Europe Edges Closer to War

Europe is closer to the brink of all-out combat than at any time since the end of the Second World War.

Russia has massed of 100,000 troops, well equipped as an invasion force, on its border with Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s military has successfully tested powerful new missiles aimed at intimidating the west from responding. The U.S. Defense Department notes that there has been “…a significant Russian buildup and unusual concentration of forces in and around Ukraine.”

In February 2014, the Kremlin invaded and annexed Crimea, a part of Ukraine. The Obama-Biden Administration did not respond in any significant way. Putin was constrained from further adventurism during the Trump era, but now, with Biden in the White House, Moscow may be gambling that once again the U.S. will not take any significant action.

A takeover of Ukraine would be seen as a major step in re-establishing the Soviet Empire, representing a clear threat to the rest of Europe.

America’s NATO allies are clearly and deeply concerned.

Speaking at the Reuters Next conference NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that ”we all made it very clear that there will be a high price to pay” for any further Russian aggression against Ukraine. The NATO chief highlighted the increasingly bellicose rhetoric emanating from the Kremlin about Ukraine. “What we do know, is that not only has Russia increased its military presence closer to Ukraine’s borders, but … they’ve used military force against Ukraine before. They did that in 2014, when they invaded and illegally annexed Crimea, which is part of Ukraine, and they continue to support the armed separatists in Donbass in eastern Ukraine.”

The secretary general said NATO has called on Russia to de-escalate the situation. “We can hope for the best and call on Russia to not once again use military force against a sovereign, independent Ukraine, but we need to be prepared for the worst.”

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Stoltenberg scoffed at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assertion that Russia is only responding to Ukraine’s warlike action. “The whole idea that Ukraine represents a threat to Russia is absolutely wrong,” the secretary general said. “Ukraine has been attacked by Russia. Russia is occupying parts of Ukraine. Crimea is part of the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine.”

In addition to its 2014 invasion when Russia invaded, occupied and illegally annexed Crimea, it also provides military support to militant separatists in eastern Ukraine. “On top of that, we know that Russia is responsible for aggressive hybrid attacks [and] cyber attacks against Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said. “So, the whole idea that Ukraine is a threat to Russia is turning the world upside down. It is Russia that over many years now has been responsible for many types of aggressive actions against Ukraine.”

Individual NATO nations — including the United States — have provided aid to Ukraine in its struggle. NATO, as an alliance, has provided training to Ukrainian service members and advised Ukrainian officials on ways to improve their capabilities.

Stoltenberg called the Russian build-up “unexplained and unjustified,” and the NATO nations want the Russians to stop the provocations. “If they do the opposite, and actually decide to once again use force against Ukraine, then we have made it clear … during the NATO Foreign Minister meeting in Latvia today that Russia will then have to pay a high price; there will be serious consequences for Russia,” he said. “And that’s a clear message from NATO.”

Despite the clarity from NATO, the alliance is unlikely to act without the full support of the Biden Administration. The White House has not taken the steps that would signal preparations for a serious military engagement. The Biden defense budget actually cuts the Pentagon’s purchasing power by approximately three percent.

Photo: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with his organization’s leaders. (NATO photo)

Quick Analysis

2024 Vote Faces Integrity Issues

There is mounting evidence that the 2024 vote face serious integrity issues, centered around illegal aliens voting. Examine these media think tank, Attorneys general and other reports: A late September Daily Mail report notes that “Democrats admit thousands of registered Arizona voters haven’t provided proof of citizenship after shock computer ‘glitch.’ Arizona’s Democratic leaders, on a secret call, worried about a shocking discovery that, if made public, would see them accused of rigging the upcoming election and question the results of the last two.” A Heritage Foundation election oversight report found that the Biden-Harris Administration’s voter registration drive has been conducted in a partisan manner. The Research organization Just Facts notes that “Based on the latest available data and an enhanced version of a stress-tested methodology from a scholarly journal, a new study by Just Facts has found that about 10% to 27% of non-citizen adults in the U.S. are now illegally registered to vote. The U.S. Census recorded more than 19 million adult non-citizens living in the U.S. during 2022. Given their voter registration rates, this means that about two million to five million of them are illegally registered to vote. These figures are potentially high enough to overturn the will of the American people in major elections, including congressional seats and the presidency.” A Federalist study stressed that “More than a dozen jurisdictions run by Democrats — including Washington, D.C., and several adjacent Maryland municipalities — allow noncitizens to vote in some local elections. San Francisco not only permits noncitizens to vote but appointed one to serve on its elections commission. Such developments, against a backdrop of millions of illegal migrants streaming into the United States under the Biden-Harris administration, bring new urgency to debates over election integrity. Many Republicans fear that a widespread effort is afoot to give noncitizens the full benefits of citizenship, including the right to vote in all elections, on top of benefits already available to illegal aliens in some places, notably driver’s licenses, food stamps, government health care, and work visas.” In August, as reported earlier in this column, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a coalition of twenty-three other attorneys general filed+ an amicus brief in support of an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship in order to vote, asking the Supreme Court of the United States for an emergency stay of a federal district court’s injunction against the law. “The Biden-Harris Administration has intentionally flooded our country with illegal aliens. Without proper safeguards, foreign nationals can and will illegally influence elections at the local, state, and national level,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The States have a constitutional right and responsibility to ensure that only legal votes from American citizens are counted. I hope the Supreme Court recognizes the urgency of this situation and moves to protect our national elections. Lawmakers in Texas must also make every effort to secure our elections and prevent noncitizens from voting. I urge them in the next legislative session to prioritize election integrity in Texas after millions of illegal aliens entered the state under the Biden-Harris Administration. As we also reported earlier, Democratic party leaders haven’t been shy about their advocacy to rapidly allow illegal aliens to vote. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, appearing on Bill Maher’s program, advocated quickly turning these unlawful arrivals into citizens. California’s Democratic Party is so intent on allowing illegals to vote that its super-majority in the state legislature voted for a bill that would prohibit local governments from seeking to apply common-sense voter ID. emocratic judges have even ignored voter demands for ballot security measures that would inhibit questionable voting practices. As noted by the New York Post “So much for no means no. That’s the message from the state Court of Appeals, which ruled last week that New Yorkers don’t need an excuse to cast an absentee ballot by mail when they’re otherwise able to vote in person — even though the voters themselves have directly rejected such a measure.” Illustration: Pixabay