Boots & Sabers

The blogging will continue until morale improves...

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Category: Foreign Affairs

Islamists Make Gains in Bangladesh

by | 2047, 18 Feb 25 | , | 4 Comments

This is an ideology that eats whoever allows it to flourish. It must be marginalized and eradicated wherever we see it.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation, is currently undergoing a political transition after widespread protests ousted its authoritarian government last year.

 

An interim administration is currently in charge but there are concerns that Islamist groups, which had been pushed to the fringes, have become emboldened again.

 

The women’s football match was the third to be cancelled in northern Bangladesh in less than two weeks due to the objections of religious hardliners.

 

In the Dinajpur area, roughly 70km (43 miles) west of Rangpur, Islamists protesting against a game clashed with locals who supported it, leaving four people injured.

Egypt Threatens to Rebuild Gaza

by | 1954, 18 Feb 25 | | 0 Comments

Ohhhh noooos… not that. Why do other countries only step up in response to America’s actions instead of their own accord?

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without forcing Palestinians out of the strip in a counter to President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the territory so the U.S. can take it over.

 

Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said the proposal calls for establishing “secure areas” within Gaza where Palestinians can live initially while Egyptian and international construction firms remove and rehabilitate the strip’s infrastructure.

 

Egyptian officials have been discussing the plan with European diplomats as well as with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, according to two Egyptian officials and Arab and Western diplomats. They are also discussing ways to fund the reconstruction, including an international conference on Gaza reconstruction, said one of the Egyptian officials and an Arab diplomat.

India Invests in Nuclear Power

by | 0923, 17 Feb 25 | , | 0 Comments

This is the way.

Indian state power company NTPC is looking to build 30 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power capacity over the next two decades, three times more than expected, at a cost of $62 billion, three sources said.

 

The country’s top power producer, which mainly runs coal-fired plants, is seeking land for its ambitious plan in a country where local resistance to such projects is high, said the sources, who have direct knowledge of the matter.

NTPC was targeting 10 GW of nuclear capacity but tripled the goal after the government this month announced plans to open up the sector to foreign and private investment, the sources said.

Rubio Arrives in Riyadh for Peace Talks

by | 0823, 17 Feb 25 | | 0 Comments

Pray for peace.

RIYADH (Reuters) – Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would hold talks with top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Tuesday that will focus on ending the war in Ukraine and restoring broader Russia-U.S. ties.

 

Rubio arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Monday on a previously planned trip. U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who were set to arrive later on Monday, will join him at the talks with Lavrov.

Europe Threatens to Pay for its Own Defense

by | 1005, 15 Feb 25 | , , | 0 Comments

Ohhh noooss… not that…

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of an “army of Europe” to guard against Russia as he suggested the US may no longer come to the continent’s aid.

 

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he also said that Ukraine would “never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement” after US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to start peace talks.

 

In a speech on Friday, in which he attacked European democracies, US Vice President JD Vance warned that Europe needed to “step up in a big way” on defence.

 

Zelensky said: “I really believe the time has come – the armed forces of Europe must be created.”

The U.S. taxpayers have defended Europe for the last 75 years as a hedge against another World War and to counterbalance a Superpower Russia. Well, Russia is no longer a Superpower (a nuclear power, yes, but otherwise militarily and economically mediocre) and Europe has developed a robust internal mechanism in the E.U. to ward off mass conflagration. The benefits for the U.S. taxpayer to continue to pour trillions of dollars into the defense of other countries no longer warrants the cost.

Europe should defend itself and the U.S. should reshape our relationship as that of an ally – not a benefactor.

Tariff War Commences

by | 1733, 2 Feb 25 | , , | 4 Comments

I wholeheartedly oppose tariffs. There is an academic and historic argument to be made in favor of tariffs, but experience in a global economy teaches us that they do more harm than good. That being said, Trump promised tariffs when he was running and he was elected. He’s keeping his promise about something he believes in. I just think he’s wrong and voted for him for other reasons. I hope that the consequences are tolerable.

Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc on Sunday unveiled the full list of items covered by tariffs on $30 billion worth of US goods, the first phase of Canada’s response to US tariffs.

The items include American produce, alcohol, apparel, household appliances, tools, firearms and more.

Canada’s tariffs come in retaliation after US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced sweeping levies on Canada, Mexico and China.

 

Navy Bans DeepSeek

by | 1905, 28 Jan 25 | , , | 12 Comments

This is where I think that DeepSeek won’t be as much of an economic threat as it seems. What company outside of China will put their sensitive data into a Chinese GAI platform? It’s one thing for a bunch of dumb kids to use TikTok. It’s quite another thing for an American firm to open up their data to a Chinese bot.

The U.S. Navy has instructed its members to avoid using artificial intelligence technology from China’s DeepSeek, CNBC has learned.

 

In a warning issued by email to “shipmates” on Friday, the Navy said DeepSeek’s AI was not to be used “in any capacity” due to “potential security and ethical concerns associated with the model’s origin and usage.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Navy confirmed the authenticity of the email and said it was in reference to the Department of the Navy’s Chief Information Officer’s generative AI policy.

US Equities Drop $1 Trillion in Value

by | 2028, 27 Jan 25 | , | 0 Comments

This is a significant development that threatens the future of the US economy.

The race for domination in artificial intelligence was blown wide open on Monday after the launch of a Chinese chatbot wiped $1tn from the leading US tech index, with one investor calling it a “Sputnik moment” for the world’s AI superpowers.

 

Investors punished global tech stocks on Monday after the emergence of DeepSeek, a competitor to OpenAI and its ChatGPT tool, shook faith in the US artificial intelligence boom by appearing to deliver the same performance with fewer resources.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed down 3.1%, with the drop at one point wiping more than $1tn off the index from its closing value of $32.5tn last week, as investors digested the implications of the latest AI model developed by DeepSeek.

The most important aspect of this is to, once again, highlight how we will never take the economic leaps ahead of China that our work and ingenuity deserve until we secure American IP from being stolen. This is a warning shot that China is intent on taking the leadership in the tech sector just as they did in manufacturing.

This also should refocus investment efforts in the US. If the value of a company can be destroyed overnight because China stole their IP, it makes every investment in AI that much riskier.

More U.S. Companies in China Look to Diversify Supply Chain

by | 0827, 23 Jan 25 | , | 1 Comment

China’s grip as being the world’s manufacturer may be starting to slip.

BEIJING — A record share of U.S. companies in China are accelerating their plans to relocate manufacturing or sourcing, according to a business survey released Thursday.

 

About 30% of the respondents considered or started such diversification in 2024, surpassing the prior high of 24% in 2022, according to annual surveys from the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

 

[…]

 

While India and Southeast Asian countries remained the most popular destination for relocating production, the survey showed 18% of the respondents considered relocating to the U.S. in 2024, up from 16% the prior year.

The majority of U.S. companies did not plan to diversify. Just over two-thirds, or 67%, of respondents said they were not considering relocating manufacturing, a 10 percentage point drop from 2023, the survey showed.

 

The latest AmCham China survey covered 368 members from Oct. 21 to Nov. 15. Trump was re-elected U.S. president on Nov. 5.

Ceasefire Near in Gaza

by | 2104, 15 Jan 25 | | 0 Comments

Even though Biden did a victory lap (that press conference was ridiculous), it looks like this deal isn’t quite done yet.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, mediators announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies.

Israel

The three-phase ceasefire deal promises the release of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and to allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It would also flood desperately needed humanitarian aid into the territory ravaged by 15 months of war, mediators said.

 

The prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said the ceasefire would go into effect Sunday and that its success would depend on Israel and Hamas “acting in good faith in order to ensure that this agreement does not collapse.” He spoke in the Qatari capital of Doha, the site of weeks of painstaking negotiations.

 

U.S. President Joe Biden touted the deal from Washington, saying the ceasefire would stay in place as long as Israel and Hamas remain at the negotiating table over a long-term truce. Biden credited months of “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy” for landing the deal, noting that his administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team had been “speaking as one” in the latest negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement with Hamas was still not complete and final details were being worked out.

 

An Israeli official familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity said those details center on confirming the list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed. Any agreement must be approved by Netanyahu’s Cabinet.

 

Netanyahu thanked Trump and Biden for “advancing” the ceasefire agreement, but did not explicitly say whether he has accepted it, saying he would issue a formal response only “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.”

Greenland PM Ready to Work with U.S. for Security

by | 1733, 13 Jan 25 | , | 0 Comments

This could be a mutually fruitful partnership.

Greenland wants to work more closely with the US on defence and exploring its mining resources, its prime minister said on Monday.

 

Mute Egede said his government was looking for ways to work with President-elect Donald Trump, who has in recent weeks shown renewed interest in taking control of the territory – without ruling out using military or economic force to do so.

 

Also on Monday, Denmark’s foreign minister said it was ready to work with Greenland to “continue talks” with Trump “to ensure legitimate American interests” in the Arctic.

 

Greenland, a largely autonomous Danish territory, lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the US.

Spain Imposes 100% Tax for Non-EU Home Buyers

by | 1731, 13 Jan 25 | , | 0 Comments

This is something US communities should consider.

Spain is planning to impose a tax of up to 100% on properties bought by non-residents from countries outside the EU, such as the UK.

 

Announcing the move, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the “unprecedented” measure was necessary to meet the country’s housing emergency.

 

“The West faces a decisive challenge: To not become a society divided into two classes, the rich landlords and poor tenants,” he said.

 

Non-EU residents bought 27,000 properties in Spain in 2023, he told an economic forum in Madrid, “not to live in” but “to make money from them”.

Greenland for the Greenlanders

by | 0602, 10 Jan 25 | , | 0 Comments

Like many, I suspect that Trump’s end goal with Greenland is not so much to make it an American territory, but to spur independence and move it into the American sphere of influence. This would allow America to have more influence and security with this land than sits athwart vital shipping lanes and imbued with tremendous natural resources. Judging by the comments of many of the Greenlanders, it’s time.

The Greenland question is a delicate one for Denmark, whose prime minister officially apologised only recently for spearheading a 1950s social experiment which saw Inuit children removed from their families to be re-educated as “model Danes”.

 

Last week, Greenland’s leader said the territory should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism.”

 

By doing so he tapped into growing nationalist sentiment, fuelled by interest among Greenland’s younger generations in the indigenous culture and history of the Inuit.

 

Most commentators now expect a successful independence referendum in the near future. While for many it would be seen as a victory, it could also usher in a new set of problems, as 60% of Greenland’s economy is dependent on Denmark.

 

An independent Greenland “would need to make choices,” said Karsten Honge. The Green Left MP now fears his preferred option of a new Commonwealth-style pact “based on equality and democracy” is unlikely to come about.

 

[…]

 

Opposition MP Jarlov argues that while there is no point in forcing Greenland to be part of Denmark, “it is very close to being an independent country already”.

 

Its capital Nuuk is self-governed, but relies on Copenhagen for management of currency, foreign relations and defence – as well as substantial subsidies.

 

“Greenland today has more independence than Denmark has from the EU,” Jarlov added. “So I hope they think things through.”

 

As Mette Frederiksen has the awkward task of responding firmly while not offending Greenland or the US, the staunchest rebuttal to Trump’s comments so far has come from outside Denmark.

Saudis Imprison American with Dual Citizenship for Social Media Posts

by | 2031, 7 Jan 25 | | 0 Comments

Before you get bent out of shape about the totalitarian regime imprisoning people for social media posts, remember that the U.K. and other Western “free” countries are doing the same thing.

A retired project manager who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s, Almadi was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2021, when he arrived on a planned two-week visit to see family. Saudi officials confronted him with tweets he had posted over the past several years in the U.S., including one about Khashoggi’s killing and another on the crown prince’s consolidation of power.

 

Almadi was quickly sentenced to more than 19 years in prison on terrorism-related charges stemming from the tweets. Saudi Arabia freed him after more than a year but imposed an exit ban that keeps him from returning to his home in Boca Raton, near Miami.

 

For months after his release, Almadi received menacing phone calls from men his son alleges were agents of the feared intelligence police, whose job it is to root out threats to the kingdom’s rulers. Then, last November, they summoned Almadi to a villa in Riyadh, where he was promised the exit ban would be lifted if he renounced his American citizenship, his son said.

 

Feeling helpless, Almadi signed a document and followed instructions to try to return his American passport to the U.S. Embassy, his son said.

Zelenskyy Calls for US to Impose Pease and for Ukraine to Enter NATO

by | 2036, 5 Jan 25 | , | 0 Comments

No, on both counts. I’m sure that a peace could be enforced by the U.S., but it is neither our obligation nor in our national interest to put American lives and treasure between two belligerent neighbors. Further, there is no upside for NATO or the U.S. to allow Ukraine entry. There was a time when it might have been a good idea, but after Ukraine has been drained of resources, they would just be a taker country without contributing anything but risk to the alliance.

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said security guarantees for Kyiv to end Russia’s war would only be effective if the United States provides them, and that he hoped to meet U.S. President-elect Donald Trump soon after his inauguration.

 

In an interview with U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman published on Sunday, Zelenskiy said Ukrainians were counting on Trump to force Moscow to end its war and that Russia would escalate in Europe if Washington were to quit the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance.

 

Almost three years after Russia’s invasion, the election of Trump, who returns to the White House on Jan. 20, has sparked hope of a diplomatic resolution to stop the war, but also fears in Kyiv that a quick peace could come at a high price.

 

Zelenskiy used the three-hour interview published on YouTube to call for Ukraine’s NATO membership, emphasizing his belief that a ceasefire without security guarantees for Kyiv would merely give Russia time to rearm for a new attack.

Syria to Take Up to Four Years for Elections

by | 2007, 29 Dec 24 | | 2 Comments

Quick prediction… there will never be free elections in Syria under this regime.

Holding new elections in Syria could take up to four years, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has said in a broadcast interview.

 

This is the first time he has given a timeline for possible elections in Syria since his group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a rebel offensive that ousted former President Bashar al-Assad.

 

In the interview with Saudi state broadcaster Al Arabiya on Sunday, he said drafting a new constitution could take up to three years.

 

He said it could also be a year before Syrians begin to see significant change and improvements to public services following the overthrow of the Assad regime.

Russia Denies Shooting Down Plane

by | 1850, 26 Dec 24 | | 1 Comment

Well, this wouldn’t be the first commercial airliner that Putin has shot down.

The Russian government has cautioned against promoting “hypotheses” about the cause of the crash of a Russia-bound passenger plane that killed 38 people in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

 

Some aviation experts suggested that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane had been hit by air defence systems over the Russian republic of Chechnya and pro-government media in Azerbaijan quote officials as saying a Russian missile was responsible.

 

Before it went down near the Kazakh city of Aktau, the plane was diverted across the Caspian Sea, from its destination in Chechnya to western Kazakhstan.

 

Twenty nine of the 67 people on board survived. Azerbaijan held a national day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash.

U.S. Auto Makers Losing in China After Radical Shift to EVs

by | 0748, 17 Dec 24 | , | 1 Comment

When the CCP pushes Chinese people to use EVs, they do so. This is not a story of the success of EVs. It a story of the power of totalitarian government. This is the kind of power that makes America’s environuts envious.

The biggest problem is China’s shift from traditional gasoline-powered cars in recent years to electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, which now make up a majority of its market. The country had introduced policies and incentives that pushed buyers towards EVs, where they found better cars and better values in the Chinese brands.

“Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping and the Chinese automakers decided: ‘We have been chasing global automakers in internal combustion engine vehicles, and we’re not catching up. We’re going whole hog into electric,’” said Dunne.

Western automakers tried to stay the course with gasoline-powered cars, and for the most part, so did their JV partners. Now those companies — other than Tesla, which has a factory in Shanghai — are trailing far behind in an effort to keep up with lower priced EVs and hybrids from Chinese automakers, such as BYD.

It was a massive miscalculation by Western automakers, said Bill Russo, head of Shanghai-based investment advisory firm Automobility and head of Chrysler’s Northeast Asia operations from 2004 to 2008.

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