Canada Sending Frigate To Eastern Europe

Canada sending frigate to join NATO in eastern Europe

STEVEN CHASE

Ottawa — The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Apr. 30 2014, 3:15 PM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Apr. 30 2014, 4:23


Canada is dispatching the frigate HMCS Regina to join the NATO military alliance’s efforts to beef up security in central and eastern Europe as the crisis in Ukraine deepens.

The ship is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea and will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Standing Maritime Forces “as part of NATO’s reassurance package,” the Canadian government said.

On Tuesday Canada sent six CF-18 fighters to Romania to help with air patrols of NATO members as neighbours of Russia remain anxious over Russia’s territorial ambitions.The Conservative government would not immediately say where the HMCS Regina is heading now.

“Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukraine and provocative military activity remains a serious concern to the international community,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.

“Canada remains committed to working with our NATO Allies to promote the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-sending-frigate-to-nato-security-effort-in-eastern-europe/article18343817/

More Ukranian Government Buildings Taken By Pro-Russian Rebels

It will be interesting to see how long the Ukrainian Government will hold back lethal force against these rebels/Russian Infiltrators? I am sure the Ukrainian Government is asking the EU and the rest of the West for direction here but for me the best bet is to hit Russia hard with an all out sanction blitz. As I said in a previous post, Putin will not pull these rebels back unless he is feeling the pressure at home. There has already been a real drop in the Russian GDP, but is it enough to get Putin to reconsider his moves? I don't think so and it is time for our leaders to show that they are capable of leading and go for the throat of the main players at the top of the Russian government.

Where is our generation's Maggie and Ronnie? Why must we not back up our red lines as we have done in the past? I think we have a leader here in Canada that would be that type if he had the clout of the US, or UK, but alas he is Canadian and as such he will not be given the time of day that a leader of one of those great nations would garner.

Obama has had many of these dealings throughout his tenure, and each and every time he leaves the citizens of the world asking the same question. When will he back up his words? Time to man up Mr. Obama and show that you  are deserving of being the president of the most powerful nation in the world. Take more decisive action against the Russians and hit them hard where it hurts.....in the pocketbook!

Pro-Russia Separatists Seize More Ukraine Buildings

Pro-Russian armed men take cover behind a car near the local police headquarters in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, April 29, 2014

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VOA News

April 29, 2014 8:40 AM

Hundreds of pro-Russian separatists overran more Ukrainian government buildings near the Russian border Tuesday, seizing a prosecutor's office in Luhansk and attacking a police station with clubs and automatic weapons.

Local authorities say police did not offer resistance, and witnesses say gunmen raised a separatist flag over government headquarters in the city of 450,000 residents.

The takeover appears to give pro-Moscow rebels control of a second provincial capital in the east, after separatists seized control of Donetsk Monday and set a referendum on secession for May 11.  A similar vote last month led to Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

The government in Kyiv has all but lost control of its police forces in parts of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian activists have seized buildings in the region's second biggest city of Donetsk and several smaller towns.
   

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  Pro-Russian activists storm an administration building in the center of Luhansk, Ukraine, one of the largest cities in Ukraine's troubled east, April 29, 2014.

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"The regional leadership does not control its police force,'' said Stanislav Rechynsky, an aide to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. "The local police did nothing.''

Meanwhile, Hennady Kernes, the mayor of eastern Ukraine's biggest city, Kharkiv, was in a stable condition on Tuesday in a hospital in Israel, where he was flown after an apparent assassination attempt.

US, EU sanctions

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Tuesday that international sanctions imposed on Russia are putting pressure on the country's economy, and that more actions may be taken if Moscow's behavior does not change.
      
"You have to look over the period of time Russia went into Crimea, since we've imposed sanctions, there has been a quite substantial deterioration in Russia's already weak economy," Lew told a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. "We see it in their stock exchange, we see it in their exchange rate, we see it in a number of important economic indicators.''

Lew said the United States is keeping its options open and is prepared to take further action if Russian policy toward Ukraine doesn't change.

The European Union Tuesday announced asset freezes and travel bans on 15 Russians and Ukrainians over Moscow's actions in Ukraine, but the measures were seen as less aggressive than sanctions imposed this week by the United States

While visiting Cuba Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed U.S. and European Union sanctions, saying they defied common sense and were the work of weak politicians in the West "attempting to blame others."

Putin on sanctions
 
President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia sees no need for counter-sanctions against the West, but could reconsider the participation of Western companies in its economy, including energy projects, if sanctions continued.

“We would very much wish not to resort to any measures in response,” he told reporters after meeting leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan in Minsk.

“But if something like that continues, we will of course have to think about who is working in the key sectors of the Russian economy, including the energy sector, and how,” added Putin.

Putin reiterated his accusations that the United States was orchestrating the Ukraine crisis.

Intercepted calls

Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States has recordings proving that Moscow is running a network of spies inside eastern Ukraine, reports The Daily Beast which says it obtained a recording of a closed-door meeting attended by the U.S. top diplomat.

“We know exactly who’s giving those orders, we know where they are coming from,” Kerry reportedly said at a private meeting of the Trilateral Commission in Washington.

Kerry, according to The Daily Beast, didn’t name specific Russian officials implicated but claimed that the intercepts provided proof of Moscow deliberately fomenting unrest in eastern Ukraine - and lying about it to U.S. officials and the public.

“This is insulting to everybody’s intelligence, let alone to our notions about how we ought to be behaving in the 21st century. It’s thuggism, it’s rogue state-ism. It’s the worst order of behavior,” Kerry reportedly said.

Status of OSCE monitors

In separatist-held Slovyansk, the self-declared mayor said he would discuss the release of detained military observers only if the European Union dropped sanctions against rebel leaders.

But later in the day, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said "good progress" had been made in talks with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the release of seven of its observers held since Friday. The observers had travelled to eastern Ukraine under the auspices of the democracy watchdog.
 

Troops on border

Meanwhile, there is no visible sign of any sizeable troop movements away from Ukraine's border where Moscow deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and hardware, a NATO official said Tuesday.

In a phone call Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that Russian forces, which he said started drills near the border last week, had returned to their permanent positions, according to the Russian government.

"We currently have no information that indicates a  withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian border. We continue to urge Russia to abide by the Geneva agreement and to pull back all its troops along the Ukrainian border in favor of diplomacy and dialogue,'' a NATO official told Reuters.

^{Some information for this report contributed by AP and Reuters.}

What To Do With Russia and The Ukraine?

Well the weeks have gone by since Russia took over control of Crimea with little, to no real sanctions to pressure Mr. Putin and his inner circle. What have we done so far? Sanctions on a select few within the Russian government and companies/banks that are close to the upper echelon of the government. These sanctions may have long term consequences but nothing that will be felt for quite a while. So what more can be done?

Lets first look at hitting the top decision makers within the Russian government. I am talking Mr. Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. How about placing hard hitting sanctions on these guys, freeze their foreign assets, restrict air travel etc, make these sanctions be felt by the heads of state.

Next we need to look at getting the message across to the people of Russia, they are being hoodwinked by their government. But how do you do this with most media strictly controlled by Putin? You need to look at the media not controlled by the government and feed them the true stories, I mean a Ukrainian Mayor shot in the back by a pro-Russian assailant, what are the chances that this is being reported in Russia.....slim to none I would think and you can guarantee it is not being reported on any of the state controlled media outlets.

There are other ways to get the word out as well, social media is the best way in my opinion, problem is that the government is making sure nothing is being passed on that they do not want their people to know. The EU, US, Canada and others can look at ways to unlock these social media sites and make others like Facebook and Twitter more accessible. The top Russian social media site VKontakte, was just taken over by pro-Putin supporters after founder Pavel Durov stated he would not censor his site. Durov has since fled the country and will not return fearing for his safety. Durov says that VKontakte is "under the complete control of Igor Sechin and Alisher Usmanov", the chief executive of state-owned oil company Rosneft and Putin's former deputy chief of staff, and the richest man in Russia, respectively. Is it time for this site to be infiltrated by the international community, although governments say they do not take part in this type of activity there is no doubt in anyone's mind that this is the case.

Energy is of course the big stumbling block here, Russia controls it's neighbours by controlling their energy needs. Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, UK, and many others are held hostage by Russia in this department. For years they have wielded this power over these countries by pressuring them into concessions on state matters They have just recently dramatically increased prices for gas going into Ukraine and increase are sure to come for the rest of the countries dependent on Russia for natural gas imports. Russia will strike back at any of these nations that impose sanctions on them so in the coming months you will see the cost of natural gas go up dramatically in the rest of Europe. So what can we do? Canada, the US, and the Middle East need to do their part here, make our energy more accessible to Europe and thus try to ring in this stranglehold Russia has on them. We can also look at domestic energy within these nations, maybe give some sort of tax breaks for companies willing to go into these countries and drill. Poland, Spain, France and the Uk have enough domestic oil and gas that could supply the rest of the continent in a few short years, all they need is the expertise and money. This is where targeted tax breaks by not only the EU but maybe Canada and the US as well that would go a long ways in helping to unlock these resources.

I am sure I am going to miss hundreds of other options but the last option I want to talk about is military support. We should be looking to beef up the Ukrainian defenses and help them take back their government buildings in east Ukraine that have been taken by heavily(re:Russian Paramilitary) armed pro-Russian rebels. We don't want a civil war to break out here but there needs to be law and order instilled which should be the ultimate goal.

The one thing I do know is that Obama, and the rest of the world need to make a hard stand here and let Russia know that they cannot just go around annexing their neighbour's land nor bullying them in any way. The world is civilized Mr. Putin, it is time for you to get on board.

Just What is Going On In The World?

We have riots in the streets of London, Al Shabaab fighting to keep western aid from reaching millions of starving people in Africa, stock markets around the world on a roller coaster ride from hell, mass killing going on in Syria and an American president who has failed his people on the economy, just to name a few.

It is a world in turmoil, the likes we probably have not seen since the second world war and it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon.  Which begs the question, what can we do to fix things?  My common sense solutions below.

Our world for the most part has been living life like socialists for far too long. Even the right side of the political spectrum has been giving free hand outs far too often.  We need to get back to our roots, where people were not afraid to put in an honest days work, raise a family, and expect nothing from government unless it is an unforeseen circumstance such as drought, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like.  Far too often we look to government to step in when times are tough, instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting to work like our forefathers did.  If we truly want change we have to look inside ourselves and decide that change has to start from within.  We are the ones who need to change, we need to stop with the handouts, dig deep and get things done!

Solution for anarchy in London and everywhere else.  Make the people pay for their actions!  Too long have we allowed this kind of stuff to go on without serious consequences.  Sure, have your peaceful demonstrations but if you get out of line you are going to jail, it is that simple.  How many of these people would be out doing what they do if they knew that they would get much, much more than a slap on the wrist?  If the justice system actually enforced the law these people would be looking at years in jail.  It is time to make the justice system work the way it is supposed too and stop pandering to the far left.  This will bring people back down to earth and make them accountable for their actions.  The use of rubber bullets, tear gas, and other methods should be allowed as soon as the police see actions like this ongoing.  These anarchists will soon fall in line, or at least learn how to have a peaceful demonstration.

Starvation in Africa.  This can be called a man made disaster, yes the drought is out of our hands but the price of food has also played a very large roll in this.  The price of food is being driven by the countries such as China and India as well as others.  But also adding to this is the use of food products being used to produce fuels.  This action, especially in the U.S. and Canada has made grains much more expensive which in turn boosts costs of feeding livestock and other meats.  What needs to be done, especially in the States is a move to a more efficient product such as switchgrass.  This stuff can be grown anywhere and does not consume as much energy to produce biofuels.  The energy needs of the U.S. can also be alleviated by drilling for fuels at home.  There has been too much of this "not in my backyard" B.S. and for generations the U.S. has not allowed energy companies to drill some very large economical areas that would dramatically decrease the country's dependence on Middle Eastern oil.  This would mean jobs, taxes and much much more for the U.S. economy, something they dearly need.  But first the left need to get the hell out of the way and let the people who actually want to help the country do their job!  There is enough natural gas in the U.S. to last generations, which will buy them enough time to develop other means of energy that are currently under development.  It is a band aid on the problem but one that could tie them over until these new energy strategies come to fruition.

The U.S. economy and it's affect on the world as a whole.  The powers that be in Washington need to start working for the people and not for their own political agendas.  There needs to be serious cuts to spending, not this piece of junk that they tabled last week which does nothing to cut their debt.  It in fact allows the debt to grow to 20 trillion dollars by the year 2020.  20 Trillion Bucks!!!  You think things are bad now, just think what their debt rating will be like by 2020!  Everything needs to be cut, the people just need to wake up and realize that they will have to do with less.  Less government handouts, less entitlement spending, less government employment opportunities and yes, less unions and their constant drag on a nations ability to compete on the international stage.  But this goes back to the change we need to find within ourselves, it starts at home and then you can hold your politicians accountable.  The Nancy Pelosi's of the world need to be run out of politics and vote in someone who will make the tough decisions, not the easy ones that will garner a lot of votes.  It is this way of thinking that has gotten us into this mess and it needs to change or the mess will just keep piling up.  The people in the U.S. need to also get over the "I don't pay tax" way of thinking.  In order to get this debt paid down a national tax on consumption is a must.  Everyone pays it on goods and services, not just the rich, and middle class.  The nice thing about a consumption tax is that it is a fair system that will tax the rich way more because they obviously would consume much more than the lower classes.  The national consumption tax would bring in un-foretold amounts of income to the federal government and help them get their great country back on track.  Tea Party, GOP, DEMS, it doesn't matter who you are, get your act together and do what is right for the country!

The Middle East uprising has been a missed opportunity for the west to show that we are behind our fellow brothers and sisters.  Our politicians are too slow to react and typically the reaction is not strong enough to prove solidarity.  We need actions, not just words.  Add in the U.N. which is being run like a kangaroo court and needs to make wholesale changes in order for it to be legit once again.  The security council laws need to change to make it majority rule instead of giving the permanent members the ability to quash anything that they disagree with.  It is either that or do away with the security council and let the vote happen between all member nations of the U.N. where 50% plus one means action.  This ability by Russia and China to hand tie the security council from recommending action is ridiculous and has made the U.N. the laughing stock of the world.  It no longer is legitimate and unless changes happen it will remain this way.  For far too long the U.S. and it's allies have had to police the world at it's expense.  If any action is needed in the world it should be international law that all expenses are shared by those who are part of the U.N. and then all money recouped by the country that has needed the help.  Then the trillions of dollars the U.S. spends in taking action would come back the the U.S. people, sounds fair doesn't it?  It has cost the U.S. a trillion dollars or more going into Iraq and Iran to liberate them, should this money not be paid back over time?

These are just some common sense solutions to a few of the world's problems, there are many more problems of course but these are the major ones right now and if these changes are made the world's economy would have a chance at stabilizing and the markets would return to normal.  Again, it is time to hold our politicians accountable and right the ship before it gets consumed by the wave of socialism.

Gulf States Take Little Action On Syria

It has taken months but finally the Arab States are making somewhat of a stand against the Assad regime in Syria.  Thousands have been slaughtered and countless more brutalized and tortured. Can the world really be looking at this ongoing assault and turning a blind eye because of lack of resources that Syria has?  I would like to think that the state of the global economy may play more of a role here and lack of funds by the world's police(U.S.A.).  I think with the rise of China and their ever growing influence on the world it it time for them to step up to the plate and act like a world leader.  No more looking the other way when it comes to this type of problem in the world, China need to lead and help put an end to such conflicts.  It is time to get on the side of the people and move forward with human rights.  But as always this will probably not happen because then the world would look to China to fix their own human rights record, something that they just are not willing to do yet.

Gulf States recall envoys, rap Syria over crackdown

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By Erika Solomon and Isabel Coles

DUBAI | Mon Aug 8, 2011 11:55am EDT

(Reuters) - Gulf Arab states broke their silence over a bloody crackdown on popular unrest in Syria, recalling their envoys in a pointed rebuke of President Bashar al-Assad's behavior and significantly deepening his international isolation.

In less than 24 hours, the island kingdom of Bahrain and oil-rich neighbor Kuwait followed Saudi Arabia's lead by summoning their ambassadors from Damascus "for consultations."

Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy normally loath to criticize other Arab autocrats but now wary of giving an opening to reform elements at home, pulled its envoy late on Sunday.

King Abdullah, in an extraordinary statement read on Al Arabiya television, said Syria's fierce military crackdown on nearly five months of demonstrations for more political freedoms had "nothing to do with religion, or values, or ethics."

Abdullah, who has approved billions of dollars in handouts to Saudi citizens this year in a move analysts said was aimed at buffering his monarchy from political reform pressure, issued a stern warning that Syria must be open to change.

"Syria should think wisely before it's too late and issue and enact reforms," he said. "Either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss."

"The action of Gulf states has served to isolate the Assad regime in the Arab world, thereby signaling a major strategic shift in the region: From tacit support of the Syrian regime's action to outright condemnation," said Michael Stephens, analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) based in Doha.

MILITARY INTERVENTION UNLIKELY

While unlikely to lead to intervention in Syria, the Gulf comments marked the sharpest Arab criticism leveled against any Arab state since a wave of protests began rocking the Middle East in January, toppling veteran rulers in Tunisia and Egypt.

On Monday, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed al-Sabah told reporters in parliament that he would meet his counterparts across the Gulf to discuss conditions in Syria.

"When the number of innocent people killed exceeds 2,000, it is something totally unacceptable," he said, while ruling out any military action against the fellow Arab country.

Hours later, Bahrain, which itself suppressed a protest movement in March, joined growing condemnation of Syria when Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled al-Khalifa announced the recall of his country's ambassador. "Bahrain has summoned its ambassador for consultation and stresses the importance of prudent action," he posted on his Twitter account.

Apart from Libya's civil war, Syria's military crackdown has been the most violent outgrowth of unrest in the Arab world this year. On Monday, tanks extended operations to crush protesters in Syria's Sunni Muslim tribal heartland.

Assad's government says it is fighting criminals and armed extremists who have provoked violence by attacking its troops. Syrian rights activists and Western countries say Assad's forces have attacked peaceful protesters.

But sharp words against Syria by Gulf states are unlikely at this time to be followed by any decisive action. Analysts expect Gulf governments to stop short of supporting intervention in Syria as they did against distant Libya, where the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have sent planes to back NATO air strikes.

In ruling out military action, Kuwait echoed an Arab League statement earlier on Monday saying that the pan-Arab body would use persuasion rather than "drastic measures" to press for an end to Syria's bloodshed.

Despite a lack of appetite for military moves, Saudi Arabia has played a "game changer" role in bringing Gulf states to heap pressure on another discredited Arab leader to quit, Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, RUSI's Stephens said.

Qatar, which has sought to lead Arab diplomacy as the unrest spreads, was the first to recall its envoy to Syria in July.

(Additional reporting by Mahmoud Harby in Kuwait and Erika Solomon, Mahmoud Habboush in Dubai; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Russia's Stance On Syria, "How Typical!"

Syria: Russia Opposes UN Bid To End Violence

4:16pm UK, Thursday June 09, 2011

Hannah Thomas-Peter, Sky News reporter, New York

Russia has said it is opposed to any UN Security Council resolution on Syria over President Assad's deadly crackdown on protesters.

Foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the Damascus government must be allowed time to implement promised reforms.

He said: "We do not believe the Syrian issue is a subject for consideration by the Security Council, let alone the adoption of some kind of resolution.
"The situation in this country, in our view, does not present a threat to international peace and security."
The Moscow briefing comes on the second day of Security Council negotiations on a draft resolution, co-authored by the UK, France, Germany and Portugal.
The text condemns the Syrian government's crackdown on protesters, demands an immediate end to the violence, and calls on members to prevent the sale of arms to the country.
Speaking outside the Security Council on Wednesday, Britain's ambassador to the UN Sir Mark Lyall-Grant said: "We believe that the world should not stand silent in the face of the outrages that are happening.
"And we therefore hope that we'll be able to move to vote on the resolution in the coming days."

Syrian refugees wait to enter Turkey on the border

The US has said it strongly backs the resolution.
In order for it to be adopted, nine of the 15 members of the Security Council need to vote yes.
All five permanent members, (Britain, France, America, Russia and China), who each have the right to veto, must also agree.
Although Russia voted in favour of the Council's resolutions on Libya, the country has been deeply unhappy with the level of military intervention there.
The draft Syria resolution stops well short of sanctions, an arms embargo, and any involvement using foreign troops, but Russia is still fearful that it is the first step to Libya-style intervention.
One western diplomatic aide who is involved in the negotiations told Sky News Online the sponsors of the resolution were hoping for a formal vote by the end of the week.

Russia and its allies like India should be pressed on why they aren't support a non-binding resolution calling for restraint from all sides.

Western diplomatic aide

But on Russia, they were "hoping for the best, preparing for the worst", he claimed.
"Russia and its allies like India should be pressed on why they aren't support a non-binding resolution calling for restraint from all sides, a Syrian-led political reform process, and a non-binding call not to supply weapons to the whole of Syria, not just the regime," he said.
"Until now, they've blocked Security Council action on the grounds that it could make things worse.
"Well, things have got worse - last weekend saw the highest level of deaths yet, among both civilians and security forces.
"And there's certainly no political process emerging. Surely the Security Council should meet its minimum responsibilities by taking a position on this?"

Protesters want President Bashar Assad to step down

The aide indicated that countries like China, Brazil, and to some extent India were still sceptical of the draft text.
The diplomatic wrangling comes as human rights groups report the death toll in Syria has passed 1,100.
There are reports of over 1,500 people fleeing the country over the border into Turkey.
Residents in the northwestern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour have reportedly gone there, fearing a massacre of anti-regime protesters following an army mutiny.
Syrian state TV said 120 security personnel were killed by armed gangs. But locals claimed the men were killed after they refused to fire on civilians at a pro-democracy rally.
Activists said elite Syrian forces were heading for the town, while Turkey said it was preparing for a mass influx of refugees.
Syrian troops believed to be led by Assad's younger brother had almost surrounded the town, leaving open just one route to the border, according to activist Mustafa Osso.
A Turkish official said 1,000 Syrians crossed the border overnight, raising the number of refugees in the country to 1,600.
Because most independent media are banned from Syria, accounts and facts are very difficult to verify.