Moon of Alabama Brecht quote

Monthly Archives

May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025
January 2025
December 2024
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 11, 2025

Palestine Open Thread 2025-103

News & views related to the war in Palestine ...

Posted by b at 11:43 UTC | Comments (93)

Ukraine Open Thread 2025-102

News & views related to the war in Ukraine ...

Posted by b at 11:42 UTC | Comments (230)

The MoA Week In Review - OT 2025-101

Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:

Dmitry Medvedev @MedvedevRussiaE - 22:57 UTC · May 9, 2025

> Macron, Merz, Starmer, and Tusk were supposed to discuss peace in Kiev. Instead, they are blurting out threats against Russia. Either a truce for the respite of Banderite hordes or new sanctions. You think that’s smart, eh? Shove these peace plans up your pangender arses! <

---
Other issues:

Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review - OT 2025-101

Posted by b at 11:41 UTC | Comments (97)

May 10, 2025

Trump Claims Victory In Achieving Peace Between India And Pakistan

Despite plenty of attempts to do better, the Trump administration had so far failed to achieve any foreign policy victory.

The ceasefire in Gaza which Trump imposed in January was soon sabotaged by the radicals in Netanyahoo's cabinet. The negotiations about peace in Ukraine are stuck around a yet be agreed upon ceasefire which does not solve the root problem. The war on Yemen, on Israel's behalf, was lost militarily. Iran, despite threats, has not moved on inch from its insistence on nuclear sovereignty. The tariff rage waged against China and everyone else is threatening to derail the U.S. economy.

All this makes today's win a special moment.

President Trump announced:

After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter! ...

Details followed immediately:

Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio - 12:07 UTC · May 10, 2025

Over the past 48 hours, @VP Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.

I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.

We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.

Trump and his cabinet have thus achieved a notable and laudable victory. U.S. mediation has helped to deescalated a crises in South Asia that had threatened to turn into a full fledged (nuclear) war.

On Tuesday, April 22 2025, 26 people were killed when gunman opened fire on tourists in the Indian-occupied Kashmir:

A group of tourists were visiting a popular area — a meadow in mountainous Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley, known as “mini-Switzerland,” outside the town of Pahalgam — when militants emerged from a nearby forest and opened fire. Police said 25 Indians and one Nepalese citizen were killed. Since the group was in an area only accessible by foot or horseback, getting the injured to the nearest hospital was difficult, one witness told The Washington Post.

Indian media outlets attributed the attack to the Resistance Front (TRF), a militant group banned by New Delhi in 2023 as a terrorist organization, but there was no verifiable claim of responsibility.

Indian claims that the TRF has support from Pakistan. In consequence it announced sharp retaliatory measures, targeting trade and the critical Simla water agreement. It ordered to cut the Indus water lifeline into Pakistan.

Craig Murray explains why this was and is an existential threat to that country:

Cont. reading: Trump Claims Victory In Achieving Peace Between India And Pakistan

Posted by b at 14:52 UTC | Comments (187)

May 09, 2025

Victory Day

Victory day:

Victory Day is a holiday that commemorates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945. It was first inaugurated in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union following the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender late in the evening on 8 May 1945 (9 May Moscow Time). The Soviet government announced the victory early on 9 May after the signing ceremony in Berlin.

bigger

A live feed of the Victory Day parade 2025 in Moscow can be watched here.

Posted by b at 7:51 UTC | Comments (168)

Trump Decouples U.S. Middle East Policy From Israel's Interests

Over the last weeks U.S. President Donald Trump has broken links between U.S. foreign policy issues in the Middle East and considerations for Israel's interest.

Last month the prime minister of the 'Zionist entity' Benjamin Mileikowsky Netanyahoo visited Washington DC to push Trump towards bombing Iran's nuclear installations. Trump instead announced new talks with Iran. Netanyahoo's attempt had failed:

U.S. President Donald Trump blindsided Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month with a gamble on immediately opening negotiations with Iran.
...
The pivot to negotiations with Iran in April was a shock for Netanyahu, who had flown to Washington seeking Trump's backing for military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and learned less than 24 hours before a joint White House press event that U.S. talks with Iran were starting within days, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Next came the Trump pivot on Yemen about which Netanyahoo had not been informed:

Barak Ravid, a political analyst for the Zionist media outlet ‘Walla’, said that Trump's agreement with Yemen has severely constrained Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ron Dermer, a close advisor to Netanyahu.

Pointing out that Trump has bypassed the Zionist regime by reaching an agreement on a ceasefire with Yemen's Ansarallah, he stated it seems that Israel's ability to influence the US-Iran negotiations to reach a new nuclear agreement has so far been very restricted.

The senior Israeli official said that he knew nothing about Trump's decision. “Trump surprised us," he added.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the White House that Yemen's Ansarullah announced that they will no longer fight against the United States, and the United States will also stop its attacks on Yemen.

Today we learn that the U.S. is willing to help Saudi Arabia with a civil nuclear program without requiring Saudi normalization with Israel:

Cont. reading: Trump Decouples U.S. Middle East Policy From Israel's Interests

Posted by b at 7:14 UTC | Comments (170)

May 08, 2025

Palestine Open Thread 2025-100

News & views related to the war in Palestine ...

Posted by b at 13:30 UTC | Comments (101)

Ukraine Open Thread 2025-099

News & views related to the war in Ukraine ...

Posted by b at 13:29 UTC | Comments (193)

Open (Neither Ukraine Nor Palestine) Thread 2025-098

News & views not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine ...

Posted by b at 13:29 UTC | Comments (176)

Ukraine - Rada Blocks Detail Agreements Of Mineral Deal

The 'mineral deal' between the Trump administration and Ukraine continues to be a contentious issue.

The deal, which was signed last week, consists of (at least) three documents only one of which, the framework agreement, was made public:

The Ukrainian government claims that only the first part has been signed. The other two will follow only after the Ukrainian parliament, the Rada, has ratified the main one. Several 'western' media have contradicted that claim. All three parts of the agreement were signed. But the Ukrainian government is keeping the details of the second and third part secret because the conditions imposed by them are extremely bad for Ukraine.

As Strana reported (machine translation):

[T]he opposition already accuses the authorities of concealing the main points about the deal. The fact is that the agreement on the creation of the fund, signed last week and already made public, is being submitted for ratification, and there are very few specifics in it. This is essentially a framework agreement. For all the main points in the text of the agreement, there are references to another document - the Limited Partnership Agreement. There is also a third document - the Foundation's charter.

A number of deputies claim that all three documents have actually been signed (or agreed upon). But they showed only one-the least important and most abstract of them, from which it is not even clear what the Foundation will do in general.

The government denies this, saying that only one document has been signed, and the rest will still be discussed.

Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is supposed to ratify the framework agreement today. It will likely do so but with a surprise.

Yesterday the Rada Committee for Foreign Policy passed the relevant language but added an amendment to it (machine translation):

Cont. reading: Ukraine - Rada Blocks Detail Agreements Of Mineral Deal

Posted by b at 11:05 UTC | Comments (92)