Showing posts with label Argentina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Argentina. Show all posts

Saturday, 24 May 2025

The Third Reich (Das Dritte Reich) was never defeated

 

The Third Reich (Das Dritte Reich) was never defeated

For decades, we have been told a story and people all over the world have been celebrating the victory over Das Dritte Reich. We have been shown the images of a ravaged Germany, of concentration camps, everthing that fits in in the narrative that tells the world about the catastrophic end at the end of World War Two.


How much of that has been a charade, a way to ignore what actually happened? As always, you must follow the monies. Britain is constantly reminded about the Blitz, when British cities were showered with V1 and V2 bombs. You are shown the images of burning buildings and are told about the thousands of victims of the Blitz. Ordinary people, understandably, get very emotional about it. But, just a few years later, decisions were made that made a mockery of the suffering of those who were burnt live or suffocated or well kill by debris and of those who had to lament their passing.

So lets talk about history. When were the flying bombs known as V1 and V2 used against Britain? Well, here is the answer: The V1 bombs were used from June 13, 1944 until March 29 1945. The V2 were used from September 1944 until March 27 1945.

What happened to the German team that designed the bombs? Well, Wernher von Braun and his team went to work in the USA, became American citizens (all of them or some of them) and helped advance American technology and helped the USA start its Space Project.

In fact, the war was still ongoing when special teams were tasked to find German scientists, to rewrite their biographies (to make them respectable and to delete any bit of data that could become an embarrassment). 

The real history of World War Two might never be written to replace the fake history being taught around the world. Americans, British, French and Russians will want to maintain the belief that Adolf Hitler actually died in a bunker in Berlin. 

Such a belief is very much part of the narrative that has been repeated over and over again. So they will tell that those called Nazis are the bad guys, but they will be pretty embarrassed to accept that most of the surviving bad guys helped promote American interests around the world. Even more, one of Adolf Hitler´s personal bodyguards went to work in Argentina protecting Juan Domingo Peron and Eva Peron and when Juan Domingo Peron was deposed in a coup then Otto Johann Anton Skorzeny was employed by Israeli security services. Incidentally, Otto Johann Anton Skorzeny, a Waffen SS Officer was the man that rescued Benito Mussolini.

They do not want you to know that U Boots loaded with gold and other precious metals, diamonds, money and people were arriving in Argentina all the way up to the time when Juan Domingo Peron was deposed in a coup lead by the Argentinian Navy. They do not want you to know either that The Vatican and the Red Cross facilitaded free passage to Latin America for SS officers. A change of name and/or a change of "nationality" and there you were, travelling free and without any worries, ready to start a new life in countries like Argentina, Urugua, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile and elsewhere.

And the following is a story, especially prepared for you. 

This is a copy of the Uruguayan marriage certificate of Josef Mengele. Josef Mengele, who originally travelled to Argentina where he prospered as a businessman, married the widow of his brother in the Province of Colonia, in Uruguay, using his real name. Here is your homework. Find out who Josef Mengele was. 

His presence was known by Britain, USA, and other countries and they knew full well the role he played during World War Two and never bothered him. Josef Mengele died at the beach in Brazil due to heart problems. With full knowledge of Western German authorities he travelled to Germany after World and later returned to Latin America. His movements could not be more public.

I was about 21 years old when Josef Mengele died at a beach in Brazil, on February 7th 1979. My father was a pilot and he often travelled alone to Brazil, but he always kept his movements secret. Shall I add that among my first toys there was a Stuka Dive Bomber that my father gave me. My father knew chemical formulae by heart and had the then typical Deutsche Punktlichkeit. He used to make people laugh when it was found that other people used to check their watches when my father arrived to see if their watches were on time. My father was for a time President of the two main social clubs of the town, clubs that did not welcome non whites. During a storm with very strong winds the ceiling of a neighbour´s house that happened to be Jewish was blown away. My mother often referred to my father´s reaction when that happened: "He was standing on the streets, laughing, applauding and celebrating his neigbour´s misfortune".

But the story goes on and it becomes more interesting. In June 1973, there was a military coup in Uruguay, followed by a military coup in Chile in September 1973. Days before the coup in Chile, my father and I attended a meeting of military officers in Uruguay. My father had a very good relationship with the military. At that meeting, it was announced that a military coup was going to happen in Chile.

And the story becomes ever more interesting. We come to Track II, a CIA operation organised to depose President Salvador Allende and Henry Kissinger had active participation in it, involving in it SS and Gestapo Officers in Latin America in what later known as Operacion Condor. Henry Kissinger was obsessed with Chile and had even tried to prevent Salvador Allende from becoming Chilean President. Having failed to prevent Salvador Allende from becoming Chilean President, he decided to kill President Allende. But things did not stop. They went on. As part of the US called the South Atlantic Strategic Defensive Triangle, the USA - under Henry Kissinger direction - allowed the use of any means possible, including assassination and torture to carry out an ideological war. The USA trained military officers of the military regimes in Latin America to fight against, capture, torture, rape and kill ten of thousands of people. CIA officers were sent to Latin America to assist with "interrogation techniques". In Argentina, more than 30,000 were killed and many of them were thrown from airplaes flying at high altitude, drugged after being tortured. It is presumed that they died during the fall, death provoked by air pressure, before their bodies collided with the surface of the sea that for those falling from high altitude had the consistency of hard rock. We can go to Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia and other countries where similar accounts can be found. Bolivia is a particularly interesting chapter since the Butcher of Lyon, Klaus Barbie, was employed by the USA. But there were other significative places like Colonia Dignidad in Chile. Do you know who Klaus Barbie was? Do your homework.

Now, lets rewind a little. By 1942, it became evident that Unternehmen Barbarossa was not going well. German forces were not in good shape when the first Russian Winter arrived. The chain of supplies was much too thin and the Luftwaffe having lost much of its capacity in the West was not capable of providing German forces in the Eastern Front what German forces needed. German forces had tried unsuccessfully to capture Stalingrad. First, the city was bombed and left in ruins. This itself made the German advance more difficult as the ruins of the city became its defenders´ major asset. (July 17 1942 - February 2, 1943)

General Paulus army were increasingle isolated and surrounded be enemies that sooner than later managed to totally encircle his army. By then it was obvious that Germany did not have what it took to take the city, let alone the Soviet Union. So concerned capitalists and industrialists in Germany were justifiably worried about what would happen to their assets if Germany lost the war. A high ranking meeting was called to talk about what could be done to protect German assets. The assets were not lost even when Germany was said to have been defeated. Moreover, the Americans used the Gold they captured in what is known as the Marshall Plan. Soonafter the war, Germany prospered as German capitals that had remained hidden started to flow again, legally, in Germany and elsewhere.

So lets rewind a bit more. When he realised that the war was lost, Adolf Hitler prophesized that there would be a new Germany, a stronger Germany, after a confrontation between the USA and the Soviet Union (now Russian Federation, after the fall of the Soviet Union).

Now, lets see what is happening now. Relatively recent events in Europe are promoting German Rearmament (No Versailles Treaty on the horizon). Friedrich Merz was seen gloating and boasting about "the German Armed Forces will be the biggest in Europe". Compared to other countries, Germany is relatively stronger both economically and militarily. Germany no longer needs to justify its military strength as other countries are extremely happy to promote German rearmament "for the common good". And significative events are happening all the time. Now, a force of 4500 troops, part of Panzer Group, will be stationed in Lithuania. Never mind the numbers. The importance of such deployment is that it leaves behind postwar military and political limitations regarding the deployment of German fighting forces outside Germany. Moreover, the conflict in Ukraine has allowed German industry to test the efficacity of German weapons. Ukraine, like Spain before Ukraine (The Spanish Civil War) provides valuable knowledge about how effective German weapons are. Until now, German weapons were in the hands of Ukrainians. From now on, German weapons will be in the hands of German troops that will be especially trained to use them.

And who stands to benefit from German rearmament? Well, geopolitical changes will lead to Germany producing its own weapons, instead of importing them from somewhere else i.e USA. While other European countries will still be buying weapons "off the shelves", Germany will empower its own defense industries. Something that might not be ignored is the possibility that American forces will leave Germany and that Germany will have total control of any forces in its territory.

So, coming back to the beginning, the idea that Germany was totally defeated during World War Two contrasts with the fact that there was a continuity that is becoming ever more apparent. World War Two was just a battle. 




 









 


Thursday, 6 March 2025

Macron seizes opportunity to divert attention from France´s serious internal issues

 

It does not go amiss that having made several decisions that led to absolute political chaos in France and to the inability of passing a budget without the threat of having Prime Ministers forced to resign, President Macron is now using the present issues about Ukraine as an opportunity to unite France behind him. For this General Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri, Ukraine is his Islas Malvinas Moment. 

When things go bad at home, nothing better than making people look elsewhere and look for justifications to ask for monies when the European Union has been alerting France that France has surpassed the allowed National Deficit. So, we France have an independent Nuclear Deterrent and we want to use it to protect you. Very interesting since Britain´s nuclear deterrent is neither British nor Independent. France and Germany have decided to start rearming themselves at quick pace and so France is planning to do exactly the same.

The major problem is that that rules about the EURO will have to change and major deficits will have to be allowed at a time when economic uncertainties are undermining national economies. So as Paul Samuelson put it - Butter or Cannons - Macron has decided to go for Cannons. Elegant justification to forget about Health, Education and other major areas of public administration. France can still rely on Britain to unload tens of thousands of illegal migrants. But, for how long? Countries like Italy and France itself have decided to get rid of Ukrainian refugees. Hardlines on migration, across the Europen Continent, are rising and rearming Europe has other disadvantages. You can never trust that today´s allies will be real allies and flash political changes can certainly lead to confrontation within the EU itself.

Thursday, 23 November 2023

Geert Wilders: More votes, but not enough

 

Netherlands suffers from the paradox of having a leader that has more than 30 per cent of the votes, but not enough votes to become Prime Minister.

The electoral system makes it practically impossible to become Prime Minister without having a coalition to back up a given candidate.

If no political party is willing to enter a coalition to support Geert Wilders then the only solution will be a Prime Minister that has less individual support in the country as long as he can count on the support of smaller parties.

Even with a ballotage system like the one applied recently in Argentina, Netherlands could end up with a Prime Minister that would have to negotiate every step of the way to get legislation passed.

The idea that Netherlands is moving towards the right is extremely premature. In fact, electoral results tell us that the country will be embroiled in endless negotiations and delays. 

Wednesday, 22 November 2023

China and Uruguay strengthen bilateral relations that go beyond trade

China and Uruguay strengthen bilateral relations at all levels, including trade but not exclusively trade. President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou is in Beijing for the signature of important agreements with a country that already receives 56% of Uruguayan exports.

Uruguay is a key geographic player with full access to Antarctica and the South Atlantic having some of the best deep water harbours in the region. Somebody that was already remarked by other Asian nations seeking to exploit the riches of Antarctica and of the South Atlantic.

The Uruguayan President has long seen bilateral agreements outside Mercosur as the key for Uruguay development, taking Uruguay away from the straightjacket of a trading block. It is not about leaving Mercosur, but about looking towards the rest of the world and especially towards new trade agreements in distant parts of the planet.

We do not know what will the Argentinian position since President Elect Javier Milei and his political partners in the Argentinian Parliament still need to decide what is needed to curb the inflationary process in Argentina. One needs to assume that for while internal matters both financial and political will be seen as immediate priorities. With regards to Brazil, President Lula is still interested in an agreement with the European Union, agreement that in view of present positions in Europe seems to be distant.

When comparing trade agreements, the European Union is a very small fraction of world markets. In demographic terms, Europe is an even smaller fraction compared to India, China, Russia and other world operators and this includes Africa - a massive continent with a vast amount of resources.

For Uruguay, anything that limits Uruguay's capacity to trade with the rest of the world is something to get rid of. Paraphazing what was said by Hungary when Hungary joined the European Union, 'we are going to accept that benefits Hungary and reject what does not benefit Hungary'. By the way, the music of the Uruguayan National Anthem was composed by a Hungarian composer. 
 

Tuesday, 21 November 2023

Argentina's difficult political balance, Mercosur and trade alliances beyond Latin America

With three digit inflation rates and decades of stagnation, forty years of democracy could mean absolutely nothing. In an election in which there were record numbers of voters, the incoming President Javier Milei got outstanding support accross the entire country with equally record numbers of provinces that came out to support him. 

It is not going to be an easy task. In fact, in Parliament opposition forces still have a commanding majority that could block every single attempt to change Argentinian politics and economics. The risk is that if more than 13 million voters that supported Javier Milei come to see Parliament as a sedicious force that stands on the way preventing changes then Parliament itself will be in trouble. Could government by decree become an alternative from the very beginning?

Argentinian Constitution extract

CHAPTER III Powers of the Executive Branch Section 99.- The President of the Nation has the following powers: 1.- He is the supreme head of the Nation, head of the government and he is politically responsible for the general administration of the country. 2.- He issues the instructions and rules necessary for the enforcement of the 16 laws of the nation, without altering their spirit with regulatory exceptions. 3.- He takes part in the making of laws according to the Constitution, promulgates them and has them published. The Executive Power shall in no event issue provisions of legislative nature, in which case they shall be absolutely and irreparably null and void. Only when due to exceptional circumstances the ordinary procedures foreseen by this Constitution for the enactment of laws are impossible to be followed, and when rules are not referred to criminal issues, taxation, electoral matters, or the system of political parties, he shall issue decrees on grounds of necessity and urgency, which shall be decided by a general agreement of ministers who shall countersign them together with the Chief of the Ministerial Cabinet.

The Constitution seems to indicate that only in exceptional circumstances the President can issue decrees and that 'The Executive Power shall in no event issue provisions of legislative nature, in wichi case they shall be absolutely and irreparably null and void.'. 

It is explicitly clear that the last and final word on legislative matters lies in Parliament and it is a Parliament in which the political party supporting the President directly will have 38 representatives in the House of Reprentatives of a total of 257 and in the Senate the number of Senators directly supporting the President will be 6 out of 72. Unavoidably, the President will have to seek support of other political parties to be able to pass any bills.

Given these numbers, all the scaremongering promoted by opponents of Javier Milei is totally unjustified. It is most probable that Mauricio Macri (Former President) and Patricia Bullrich (Former Minister under Mauricio Macri) of Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change) will have a major say. 

The bone of contention will be that Javier Milei's electoral allies will have the seats that Javier Milei needs to govern and Javier Milei will be able to say that despite not having enough seats he has the popular mandate and that people supported his electoral platform.

If the President can manage to transform an electoral coalition into a governing coalition then there will be a peaceful working political transition. If the President does not manage to transform an electoral coaliton into a governing coalition then there will be political upheaval leading to dangerous political uncertainties.

In Uruguay, there are divisions in terms of supporting or not supporting Javier Milei. For example, Frente Amplio (Broadfront) in opposition was more inclined to support the losing candidate Sergio Massa. In Brazil, President Lula came openly in support of Sergio Massa. Javier Milei for starters indicated that he wanted to get rid of Mercosur - something he might not achieve given the fact that he will be effectively in coalition with Mauricio Macri and Patricia Bullrich.

Uruguay has expressed that it wants ever closer trade relations with China, independently of its membership of Mercosur. Argentina itself has plans to incorporate Chinese communications technology. Brazil is seeking a new alignement having become a supporter of new trade arrangements that will bring the country closer to economies linked to the Russian Federation and China.

In spite of the fact that there are other Latin American economies linked to Mercosur, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are the core of the trading block.






Argentina: Dollarization or exactly the opposite to Dollarization

Headlines in Uruguay indicate that Argentinian President Elect Javier Milei will ban adverts with prices in US Dollars. For example, when it comes to adverts offering properties for renting, prices will have to be in the Argentinian national currency and will no longer be allowed to be published in US currency.

The newly elected President promised to apply a chainsaw to cut the state structure to bits getting rid of much of it as a way to cut down waste. No longer a Minister for Culture, no longer a Minister for Diversity, no longer participation of the state in areas that are better served by the private sector.

Radical measures to deal with radical problems that have been destroying Argentina and have dramatically increased the numbers of those living under poverty lines. To sum up: no more politicking. The newly elected President will be inaugurated on December 10th 2023, but he has been making waves since long before there was a prospect of him even being a candidate for President. What he says is very much what he believes and this will certainly put many people on short notice. The attitude seems to be: change or else.

It has been noted that most of those classed as younger generations who supported Javier Milei did so as a last resort as they are absolutely disappointed with democracy, a democracy that has only led to waste, corruption and mismanagement. The duality Peronismo/Radicalismo has been nefarious for Argentina as it has only helped to preserve the vicious cycle of indebtedness. Argentina is still fighting in American courts to deal with debts created more than 30 years ago and no government - either Peronista or Radical - has been able/willing/competent to sort out Argentina's massive problems. 



 

Monday, 20 November 2023

Javier Milei: New President for Argentina


Javier Milei: New President for Argentina

The electoral success of Javier Milei was such that Sergio Massa - the Justicialista contender - spoke before official data was published to concede.

It was essential for Sergio Massa to make vows for a peaceful and proper transition indicating that dialogue and peaceful coexistence are the rule in a country with extraordinary high inflation rates.
The key word is change. 'We need change. We cannot expect improvements if we keep implementing the same policies over and over again'. 

On December 10th, 2023, the new President will be officially, formally, inaugurated. Time to have a look at the new Argentinian Parliament. Javier Milei was successful in most Argentinian provinces and this includes Buenos Aires where he was successful in areas that had traditionally supported Justicialismo (Peronismo).

It is foreseen that from this evening within Justicialismo a leadership struggle is just beginning and that former President and now also former Vice President Cristina Fernandez will lead Justicialismo once Sergio Massa lost the Presidential Election.

There will also be a new balance of forces within the Union Civica Radical that divided itself. Some chose to support Sergio Massa and most of them chose to support Javier Milei. It is also said that, in spite of getting 56% of the votes, given the need to reach agreements in Parliament to be able to govern, the new President will have to be more moderate than he appeared to be during the electoral campaign.

The size and role of the state will be at stake. The general philosophy is to reduce the Welfare State to promote employment, to stop paying people not to work. There will be both ideological and financial changes. With three digit inflation rates, a huge effort will have to be made to generate enough jobs to be able to cut the Welfare State without a major upheaval and this indicates that any changes will have to be gradual in a country in which a very high percentage of its population lives below poverty levels.

Javier Milei indicated that he has in mind a different idea regarding Mercosur, but this will have to wait while the new President tries to sort out the internal situation in Argentina.

Commentators define Javier Milei as a charismatic leader and that charisma is based on success and that the electorate chose Javier Milei because they expect miracles and that to be able to produce miracles the new President will soon be in a collision course with traditional political forces that chose to support him to defeat Justicialismo. 

Argentina is a country in which both Cristina Fernandez and Mauricio Macri (one Justicialista and another Radical) have still a strong power base. Regardless of the electoral success (56%), the new President will have to navigate in a country in which he will have to deal with powerful foes and friends that have their own political agendas. It has been said that younger generations belonging to the upper middle class are leaving the country and that a high number of the younger generations that belong to the lower middle class no longer believe in democracy.




Tuesday, 7 November 2023

Second Round of Elections in Argentina: Radical Bullrich endorses Milei against Peronista Massa

 

Lider Radical Patricia Bullrich distances herself from two sectors of the alliance that supported her candidacy in the first round of elections to reject Peronista (Justicialista) candidate Sergio Massa (Argentinian Economics Minister) and support Javier Milei. 

Cristina Bullrich said she could not possible support Sergio Massa that she responsabilizes for the state of the economy in Argentina.


Her support for Javier Milei keeps the contest wide open. She got 24% of the vote in the first round of elections. Other political leaders have shown their allegiance of one of the two remaining Presidential Candidates. Divisions in Argentina spread across national borders and Argentina is one of two most powerful players in Mercosur. It is usually said that if Argentina sneezes Uruguay catches a cold.

In Uruguay, the political crisis surrounding the award of a Uruguayan passport to a well known drug trafficker is rocking the ruling coalition headed by President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou of the Partido National - one of the two conservative parties that make up the ruling coalition. The Opposition represented by Frente Amplio (Broad Front) plans to focus the heat on President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou to reveal how he knew about the affair. At this moment in time, Cabildo Abierto - member of the ruling coalition - has expressed doubts about remaing as member of the coalition.

Everything in Argentina and in Uruguay is touch and go. A return of the Frente Amplio is not unthinkable if the ruling coalition falls apart. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has publicly endorsed Sergio Massa and is ideologically closer to Frente Amplio. It must be said that Javier Milei has stated that he wants Argentina to leave Mercosur. So this is more than a second round of a Presidential Election in Argentina. The survival of the Mercosur is at stake and relationships inside the bloc and outside the bloc could be affected by what happens in the next fews days in Argentina.




Monday, 6 November 2023

Uruguay: None of the above and democracy in Latin America and the drugs trade

 

Uruguay: None of the above

Uruguay is facing a 'None of the above' moment when the country is heading towards a General Election. One in ten citizens qualified to vote do not want the present ruling coalition nor the Frente Amplio (Broad Front).

In spite of everything, Uruguay is in much better position that its neighbour Argentina that faces second round of elections this month having to decide between Justicialista Massa or Reformist Milei. There is a possibility that Radical supporters might vote for Justicialista Massa to prevent Reformist Milei from becoming President of Argentina. The formation of Parliament was decided in the first round of elections that took place in October.

The Coalition headed by President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou has made itself vulnerable and the recent round of scandals involved the resignation of major figures of the Coalition government including the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. The scandal is about the award of a Uruguayan passport to a leading drug trafficker. Uruguay, like other Latin American countries, is part of the international drugs trade. Some years ago, Chile's economic boom in the building sector was due to massive amount of investments of monies produced by the international drugs trade and Uruguay is no exception.

There are major social issues including the rise of violence perpetrated by minors that led to calls to lower the age of legal responsibility. Drugs and other social issues are driving a major wave of criminality. That ten per cent of voters have been without any options when it comes to elections is worrying.

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

In a few months time, the warmongers of today will be history

Whether it is USA, Britain, Germany, France, et cetera, one thing is certain: key warmongers of today will not be around for long.

How much time has Biden left? How much time has Rishi Sunak left? How much time Scholz and Macron have left?

Look at America. What is happening in Latin America? There was a time when in Uruguay the Colorado Party has an almost completely monopoly of power. Then came the Partido National, the other Conservative Party of Uruguay. What happened next? The Frente Amplio (Broad Front) took the reins of power and the conservative parties of Uruguay could only come back as a coalition. 

What is happening in Argentina, in Chile, in Brazil, even in Bolivia? The old certainties have disappeared. The Partido Justicialista arrived completely divided in the October round of elections to select the new Argentinian Parliament - with barely 30 something of support compared to a completely political grouping that also got 30 something. Now, we wait for the second round of elections to see who is elected President of Argentina and on what basis. If Milei manages to attract the attention of younger generations chances are that he could be the winner replacing both Justicialistas and Radicales. But as political commentators remarked during the first round of elections, the issue is fundamentally not who is in charge but what can whoever is in charge do to revert a 134% rate of inflation.

Strategies to scare people and deter them from supporting alternative political forces are failing to do the job. People don't want continuity. They want positive changes. They are tired of a bit of the same. In Germany of all places the idea of banning a political force that already represents more than twenty per cent of the electors is a sign of desperation. Olaf Scholz knows that he is walking on a high rope with failing political partners. The SPD tried to distance itself from CDU/CSU as coalition member precisely because it was losing support. FPD is losing support and SPD itself is losing support. So how will the German coalition last? In spite of what politicians and mass media say, how feasible is a coalition of Alternative für Deutschland and other conservative groups. In the days of Angela Merkel, local CDU representatives were comfortable enough to work together with Alternative für Deutschland.

France is a bit of a puzzle. Macron is unpopular, but fears about the rise of Rassemblement National motivated some people to support what they did not like. Marine Le Pen did the right thing by choosing to have different young leaders to attract younger generations of voters.

Both in Germany and in France, political parties are exploiting what is happening in Palestine. Never mind what is happening in Palestine if what happens in Palestine helps them promote a certain narrative seeking to advance Nationalism in Germany and in France. Are you really and truly German? Are you really and truly French? Politics moves towards identity politics. You belong or you don't belong. You are part of the national culture or you are not part of the national culture. Multiculturalism is seen as a failure and Identity politics is no friend of Multiculturalism.

In Britain, with differences in political language approach, the message is clear: 'Multiculturalism is becoming a National Security issue' and the Home Secretary - herself a member of an ethnic minority - is investing a lot of political capital going against Multiculturalism. She does not explicitily say it, but the nature of what she is saying is obviously going against Multiculturalism. Other political operators are less shy and strictly say 'that is not British, they are not British'. She is diving the country and Mosques are becoming a target again. Not a target for people like Paul Golding that has dedicated his political career to attack Mulisms. They are becoming a target for the privileged political classes, because the privileged classes are closer to Jewish interests than they are to Muslim interests.

For one reason or another, Identity Politics is being promoted by people who used to say that they stood against Identity Politics. In a reversal of roles, Identity Politics is not been promoted by now defunct political forces like the BNP, the National Front or Britain First. Identity Politics is coming from the very top of British politics. Listen to commentators like Nigel Farage. What is he constantly talking about?

Whatever happens today you must remember that the warmongers of today will shortly be history. Even hawkish scarecrow Mr John Bolton might not be around too long. He criticizes Joe Biden saying that Jo Biden is not aggressive enough. Well, John Bolton was fired by President Trump because John Bolton wanted President Trump to be more aggressive. In retirement, a few cups of lime tea will do John Bolton a lot of good.

 

 

Tuesday, 12 September 2023

The young no longer believe in democracy and this is happening worldwide

 

Democracy remains popular across the world, but not amongst younger generations that have stopped believing in democracy. Within one or two generations, democracy could be a thing of the past.

Only 57% of those between the ages of 18 to 35 actually prefer democracy and are inclined to support military regimes.


The trend is understandable given the performance of political leaders and political representatives across the world. They have had more than enough of hypocrisy, corruption and failed promises. In countries like Argentina or the USA the first stages are already underway. Challenging established political parties is just the beginning and when the new Messiah fail to deliver, the road is open for other forms of government.

Another trend is that the younger generations don't watch the news, don't listen to the radio, don't read newspapers and are generally put off by politics altogether. There is a kind of fatalistic attitude indicating 'we cannot change anything', 'things can only get worse'. How much of the rejection is being fuelled by environmentalists and the talk about impending doom? If Man's existence on Earth is coming to the end, why should we care about democracy?

Wednesday, 16 August 2023

Argentina: Tri-partite approach to politics

 Argentina: the two party system comes to an end?

For decades, Argentina has been about Peronistas (Justicialistas) and Radicales, not that the names actually represent what both Justicialistas and Radicales used to represent. Argentina has gone from crisis to crisis, from military regimes to military regimes, from debt to even bigger debt and now faces inflation rates of more than 115 percent with massive levels poverty.

A newcomer in Argentine politics manage to reach levels of support of 30% leaving both Justicialistas and Radicales behind. In October 2023, Argentina faces the first round of elections and there could be a second round of elections (ballotage) if no candidate reaches the minimum required for an outright result.

Many years ago, Argentina attempted to maintain the value of the Peso pegged to the US Dollar, something that ended in tears as it was practically impossible to maintain parity without massive levels of indebtedness leading to default. The newcomer proposes to replace the Peso altogether to adopt the US Dollar as currency. Why? Because he says that it will be the ultimate weapon to get rid of inflation.

If Argentina adopts the US Dollar as national currency, what happens to Mercosur? The regional block has been under enormous economic and political pressures because of both internal and external issues. Just by mentioning the names of the countries that are members of Mercosur one realizes what a complex situation this is.

MERCOSUR countries:

Full Members: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay

Associate Members: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname

Venezuela was supposed to be full member, but has been suspended indefinitely

Trade with China has been a bone of contention. Uruguay that exports 56% of what it produces to China even threatened that if an agreement was not reached its membership of Mercosur could come to an end.

At one point, it was suggested that that Mercosur should have its own currency to challenge the US Dollar. So what happens when a major member and founding member of Mercosur playes with the idea of replacing its own national currency with the US Dollar?

If the issues concerning China would not break up Mercosur, such a currency change could certainly be the last drop.

Therefore, for Mercosur, who holds the rains of power in Argentina could be a make or break situation for the entire block.










Thursday, 3 November 2022

Allende before, Lula next

 

In the 1970s, many in the left celebrated the arrival of Salvador Allende. 11 September 1973 ended with bloodshed and the rest is history.

I happened to be in the River Plate region at the time. I was told about the imminent military coup in Chile and was even told when and how it was going to happen.

There are different versions about Salvador Allende's death: one version of events was that he killed himself not to be arrested and another version is that he was killed when he was still at La Moneda Palace. It makes no difference. The fact is that that put an end to his life and to his government.

This is Lula's second coming and this time the difference between his party and the opposition is less than 1 per cent of the vote. This means that opposition in Parliament will be fierce. As soon as Lula tries to implement any policy that goes against the flow, the transit of any bill through Parliament will be traumatic. 

When Latin American countries go left, alarm bells start ringing in the US State Department and like it happened in 1973, the CIA and others will have already made contingency plans to deal with governments that are seen as a security threat to the USA.

In Argentina, the second most important member of Mercosur, the situation is unbearable. Neither Radicales nor Justicialistas have been able to bring things under control. Indebtedness, galloping inflation in Argentina has led Uruguay to take urgent measures to curb importation of goods coming from Argentina as a massive influx would endanger Uruguay's own economy.

What happens in Chile? Well, just a few days ago a Referendum was called to try and reform Pinochet's Constitution and there were not enough votes to change the Constitution. The fact that this happens many years after the end of the military regime tells you, without a shadow of a doubt, that the country is very much divided. And what happens in Venezuela? Let us remember that Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Venezuela are members of Mercosur. With Lula at the helm, will Brazil get closer to Venezuela and Cuba? Left-wing hope could well lead to left-wing tragedy.  




Monday, 20 September 2021

China USA: on a collision course leading to war


We just came out pretty baddly in Afghanistan after 20 years of a bloody and very expensive conflict only to surrender to the same forces that we were supposed to have defeated. 

There are quite a few ongoing conflicts, but we always seem to be looking for yet another disastrous war.

As every war is an economic business and China happens to be the biggest creditor of the USA, waging war against China might seem like a good opportunity to get rid of trillons of dollars of American debt. China is using quite a few US dollars to expand its influence across several continents. This is not just about Made in China. This is also about Made for China by China in Africa, Latin America and elsewhere.

During Trump Presidency, the emphasis was on NATO countries investing more in Defence by beefing up their contributions to NATO. Now, Biden seems to be saying 'forget about NATO, let's do something new'. AUKUS (Australia, UK, US) seems to be a more appropriate of spending US dollars and in the process boot US manufacturing (at least manufacturing of nuclear submarines in the USA. Apparently, all US military submarines are already nuclear so making a few more for Australia would not be so difficult.

The call made by Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission for the EU to take a more robust approach when it comes to its own defenses seems to be part of the new realities. NATO is on the way out - ready to join the Warsaw Pakt), AUKUS is in, and the focus goes from Europe to Asia, where Japan is beginning for a stronger Western response to militarization of the Sea of China.

Ukraine will have to look for a very comfortable armchair to wait for the delivery of Western aid. Forget Middle East, forget Asia Minor, forget Europe. Some strategists in some dark hidden room might be already looking for an excuse to attack China - just in case China does not try to recover Taiwan because Taiwan is China. 

The question is: why would China want to fight a war at sea when it has all the advantages of a conflict on the continent and a massive army?

As the big boys focus their attention elsewhere - oh surprise - Argentina has gone for more fighter jets having invested more than 400 million dollars to renew its airforce. Why would Argentina needs a stronger airforce?

As the British are scaling down their military and as the attention goes elsewhere, are they planning to go for a vacation on the South Atlatic islands? During days that the Argentinian President and his vice-President that used to be the Argentinian President (Cristina Fernández de Kirchner) don't seem to be seeing eye to eye, I am sure that refloating the old plans about the Falkland Islands would be a good idea for politics sake.

  





Sunday, 27 June 2021

British Ministry of Defense and the Black Sea chapter: I smell a rat

 

When the British Ministry of Defense itself is involving in leaking documents you know this is about circus and propaganda.

Cuando el Ministerio de Defensa Británico está involucrado en la filtración de documentos, usted sabe que se trata de circo y propaganda.

The report says: Classified defense documents containing details about HMS Defender and the military have been found at a bus stop, prompting an investigation from the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

El informe dice: Documentos de defensa secretos conteniendo detalles sobre HMS Defender y los militares fue hallado cerca de una parada de autobus, motivando una investigación del Ministerio de Defensa.

So the Ministry of Defense places classified defense documents containing details about HMS Defender at a bus stop in Kent to ensure that they papers were found by a member of the public and when the documents are unavoidably found the Ministry of Defense starts an investigation about how this could be possible. It could not be more theatrical than that.

El Ministerio de Defensa colocó documentos de defensa secretos conteniendo detalles sobre HMS Defender en una parada de autobus en Kent para asegurarse de que los papeles fueron hallados por un miembro del público y cuando inevitablemente los documents son hallados el Ministerio de Defensa inicia una investigación sobre cómo esto pudo ser posible. No podría ser más teatral. 

Immediately, the Labour Party reacts as it was scripted that they Labour Party would immediately react and 'describes the loss of the sensitive information as embarrassing as it is worrying for ministers who are seeking reassurances that national security has not been undermined.'

Inmediatamente, el Partido Laborista reacciona según fue planeado en el libreto de que el Partido Laborista reaccionaría inmediatamente y 'describe la pérdida de información reservada como un hecho vergonzoso que preocupa a los ministros que tratan de que se les asegure que la seguridad nacional no ha sido puesta en peligro.'

So what was it about? The papers included one set of documents that discussed the potential Russian reaction to HMS Defender's travel through waters off the Crimea coast on Wednesday, while another paper laid out plans for a possible military presence in Afghanistan. Adding the Afghanistan bit to make it more credible.

¿De qué se trató? Los papeles incluyen un conjunto de documentos que tratan sobre la posible reacción rusa respecto del viaje de HMS Defender en aguas frente a la costa de Crimea el día viernes, mientras que otro conjunto de documentos tratan de planes sobre una posible presencia militar en Afganistán. Se agrega Afganistán para hacer la historia más creíble. 

A member of the public who wanted to remain anonymus (i.e. a member of the Ministry of Defense) contacted the Ministry of Defense when the 50 pages of classified information which included emails and PowerPoint presentation was found. Surely, a credit to Microsoft designer of PowerPoint because it shows how useful PowerPoint software is that even the British Ministry of Defense is using it for its classified documents.

Un miembro del público que deseaba permanecer anónimo (ejemplo, un miembro del Ministerio de Defensa) se puso en contacto con el Ministerio de Defensa cuando las 50 páginas de información secreta que incluye correos electrónicos y un presentación PowerPoint fueron halladas. Con segurida algo que enorgullece a Microsoft dado que muestra la utilidad del programa de computadora PowerPoint que es tan útil que incluso el Ministerio de Defensa Británico lo usa para producir documentos secretos.

The mission was described by MoD as 'an innocent passage through territorial waters' with guns covered and the ship's helicopter stowed in its hangar. It says that it was done with the expection that the Kremlin would react aggressively.

La misión fue descrita por el Ministerio de Defensa como 'un paso inocente por aguas territoriales', con armas cubiertas y con el helicóptero del buque dentro de su hangar. Dice asimismo que fue hecho con la expectativa de que el Kremlin (el gobierno ruso) reaccionaría de manera agresiva.

The report says that a series of slides showed two alternative routes, one described as 'a safe and professional direct transit from Odessa to Batumi', including a short stretch through a maritime traffic management system, known as TSS, close to the south-west tip of Crimea.

El informe dice que una serie de imágenes muestran dos rutas alternativas. Una de las rutas es descrita como 'tránsito profesional directo y seguro entre Odessa y Batumi', incluyendo un trecho corto a través del sistema de gestión de tráfico marítimo conocido como TSS, cerca del extremo suroccidental de Crimea.

The Labour Party as part of this comedy has to say via John Healey (Labour's shadow Defense Secretary) that an internal inquiry carried out immediately should establish how highly classified documents were taken out of the department in the first place and then left.

El Partido Laborista como parte de esta comedia tenía que decir mediante John Heley (que ocupa la posición de Ministro de Defensa en la Oposición) que una investigación interna urgente debería determina cómo documentos muy secretos fueron sacados de una oficina y dejados en la vía pública.

It must be said that national security was never compromised. This is a circus organised by the Ministry of Defense with full knowledge of the Labour Party and of 10 Downing Street. No classified documents of such nature would ever place near a bus top so that anybody passing by would find them.

Hay que decir que la seguridad nacional nunca fue puesta en peligor. Este es un circo organizado por el Ministerio de Defensa con pleno conocimiento del Partido Laborista y del gobierno. Ningún documento de tal naturaleza hubiera sido puesto cerca de una parada de autobus para que cualquiera que pasara por el lugar lo pudiera encontrar.

They were placed on purpose near a bus stop in full view of members of the public or possibly it was never placed anywhere near a bus stop. They had to improvise a version of events to make the report about the loss documents more colourful to attract as much mass media attention as possible.

Fueron colocados de manera deliberada cerca de la parada de autobus de manera visible para cualquier miembro del público o posiblemente nunca fueron colocados cerca de una parada de autobus. Tuvieron que improvisar una versión de lo ocurrido para hacer que el informe sobre los documentos perdidos fuera más atractivo para atrar tanta atención de los medios como fuera posible.

From the start the intention was to provoke a Russian response knowing full well that the British warship would be entering territorial waters violating the 12 miles limit.

Desde el comienzo, la intención fue provocar a Rusia sabiendo que el buque de guerra británico entraría en aguas territoriales violando el límite de 12 millas.

For many years, Britain supported the idea of the 12 miles limit when other countries stated that the limit should be 200 miles as part of the denominated 'exclusive economic zone'.

Durante muchos años, Gran Bretaña ha apoyado la idea de las 12 millas cuando otros países sostuvieron que el límite debería ser 200 millas como parte la denominada zona de exclusión económica. 

Uruguay and Argentina defended the thesis to dictate that the River Plate is a river and not an ocean and that therefore Argentina and Uruguay have absolute control of it.

Uruguay y Argentina defendieron la tesis para dictaminar que el Río de la Plata es un río y no un océano y por ende Argentina y Uruguay tiene control absoluto del río.

The so called 'innocent passage' was never meant to be an 'innocent passage'. It was a premediated provocation seeking a military response with political aims. 

El llamado 'paso inocente' no era la intención. Fue provocación deliberada tratando de provocar una respuesta miliar con fines políticos.








Monday, 3 May 2021

China: Wars are about money

 

It is no secret that while USA has been waging wars on credit and getting increasingly into debt, China has beed working hard, spreading its influence across the world and investingly heavely in the UK, in the USA and in many other countries.

The 2008 financial crisis is a clear example of how the USA has been operating, getting into debt, fuelling or creating conflicts around the world and using the consequences of conflicts it has created to invest more and more in the weapons industries - investing monies that the USA does not really have.

When the obvious consequence of such folly becomes self-evident, the recipe to ignore where the root of the problem really lies is to blame China and Russia as if demonising China and Russia the problems of the USA could be magically solved.

The conflict in Ukraine, for example, is a Ukrainian issue, but it is constantly used by the USA to justify massive military deployments. The conflict in Hong Kong and in Taiwan is a Chinese issue, but once again it is used by the USA to justify accusations about 'Chinese aggression and lack of democracy'. China has been a Comunist country since the days of Mao Tse-Tung, but the West including the USA were very happy to ignore whatever was going on in China because they wanted to invest in China to make money by using cheap labour and then sell manufactured products back in the West.

China took the transfers of resources and increasing indebtness of the West - including the USA - to develop its own economy and perfect technology to compete with the West and buy in the West whatever it could buy. China buys soy from Argentina and invests in Brazil in the creation of gateways to link the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across Brazil. China invests in Africa because Africa is rich in mineral resources that China really and trully needs to develop its industries. China invests in New Zealand and Australia that now see their economic future that depends on their relationship with China.

While America speculates with dubious financial investments that ruin its economy and condemn millions of Americans to abject poverty, China - despite its ideological stance - is creating more wealth that the USA and heading towards pole position when it comes to world powers. 


Monday, 16 March 2020

Corona Virus: Health Concerns and Financial Stability

Corona Virus: Health Concerns and Financial Stability

Undoubtedly, we need to ensure that there are resources in place to assist both individuals and companies during times of crisis. As people opt for self-isolation or are forced into self-isolation because of health concerns, the economy as a whole will be under enormous pressure.

During previous financial crisis, the State was able to intervene and acting as lender or guarantor could maintain the integrity of financial systems that underpin the economy as a whole. 


In the present crisis generated by having to deal with Corona Virus, once again, the State is coming out and investing public monies to support both individuals, public services and companies that are affected by a sudden slowdown. Such intervention by the State can only be temporary. The package of extraordinary measures is not something that be kept going forever. We must be aware of the potential for extremely negative consequences that will involve social and political repercussions.

We are talking about two worlds: the world before Corona Virus and the world after Corona Virus in the same manner that we had a world before 9/11 and a completely different world after 9/11. The way in which we approach the provision of healthcare will have to change. The way in which we approach immigration will have to change.

Most importantly, what we do about healthcare is not a national issue. It is an international issue. Countries will have to accept the fact that illnesses don't respect national borders, that what happens in one country will inevitably affect the rest of the world. Each country with international support will have to improve the provision of healthcare. Healthcare is a priority for all regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality or any other consideration. What happened in Wuhan has now affected more than 150 countries and is spreading in the same manner that AIDs that started in Africa has killed millions across the world.

 

Saturday, 14 March 2020

Corona Virus could be a blessing in disguise

Corona Virus could be a blessing in disguise

In a Twenty-First Century of selfishness, Corona Virus could be a blessing in disguise, forcing Humanity to rethink its ways. 

We don't know how far the Corona Virus pandemia will go. But we know that it is forcing countries and people as individuals to think about the way we live.

This is a time in which if we don't look after our neighbours we would end up being victims. The virus doesn't care about national borders. The virus doesn't care about gender, race, sexual inclinations, ideologies or social background. If you are meant to get it, you are going to get it. Privileges amount to nothing. This a very democratic infection. At the last count, more than 150 countries have been infected, both rich and poor, regardless of backgrounds.

Corona Virus is making people think about our approach to healthcare and welfare in general. The views of an empty Mecca in Saudi Arabia send a very clear message to all those willing to hear. Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or of whatever other religious persuasion or don't believe at all, you can be a target. This is the kind of terror that can target Humanity as a whole.

Corona Virus could be given a religious meaning. Let's put it this way: you can be rich. You can be powerful. I am going to get you anyway. Maybe Corona Virus is what is needed to make Humanity think, ponder, and change for the better. For months on end, we have been talking about wars, about trade wars, about terrorism, about political polarization and conflicts of all kinds.Suddenly, the world is focused on one issue. This is about survival of the individual and the said individual could be you. For you to survive, you need the actions of many others. We come to the point when every nation will be made to understand that we all need a National Health Service. If your neighbour is ill because he or she cannot afford to be treated then you and your family and everybody else you care for is in danger.

Faced with a catastrophe we need to think and to act. Corona Virus might be teaching us a valuable lesson that all of us need to learn. 
  

Friday, 5 July 2019

Josef Mengele: Totesengel died in Brazilian beach

Josef Mengele: Totesengel died in Brazilian beach

Rolf and Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele was perhaps one of the most colourful characters during and after World War Two. The SS Captain lived a very eventful life and earned a living after the war working for his own family business in Latin America where he visited/lived in several countries including Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. After the war, he went as a far as applying for and obtaining a German passport under his real name and got married in Uruguay also using his real name.

Some Germans lived under their real names and others adopted other names and nationalities including Italian nationality. It was well known that countries like Argentina and Uruguay had important Italian immigrant settlements and therefore entering using an Italian passport was the natural thing to do. In those days, people didn't care much about who came from where as long as you could fit in amongst the masses of European immigrants. Moreover, Germans were highly qualified and in developing countries such levels of expertise were in high demand.

The Cold War was on and therefore there was little interest in chasing highly intelligent people who were excellent at practically every job they applied themselves to do.

My own father knew how to fly and had vast knowledge of cheminal compounds and was a professional time keeper. We used to travel round.

Wednesday, 26 December 2018

Nostradamus and the Middle East: Are we on the verge of a major cataclism?

Image result for Middle East
Nostradamus and the Middle East: Are we on the verge of a major disaster? In the 1990s and then again in 2003, the issue was Iraq, and Palestine was an ongoing headache that had become a constant and so there were no unexpected consequences believed to be about to come out of it.

What Western military intervention in Iraq in 2003 opened was a can of worms that is now spreading in every direction reaching Europe with very undesirable effects to the point that political stability in Europe is being seriously undermined.

Despite the fact that the major players, US and Russia are decidedly involved in a series of conflicts, the risk is that those trying to fill up the gaps might unwittingly turn regional issues into something major.

When secondary players become involved, there might be not enough reasons for restraint and as the battle of words takes over the unexpected might happen. There are government and there are populations and government playing the tune for internal audiences in an effort to prevent or to counter internal upheaval are most dangerous since external wars are thought to be - a good way to silence internal opposition or to cover up bad governance.

The South Atlantic War initiated by the Argentinian Military Junta was a desperate attempt by the military to play for time when the military were loosing control. They need something that could unite a very divided Argentina. Whatever can be used to counter internal divisions will be used to try and unite public opinion in favour of governments. 

Kurdish struggle towards statehood goes on. Kurdish populations exist in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and also in Syria and Turkey is the one most affected. Israel and Iran have been at odds for a very long time. Israel favoured the invasion of Iraq and now is pushing the US to see Iran as a valid target and to justify military operations within Syrian territory. While many in the European Union favoured the continuation of a nuclear deal signed up with Iran, US withdrew from the pact and has announced that it would be reduced its military intervention in Syria. Israeli action in Syria and elsewhere justify the level of mistrust of Iranian authorities when Iranians who are fighting against Islamic State are being killed by Israeli jets.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are in a proxy war in Yemen. Qatar is leaving OPEC and is not in good terms with Saudi Arabia. Lebanon and Jordan could be brought into conflict due to Israel military operations in the region. And then there is the relationship between European countries and countries in the Middle East. Germany and France announced an embargo on arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Turkey - a NATO country - threatened France - another NATO country - about French military operations in support of Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Where the initial flash will come from that will trigger a major conflict is everybody's guess but there are plenty of possibilities for disaster to strike. The assassination of a Saudi Arabian journalist in spite of the savagery and callousness shown by the Saudi Arabian Monarchy might be seen as insignificant when it comes to a very difficult balancing exercise.

Britain's attempt to defuse the situation in Yemen has to do with putting an end to a human catastrophe but it has also the aim of reducing the chances of a direct confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

We are dealing with a House of Cards. One wrong move and wars will spread in every direction.