Very Briefly: US Pullback From Sanctions?
Apologies for slow posting here. I’ve had nearly two weeks of car trouble. First the rear end deal—I got the car back from the body shop just Wednesday. Then Friday I took the car to the dealership for a software “recall”. Somehow that led to the battery being drained overnight. The dealer can’t look at it till Monday, so I’m without a car—since I don’t want to drive a car that could malfunction in some new way. No loaner available.
Anyway, I did notice one story that seems significant. According to RT, EU sources report that the US has “pulled back” from enforcing sanctions against Russia:
Washington has reportedly been “unresponsive” in working groups focused on monitoring restrictions
… since President Donald Trump assumed office, the US has been largely absent from several working groups established to combat Moscow’s attempts to evade sanctions, the officials told the outlet.
They said the US has been mostly “unresponsive” in a working group aimed at preventing Russia from acquiring parts and equipment used in weapons production, according to the article. Washington has also reportedly gone quiet in another group focused on monitoring and enforcing the G7’s $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil sales.
The officials told Bloomberg it’s unclear whether Washington has intentionally scaled back its involvement or is simply facing a shortage of key personnel. They noted that some meetings have been attended by more junior representatives with limited authority to make decisions.
What this suggests is a non-public partial end to the sanctions regime as part of the peace process. Perhaps a sign of good faith being sent to the Russians, but without any official announcement. Interestingly, one of the reasons Putin was late for the phone call from Trump was that Putin was addressing an industrial group. In that address he maintained that nobody should expect an end to sanctions—quite the reverse. But I think we have to assume that this has been part of the discussions, which is a good sign that Trump 2.0 remains committed to the peace process.
Pretty good article by Jonathan Turley:
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/5207576-european-values-new-world-order/
Europe’s elite are very nervous there’s too much freedom of speech
This year, there is a sense of panic among Europe’s elite over the victory of Trump and the Republicans in the U.S., as well as nationalist and populist European movements.
...
The message was clear. The new world order would be based on European, not American, values. To rally the faithful to the cause, the organizers called upon two of the patron saints of the global elite: Bill and Hillary Clinton. President Clinton was even given an award as “leader of the century.”
The Clintons were clearly in their element. Speaker after speaker denounced Trump and the rise of what they called “autocrats” and “oligarchs.” **The irony was crushing. The European Union is based on the oligarchy of a ruling elite. The World Forum even took time to celebrate billionaires from Bill Gates to George Soros for funding “open societies” and greater transnational powers.**
Justice Roberts seems to keep some pretty strange company. The whole damn system is corrupted and illegitimate.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1902750686145810716.html