The Turkish president understands that the West will have to learn to live as just one of several centers of world power
On the occasion of NATO’s 75th anniversary meeting, only two leaders of NATO member states dared openly speak about issues that in a reasonable organization shaped by mutual respect that seeks the most effective and responsible policies would be the subject of intense debate among all members. The president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, made their dissent clear on the eve of the meeting. A third leader, Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, issued an urgent warning afterwards, arguing that making Ukraine a NATO member – not the same as the misguided but fortunately non-binding talk about ‘irreversibility’ that the meeting proudly produced – would be a “guarantee of World War III.”
Both Erdogan and Orban broke with the conformism that is the unwritten law of NATO now more than ever. Instead of simply following the often misguided and selfish lead of the US, they signaled three things: Rational dissent on policy reflecting both reason and national interests; that such dissent is normal, useful, and should be welcome; and that they won’t join in the ideological and detrimental groupthink that suppresses dissent inside NATO, and more broadly, the Collective West.
Orban delivered his dose of healthy independence through diplomacy, traveling to Kiev, Moscow, and Beijing on the eve of the summit (meeting with former and likely future US President Donald Trump was just a final touch). Erdogan made his views explicit most of all in an important set of statements in the American magazine Newsweek.
Türkiye, it is worth recalling in this context, has the second-largest military in NATO. Its officers and troops have extensive experience in actual military operations, its arms industry is both growing and constantly modernizing, and last but not least, its location, spanning Europe and Western Asia and controlling access to the Black Sea, is as strategically significant as can be. For all these reasons, it is fair to say that Erdogan’s intervention was especially important. ....more below
eurofascism
The European Union is out of control and out of touch with reality. They announced a new round of sanctions on individuals and groups who refuse to drink the EU kool-aid on Ukriane. I was particularly shocked and angered by their decision to punish Colonel Jacques Baud:
Jacques Baud, a former Swiss army colonel and strategic analyst, is a regular guest on pro-Russian television and radio programmes. He acts as a mouthpiece for pro-Russian propaganda and makes conspiracy theories, for example accusing Ukraine of orchestrating its own invasion in order to join NATO.
Therefore, Jacques Baud is responsible for, implementing or supporting actions or policies attributable to the Government of the Russian Federation which undermine or threaten stability or security in a third country (Ukraine) by engaging in the use of information manipulation and interference.”
You know it is a serious matter of egregious abuse of power when Dr. Gilbert Doctorow and I are in firm agreement… Here ...
Volkswagen is shutting down its Dresden plant—the first closure in its 88-year history—due to skyrocketing energy costs, plummeting sales and geopolitical pressures. The "Transparent Factory" was once a symbol of VW's EV ambitions but failed commercially, producing fewer than 200,000 vehicles since 2001.
Up to 35,000 German jobs could be slashed by 2030, including thousands in R&D, as part of a brutal restructuring. Germany's economy is in a "structural crisis" due to disastrous energy policies (anti-Russia sanctions), rising production costs and collapsing competitiveness.
The European Union's rejection of Russian oil/gas crippled German industry, while China dominates EV sales and U.S. tariffs hurt exports. Analysts warn Volkswagen faces severe cash flow pressures by 2026, forcing cuts to gasoline R&D despite weak EV demand.
The Dresden plant will be repurposed into an AI, robotics and microchip research hub, aligning with the globalist agenda: Centralized control by elites, ...
Sanctions aimed at weakening Russia have backfired spectacularly, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told Corriere della Sera.
19 rounds of sanctions cobbled together in nearly four years have boomeranged, bringing the West’s economies “to their knees,” Matteo Salvini emphasized, adding that they sent Italian household energy bills “soaring.”
Salvini also urged caution amid Europe’s growing militarization, fueled by what he described as an alleged “phantom threat” from Russia.
After all, “if Hitler and Napoleon couldn’t conquer Moscow through military campaigns,” he noted, it’s "hardly likely" that people like European Commission Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, French President Macron, UK Prime Minister Starmer, or German Chancellor Merz would succeed either, Salvini added.....more below
