BRITISH/ EU/ NATO COMPLICITY

FINIAN CUNNINGHAM—The Biden administration has changed tack from the predecessor Trump “America First” policy to vigorously advocate for a “revitalized” transatlantic relationship. Washington views a more unified U.S.-Europe axis as a more effective strategic way to challenge China and Russia. And NATO is providing a renewed coordinating vehicle.

But in seeking unity, the Biden administration is by necessity having to push a much more aggressive policy toward China and Russia, portraying them as greater threats. This means the American military alliance takes on greater responsibility for spearheading Washington’s policy. A NATO joint statement this week affirmed the alliance’s unity in the face of Russian “aggression”. Moscow slammed the statement, saying that Russia threatened no nation, and that NATO was trying to justify its existence.

Senior Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said that NATO’s claims about being a defensive alliance are a “blatant lie”, pointing to wars and interventions it has launched in former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria.

America’s top diplomat Antony Blinken this week claimed that China’s rise and Russia’s attempts to destabilize the West were “threats” that required NATO to come together. Blinken added disingenuously that the U.S. won’t force its allies into making an “us or them choice” with China. That’s exactly what the U.S. is doing.

GLENN GREENWALD–ver the course of five-plus hours on Thursday, a House Committee along with two subcommittees badgered three tech CEOs, repeatedly demanding that they censor more political content from their platforms and vowing legislative retaliation if they fail to comply. The hearing — convened by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and the two Chairs of its Subcommittees, Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) — was one of the most stunning displays of the growing authoritarian effort in Congress to commandeer the control which these companies wield over political discourse for their own political interests and purposes.

KIM PETERSEN—It is curious upon what moral basis Canada derives the right to pronounce on genocides elsewhere given that Canada exists as a state founded on a genocide of its Indigenous nations. [2] Canada is profiting from Saudi Arabia’s genocide/humanitarian disaster waged against its southern neighbor Yemen. Further demonstrating the Canadian government’s hypocrisy is its solidarity with Israeli apartheid and failure to condemn Israel’s slow-motion genocide of the predominantly Muslim Palestinians .

Hua Chunying: The Canadian side, by ganging up on China with a few individuals from some embassies in China to point fingers at China’s lawful handling of relevant cases involving Canadian citizens, has grossly interfered in China’s judicial sovereignty. We deplore and reject that.
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are suspected of crimes endangering China’s national security. The Chinese judicial authorities try cases in strict accordance with law and fully protect the two individual’s litigation rights. As relevant cases involve state secrets, relevant courts didn’t hear them in open court, which is in compliance with law and thus beyond reproach. The Criminal Law of Canada also has clear provisions that Canadian judges have the right to decide if cases should be heard in private for the purpose of safeguarding national security. It is hypocritical and unjustifiable for Canada, a self-styled champion of the rule of law, to make wanton comments on China’s judicial authorities’ lawful handling of cases and practice “double standards” on legal issues.
Here is a piece of advice: it is a fool’s errand that serves no purpose at all to resort to “megaphone diplomacy” or to gang up on China.

JAY JANSON—A single Trident II submarine can inflict more death than all prior wars in history. Twenty-four missiles, launched while submerged, each with seventeen independently targeted, maneuverable nuclear warheads five times more powerful than the atom bomb that destroyed Nagasaki, can travel 5,000 nautical miles to strike within 300 feet of 408 predetermined targets. Nuclear winter might very well follow even if no other weapons are used.