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| The New York Times | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 17 2014, 11:52 PM (756 Views) | |
| Jos1311 | Sep 17 2014, 11:52 PM Post #1 |
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| lordofthechris | Feb 11 2015, 07:39 AM Post #41 |
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McRaven Wants Tough NATO Action Against Russia's 'Influence' In Eastern Europe U.S. will seek to improve NATO capabilities in Poland, Baltics April 2017 Washington D.C. - U.S. defense secretary W[illiam McRaven said the United States and NATO need to reject Moscow’s “sphere of influence” over Eastern Europe and build military forces capable of toppling “any opponent.” The comments were made by McRaven following global media outrage at casual threats of using nuclear weapons by the Putin administration in Moscow. McRaven responded to a number of current security issues, such as Russia, Afghanistan and global cyberthreats, as well as questions about the 2018 defense budget, reports Defense News. "I reject the notion that Russia should be afforded a 'sphere of influence,'" McRaven stated. “I will continue to encourage U.S. partners, such as Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, to build their security capacity and military interoperability with NATO." All three countries have regions that are heavily influenced by the Russian military and Moscow politics. Transnistria, the breakaway region of Moldova, has a large Russian military contingent and is considered legally under the effective authority of Russia, according to the European Court of Human Rights. Georgia has two contested regions with large Russian influence: South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Georgia and Russia fought a war in 2008 over the areas, which are now largely operating as separatist states. Russia also annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea and is accused of supporting the pro-Russian rebels in the on-going war in East Ukraine. McRaven mentioned he would like to keep the United States in its lead role in "collective defense planning" inside NATO. He also urged other alliance members to “invest in military capabilities that can impose costs on any opponent" and spend resources on items required by the alliance. McRaven's statement comes just before an anticipated NATO announcement on the formation of a 5,000-troop reaction force that will be bolstered by Special Forces, including air and sea support. A lead group will be able to deploy within 48 hours, and the entire unit would take up to seven days to deploy. The aim is for the force to number around 30,000 troops when it's fully formed. The Clinton national security team, which consists of retired Admiral McRaven in Defense, and retired General Colin Powell as Secretary of State, is viewed to be fairly hawkish. Mrs Clinton herself has established a reputation as a hawk in regards to Russian aggression. |
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| lordofthechris | Feb 13 2015, 01:42 PM Post #42 |
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White House drops opposition to Armenian genocide resolution in Congress Decision comes at a tense time in U.S.-Turkey relations May 2017 Washington D.C. - Unfazed about antagonizing Turkish leaders, House members from both parties have begun tooffer theirr support toa resolution backed by the Democratic leadership that would condemn as genocide the mass killings of Armenians nearly a century ago. Almost a dozen lawmakers had shifted in favor of the measure in the last 24 hours, accelerating a sudden commitment that has renewed hope over the measure’s prospects. Some made clear that they were heeding suggestions from the White House, which has called the measure "appropriately timed". The measure originally appeared in 2007, with strong support from then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It was also approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But it stalled when a group of senior House Democrats had made it known that they were planning to ask the leadership to drop plans for a vote on the measure. “Turkey obviously feels they are getting poked in the eye over something that happened a century ago and maybe this isn’t a good time to be doing that,” said Representative Allen Boyd, a Florida Democrat who dropped his sponsorship of the resolution in 2007 but now favors its passage. "However, times change, and now Turkey must acknolwedge its past mistakes." Others who took the same action said that, while they deplored the effects this might have on U.S.-Turkey relations, Turkey's recent activities and bilateral communications with the U.S. have been difficult and trending downward. The Turkish government has lobbied heavily against the resolution, which is nonbinding and largely symbolic. But lawmakers attribute the renewed support mainly to perceptions that Turkey is no longer a reliable ally in the Middle East. The U.S. lobbied heavily on Turkey's behalf to find an agreeable cease-fire, only to have Turkey reject it and accuse the White House of betrayal. The resolution has gained significant momentum and is expected to pass both houses of Congress in the coming weeks. The White House indicated that it will not oppose the resolution should it be adopted by Congress. |
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| Jos1311 | Mar 14 2015, 07:21 PM Post #43 |
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NATO partners must allocate more towards defense Overall NATO defense spending trend should be broken, says Defense Secretary Raven ![]() NEW YORK | United States (September 2017) -- In the face of a naval arms race in Asia, and ongoing turmoil in Ukraine and the Middle East, Defense Secretary William McRaven made a pitch for renewed military spending by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In a speech Friday, Mr. Raven stressed that Europe needed to take more proactive action to ensure that it can cope with the rising security demands. "We must see renewed financial commitments from all NATO members," Mr. Raven said. "The situation in Syria, and the broader Middle East, various hotspots in Africa, the apparent Asian naval arms race, are all signals that NATO cannot await with allocating more money towards defense." Mr. Raven proposed including finance ministers and budget directors in coming NATO meetings, to broaden the discussion and impress on a wider swath of European officials the importance of increasing military spending. The pitch isn't a new one. Mr. Raven's predecessors, alsoh made high-profile speeches lamenting the deep cuts to military spending by European allies. But Mr. Raven's pitch comes at a time when attitudes are shifting in European capitals in the face of Russia's annexation of Crimea and an ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Several countries, among them Germany, have already stepped up their defense spending in light of increased tensions with Russia. However Mr. Raven stated that Russia should not be considered the main threat, stating that "Islamic terrorism has surfaced in Libya, and is continuing to spread across the globe." Mr. Raven emphasized that the Ukraine crisis, various crisis in Africa, and the rapidly increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula are also examples of various security issues on the horizon. Mr. Raven said he believes Europe had made an error in turning away its focus on strategic defense challenges after the end of the Cold War, and that it should take steps towards improving the overall security situation. "Many of our partners do not reach NATO's 2-percent target," Mr. Raven said at a security conference. Revealing that only a handful of NATO members states comply to the rule. Defense Secretary Raven did however also praise France and Italy for stepping up to the challenge in Libya, offering them US support where needed, but emphasizing that the main burden for these operations should fall with the European member states. "With its entry into the Libyan conflict, the crisis in Libya should have far more attention from Europe," he added. Secretary Raven further stated that "in recent years, one of the biggest obstacles to alliance investment has been a sense that the end of the Cold War ushered in an end of history, and an end to insecurity, at least in Europe, from aggression by nation-states. However the various challenges that NATO faces now, and increased tension with Russia over, for instance, Ukraine, shatter this myth and usher in bracing new realities." |
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| Jos1311 | Mar 15 2015, 08:15 AM Post #44 |
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United States concerned about growing tensions on Korean peninsula Calls upon Pyongyang and Seoul to prevent increased tensions from turning into armed conflict ![]() NEW YORK | United States (September 2017) -- The United States on Monday expressed concern over rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, which is the direct result of an alleged terror attack by North Korea against the South, which resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that Washington encourages Seoul and Pyongyang to engage in a dialogue. “We certainly remain concerned and watch over tensions along the border. We have already called for a thorough investigation into the matter, and if Pyongyang was behind the attacks fitting measures will need to follow suit. That being said we encourage dialogue between the two countries, as an armed conflict is definitely not in the best interest of anyone involved,” Psaki said, when the issue of flare-up in border tensions between North and South Korea was raised at the daily briefing. When her attention was drawn to the reports of the numerous civilian casualties of the attack on the Seoul TV tower, the spokesperson said that the US does obviously sympathise with families on loss of any lives. “Our hearts will go out to the families for any lives lost,” she added. In response to another question, the spokesperson noted that Washington has been supporting dialogue between Pyongyang and Seoul, but added that Washington warned Pyongyang that involvement to the attacks could not be without consequences. She said that the recent flair in tensions was of major concern to Washington, as a conflict between the two Koreas "has the potential to draw the entire region into the conflict," and would have dire consequences for the regional and most likely global economies as well. She added that Washington and Seoul would closely cooperate with each other on a range of issues including counter-terrorism and security issues, but also stressed that despite the consequences Seoul should always try to give diplomacy a chance. She also responded to the statements coming from Pyongyang that the government of DPRK would take full responsibility for this attack, and cooperate with the international community on investigating the case. According to Psaki the fact that Pyongyang already took full responsibility for the attack, and expressed its willingness to cooperate with the international investigation into the matter was a first start. "However this is just the first step, and we expect more steps to be taken by Pyongyang," she said. Most likely referring to at the very least compensation to the victims of the attack, but perhaps even more. |
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| Vonar Roberts | May 16 2015, 12:11 PM Post #45 |
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As the economy continues to recover Democrat's promise more opportunities for the American middle Class Since Hillary Clinton took office in January of 2017 unemployment has fallen from 5.82 percent to 5.5 percent. The US economy added 85,000 jobs in the month of May, marking 86 months of consecutive job growth and the Dow Jones industrial complex broke through the elusive 21,000 mark closing at 21,250 on reports that the US economy will grow at a rate of 4.045 percent. The first time the economy has passed the 4 percent mark since 2000 largely thanks to Congressional action on important economic measures. Vice President Warren was quoted as saying that while she and President Clinton were pleased with the progress that Congress has made on economic matters, and breaking the congressional gridlock that had plagued much of President Obama's first two terms she also noted that much more needs to be done to secure the fortunes of America's Middle Class. Vice President Warren noted that bipartisan agreements and compromise would continue to play a important roll in pushing through the Democrat party agenda, and that House Democrat leaders will soon begin discussions with Republican leadership to come to some kind of bilateral compromise before the mid terms on the tough matter of cracking down on currency manipulators, a measure that if approved could save more then 1 million American jobs and generate over a decade 5 million American jobs. Additional efforts to promote closer trade relationships between America, the European Union, India, a number of African countries, central and South America, as well as a continued push to normalize relations Cuba will dominate the Democratic agenda for 2018. With the overall aim of generating a additional million jobs and a full percentage point of GDP growth. Additional investments into infrastructure, high tech sectors, and high speed rail are all high priorities for the Democratic agenda for 2018. Democrats also wish to address the matter of Puerto Rico's statehood movement, and establish a pathway for Puerto Rico to reach statehood. Vice President Warren was also hopeful on pushing through additional progressive programs and reforms which include tackling the problems of student debt, homelessness, election reforms, gun control, expanding access to affordable healthcare, and establishing a voters rights act and were all mentioned as high priorities for the Democratic party going into 2018 and 2019. |
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