Elections Have Consequences
The Chinese must have gotten to the North Koreans because they’re quietly looking for a way to back things down before they’re obliterated.
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Maybe Dennis Rodman went to Norkland and visited Un and explained to him that the present US Administration isn’t made up of posers and pussies?
However it went down, the rhetoric is cooling and North Korea is trying another, different approach. The Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) in Pyongyang reported on 11 May the results of the South Korean presidential election.
“This election was held early because the traitor Park Geun Hye, who had committed an unprecedented crime in the history of puppet politics, had been removed from the presidency by the unanimous demand of the South Korean people.”
“Moon Jae In, candidate of the Minjoo Party, was elected the 19th president by winning 41 percent of the votes in this election.”
North Korean propagandists have had difficulty fitting into their communist mindset the impeachment of the South Korean president and her replacement through national elections.
The dominant theme is that the people ousted the South Korean president, which they argue, proves that the South Korean system is unpopular. The statements released today stretched the facts in that President Park had many supporters. Her ouster occurred because South Korea follows the rule of law. The demands for her ouster were not unanimous and mattered less than the evidence of her corrupt practices.
The significant point about the brief announcement is that it contained no adjectives to describe President Moon. They’re hoping that President Moon will make concessions to them. During his presidential campaign, Moon said he intended to handle relations with North Korea and that of the US THAAD System’s deployment in South Korea differently than his predecessor did.
The Chinese are strongly opposed to the THAAD deployment. Their leaders sense in President Moon an opportunity to reverse or modify the decision to deploy THAAD. They will try to exploit it.
Political Discord in Yemen
A group of senior leaders from southern Yemen, led by a former governor of Aden Province, announced that they are launching a formal movement for South Yemen to secede.
In a televised address on 11 May, Aidaroos al-Zubaidi, recently removed governor of Aden Province, announced that he and his cohorts formed a transitional political council to govern southern Yemeni provinces. The pro-secession transitional council consists of 26 southern members, mainly governors, prominent secessionist figures and tribal leaders.
Zubaidi said the new council would continue to cooperate with the coalition and foreign powers to combat Iranian influence and terrorism.
This announcement is a manifestation of an underlying dispute between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the conduct of the war. In April, Yemen President Hadi dismissed Zubaidi and a cabinet member who were backed by the United Arab Emirates and by Abu Dhabi. That move sparked large protest demonstrations in Aden in support of southern secession.
The South Shall Rise Again?
Yemen was divided until 1994 when northern Yemeni forces defeated those of southern Yemen, ending a bloody civil war and unifying the country. The southerners have never forgotten that and have rankled under discriminatory policies and practices implemented by northern governments in Sana’a.
Secession would leave the Iranian proxy Houthi government in control in the north and would end the fighting.
With this announcement, both the Houthi coalition and the Saudi-led coalition are fractured. This explains the inability of either side to end the civil war.
Yemen is now divided among (1) the Houthis; the followers of former president Saleh; (2) the Saudi-backed Hadi government; (3) the southern secessionists and (4) al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. There appears no prospect for reconciling these groups. Nothing will be accomplished until the Saudis and Emiratis, who jointly lead the coalition, settle their dispute.
Lebanon-Hizballah
On 11 May, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese Hizballah, announced in a televised speech that Hizballah was dismantling its military positions on the border with Syria, withdrawing its forces from the border and returning border security responsibilities to the Lebanese Army.
“Along the eastern Lebanese border there is no longer a need for our presence, so now we have dismantled and will dismantle our remaining military positions. The mission has been accomplished … from now on this area is the responsibility of the state,” Nasrallah said.
Concerning Syria, Nasrallah said the conflict had reached a “new and critical phase” with insurgents severely weakened, and that Damascus, Moscow, Tehran and Hezbollah were “in more harmony politically and militarily than at any time.”
The announcement may be a cover story for shifting more Hizballah manpower to Syria. As the Syrian government and allied combat forces have recaptured territory, the need for manpower to stabilize and consolidate newly “liberated” territories has increased. Iran sees the instability in Syria as an opportunity, as do so many other regional and international players.
Instability in Venezuela
On 10 May, one protestor was killed and dozens of people were injured during violent clashes in Caracas. The protestors were demanding new presidential elections. National guardsmen used tear gas against the protestors who tried to march to the Supreme Court building. A group of armed pro-government militiamen harassed protesters during the march.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez expressed regret for the deaths that had occurred during more than a month of opposition demonstrations, but he said “no lethal weapons have been used” by the government security forces. He said 36 people have been killed, but not by government security forces.
The defense minister said the situation in Venezuela had been described as a non-conventional war “because it is part of the United States’ script to meddle, but in a different way.” He repeated public allegations made by Maduro’s government which blames the United States for encouraging and backing the opposition protests in Venezuela. He said it was part of a US plan “to change the way of things, particularly the government when it is not submissive.”
Demonstrations have been occurring daily for over a month. One person per day is killed in them.
There are still no signs of compromise by the government or the opposition. There also are no signs of mutiny or disloyalty in the security forces.
All this chatter about China, North Korea, and Venezuela is but a distraction from the really important crap – like Trump getting two scoops of ice cream.
Once again – thanks for spelling this all out for a dolt such as myself.
Two scoops of Vanilla is a scandal when they'd prefer that he eat only Rocky Road.
Thanks for the updates!
None of these hell holes is worth one American life IMHO – or one grieving American family. They're cess pits now and they have always been cess pits. It's important to follow what they're up to because they like to come to the US and blow stuff up for shits and giggles. But they're still not worth one casualty. Not one.
I don't see the Trump sons, the Obama daughters or Chelsea Clinton as "boots on the ground" in Syria… If it's worth the lives of Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, it should be worth the lives of the children of Congress, the Wall Street Bankers and the Clintons.
What happened to the merc force(s) in the Yemen? Last I heard they'd taken a battering but that was a while ago. Speaking of battering, maybe it's about time the Clinton investigation was reopened. Just a thought.
I guess everything will calm down with the NORKs since the Pope made Norway become involved in small talk between the US and NORK.
The benefits with Norway as a middleman are multiple. They will spend a lot of oil money on the process and the motivation of Norway giving the parties the Nobel Peace prize when successful can not be underestimated. Since the Chinese leadership also took Norway out of the freezing box after 7 years the relationship to China is also OK for the time being. So here you have the little country with oil money and a large sovereign fund recommended by the Pope himself dealing with China, US and NORK to secure global peace.
I'd have to agree with that; but as you say, not at all likely.
As I understand it, the mercenaries left. The country is not fixable. The people live in a stone-age mode for the most part the way good Muslims do.
I think that if the Nobel Committee gave Kim Jong Un a Nobel Peace Prize it would make sense. They gave one to Barack for not doing anything. Thus there is precedent.
I think that is within reach. It will help if someone recommend him like the South Korean intelligence agency did when they made Kim Dae-jung a Peace prize winner in 2000.
Appeal to his ego?
"Vladimir Lopez"??
Sounds like something straight outta Idiocracy!
Agree. Not one.
I need a Nobel Prize for something. It would look good over the mantle of my new home. I don't care what it's for. The key is that it has to be something that I didn't earn.
There are a LOT of white Russians in Venezuela. They fled the old Soviet Union early on and settled there. Much like Germans in Argentina and Brazil.
I have previously worked with the current secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. It might be possible for a small administrative fee to present the opportunity to him and his colleagues. The great opportunity to award you the prize for managing peace in the home for so many years with so many women in the house should qualify.
Four daughters — Oh, yes. I definitely deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for that.
I think it became clear to the world that Trump isn't as flexible as Obama was.
Trump is a negotiator. Obama just bowed to everyone and gave away the store in exchange for a hefty donation to his bank account. There was clearly a different culture during the ObamaNation.
I get sick in the back of my mouth when I envision obama bowing down to other heads of state. Seriously, I thought Jimmy Carter was the worst president ever… was I wrong or what.
Everyone thought that we bottomed out with Carter. And we ended up wishing we had him back when Obama went into action.
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