worldnews

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/58902873

Donald Trump now genuinely lives in a different reality, one in which neither grammar nor history nor the normal rules of human interaction now affect him. Also, he really is maniacally, unhealthily obsessive about the Nobel Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, not the Norwegian government and certainly not the Danish government, determines the winner of that prize. Yet Trump now not only blames Norway for failing to give it to him, but is using it as a justification for an invasion of Greenland.

Think about where this is leading. One possibility, anticipated this morning by financial markets, is a damaging trade war. Another is an American military occupation of Greenland. Try to imagine it: The U.S. Marines arrive in Nuuk, the island’s capital. Perhaps they kill some Danes; perhaps some American soldiers die too. And then what? If the invaders were Russians, they would arrest all of the politicians, put gangsters in charge, shoot people on the street for speaking Danish, change school curricula, and carry out a fake referendum to rubber-stamp the conquest. Is that the American plan too? If not, then what is it? This would not be the occupation of Iraq, which was difficult enough. U.S. troops would need to force Greenlanders, citizens of a treaty ally, to become American against their will.

*🎁 link

MBFC
Archive

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/58649011

Donald Trump has a lot of odd fixations, both as a person and as a president. He tends to focus his tunnel vision on things he wants: the demolishing of the White House’s East Wing, the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. Many of Trump’s quirks are harmless, if unpleasant. (He seems to hate dogs, for example, but no one is forcing him to adopt one.) Some of his ideas, however, are more destructive: His stubborn and ill-informed attachment to tariffs has brought about considerable disorder in the international economy and hurt many of the American industries they were supposed to protect.

But a few of Trump’s obsessions are extraordinarily dangerous, and likely none more so than his determination to seize Greenland from Denmark, a country allied to the United States for more than two centuries. Perhaps because he does not understand how the Mercator projection distorts size on a map, the president thinks that Greenland is “massive” and that it must become part of the United States. If Trump makes good on his recurring threat to use force to gain the island, he would not only blow apart America’s most important alliance; he could set in motion a series of events that could lead to global catastrophe—or even to World War III.

*🎁 link

MBFC
Archive

Islamic Regime apparently cannot stop israel or the US from bombing their nuclear facilities but they’re pretty good at killing unarmed protesters

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/58571627

Maybe the most important aspect of this story is the duration of the war relative to the modest amount of territory Russia has been able to seize, despite 80 years of technological advancements since the end of WW2. The online troll armies and absurd triumphal chest beating is increasingly stretched thin to cover what a colossal and historic disaster this war has been for Russia.

Destroyed their soviet inheritance. Millions of casualties. Destroyed their primary export markets. Became junior vassal partner to China in the axis of authoritarian shitholes. Lost the Black Sea fleet. Lost use of the Black Sea. Lost dozens of strategic bombers. Lots their AWACs fleet. Lost/losing key allies in Syria, Venezuela, Palestine (Hamas), Lebanon (Hezbollah). Iran teetering. Putin's collection of deposed despots hanging out in windowless rooms in the Kremlin basement grows steadily. Are left with a third rate coalition of fourth rate allies of limited diplomatic usefulness, who only run on bribes. Spent their 30-year war chest on the vanity revenue project of an overpromoted gangster ghoul.

Most importantly? The line hasn't moved substantialy in a very long time. This is it - this is the endgame. And it sure doesn't look like it was worthwhile. Trump is the crown jewel, and the only thing they have left to try and steal a better outcome than the strategic situation justifies. But - he is ancient and in poor health. Which - really explains his particularly crazy speedrun antics. He has to get Putin a favorable peace, and get NATO destroyed, before one or both of them are dead.

Translation to English by Mistral AI (French):

The Iranian authorities reportedly crushed the protests bloodily. Numerous gatherings took place in Iran on Thursday and Friday across the country, bringing together thousands of people. The country's security forces then mobilized and, taking advantage of the internet blackout, began to repress the population.

According to the NGO Iran Human Rights on Monday, the number of confirmed deaths had risen to at least 648 by Sunday. "Meanwhile, unverified reports indicate at least several hundred deaths, or even more than 6000 according to some estimates," adds the Norway-based organization.

And according to an Iranian official quoted by Reuters, 2,000 people, including members of the security forces, have died in the protests since December 28. This source blames "terrorists" for the deadly toll.

But even more appalling figures are beginning to circulate, suggesting a countrywide massacre. According to the media outlet Iran International on Tuesday, Iranian security forces have killed more than 12,000 people, just on the nights of Thursday and Friday.

"On the direct orders of Ali Khamenei."

"Over the past two days, Iran International's editorial committee has examined - through a rigorous process - the information received," coming from various sources such as someone close to the National Security Council, the Iranian presidency, eyewitnesses, or data from medical centers. Photos and videos of dozens of bodies in Iranian hospitals are also circulating on social media.

"Based on these analyses, we have concluded that, in the largest massacre in contemporary Iranian history, at least 12,000 people have been killed, announces Iran International. By its geographical scope, the intensity of the violence, and the number of deaths in a very short period of time, this massacre is unprecedented in the history of Iran."

According to this media outlet's sources, the people killed were mainly by the forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij, an Islamist militia, and "the assassination was carried out on the direct orders of Ali Khamenei."

Iran International "is committed to refining this figure with the help of its audience - by collecting documents, cross-checking accounts, and continuously verifying information - so that no name is forgotten and no victim's family is left voiceless." The media outlet also calls for the collection of videos and photos of the situation in Iran.

The country has been almost cut off from the world for more than 4 days.

The internet blackout in Iran imposed by the authorities on January 8 has now lasted more than four and a half days, indicated Netblocks, a cybersecurity monitoring NGO, on Tuesday. "It has been 108 hours since Iran implemented a nationwide internet blackout that isolates Iranians from the rest of the world and from each other," the company said.

After repeated threats of military intervention to support the protesters, Donald Trump announced on Monday that any country trading with Iran would be hit with 25% tariffs by the United States. This decision "takes effect immediately," he specified, a measure likely to hit China, Tehran's main trading partner, in particular.

As for the threat of strikes against Iran, several Middle Eastern countries have called for restraint. Qatar, for example, believes that an escalation between the United States and Iran would be "catastrophic" for the region. The U.S. military still has significant forces on the borders of Iran, but no U.S. aircraft carrier groups are currently present in the Middle East due to the Navy's mobilization off the coast of Venezuela.

According to its latest spreadsheet — based on activists inside and outside Iran — the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/41391186

Donald Trump said Friday his administration will take action on Greenland “whether they like it or not,” further escalating his rhetoric as he pushes to acquire the Danish territory for the U.S.

The comments came during a meeting with oil executives to discuss the prospect of doing business in Venezuela. Less than a week earlier, the U.S. military invaded the oil-rich South American nation and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Denmark and its European allies in NATO – the military alliance co-founded by the U.S. – have pushed back, reiterating that Greenland is not for sale. But the Trump administration nevertheless says it is currently weighing a range of options on Greenland, including utilizing the U.S. military or cutting a deal to purchase it from Denmark.