The Changes Coming To Eastern Europe

 

The Alaska Summit was held by President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The meeting did not produce any peace settlements or an end to violence. The speculation was that it was a discussion of partition of Ukraine. President Zelensky is set to meet with President Trump after the Alaska Summit.  The Russia-Ukraine War has changed Eastern Europe. Belarus is viewed with more hostility due to its alliance with the Russian Federation. The country has not sent any forces, but is subject to sanctions by the European Union. The rest of Eastern Europe is becoming more militarized. Poland does host US air defense systems and military bases. Even if a peace settlement is reached, US military bases will not be removed. Ukraine will lose territory and the western section under a US- European Union sphere of influence. Hungary being closer to the Russian Federation is seeing a decline in relations with the UK and Germany. The war is also causing changes in the Balkans and the Baltic. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are going to be given more arms. Kosovo is going to be pushed to be recognized to undermine Serbia.  NATO members in Europe are expected to increase spending to 5% of their GDP. The economic consequences are going to be negative for the citizens of the UK, Germany, France, and Italy. As taxation increases and social services are cut, public discord will grow. The demographic shift in Ukraine is going to effect the rest of Europe. Since 2022, Ukrainians have fled to avoid military service, violence, and seek safety. As more people die, the country is feeling the consequences of population decline. The Ukrainians that are refugees, might not decide to return. More refugees are going to come when the war is over. Sudden increases of refugee traffic from inside Europe will generate resentment. The loss of the Russia-Ukraine War will halt efforts at European integration. Eastern Europe is becoming divided between EU-NATO supporting countries and those that want diplomatic relations with Russia. 

Representative Barbara Lee Votes Against The Afghanistan War (2001)

 

US Representative Barbara Lee was one of the few congress members to vote against the authorization of force against Afghanistan. The 9/11 attacks made the public and government vexed as well as frightened. An invasion Lee stated would not reduce international terrorism. If Al-Qaeda was a large network, it would not matter which country was invaded. The Taliban did not order the attacks and the culprits were not even from Afghanistan. Barbara Lee throughout here political career as opposed military intervention. The video of this vote is a warning about the military industrial complex and its influence over US foreign policy. The US-Afghan War was one of America's longest conflicts. The result was a defeat and the return of the Taliban to power. The question remains why does Lee continue to be part of a Democratic Party that does not value peace. This issue will continue to divide the Democratic Party.  

Colin Powell Makes The Case For The Iraq War At The UN (2003)

 

Colin Powell (1937-2021)  on February 5th 2003  made the case for war against Iraq at the UN. The speech he gave at the UN Security Council was designed to get a use of force authorization. Secretary of State Powell made the accusation that Saddam Hussein was producing weapons of mass destruction and aiding terrorist  organizations. The evidence provided were satellite images,  phone calls, and testimony from other sources. What was presented to the UN Security Council  was not true. Iraq was not amassing arms nor was it assisting  al-Qaeda. The US did not get the multilateral military alliance it desired. Instead there was a dramatic shift to unilateral military intervention. The US Report on Iraq was a declaration of aggressive war. Colin Powell contributed to this. His reputation was damaged for his involvement. As time passed Colin Powell abandoned the Republican Party.  His service as Secretary of State lasted from 2001 to 2005. The US became more active in warfare generating international condemnation.