Showing posts with label Israeli Hamas War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israeli Hamas War. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Wars and Rumors of War, 2026. Part 8. Donald Trump, China's (and Russia's) greatest ally edition.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom

Matthew, Chapter 24.

Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

July 26, 2026

China v. Taiwan

The Houthis hit oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia yesterday.

News reports hold that the administration has put on hold an escalation of the war due to a shortage of air defense munitions.  Savvy analysts, including yours truly, have been warning about that occurring for months, and not it's here.

So, in keeping with that, a prediction.

This is also likely a moment that Putin and Xi have been waiting for as well.  Our weapons stockpile has been built up over years, and now we've wasted it on a war fought for Israel and Trump's vanity.  Both Putin and Xi know that the next President, assuming at Trump 2028 coup to be unsuccessful, and assuming that we don't have another President before 2028, is much less likely to be a complete patsy and geopolitical dimwit.  

For Russia, that means Russia needs to fight on in hopes it can win before the next administration comes on.  For Xi, that means the time to invade Taiwan is. . . now.

July 29, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

The U.S. Senate advanced Russian energy sanctions legislation Tuesday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the Capitol. The vote was seen as a tribute to the bill’s author, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, on the day of his funeral, which was widely attended by politicos. 

Trump fell asleep during it as J. D. Vance seemed oblivious to the dozing octogenarian and Bessent looked nervous about it, but then he always looks nervous.

July 31, 2026

Israeli Hamas War

The Bored of Peas has supposedly worked out a peace plan in Gaza.  Sober analysts a 4th Grade level have severe doubts about it.

August 1, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Now Trump is backtracking and saying the US won't license Patriot missile production to Ukraine.

August 2, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Ukraine has run out of ballistic missile interceptors.  This comes at the same time that the US supply is seriously depleted due to Donald Trump's illegal moronic war against Iran.

King Donny should free up what remains of the US supply and give them to Ukraine, and start emergency production for the US.  As for Iran, we can solve that problem simply by pulling out.  Better yet, pulling out, putting every senior commander who agreed to fight in a clearly illegal war on trial, and impeaching Donald Trump.

Crisis in Ceuta

Not a war but requiring Spanish military deployment, a mass flood of immigrants crashed into the Spanish North African city of Ceuta.

About 50,000 North African immigrants stormed the city, leading to dramatic news footage and MAGA "see, it could happen here" claims.  Missed in the story is that 48,000 of them returned to Morocco within 48 hours.

A bigger question may be why Spain retains a city that you would figure should be part of Morocco, but it does.

Italy defensively suspended the EU's border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain.

August 10, 2026

Israel v. Hamas.

Israel had rejected the "Board of Peace" peace plan, refusing to enter into a peace deal with Hamas until it is definitely disarmed.

Another blow to King Donny.

August 17, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Both sides exchanged heavy missile and drone attacks yesterday.  A NATO jet on patrol shot down a drone that had strayed into Romania.  

August 18, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Robert Shaheiev, 49, formerly of the Ukrainian Navy who defected to Russia early in the war died in an explosion in Sevastopol.

Whether he was targeted or not, Ukrainian operatives have proven effective at hunting down figures in the Russian military that they find particularly responsible for various matters.  Shaheiev defected with a submarine.

Korean War

Donald Trump has signaled that the US is going to scale back it's participation in joint exercises with the South Korean Army.

What's going on here is terribly unclear.  The US has maintained troops in the ROK since the 1945 and the threat of North Korean invasion is very real.  

I should note that this isn't entirely unprecedented.  Jimmy Carter actually campaigned on the idea in 1976 and tried to implement a phased withdrawal, which was abandoned over conservative and military objections.  Since the 1980s, military support of South Korea has been very strong.

Trumps move comes at a time when the US is losing an illegal war with Iran and is having to pull naval assets out of the Pacific.  It also comes at a point at which the longtime Red Chinese goal of forcibly reunited Taiwan with the mainland is at its highest point. Combined with that, Trump's administration is packed with National Conservatives who have a sort of Neo Nineteenth Century view of where the U.S.'s foreign policy should be focused.

Given that, Trump's decision could be the result of his listening to National Conservatives, or it could be because or logistical situation is much worse than admitted.

It could also be because South Korea refused to participate in the illegal war, like every other nation on earth did.  Trump has not taken that well.  Nobody seems to be pointing out that South Korea did participate in the Vietnam War, which Trump did not.  Trump himself, at any rate, referenced South Korea's lack of willingness to get into the losing war with Iran.

Because of Trump's other actions, however, there's widespread commentary about whether Trump is a Russian asset and this is influencing him on the world stage.  As radical as that sounds, there are reason to raise this question.  Certainly no other President has hurt US interest, and just the US in general, more than Trump, and he's a fanboy of Putin.

We've noted it elsewhere, but we've been worried about a Chinese strike on Taiwan in the near future.  The combination of the failed Iran War and Trump's other actions make that inevitable . The question is whether that will come this Fall, or next Spring.

September 4, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

In an attack Ukraine is an intentional Russian signal to the United States, Russia hit a Coca Cola plant in a drone strike.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has killed a House vote on Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill which passed the Senate in July, stating “We have to build consensus around that final product".

Oh, um, . . . not hat doesn't look a little weird. . . .  and doesn't raise any questions, um, like  Дональд Трамп — агент России?

What is it with this administration and Russia?  Why is Дональд Трамп a Russian asset?  Just stupidity and a like for flashy gold things?

September 20, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Ukraine launched a massive drone raid on targets in the Moscow region.

September 22, 2026

Pakistan v. Afghanistan

Pakistan conducted air raids into Afghanistan yesterday.

October 1, 2026

US in Iraq

The U.S. is now completely out of Iraq.

October 4, 2026

Russo Ukrainian War

Russia hit Ukrainian bridges over the past few days.  This appears to be an economic targeting.

Russia also indicated it would resort to the use of nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad if it needed to, which it would never need to, as nobody is threatening the Baltic city formerly known as Königsberg.

October 5, 2026

Russia

Darya Shipilova, patient 0 in what hopefully is contained quickly.  May the perpetual light shine upon her.

Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old researcher at an anti-plague lab died following suspected exposure to a “particularly dangerous infection.” which people believe is likely pneumonic plague.  Some 200 people are under observation for exposure to the highly infectious disease which might have killed the young woman due to a lab accident.

Some fairly knowledgeable people assert that there's reason to believe that this may be a weaponized variant of the disease, which the Soviets were working on prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Adam Kinzinger is urging all flights out of Russia to be halted.

God grant that this be contained, whatever it is.  

We would note that no country has reacted by banning flights so far.  We might also note that with Trump in office the US is extraordinarily impaired in reacting to a threat like this.  MAGA still continues to believe that COVID 19 was no sort of a threat and it's unlikely that Donald is going to react until it really turns out to be a weaponized virus that starts killing a lot of people.

October 6, 2026

Yemeni Civil War

Yemeni government forces retook the Bab el-Mandeb Strait up to the city of Mocha

Related threads:

King Donald's War, Part 10. "If any question why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied." Donald Trump, the killer edition.

Last edition:

King Donald's War, Part 10. "If any question why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied." Donald Trump, the killer edition.Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


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Monday, October 13, 2025

Thick Irony

Donald J. Trump is going to Israel to be there when the hostages taken by Hamas are released.  He is being widely lauded for the peace which has been arrived upon, and justifiably.

Here in the US, where he's acting like a budding dictator, he's going to be remembered as the worst President in U.S. history and will be widely hated from the moment he leaves office, forever.

It's really remarkable.  Peacemaker in the Middle East.  Demented dictator at home. The last item is how he will be remembered.

He wants the Nobel Peace Prize.  His prize will be the utter contempt of his countrymen.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Lex Anteinternet: The amazing ability of the Palestinians to self sa...

Lex Anteinternet: The amazing ability of the Palestinians to self sa...: It's really stunning. The basic Palestinian cause should be a sympathetic one.  They were displaced from their homes in a war, made refu...

And its already begun.

In WW2 we didn’t negotiate a surrender with the Nazis or Japanese. We nuked the Japanese twice to get unconditional surrender. That needs to be the same here. There is something deeply wrong with this culture and it needs to be defeated.

Rep. Randy Fine on Gaza.

You heard it here first.  Calls for extreme retaliation have already begun.

The amazing ability of the Palestinians to self sabotage.

It's really stunning.

The basic Palestinian cause should be a sympathetic one.  They were displaced from their homes in a war, made refugees, and many have no homes.

And yet, they do everything possible to make themselves detested and/or ineffective and unsympathetic.

In 1970 the PLO attempted to overthrow Jordan, where many Palestinians had taken refuge.

That ended up with them going to Lebanon, which they destabilized.  

The treaty that resulted in them having self governance on the West Bank and Gaza ended up with them electing unrealistic flaming radicals in Gaza, who of course attacked Israel in a shocking manner on October 7, 2023.

The US supported Israel, as it naturally could have been expected to do, which bizarrely lead Palestinians in the US to support Donald Trump for the Presidency, which has to be about the most dimwitted thing they could have done.

And now

2 Israeli Embassy aides are killed in a shooting in Washington, D.C., officials say

This gives Donald Trump his Reichstag Fire moment.  

And cover for the current government in Israel to occupy as much of Gaza as it wishes to.

No matter how wide, or narrow, this act of terrorism was, Palestinians in the US, and immigrant populations in general, are really going to get pounded by the Administration.  This will be the rallying cry for "deport!".  And it'll be the thing which causes the Trumpites to say "See?  There really is a war going on. . . it's an emergency. . . deport them all".

And many rank and file Americans will have no sympathy for them at all.

For that matter, the same feelings exist in the UK, where those cries will echo.



Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Wars and Rumors of War, 2024. Part 7. Undermined.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Matthew, Chapter 24.


The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

May 11, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

Russian forces began an offensive operation along the Russian-Ukrainian border in northern Kharkiv Oblast on the morning of May 10 and made tactically significant gains. Russian forces are likely conducting the initial phase of an offensive operation north of Kharkiv City that has limited operational objectives but is meant to achieve the strategic effect of drawing Ukrainian manpower and materiel from other critical sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have so far launched two limited efforts in the area, one north of Kharkiv City in the direction of Lyptsi and one northeast of Kharkiv City near Vovchansk. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported that Russian armored assault groups of an unspecified size attempted to break through Ukrainian defenses near Vovchansk early in the morning and that fighting continued in the area after Ukrainian forces repelled the Russian assaults.[1] Russian and Ukrainian sources stated that Russian forces also began infantry-heavy assaults between Strilecha (north of Lyptsi) and Zelene (northeast of Lyptsi) on the night of May 9 to 10.[2] Russian and Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces significantly intensified airstrikes, shelling, and MLRS strikes against Ukrainian positions, logistics, and infrastructure ahead of and during Russian offensive operations in these areas.[3]

ISW

May 12, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

Russian troops have seized Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Strilecha in north east Ukraine.   Russia claims to have taken Pletenivka as well, but Ukraine reports fighting in ongoing in Strilecha and Pletenivka, as well as Krasne, Morokhovets, Oliinykove, Lukyantsi and Hatyshche. 

May 13, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu has been replaced with Andrei Belousov.

Ukraine warns northern front has ‘significantly worsened’

Middle Eastern War

Secretary of State Blinken made statements yesterday which were highly critical of Israel.

May 14, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

Secretary Blinkin is in Ukraine

Russia gained ground in northeaster Ukraine again yesterday.

Ukraine is deploying reservists in the area, which gets to part of the extremely odd nature of the war.  Ukraine has conscription, and has used it, but up until recently it didn't dip down to the lower 20s age bracket, and moreover almost all, or maybe all, of the troops it has deployed to the front are volunteers.

This is not true, of course, of Russia.

The US has banned imports of Russian uranium.

Middle Eastern War

Hamas conducted increased attacks in northern Gaza yesterday, demonstrating that it has the ability to reconstitute.

Cont:

China v. The West

Governor Gordon Expresses Support for Decision Blocking Chinese Bitcoin Operation From Owning Land Near FE Warren Air Force Base

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –Governor Mark Gordon has issued a statement supporting an order that prevents a Chinese-backed cryptocurrency mining firm from owning land near FE Warren Air Force base. The Governor’s statement follows:

“I am acutely aware and have been monitoring the concerns of surrounding property owners, as well as the potential threats to national security that this operation posed. I am pleased that the Administration recognized the potential threat and took steps to ensure the security of our military installations and the safety of Wyoming residents. Protection of our infrastructure remains paramount to protecting our national security and must always be our highest priority.

I am also grateful to Senator Nethercott for sponsoring SF077 -Homeland defense-infrastructure reporting and investigating to help protect Wyoming's critical infrastructure from foreign threats. I signed this bill, effective July 1, because it provides clear guidance and support to counties, under the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, to investigate land sales near critical infrastructure.” 

-END-

May 16, 2024

Middle Eastern War

The US humanitarian pier in Gaza has been completed.

Russo Ukrainian War

The Russian offensive northeast of Kharkiv has slowed.

May 17, 2024

Middle Eastern War

The U.S. House voted to force President Biden to send arms to Israel.

May 20, 2024

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A coup attempt was put down over the weekend.

Iran

Iranian President and hardliner Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash with other members of the Iranian cabinet.

May 25, 2024

China v. Taiwan

Large-scale naval exercises by the PRC have ended.

Middle Eastern War

Egypt is allowing aid to Gaza to cross its border with the enclave.

Three US servicemen have been injured at the humanitarian pier.

Spain, Norway and Ireland said on Wednesday that they would recognize an independent Palestinian state.

May 26, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

President Zelenskyy stated that the Ukrainians have obtained "combat control" over the areas where the Russians were recently on the offensive.

May 27, 2024

Middle Eastern War

Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv, they hit but did not cause any casualties.  Israel responded with airstrikes.

June 2, 2024

Middle Eastern War

President Biden proposed an extended ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for a complete release of hostages.  The proposal is causing turmoil in Israel itself.

June 3, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

Strikes on infrastructure shut down most of the power grid in Ukraine.

June 5, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

In Crimea, Ukraine is beating Russia

The Russian military has been decimated. You don’t write about that. It’s been freaking decimated.

Joe Biden to Time magazine. 

June 6, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

Message for U.S. Citizens: Elimination of “Residence Abroad” Exception to Dual Citizen Departure

Date: June 4, 2024

Location: Ukraine (countrywide)

Event: The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv understands that, effective June 1, Ukraine has eliminated a “residence abroad” exception that previously allowed certain Ukrainian males aged 18 to 60 to depart the country. After this change, U.S.-Ukrainian dual citizens, including those who live in the United States, may no longer be able to depart the country.

Ukrainian law does not recognize dual citizenship. U.S.-Ukrainian dual citizens are therefore treated solely as Ukrainian citizens while in Ukraine and are subject to the rights and obligations of Ukrainian citizens. Under Ukraine’s martial law, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not permitted to leave the country. Previously, dual U.S.-Ukrainian citizens in this group could enter and then depart Ukraine if they had deregistered their Ukrainian residency and registered their U.S. residency. According to our information, this exception was revoked as of June 1.

The U.S. Embassy is limited in our ability to influence Ukrainian law, including the application of martial law and the mobilization law to Ukrainian citizens. If you are in Ukraine and cannot leave the country, shelter in place and obey all local orders. If you are not currently in Ukraine, we strongly recommend against all travel to Ukraine by U.S. citizen males aged 18 to 60 who also have Ukrainian citizenship or a claim to Ukrainian citizenship and who do not wish to stay in Ukraine indefinitely. There is an extremely high risk you will not be allowed to depart, even with a U.S. passport.

We remind all Americans of the State Department’s Level 4: Do Not Travel warning for Ukraine. For further information, see State Department websites for what you should know as a dual citizen traveler, and what we can and cannot do during a crisis.

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy Kyiv

+380 44 521 50 00

kyivacs@state.gov

https://ua.usembassy.gov/

State Department – Consular Affairs

+1-888-407-4747 or +1-202-501-4444

Ukraine Country Information

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Mexican Border Crisis

President Biden signed an executive order which shuts the border down once there are 2,500 encounters on the same.

June 7, 2024

Middle Eastern War

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will address Congress on July 24 which is probably a phenomenally bad idea.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the West Bank Palestinian organization the Lion's Den.

Russo Ukrainian War

The US is sending $225M in military aid to Ukraine through Presidential draw down authority.

June 10, 2024

Middle Eastern War

An Israeli raid freed 4 hostages, but resulted in the deaths of 274 Palestinians.

June 11, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

The Russian offensive in the north has failed and some ground has been retaken by the Ukrainians. 

A Ukrainian offensive in the south has retaken ground held by the Russians since the beginning of the war.

June 16, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

A peace summit has convened in Switzerland, but as the Russians are absent, there's little chance that anything will be accomplished.

June 17, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

The conferenced called for Ukrainian territorial integrity to be the basis for peace.

Italian Prime Minister Meloni stated: "Defending Ukraine means uniting all the efforts of the international community to protect Ukraine. If Russia does not agree to Ukraine's terms, we will force it to surrender. We need to set the minimum conditions for this discussion."

Middle Eastern War

The Israeli war cabinet has been dissolved.

Israel is pausing fighting along a humanitarian route during daytime hours.

June 18, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

Interesting set of Russian dismissals and replacements:

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 17, 2024

June 22, 2024

Russo Ukrainian war


The Russians are making extensive use of retrofitted "dumb bombs" converted into glide bombs. The press is treating this as a new weapon, but it is not.  Readers here will recall reading about the deployment of the Fritz X German guided glide bomb at Anzio, which was also a devastating weapon.

June 26, 2024

Haiti

Kenyon police are arriving in Haiti as police keepers.

Russo Ukrainian War

North Korea is apparently going to send military engineers to the war in Ukraine.

June 28, 2024

Bolivia

The Bolivian government put down a coup attempt by the commander of its army, General Juan José Zúñiga.

July 4, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

President Zelenskiy challenged Donald Trump to release his peace plan that supposedly will end the war in a day if Trump is unfortunately reelected to the Oval Office.

Ukrainian forces have retreated from a neighborhood in the outskirts of Chasiv Yar.

Middle Eastern War

Israel annexed five square miles of the West Bank.

Such moves necessarily outrage Palestinians and others.

July 21, 2024

Middle Eastern War

Last Thursday Houthi's launched drones on Tel Aviv, which is an impressive feat.  Yesterday Israel retaliated with air strikes on port facilities in Yemen.

Russo Ukrainian War

Russia launched its 5th drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks.

July 22, 2024

Middle Eastern War

Israel intercepted and destroyed a missile fired from Yemen yesterday.

July 25, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

In another of a series of Russian arrests of defense officials, Andrei Belkov, the director of the Defense Ministry's Military Construction Company has been arrested.

The Russian Navy no longer has any vessels in the Sea of Azov.

A Russian drone strike accidentally hit territory in Romania.

July 26, 2024

Russo Ukrainian War

From ISW:

.Ukrainian forces blunted one of the largest Russian mechanized assaults in Ukraine since October 2023 in western Donetsk Oblast on July 24. Geolocated footage published on July 24 shows that Ukrainian forces stopped a reinforced battalion size Russian mechanized assault near Kostyantynivka (southwest of Donetsk City) after Russian forces advanced up to the southeastern outskirts of the settlement.[1] A Ukrainian brigade operating in the Kurakhove direction reported that Russian forces attacked simultaneously with 11 tanks, 45 armored combat vehicles, a rare "Terminator" armored fighting vehicle (of which Russia has reportedly manufactured only 23 as of December 2023), 12 motorcycles, and roughly 200 personnel from several tactical directions at dawn on July 24.[2] The brigade reported that Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance identified the mechanized columns from a distance and that Ukrainian forces used artillery, drones, and minefields to blunt the Russian assault. The brigade reported that Ukrainian forces damaged or destroyed six Russian tanks, seven armored combat vehicles, and all 12 motorcycles and that Russian forces retreated after Ukrainian forces destroyed the first wave of vehicles. ISW last observed Russian forces conduct a battalion-sized mechanized attack in Donetsk Oblast in March 2024. Russian forces have not conducted larger mechanized assaults in Ukraine since the first days of Russia's four-month long operation to seize Avdiivka in October 2023.[3] Russian forces likely intended to advance further into Kostyantynivka as part of their efforts to seize the settlement and cut the Vuhledar-Kostyantynivka T-0524 highway. Russian sources have long identified interdicting the T-0524 highway and disrupting Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) into Vuhledar as a primary tactical objective in this direction. Russian milblogger recently suggested that Russian forces would intensify operations south of Kostyantynivka in support of this objective and force Ukrainian forces to retreat from positions in and around Vuhledar.[4] Russian forces likely will not make operationally significant advances in this area of the frontline in the near term even if they achieve tactically significant advances and prompt Ukrainian forces to retreat from nearby positions, as the surrounding area has no operationally significant objectives and is largely comprised of fields and isolated, small settlements and no significant nearby tactical heights.

Middle Eastern War

Also from ISW:

July 28, 2024

Middle Eastern War

A rocket launched from Lebanese soil killed 11 children in a Druze village in the Golan Heights.  The suspect, Hezbollah, denied responsibility.

July 29, 2024

Middle Eastern War

Israel retaliated with strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

July 30, 2024

Middle Eastern War

Israeli Air Force fighter jets eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s most senior military commander [Fu’ad Shukr]

Israeli announcement. 

July 31, 2024

Middle Eastern War

Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in a raif of some sort in Iran.  He and his body guards went down after attending the swearing in of Iran's new president, showing the extent to which (probably) Israel will go to eliminate its enemies, its military capabilities, and the lack of the same on the part of Iran.

In Iraq, "U.S. forces in Iraq conducted a defensive airstrike in the Musayib in Babil Province, targeting combatants attempting to launch one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWAUAS)", according to US officials.

Mali

The Mali army and mercenary Wagner group have taken a pounding after a two day battle with Tuareg separatist rebels and al-Qaeda-linked militants.

August 3, 2024

Mexican Border Crisis

Governor Gordon Responds to Border Crisis by Providing Support to Texas

August 01, 2024

In response to a request for assistance from Texas, Governor Mark Gordon announced that Wyoming law-enforcement personnel will be deploying to the southern border with Mexico.


The deployment of 10 Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) troopers later this month is in response to an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request from Texas Governor Greg Abbott and is being coordinated through the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security (WOHS). During the 14-day deployment, the WHP troopers will provide law enforcement and emergency assistance in support of the Texas Department of Safety. Two deputies from the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office are also planned to deploy at a later date. 


“Wyoming is committed to closing the open Biden-Harris border,” Governor Gordon said. “As part of our ongoing relationship with Texas, we will supply resources as they are requested while also making sure we are safe here at home. We are immensely grateful for the willingness of Wyoming law enforcement members and their families to assist in this important effort to help secure our southern border.”


In August 2023, Governor Gordon authorized the deployment of eight Department of Corrections and local law enforcement personnel to provide support along the southern border. Following that deployment, Texas Rangers traveled to Wyoming earlier this year to provide valuable training to Wyoming law enforcement officers. During the 2024 Legislative session, $750,000 was allocated to the Governor’s Office for expenses to assist border state law enforcement efforts.


Following a 2021 visit to the US-Mexico border, Governor Gordon signed a memorandum of understanding with 25 fellow governors in 2022 creating the American Governors’ Border Strike Force. This multi-state partnership was designed to address the negative impacts of increased illegal immigration, including a rise in the presence of illicit fentanyl in Wyoming.

Middle Eastern War

The US is reinforcing its forces in the Middle East following the Israeli bomb (it turned out to be pre planted) that killed the leader of Hamas.  Iran will feel compelled to retaliate.

Russo Ukrainian War

Ukraine launched a largescale drone attack on Russian targets overnight.

Zelenskiy is seeking Western permission to strike Russian airfields with long range Western munitions.

August 5, 2024

Mali

In a really odd turn of events, Mali which hired Wagner Group mercenaries in its fight against Tuareg separatist, has cut diplomatic relations with Ukraine upon learning that Ukraine provided intelligence to the Tuaregs prior to the recent disastrous ambush on Wagner and Mali forces.

I doubt Ukraine cares, but if Mali has to rely upon Wagner, it should expect stuff like this.

Middle Eastern War

Israel has said the war has spread to include Iran. That's a comment, but a scary one.

August 6, 2024

Middle Eastern War

A rocket attack injured several U.S. troops at an American base in Iraq.

The 300th AFA is going to Kuwait.

Niger

The US has now completely withdrawn from Niger.

Last prior edition:

Wars and Rumors of War, 2024. Part 5. A Wider War.

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Belligerant ironies.

On the weekend shows, Republicans, who are the party with members that would abandon Ukraine to the tender mercies of the Russians, are irate that the Biden Administration is withholding some munitions from Israel, and asking Israel not to go into Rafah.

Eh?

And Trump is making it clear that he'll support Israel even more than Biden is, which makes the protests here and there over the current administration's policies even stranger.

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

A Palestinian Solution (that nobody is going to do).



In this thread, I suggested a solution to the "Palestinian" problem isn't all that hard:


In reality, I'd partially already proposed it:


Those threads are pretty complete, but let's just set out the basic facts of the problem.

Part One:
  • The Palestinian Mandate's Levantines didn't want any sort of Jewish state or any sort of "two-state solution in 1948".  The neighboring Arab states didn't want one either.
  • World War Two made it inevitable that Jews would seek refuge in the region they'd held historically and up until 70.
  • The British tried and failed to create a two-state solution, and then washed their hands of the matter and left.
  • The Israelis won the 1948 war.
  • During the 1948 war, a lot of Levantines left out of fear, rational calculation of danger, or were expelled.
  • Just would have invited them back in, but the Israeli's were not in the mood for that, and the Arabs largely weren't either.  That is, having fought for it, the Israeli's decided to keep what they had in every sense, and the Arabs were still dedicated to the proposition of pushing them out.
  • That's now over 70 years ago and almost everyone involved in the original drama is dead.
Part Two:
  • The Arabs have been happy to support a Palestinian diaspora, partially, but not to invite them into their own countries.
  • The Palestinians have been unwilling to come up with a new, permanent plan, that doesn't feature, at a bare minimum, the territory that was at least partially in Mandatory Palestine.
  • Gaza and to a lesser extent the West Bank were solutions that Israel was willing to put up with, but not the Levantines, even as they took advantage of it.
  • The "Palestinians" have been , to a large extent, living on the Arab and Global dole since Gaza and the West Bank were created as entities subject to self rule. They don't have work, and they don't have much to do, other than to do, what people who have an income, but no work, do. . . . fill in the blanks here.
Okay now for the elements of the solution.

Part One
  • The Palestinian Levantines need work and need to be taken off the dole.
  • In order to do that, the pipe dream of an independent Palestinian state inside the borders of Mandatory Palestine needs to be given up on, unless Jordan, which is a Bedouin state, wishes to become that entity, and it doesn't.
So, what can be done.  There are two, and only two, possibilities.

Solution Number One.

The Palestinian Levantines can be taken in by the Arab states that have work, which would include the Emirates, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.*

Yes, that's radical, but if they were taken in, taken off the dole, and got to work, within a generation or two, this problem would be over, and they would be better off.

Solution Number Two.

Create a Palestinian state in the Sinai.

That has obvious geoengineering problems, but the Israelis confronted those inside Mandatory Palestine and the states of the Arabian Peninsula have faced them as well.  It's been proven that you can geoengineer these areas productively.  It has been done.

And in that state, Gaza could remain part of it.

This, of course, would require Egypt to give up Sinai, but frankly, it's not making much use of it anyway.

Footnotes:

*And probably Jordan as well, as the West Bank was part of Transjordan and probably ought just go back to Jordan.

Related threads: