digital countries, will convene in Israel for the first time later this month.

During the conference, which will be held in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv simultaneously on November 19-21, the new advances positioning Israel at the forefront of global digital innovation will be on display.

The conference will also include panels on the issues of smart cities; digital education; health and economy; ethical problems in the digital age; and digital transformation.

Additionally, Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel will launch “Campus,” a national platform for online education, and will also unveil the national digitization work plan for 2019 known as “Digital Israel.”

Each of the participating countries will present their visions for a digital future and the national projects they are seeking to advance.

“I’m happy to have the privilege of representing the State of Israel and the government of Israel as president of the D9 forum and host the annual conference, which is shaping the face of tomorrow,” Gamliel said.

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Israel Is Making Arab Friends ‘Hatikva’ plays in Abu Dhabi, Netanyahu visits Oman, and the ‘cold peace’ with Egypt gets warmer. By Joshua S. Block

By on November 4th, 2018

https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-is-making-arab-friends-1541361880

The Middle East is changing. On Oct. 28 Israel’s culture and sports minister, Miri Regev, toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. She was in the United Arab Emirates for the International Judo Federation’s Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, where Israeli athletes were allowed to compete under their flag for the first time. The Israeli team took the gold, and its national anthem, “Hatikva,” was played in a country that does not formally recognize Israel.

Although Israel and the Arab Gulf states have long had clandestine diplomatic ties, recent public gestures of normalization have taken the relationship to a new level. Hours before Ms. Regev arrived in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a historic visit to Oman, where he met with Sultan Sayyid Qaboos bin Said al Said.

The same weekend, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman’s foreign minister, told a security forum in Bahrain: “Israel is a state present in the region, and we all understand this. The world is also aware of this, and maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same [as other states] and to also bear the same obligations.” He added: “Our priority is to put an end to the conflict and move to a new world.” The foreign ministers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa and Adel al-Jubeir respectively, also called for rapprochement with Israel.

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How President Trump Saved The Last Tank Plant In America: Loren Thompson

By on November 4th, 2018

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/#2c5303742a3b

If you want to believe America is still the “arsenal of democracy” that Franklin Roosevelt described in 1940, you might want to avoid looking too closely at the U.S. manufacturing sector. China has become the world’s premier industrial power, greatly out-producing the United States in everything from steel to smartphones. Germany’s machine-tool industry outshines our own. No U.S. shipyard has built a commercial ship destined for international commerce in decades.

The economic consequences of America’s manufacturing decline have been widely reported. What gets less attention is how industrial decay might impact national defense. Nobody really knows how a future great-power conflict might unfold, but Washington could be forced to use nuclear weapons to avert defeat if it can’t mobilize quickly for conventional combat. President Trump is the first chief executive since the Cold War ended who seems to grasp what a waning industrial base might one day mean for our security.

On Thursday of this week, I toured the last remaining tank plant in America, located in Lima, Ohio. General Dynamics, a donor to my think tank and consulting client, flew me there to see where it assembles the latest version of the Army’s M1A2 main battle tank. The cavernous facility contains 1.6 million square feet of manufacturing space. The Trump administration is investing a boatload of money in modernizing the facility, but it’s clear the place was neglected for a long time after Washington declared victory over communism.

How neglected? The Army actually wanted to close it — it is a government-owned facility — even though it was the only surviving tank plant in the Western Hemisphere. At the time, the Obama administration was forecasting relaxed tensions around the world, and steadily withdrawing U.S. military units from Europe. Obama’s predecessor had done the same. Up until the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine, nobody thought Moscow was going to be a problem. So the Army figured it could save money by mothballing the plant and reopening it at some future date.

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The Stages of (Liberal) Grief: Anger By Nicholas L. Waddy

By on November 4th, 2018

https://amgreatness.com/2018/11/04/the-stages

Having explored the historical genesis of liberal derangement, especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s election in 2016, and having disclosed the role to be played by Denial after the probable failure of Democrats’ “blue wave” in 2018, we now proceed to the next stage of our analysis. We turn our attention to the forms of liberal Anger that are likely after November 6th.

Part three of a four-part series.

Anger is, as previously discussed, the dominant emotion discernible in the Left’s reaction to Trumpism. In fact, rage is rampant among liberals. What has kept this anger in check, however, is a sense of assurance that the Trump phenomenon is something akin to a death spasm among conservatives. Leftists have long assumed that “progress” of the sort they desire is inevitable, and indeed they can point to many victories won in the last few decades. Moreover, soaked as they are in identity politics, the Left puts great stock in America’s changing demographics. They presume—understandably, given their inveterate anti-white racism—that the “browning” of America can only foretell doom for Republicans.

They ignore the obvious counterargument: this country has been “browning” for a long time, and the Republican Party is today stronger than it has ever been since the 1920s. In any case, it cannot be overstated how integral it is to the peace of mind of liberals to assume that the Republican Party will soon die an ignoble death, and therefore, they believe, any upsurge in nationalism or conservatism is a temporary aberration. The march of history towards the broad, sunlit uplands of progressivism will soon resume.

The failure of the “blue wave” would be a punch in the gut to this attitude of complacency and self-satisfaction on the Left. The American people will have chosen Trumpism and Republicans not once, but twice. As leftists see it, this will mean an affirmation of “hate” and a rejection of their own worldview of “inevitable” progress. The liberal throng (sometimes understandably mistaken for a mob) will have expended vast energies, and donated vast sums, to achieve a victory that remains elusive if not utterly improbable. The bile will rise in leftist throats as it begins to dawn on them that the last gasp of conservatism, which they perceived President Trump to hail, may instead be an enduring realignment of American politics that is favorable to Republicans. They will despair at the fact that millions of women and minorities, who by rights belong on the Democratic plantation, deserted the cause. They will, in short, experience anger on a scale that will make 2016-18 seem like child’s play.

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