The Sentinel: International Politics

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Our stories this week

Dec 26, 2024 05:30 pm .::.
Sweeping up the homeless doesn't actually solve homelessness

Why doesn't it? Read this article to learn more »

Dec 26, 2024 05:12 pm .::.
Viewpoint |Bring back normalization with Cuba; the benefits will be well worth it

Dec 26, 2024 04:41 pm .::.
Viewpoint |Think you are exempt, you're not - If they can take my rights, Republicans will take yours, too

Who will lose their rights? Read more to see who could be targeted »

Dec 26, 2024 03:11 pm .::.
3 Spartans deliver double-digits in 14-point win over Bago at State Farm basketball tournament

Read our game summary »

Dec 26, 2024 02:13 pm .::.
SJO girls fall in opener at State Farm Holiday Classic, Erickson leads scoring effort

How many points did she deliver? Read the article to find out »

Related articles:

Commentary |
The Speaker’s Slippery Balancing Act

Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org

The House Leader isn't so much "leading" as "trying not to plummet."

Editorial |
Gaza and Core American Values

Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org

When it comes to Israel-Palestine, Joe Biden and Jared Kushner are on the same page.

Editorial |
The color of compassion

Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org

Is the U.S. government showing its true colors when it comes to sympathy for war victims?

Guest Commentary |
This is a sad time in America

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden referred to an American dilemma – the shrinking Snicker’s bar. He pointed out that his Snicker’s bar purchase had less or fewer Snickers. I’m not exactly sure what a Snickers is, nuts, chocolate, sugar, the content of the bar. Size matters, when you’re hungry. It’s just a bad thing when you stop at your local convenient store to buy a soda pop and you walk out with a Snicker’s bar that cost more but has less in the wrapper. Apparently, there must be less Fritos and Cheetos in the bags as well. This is a sad time in America.

I remember buying a large bottle of coke, a bag of chips and a pastry for 25 cents. Those were the days but they are long past.

It’s an epidemic of course. It’s not just candy bars and junk food. Check the size of your fast-food hamburgers and the cost. You are paying more for less. A hundred dollars doesn’t go very far at the grocery store. American families are having a difficult time putting food on the table. A mother who cooks for her family every day is having to stretch her budge more and more.

President Biden is concerned about the problem but it’s been a growing problem for three years. It’s not getting better When does he propose to fix the problem, after he is reelected? Why not now? Or, why not over the past three years? People are hurting today. Promises of a better life if he is reelected are not reassuring to many Americans.

The border crisis is our number one issue this election. It’s not a priority with President Biden. He’s had three years to be walking that border. He’s had three years to stop the invasion of illegals and gang members into our country. His recent photo op to the border is too little too late. Joe Biden stopped the progress of the border wall. He opened the gates wide to the illegals. The results are not positive. We have major cities on the verge of economic collapse. Public schools, housing and more are suffering. Mayors are pleading for help.

Recently, Biden submitted a Border Immigration Bill to Congress that has not been approved. The bill still allows for an average of 5000 people a day over seven days to come into the United States illegally before closing the border. Or, the one-day maximum number is 8,500 entries before the border is closed. This a larger number of people than some of our rural counties in America. Over the course of a year this would amount to a city the size of Indianapolis or larger coming into our country. This is not border security, but only a continuation of Biden’s insanity.

We do need to help Ukraine. Putin is not anyone’s friend. Trump made a stupid statement about Putin attacking non-supportive NATO countries. However, the border security and Ukraine expenditures should be separate bills. If we don’t tightly secure our border our children are going to have a scary place to grow up. Sadly, we may already be in that place.

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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommon Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Editorial |
Enemies of the state

Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org

Editorial |
Green light to attack NATO

Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org

Guest Commentary | Just so you know, foreign companies are buy up America

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

According an article on the Business Insider website, the world's total land mass consists of 36.8 billion acres of inhabitable land.

Amazingly, just few people own a lot of our planet.

King Charles III or the Crown Estate owns 6.6 billion acres of land worldwide. This includes Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Canada (90%), Australia (23 %) and a few other spots here and there. They also own the Falkland Islands.

With 6.6 billion acres, King Charles III or the Crown Estate, is far and away the world's largest landowner, with the closest runner-up (King Salman, Saudi Arabia) who holds control over a mere 547 million acres and a net worth of over $18 billion.

Coming in number three on the list is Pope Francis.110 acres owned by The Holy See constitute Vatican City. Also, roughly 17 million more acreage of various lands are owned by the Catholic Church throughout the globe, including the hundreds of Vatican embassies that are legally titled to The Holy See as an independent nation.

Ted Turner ranks high in major world land owners with over 2 million acres of land owned in Georgia, Montana and Argentina.

Jeff Bezos owns about 400,000 acres with much of that being in Texas. Bill Gates owns about 242,000 acres of farmland according to celebrity.net.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, USDA, there are approximately 911 million acres of farmland in the United States

There has been concern about China’s growing land purchases in the United States. Chinese purchases of U.S agricultural land has sparked concern in Congress among a bipartisan group of lawmakers—but 18 other countries own more American agricultural acres than China.

Here are some of the American landowners:

1. Canada (12,845,000 acres)
2. Netherlands (4,875,000 acres)
3. Italy (2,703,000 acres)
4. United Kingdom (2,538,000 acres)
5. Germany (2,269,000 acres)
6. Portugal (1,483,000 acres)
7. France (1,316,000 acres)
8. Denmark (856,000 acres)
9. Luxembourg (802,000 acres)
10. Ireland (760,000 acres)

China ranks number 18 and owns roughly 384,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Agriculture. Of that, 195,000 acres, worth almost $2 billion when purchased, are owned by 85 Chinese investors, which could be individuals, companies or the government. The other 189,000 acres were worth $235 million when purchased and are owned by 62 U.S. corporations with Chinese shareholders. Chinese agricultural land ownership only increased about 550 acres from 2015 to 2019. Then, their ownership jumped 30% from 2019 (Forges.com)

Chinese food manufacturer Fufeng Group bought 300 acres of land near Grand Forks, North Dakota, to set up a milling plant. The project is located about 20 minutes from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, raising national security concerns. (CNBC.COM)

Then known as Shuanghui Group, WH Group purchased Smithfield Foods in 2013 for $4.72 billion. It was the largest Chinese acquisition of an American company at that time.

Bourbon lovers might be surprised to learn that a large number of Kentucky favorites are owned by Japanese companies. Way back in 2014 Japan-based Suntory bought Jim Beam at a 25 percent premium over market value for $16 billion. That means the world's best-selling bourbon, Jim Beam, is actually owned by a Japanese company. Suntory also owns Maker's Mark, Knob Creek and Basil Hayden.

If you have American land or business to sell, no worries, someone from China or another foreign country just might be interested.

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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Playing a critical role, American farmers are stepping up to help solve global hunger

Farm implement in the early morning field

Noah Buscher/Upsplash

StatePoint Media -- With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supply chain problems stemming from the global pandemic, and the world struggling under escalating inflation and a rapidly changing climate, the global hunger crisis has reached new levels.

Every night, more than 800 million people go to bed hungry, with the number of severely food-insecure people more than doubling from 135 million before COVID-19 to 345 million today, according to the World Food Program. At the same time, American agricultural exports of farm and food products shattered records in 2021 to total $177 billion, according to the USDA, demonstrating the instrumental role American farmers play in the U.S. economy, and in feeding the world.

"It’s more important than ever that the United States continues to lead globally to protect food systems abroad and our citizens at home from supply chain disruptions and rising prices," said Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Senior Advisor at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. "As we face growing threats and crises on the global stage from wars, drought, climate change and food insecurity, farmers are part of the solution and will play a key role helping to save lives."

This is the driving idea behind a newly-launched initiative: Farmers for Prosperity. This network of agribusiness leaders is committed to U.S. global engagement by harnessing American resources to feed the world. Convened by the USGLC, Farmers for Prosperity will also shine a spotlight on both the role farmers play in solving critical global issues, and on why U.S. global leadership is essential to protect the security, health and economic interests of American families.

The launch of Farmers for Prosperity recently took place at USGLC’s Heartland Summit, hosted in Minnetonka, Minnesota, West Lafayette, Indiana, and Wichita, Kansas. The Summit, an annual event, convenes leaders this year from across the heartland with the aim of unpacking how strategic investments in agriculture, digital technology and global development help create jobs, feed the hungry, reduce poverty and keep America safe. Advocates are highlighting this year’s biggest takeaways:

• When communities are food insecure, it can lead to instability, slowing economic growth, perpetuating conflict, impacting child development and worsening malnutrition. Working with partners around the world, American farmers can help feed the world and save lives.

• U.S. leadership on the global stage is vital to advancing national economic and security interests, and agriculture is a part of that equation. Farmers have unique and important views on what it takes for the United States and the world to prosper, making it important for them to help shape foreign policy by educating policymakers on the challenges on the ground.

• Ensuring that American farmers have access to developing and emerging markets around the world is critical for the domestic economy. U.S. agricultural exports support over 1.3 million jobs on the farm and in related industries such as food processing and transportation.

To watch the 2022 Heartland Summit or learn more about Farmers for Prosperity, visit heartland.usglc.org

"Farmers around the world are not all that different. Together, they grow the food that sustains communities. At a time of global crisis, American farmers can lead the effort to tackle hunger and food insecurity," says Glickman.

Op-Ed: President Biden has a laundry list of unfinished tasks to mind

Op-Ed by Dr. Todd J. Barry and Sean R. Barry

On Thursday, September 1, President Biden spoke from outside Philadelphia’s Constitution Hall, aiming to 1) motivate the Democratic base, and 2) unite the country. In his speech, the two goals did not coalesce, and he veritably accomplished neither. Rather, he incited 2020 election deniers, ignoring the fact that many Democrats lengthily repudiated the 2016 election results because of the belief of Russian hacking; in absolute truth, neither elections’ anomalies were enough to affect eithers’ outcome.

President Joe Biden’s accomplishments have been tepid. While the economy is in recession, as there have never been two consecutive quarters of negative growth that was not a recession, President Biden finally passed his stimulus bill: an anti-inflationary environmental and healthcare package. But, unemployment will probably upsurge, as a lagging indicator, particularly with a long-lasting recession. Therefore, a greater effort could be made to help the unemployed, and especially those having “left the workforce” - the long-term unemployed, such as through hiring tax credits. This issue could be called “MUM,” for mass unemployed men, a growing problem that few leaders discuss. There is also a strong chance of a “double-dip” recession.

With the Republicans likely to control Congress in November, since non-incumbent parties typically fair better in “off-year” elections, then barring unforeseen budget confrontations, Mr. Biden would be best to focus his term’s remainder on foreign policy. The next two years will probably see Republican investigations into Mr. Biden’s son (Hunter Biden), and Attorney General Merrick Garland, as well as questioning about the President’s age and health. Foreign policy presents greater opportunities.

In foreign policy, Ukrainian-Russian relations is the largest issue. Ukraine has fought bravely, with America’s help, and defended Kyiv. They wounded Russia’s army, making a future reinvasion dubious. But it is unlikely that Ukraine will be able to recapture the two eastern breakaway provinces, nor Crimea. The 1938 Munich Conference, though, was not, and will not, be repeated. Ukraine battles forward, but a complete victory could take thousands of more lives, billions of United States’ dollars, threaten a U.S.-Russian conflict, or produce a false-flag nuclear tragedy. A “reg militaire” could form, whereby fighting simply stops where the troops remain, such as with Korea’s 38th parallel. A better outcome might be for multilateral talks, perhaps over semi-autonomy for the two provinces, and future U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees. Ukrainian membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) seems rather implausible.

China is America’s most important long-term relationship: both the U.S. and China need to cool-off their increasing provocativeness regarding Taiwan, lest, to be succinct, China attempts to overtake the South China Sea from American influence. The U.S. should continue to deal with Russia and China, both, over nuclear weapons, in replacing treaties that expired, or, were withdrawn from. The U.S. should work against nuclear proliferation, such as with Iran, where the U.S. has taken a backseat to Europe in renegotiating the Joint Committee Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Middle-East is now a region where a war might be untimely.

Sanctions could also be used as a carrot-and-stick with North Korea, the world’s most dangerous country, short-term, as it is absurd to think that North Korea would rescind all of its nuclear weapons. The United States’ best hope is a “freeze for a freeze”- North Korea agreeing to cease building any more nuclear weapons, and allowing inspectors, while America would lessen its military exercises, or relocate adjacent peninsular troops to willing countries farther south.

Just as other Democratic candidates, in 2020, left the Democratic primary after South Carolina’s vote, enabling Mr. Biden to secure the nomination, it would be equally as noble if President Biden were to now abscond, helping a younger generation candidate, who could win the general election. The last time that a Democratic candidate lost the popular vote in over 30 years was in 2004. However, Americans are living in an “era of bad feelings,” of entrenched incumbents, a category which includes former President Trump, essentially, by his already garnered 2024 supporters. Also propitious for a Trump candidacy might be “left-leaning,” “third-party” contenders who siphon Democratic votes. For President Biden, though, to be unselfish, by mellowing his tone, and by parting gracefully, after his next two-year accomplishments, would all likely enhance his historical legacy.

Dr. Todd J. Barry holds a PhD from the U. of Southern Mississippi, and teaches economics, with Hudson County Community College in NJ, USA. Sean R. Barry holds a master’s degree in public administration, and has served on town committees in Branford, CT.

Davis, Miller vote in favor of trade suspension with Russia

WASHINGTON -- Last week, U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL 13) and Mary Miller (R-IL 15) voted supported legislation to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus for their unwarranted war of aggression against Ukraine. Their votes, along with 200 other republican representatives, were in favor of the measures that suspended preferential tariffs applied under “normal trade relations” treatment for the products of the Russian Federation and Belarus.

It also subjects products of the Russian Federation and Belarus to non-preferential tariff rates on the date of enactment as well as empowers the President, until January 1, 2024, to proclaim even higher tariff rates for particular products from the two countries.

"We should inflict maximum financial pain on Russia, Putin, and his oligarch cronies for their war against Ukraine and the atrocities that are a result of their war," said Rep. Davis. "That’s why the United States should suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus by raising tariffs on them. We should not allow Putin to indirectly finance his war in Ukraine by trading with our country. We should use every financial tool at our disposal to make it as costly as possible for Putin to wage war against Ukraine."

The new legislation also empowers the President to raise tariffs after advance notice to Congress and an explanation of the basis for and potential impact of the increases.

After a large scale build-up on the border of the two countries, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to attack on February 24.

The foreign minister of Ukrainian said the incursion of nearly 200k Russian troops into his country was the "most blatant act of aggression in Europe since" World War II.

ViewPoint | Foreign policy issues are complicated

by Ren Brabenec, Guest Commentator

"In times of war, the enemy gets a vote." Those words are particularly relevant today, as tensions build between the U.S. and Russia.

But this all seems eerily familiar.

As Americans, we need to ask ourselves how we would feel if Russia placed nuclear weapons in Mexico. Or Venezuela. Or Cuba. Ah yes, Cuba. That already happened, didn’t it? And as many historians would agree, that event brought our species the closest it's been to total annihilation.

May cooler heads prevail, this time around.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, American naval ships began dropping depth charges on Soviet submarines, not knowing that the subs were equipped with nuclear-tipped torpedoes AND orders to fire, should the subs be attacked.

The decision to fire nukes required three commanding officers—the captain of the sub, the political officer, and the submarine flotilla commander. The captain agreed to launch. The political officer agreed to launch. Flotilla Commander Vasili Arkhipov did not agree to launch.

We are alive today because of Vasili Arkhipov.

And Arkhipov’s decision is just one chilling example throughout the 20th century of instances when one person prevented a nuclear war.

Fast forward to the present. Russia is taking an aggressive, reprehensible posture as it invades Ukraine (a country where 30% of citizens speak Russian and swaths of the country identify as Russian or Russian-Ukrainian), but a sovereign nation nonetheless.

Why is Russia doing this?

Another reminder from history may answer that question. When negotiating the 1990 reunification of Germany and the issue of potential NATO expansion (something the Russians obviously did not want), Secretary of State James Baker had this to say to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, "We understand the need for assurances to the countries in the East. If we maintain a presence in a Germany that is a part of NATO, there would be no extension of NATO’s jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east."

Almost immediately after the promise was made and an agreement was struck, NATO expanded east, pushing what Russia saw as a hostile military alliance closer to Russia’s doorstep. Fast forward to the present, and despite the end of the Cold War, NATO has not disbanded. Rather, it’s advanced, expanding in the three decades since, further encircling Russia.

May cooler heads prevail indeed.

Foreign policy issues are complicated. The enemy gets a vote too. And though Americans may have short memories, they would do well to remember the cautionary tales of the Cold War. They should put themselves in the shoes of a defiant and war-hardened Russian people who see American political leaders as incapable of keeping promises. Americans would do well to ask themselves, "Would I consent to a hostile military alliance placing nuclear arms in the Americas?" If the answer is no, then we know exactly how the Russians feel.

The Biden Administration must stop caving to pressure from the media, the war hawks, the contractors and arms dealers who profit from war. The Biden Admin must move away from its aggressive posturing. It must stop making threats to clash with Russia over Ukraine, a nation not even remotely within our sphere of influence. Even now, it must seek diplomatic resolutions, not military ones, because there are no military options between nuclear powers.

Ren Brabenec is a Tennessee-based author and freelance writer specializing in U.S. foreign policy.

Guest Commentary: What the Biden Administration should do in Taliban peace talks

by Ahmad Shah Mohibi

After weeks of increased violence, uncertainty, and a stalemate between the negotiating parties, talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban resumed earlier this week in Doha, amid a looming deadline for US troops to fully withdraw from the country by May of this year. Despite the flurry of historic developments that have taken place in Afghanistan over the past year, the next couple of months will be a critical test for both the momentum of the peace process and the patience of the major players involved.

International Policy For the Biden Administration, the outcome of the dialogue in Doha will be the first major foreign policy challenge, one that will either culminate in a historic agreement or continued entrenchment for what has already been America’s longest war. Public opinion polls conducted amongst a diverse group of American voters suggest that while most have experienced fatigue with the conflict, very few support a complete withdrawal of US troops, even when accounting for partisan differences.

Nevertheless, a full drawdown would likely strengthen the Taliban’s position, and encourage a repeat of the chaos that ensued in the aftermath of the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, and the cessation of Soviet foreign aid in 1991, which quickly brought down the government of Mohammad Najibullah a year later.

The Taliban’s current fighting force (estimated between 40,000-60,000 fighters) would take complete control of Afghan territory, highly unlikely. However, a potential breakdown of the current unity government, buttressed by the Taliban’s enduring connection to both Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province (ISIL-Khorasan), would whet the Taliban’s risk appetite for sustained engagement with the Afghan armed forces as seen in the past months.

Given the fragility of the Ghani government, and waning enthusiasm from the American side, the Biden Administration’s best option is to pursue a compromise that would postpone their scheduled withdrawal in May and buy more time for the negotiators. The US exit from Afghanistan should be condition-based on peace in Afghanistan. The Americans should make it clear to the Taliban that if they don’t want peace, they will stay in Afghanistan.

The most important country for the Taliban in Pakistan, and when Pakistan is under American pressure, it will help the peace process.

At present, US policy toward Afghanistan remains vague, and although President Biden’s approach is expected to be a marked departure from that of his predecessor, it appears unlikely that he will undo either of two signature moves made by the Trump Administration, including the existing withdrawal agreement, and the recent drawdown of American troop levels to their present level of 2,500. Key personnel tied to the current deliberations, most notably US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, are also expected to be retained in the Biden Administration’s foreign policy team.

Presently, Taliban have the upper hand at negotiations, not because of the US-Taliban deal, but because they can simply walk away from the talks and go back fighting. The Doha agreement has defined the US troops withdrawal condition-based so there is no pressure on Taliban at the moment.

The Taliban has also benefited from the successful release of imprisoned fighters, and the international legitimacy that the US peace deal conferred to its organization and its external relations with foreign powers. The recent recess in peace talks saw the Taliban appeal to Iran, Russia, and Turkey in a bid to cultivate support and obstruct US efforts to put pressure on regional actors.

In the event that calls for an interim government (one that would presumably replace Ghani) go unheeded, the opportunity would be ripe for the Taliban to exploit factionalism between Ghani’s supporters and political rivals.

In order to reach the ideal scenario of a postponed withdrawal, the United States will likely have to lean on its existing relationship with state actors in lieu of a direct appeal to the Taliban. While generating strong buy-in from the likes of Russia, Iran, and Turkey is unlikely in the next 2 months, the Biden Administration does possess leverage over the Taliban’s main source of financial support (member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council) and political support (Pakistan). The most important country for the Taliban in Pakistan, and when Pakistan is under American pressure, it will help the peace process. By wielding the threat of sanctions, the United States could fulfill Pakistan’s long-standing demand to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s “grey list”, which would provide relief for Pakistan’s access to global capital markets and encourage foreign direct investment.

The economic argument for peace in Afghanistan has only grown stronger given the presence of lucrative natural resources, particularly mineral wealth, and the favorable location that could help the country generate transit fees from energy projects and improved infrastructure to facilitate trade between East and West Asia. The economic case could be compelling to win support from regional players like Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iran. Afghanistan is a rich country, but the economics only works if everyone is included. The recent commodity boom bodes well for the resources found in Afghanistan, with technology-critical elements like Lithium and Rare Earth Elements in a large abundance.

With little more than 60 days remaining before US troops are scheduled to withdraw, the next set of developments will be a harbinger for the trajectory of the peace process. Sustaining the momentum of the milestones achieved in the past year will require difficult political compromises from a long list of state and non-state actors.

Ahmad Shah Mohibi is the founder of Rise to Peace and also serves as the director of Counter-Terrorism programs. In this role, he conducts research and analyzes policy issues related to terrorism, violent extremism, international security, and peace peacebuilding efforts to help inform the policy practitioners, analysts, the private sector, international and non-governmental organizations. Prior to that, he served as an Advisor to the Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in Afghanistan, where he helped coordinate, implement, and monitor interconnected projects, including the $10 million initiative to build the Justice Center in Parwan.