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THE TRUMPET WEEKLYTHE TRUMPET WEEKLYA P R I L 2 5 , 2 0 1 4

Israels peace partner unites with other terrorists 2

U.S. loses secret base to jihadis in Libya 3

Why Russia cant live without Eastern Europe 5

China to use Putin-style tactics 8

POTUS threatening to nullify immigration laws 11

W call attention to Vladimir Putins

prowess with judo. For many, it has taken a placealongside his bare-chested horseback riding, tiger

tranquilizing and hang gliding to become a kind o run-ning joke: Tere he goes again, the portrait of silly Russianmachismo and power.

But to the Russian president, judo is no joke. He haspracticed it since age , earned a black-belt in it, written a

book about its theory/practice, and evenreleased an instructional calledLets Learn Judo With Vladimir Putin.

Putins interest in the martial art liesat the oundation o his identity. As

such, it has shaped more than just

his physique. A case can be made that the principles o judo

are also shaping Vladimir Putins current oreign policytoward the West.

Practitioners o most martial art orms ocus mainly onusing their ownpower against opponents. But judo ad-herents strive to use their opponentsstrength, weight andmovement against himto unbalance and deeat him. Tisocus allows a weak or light judo practitioner to overcomea physically superior opponent (Columbia Encyclopedia,sixth edition).

What are the strengths, weights and movements o theUnited States and the other Western nations that Putin ischallenging? At least on the surace, they are respecting

the voice o the people, adhering to international law,protecting threatened minorities, and using militaryorce only when necessary.

Economically and militarily, Russia is weakerthan the United States. But by using the Wests

ofen lumbering movements against itlikethe judo master he isPutin is punchingabove his weight, and making some stag-gering gains or the motherland.

Te Large Wheel TrowHeres what Putin didnt doin Crimea:

He didnt march battalions o clearlymarked Red Army troops onto the pen-

insula, brandishing the Russian tricolorand singing God Save the sar! He didntsay that Moscow utterly rejects the Western-

made systems o law, morality and ethicsthat have steered international geopoliticsalmost unchallenged since the demise othe Soviet Union. He didnt hoist the Rus-sian flag in downtown Simeropol withoutconsulting local authorities and citizens.

Tose kinds o moves would have beenmore like the kicks and punches o a geo-political kickboxer. see JUDO page 12

BY JEREMIAH JACQUES

How Judo ShapesPutins Foreign Policy

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APRIL 25, 20142THE TRUMPET WEEKLYANDREW B URTON/GETTY IMAG ES

MIDDLE EAST

Fatah, Hamas Said toAgree to UnityTIMES OF ISRAEL | April 23

R P leaders romthe West Bank and Gaza Strip havedecided to orm a national unity gov-ernmentwithin the next five weeks,officials said early on Wednesday.

Te agreement, between memberso the Palestinian Liberation Organi-zation [ and Hamas, was reachedollowing talks in Gaza City thatbegan on uesday evening, a mem-

ber o the who wished to remainanonymous told .Tere has also been progress on

the holding o uture elections and thecomposition o the , said the Pal-estinian official without giving urtherdetails.

Fatah, the s main component,and Hamas signed a reconciliation ac-cord in Cairo in aimed at endingthe political divide between Gaza andthe Palestinian Authority-ruled West

Bank.But deadlines have come and gone

without any progress in implementingprovisions o the accord. Te latest announcement o a deal

comes as U.S.-brokered peace talkswith Israel teeter on the edge o collapse.

Te Palestinians met just a weekbeore the end o a nine-month targetoriginally set or an Israeli-Palestiniandeal.

Hamas is totally opposed to thePalestinian negotiations with Israel.

U.S. to ResumeMilitary Aid to Egypt

WASHINGTON POST | April 22

T U States has decided to re-sume delivery o Apache helicoptersto Egypt, the Pentagon announced lateuesday, backtracking on a decisionofficials made last summer ollowingthe countrys military coup and its

violent afermath.

Te Obama administration optedto go ahead with the delivery o

aircraf to help Egypt combat cells oextremists in the Sinai, even thoughWashington is unable to meet con-gressional criteria or the ull resump-tion o aid.

Since the coup that oustedPresident Mohamed Morsi last year,Egypts military-backed governmenthas orchestrated a brutal crackdownon the Morsi-allied Muslim Brother-hoodand its political wing. Egypt alsohas imprisoned hundreds o secularactivists. And it has detained journal-

ists romAl Jazeeraon charges thatthe television network and press-ree-dom activists call unounded.

Under Washingtons complicatedmilitary aid relationship with Cairo,Egypt has been allowed to place ordersor military hardware that takesseveral years to produce and deliver,under the assumption that Congresswill continue to authorize . billionin military aid each year. Te admin-istration suspended the delivery o the

T U States released billion worth o rozen

Iranian unds in the month o April. Although theseunds should indicate Iran is complying implicitly withthe Geneva deal, they actually are an excellent example oAmericas tiptoeing relationship with the Iranian regime.Te unds reveal Americas policy o dont provoke/dontupset.

Te latest cash release was supposed to be contingenton the International Atomic Energy Agency confirm-ing that Iran is ulfilling its commitments, according toa document released by the White House on January .Tose commitments include the complete dilution o Iransnear- percent enriched uranium by April . Since Iranreceived the latest million, we can saely assume the

Iranians completed their end o the deal and eliminated theentire stockpile. Right? Wrong.

According to Reuters, the says Iran has only cutits key uranium stockpiles by percent. Nonetheless, theU.S. released the unds. What the U.S. has is an untetheredhorse: Unable to restrain the Persian stallion, the U.S. is o-ering carrots to keep it placated. I it stops offering carrots,nothing will prevent the horse rom bolting. And Iran will

bolt i the financial incentive is removed.Te U.S. barely kept Iran at the negotiating table to

sign the Joint Plan. Now Washington has to entice it intoa long-term agreement. Te closer we come to the end othe six-month deal, the more politically desperate the U.S.will become to keep Iran at the negotiating table post-July.America will offer carrot afer carrot while turning a blindeye to Irans shortcomings. It will sustain a relationshipwhere the U.S. keeps ulfilling its end o the bargain, evenwhen Iran does not.

Iran Undermines Nuke Deal, Yet Funds Released AnywayCallum Wood | April 24

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
https://www.thetrumpet.com/article/8237.6906.0.0/world/government/hamas-and-fatah-sign-reconciliation-dealhttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/8237.6906.0.0/world/government/hamas-and-fatah-sign-reconciliation-dealhttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11564.19.0.0/middle-east/israel/negotiations-israel-gives-the-palestinians-gethttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11564.19.0.0/middle-east/israel/negotiations-israel-gives-the-palestinians-gethttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/10703.19.0.0/world/military/america-secretly-approves-13-billion-worth-of-military-aid-to-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/10703.19.0.0/world/military/america-secretly-approves-13-billion-worth-of-military-aid-to-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/9774.20559.0.0/religion/islam/the-shockingly-rapid-radicalization-of-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/9774.20559.0.0/religion/islam/the-shockingly-rapid-radicalization-of-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11187.30842.0.0/geneva-nuclear-agreementhttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11164.30790.0.0/the-geneva-deal-is-worse-than-you-knowhttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11164.30790.0.0/the-geneva-deal-is-worse-than-you-knowhttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11187.30842.0.0/geneva-nuclear-agreementhttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/9774.20559.0.0/religion/islam/the-shockingly-rapid-radicalization-of-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/9774.20559.0.0/religion/islam/the-shockingly-rapid-radicalization-of-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/10703.19.0.0/world/military/america-secretly-approves-13-billion-worth-of-military-aid-to-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/10703.19.0.0/world/military/america-secretly-approves-13-billion-worth-of-military-aid-to-egypthttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11564.19.0.0/middle-east/israel/negotiations-israel-gives-the-palestinians-gethttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/11564.19.0.0/middle-east/israel/negotiations-israel-gives-the-palestinians-gethttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/8237.6906.0.0/world/government/hamas-and-fatah-sign-reconciliation-dealhttps://www.thetrumpet.com/article/8237.6906.0.0/world/government/hamas-and-fatah-sign-reconciliation-deal

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APRIL 25, 20143THE TRUMPET WEEKLY

Apaches and some tanks as a rebukeover the coup and the heavy-handedtactics o Egypts generals in the weeksthat ollowed.

Under the appropriations bill Con-gress passed last year, the administra-tion must certiy that Egypt is adheringto the terms o a peace treaty withIsrael in order or it to receive up to million worth o aid. Te rest othe package is contingent on the admin-

istrations ability to attest that Egypt hasmade progress on a democratic transi-tion and on human rights.

Jihadis Control SecretU.S. Base in LibyaTHE DAILY BEAST | April 23

A jihadist leader and longtimemember o al Qaeda has takencontrol o a secretive training acility

set up by U.S. special operations orceson the Libyan coastline to help huntdown Islamic militants, accordingto local media reports, Jihadist weborums and U.S. officials.

In the summer o , AmericanGreen Berets began reurbishing aLibyan military base kilometers[. miles] west o ripoli in orderto hone the skills o Libyas firstWestern-trained special operationscounterterrorism fighters. Less than

two years later, that training camp isnow being used by groups with directlinks to al Qaeda to oment chaos inpost-Qadhafi Libya.

Last week, the Libyan press re-ported that the base was now underthe command o Ibrahim Ali AbuBakr antoush, a veteran associate oOsama bin Laden who was first des-ignated as part o al Qaedas supportnetwork in by the United States

and the United Nations. In other words, antoush is nowthe chie o a training camp the U.S.and Libyan governments had hopedwould train Libyan special operationsorces to catch militants like an-toush.

Te act that the one-time train-ing base or Libyan counterterrorismteams is now the domain o terroristsis a poignant reminder the UnitedStates has yet to win its war withal Qaeda, despite the successul

raid that killed its ounder and leader.Tis is particularly true or Libya.Since the / anniversary attackon the U.S. diplomatic mission inBenghazi, jihadist groups and alQaedas regional affiliates have beengaining territory throughout Libya.News that a veteran like antoush isnow in charge o a military base only kilometers rom Libyas capitalshows just how much the security inLibya has deteriorated.

Lebanon ParliamentFails to Elect President

AL JAZEERA | April 23

L has ailed toelect a new president, in what is setto be a prolonged saga closely linkedto Syrias upcoming election in June,political analysts say .

No candidate succeeded in getting

the minimum votes, or a two-thirds majority, needed to win thepresidency.

According to the Lebanese con-stitution, a candidate needs only percent o votes in the second roundto win the presidency. Te next ses-sion to elect a president will be held onApril .

Te election was the first opportu-nity to produce a president withoutthe influence o Syrian authorities,since Syria ended its nearly -year

military presence in Lebanon in. o date, the Lebanese Forces Party

has nominated its leader Samir Gea-gea or president. A ormer warlord,Geagea was sentenced to death orbeing behind the killing o or-mer Lebanese Prime Minister RashidKarami, but had his sentence reducedto lie in prison. In , as a part o awider national reconciliation bid, hewas pardoned and released. During

W a week lef beore the original deadline setor the current round o Israeli-Palestinian peace talksexpires, the parties are expected to resume negotiations,acilitated by American mediator Martin Indyk, later thisweek.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commentedMonday on Palestinian AuthorityPresident MahmoudAbbass threat to disband the PA should the peace talksstall urther, saying, Te Palestinian Authority, which

just yesterday spoke about its dissolution, is now talkingabout reconciling with Hamas. Tey should decide whatthey wantdissolution to reconciliation? Tey should letus know when they want peace, because we want a truepeace.

State Department spokeswoman Jennier Psaki alsocommented on Abbass threat, warning that such a movewould obviously have very serious implications or the

U.S.s relationship with the Palestinian Authority. But sources in the Palestinian Authority indicated that

the Palestinians are not taking U.S. threats too seriously. Over the weekend, Abbas threatened to disband the

Palestinian Authority, as well as to implement the rec-

onciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah, unless Israelagrees to the terms the Palestinian Authority has pre-sented Indyk with as its conditions or extending the peacetalks.

According to Palestinian sources, the conditions setby the Palestinian Authority include implementing theourth-stage prisoners release and releasing hundreds oadditional security prisoners; reducing Israels securitypresence in Palestinian territories; imposing a ull mora-torium on settlement expansion in Judea and Samaria andEast Jerusalem, and discussing the uture Palestinian statesborders.

U.S. Warns of Serious Implications to Disbanding PAIsrael Hayom | April 22
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EUROPE

Wednesdays first round o voting,Geagea received votes, well short othe required.

Te National Struggle Front, head-ed by Walid Jumblatt, had nominated

M.P. Henry Helou, who trailed insecond place with votes.

Lebanese resistance group Hezbol-lah is a key player in deciding whogets elected as president.

So ar, media reports have heraldedGen. Michel Aoun as the strongestcontender or president, but Aoun hasyet to declare his intention to run orthe post.

Eurozone FiscalColonialismPhilippe Legrain, NEW YORK

TIMES | April 21

L , the European Parlia-ment finally approved a mechanismor restructuring and closing downailed banks across the eurozone.But the system, which will not beestablished until , is unworkablycomplex and leaves a veto power withnational governments. Six years aferthe financial crisis began, Europe hasstill not resolved its banking mess.

Despite the hoopla in bubbly finan-cial markets, the crisis continues toinflict grave hardship. Zombie banksare still curbing credit to businesses in

Southern Europe. Millions o peoplein sickly economies have lost their

jobs or must scrape by on slashedwages, while they struggle with hugedebts and pay higher taxes or worsepublic services. Many have lost thatmost precious commodity: hope or abrighter uture.

Social tensions within countriesare multiplying, as are political ric-tions between them. Support or theEuropean Union is at an all-time low.Extremist parties are set to advance inEuropean Parliament elections nextmonth.

Te primary cause o the crisiswas the reckless lending o Germanand French banks (both directlyand through local banks) to Spanishand Irish homeowners, Portuguese

consumers and the Greek government.But by insisting that Greek, Irish, Por-tuguese and Spanish taxpayers pay inull or those banks mistakes, Chan-cellor Angela Merkels governmentand its handmaidens in Brussels havesystematically privileged the interestso German and French banks over

those o eurozone citizens.Germany, in particular, remainsin denial about its banks bad loans.Loath to cede control over its strickenbanks, Berlin has used its clout toeviscerate the eurozones bankingunion. Worse, the German govern-ment, together with the EuropeanCommission and the European Cen-tral Bank, wrongly blamed the euro-zone crisis on fiscal profligacy across

F- are set to do well in next monthselections to the European Parliament, a act that hasthrown a spotlight on their links with the Kremlin.

A recent study by the Budapest-based Political CapitalInstitute documents the support that ar-right parties inthe EU have given to Russian President Vladimir Putin,

particularly throughout the [Ukrainian] crisis.Tese parties repeated the Kremlins line that it is the

EU and the West, rather than Russia, which are provok-ing tension and ueling violence in the Eastern Europeancountry.

Several ar-right politicians went to observe the[Crimean] reerendum on rejoining Russia, a vote theysaid was ree and air although it was denounced as il-legitimate by most Western leaders.

Among those that went were politicians rom ar-rightor populist parties in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Repub-lic, France and Hungary.

Te EU-based partiesanti-European Union and avor-ing a strong nation-statesee their worldview reflected inthe Kremlin. President Vladimir Putin has set his sights

on restoring his countrys status as a world power, whileweakening Euro-Atlantic ties.

Tere is reason to believe that Russian diplomacy seeksto build party amilies in Europe, the study says.

It cites numerous examples o ar-right parties par-ticipating in events attended by or organized by Russian

policymakers.A congress held by Italys Northern League in December

last year, or example, was attended by Austrian, Flem-ish, Dutch and Swedish ar-right leaders as well as ViktoZubarev, an M.P. or United Russia, Putins party.

Hungarys Jobbik and Greeces Golden Dawn are bothinvited to the Russian National Forum organized by agroup with close ties to Putin to be held later this year.

Admiration or Putin also extends to Europes soferright wing. Nigel Farage, leader o the euroskeptic UKIndependence Party, has openly backed Putin as a skill-ul operator. He recently said the Russian president was

the current leader he most admired and said the EU hadblood on its hands or making Ukraine choose betweenthe European Union and Russia.

EU Elections May Strengthen PutinEU OBSERVER | April 23

contd on page 6

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R with Europe is the bloodiest place in theworld. Caught between the major powers o the Westand the might o Russia, the region has seen some o theworst conflicts in history.

During World War , roughly million soldiers lost

their lives in battles on the Eastern ront. By way o com-parison, in the West, ewer than million soldiers died.

Conflicts between Europe and Russia are bloody andrequent. Tis history gives the context necessary to appre-ciate what is happening in Ukraine, and how Europe willreact.

Why Eastern Europe Is ShakenTe reedom Eastern Europe currently enjoys is unusual,

even in terms o recent history. For most o the th cen-tury, the whole region was ruled by Russia. Estonia, Latvia,Lithuania and Poland spent only o those years reeand sel-governing.

Te countries o Central and Eastern Europe can exist

independently only when the surrounding powers areweak. Te last time this was the case or an extendedperiod was in the regions earlier history. Once a strongRussia arrived, this changed. erritory in Ukraine beganflowing out o Polish hands and into Russias. Te area thatis now Estonia and Latvia ell to Russia at the start o theth century, and Poland became a vassal state, dominatedby Russia. By the end o the s, it disappeared entirely,divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia.

Te countries o northeastern Europe did not gaintheir reedom until afer , when the war-weary Russianempire collapsed in the Bolshevik Revolution. Tis period

o Russian weakness lasted only years; it took back allthese nations during World War .Eastern Europe suffered terribly under Communist do-

minion. Te most amous atrocity is the Holodomor rom-the deliberate starvation o million peasants inUkraine. Across the rest o the region, Te Black Book ofCommunismestimates million people died due to Com-munist regimes in Eastern Europe.

Te lesson or Eastern Europe is simple: It can only beree when Russia is weak. Te crisis in Ukraine shows that,once again, Russia is growing strong.

What Russia FearsBut Russians too have suffered horribly in recent mem-

ory. On the Eastern ront in World War , around mil-lion civiliansdied. Over million were Soviet civilians(based on pre-war borders). When military deaths areincluded, around percent o the Soviet Unions entirepopulation died in World War .

Tis war was not the first time Russia played a vitalrole in deeating a European tyrant at a monumentalcost. In , Napoleon launched his disastrous invasiono Russia. He lost hal a million men in the campaign,shattering his aura o invincibility. But Russia also took amajor hit.

Russia also has learned an important lesson rom thisregions history: European powers will periodically threat-en to completely destroy Russia, and the only way it candeend itsel is to keep these powers as ar away rom theheart o Russia as possible.

Napoleon began his invasion miles away romMoscow and miles away rom St. Petersburg. Hitlerbegan his invasion rom a similar distance. Would Russiahave survived i these invasions had been launched romUkraine, which is under miles rom Moscow, or Esto-nia, which is under miles rom St. Petersburg?

Hence Russias actions in Ukraine today. Putin is notpanicking. He does not see a Napoleon in Europe, but heknows the potential is there. You cannot deend a nation

just by hoping the bleakest parts o your nations historynever happen again. So Putin is making sure Europe iskept away rom his borders. Tis means Russias push eastwill not easily be turned aside: It is a matter o Russias

survival.So while Russia keeps pushing, Central and Eastern

Europewith their long history o suffering at Russiashandscontinues resisting. But they know they cannotresist alone. Without a strong oreign backer, the independ-ent states o Central and Eastern Europe will confirm theirstatus as nations that cannot last more than a short timewhile Russia remains intact and next door.

In Search of AlliesTe Eastern Europe are not getting

the help they want. has not stationed any meaning-ul military orces in Eastern Europe. Te U.S. can retreat

rom the region with just a speech or piece o paper. guaranteesprobablyare good today. But what about in fiveyears? Or even sooner? America has broken promise aferpromise. No wonder Eastern Europe ears that Americasword will not protect it much longer.

So Eastern Europe wants more drastic action. Tepleas to the U.S. or help will continue, but at the sametime, these countries will make a serious and sustainedpush or Europe to get its act together. o them, thismeans French, German and hopeully British troops sta-tioned in their counties. It means some kind o Europeanarmy.

Eastern Europes history shows that the survival o these

countries could be at stake, and they know it. Tis meanswe can expect a determined Eastern European responsenot something that will peter out afer a ew months. Somemay try to orm a deal with Russia, but those who su-ered the most under Soviet rule will turn to Europe withrenewed vigor.

What will Europes response be to these pleas or help?For the answer, read editor in chie Gerald Flurrys cov-er article in the latest print edition o the rumpet,TeCrimean Crisis Is Reshaping Europe!

Follow Richard Palmer: witter

Why Russia Needs Eastern EuropeRichard Palmer | April 23
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Southern Europe. Tis sel-servingmisdiagnosis has inflicted lasting eco-nomic and political damage.

Te bungled decision to bail outGerman and French banks by lendingto an insolvent Greece in May ,rather than writing down its debts,scarred the eurozone. It violated the

legal basis on which the euro wasormed: that a government in difficul-ty should not be bailed out by its peers.

Because Ms. Merkel agreed tobreach this rule, Germanys taxpayerseared that they were on the hook orSouthern Europes debts. Ms. Merkelthereore demanded greater controlover other countries budgetary deci-sionsand the European Commissionwas only too delighted to grab newpowers. Countries that share a cur-rency and an interest rate need greater

fiscal flexibility, not less, but the com-mission now applies a fiscal straitjack-etincluding the right to demand thata government rewrite its budget beorepresenting it to parliament.

Tis centralization o fiscal powersis not just economically dangerous;it is also politically poisonous. When

voters in a member country havetured out their government, as theyhave done at almost every electionsince the crisis, Olli Rehn, the com-

missions vice president and fiscalenorcer (currently on temporaryleave), has popped up on television toinsist that the incoming governmentstick to the old ones ailed policies.Tat a remote, unelected and scarcelyaccountable official in Brussels shoulddeny voters legitimate choices abouttax and spending decisions is undem-ocratic and alienates people rom theEuropean Union.

European Union institutions havebecome instruments or creditors to

impose their will on debtors, subordi-nating Europes southern peripheryto the northern core in a quasi-colo-nial relationship. Berlin and Brusselsnow have a vested interest to entrenchthis system rather than cede powerand admit to mistakes.

In the long term, a eurozone trea-sury accountable to both Europeanand national legislators should becreated, with limited tax-raising andborrowing powers.

Rebellion Is Brewingin EuropePeter Oborne, THE TELEGRAPH |

April 23

I occasionally asked or news omy ormer sparring partner, Ama-deu Altaaj ardio, the EuropeanCommission official who is perhapsbetter known to some viewers oNewsnight as the idiot in Brussels.

Mr. Altaaj ardio is no longera mere Brussels media spokesman.oday he wields real power as deputyche de cabinet or Olli Rehn, a vicepresident o the European Commis-sion and European Commissioner orEconomic and Monetary Affairs.

I am told that Mr. Altaaj ardio iswell regarded and that urther pro-

motions may beckon. And thereis no danger at all that next monthsEuropean elections will cause him tobe thrown out o his job. In short, Mr.Altaaj ardio is one o the many peo-ple in Brussels who hold power, butare in no meaningul way accountableor the appalling social and economicdegradation that has been inflictedacross much o southern Europe overthe past ew years.

Mr. Altaaj ardio is an intelligent

and well-educated man. It is thereorereasonable to assume that he under-stands precisely what he is doingandthe terrible damage he is causingyetcarries on regardless.

Tis brings me to the Europeanelections that are to be held nextmonth. In theory, they could mark ahistoric moment o social and politi-cal upheaval, as the subject voters oEurope challenge the political colo-nialism o the center. And there arescattered signs that nationalist parties

determined to smash the EU systemmay indeed achieve some substan-tial successes. In France, Marine LePen could lead the National Front tofirst place in the polls. Te situationin Greece is indecipherable. Here inBritain (where we have a ar stron-ger democratic tradition than otherEuropean countries), Nigel Farage hasemerged as a brilliant leader o theinsurgent , which may well getmore votes than the Conservatives.

Te EU has always been at heartan elite project. It has been definedby rule rom above, made deliberatelyunintelligible to the average citizen. Itsfirst architects, having lived throughthe ascism o the s and the hor-rors o the Second World War, indeedhad excellent reasons or distrusting

democracy and the popular will.Tis helps to explain the most

unlikely eature o the Europeansystem: the absence o opposition.Next months elections will see a surgeo support or anti-European parties,but or the most part they articulatenational concerns and do not walk to-gether. Mr. Farages , or examplewill have nothing to do with Mme. LePens National Front. Tere is no com-mon anti-European agendawhich isan important reason why the estab-

lished parties will continue to domi-nate the European Parliament afernext months elections.

Tis is the environment in whichskillul bureaucrats, such as myriend Mr. Altaaj ardio, can rise tothe top and stay there. But elites canonly survive or so long as they aretrustedand the political class thatgoverns Europe has made a spectacu-lar mess. Next months elections maynot amount to a revolution, but we

will certainly see the greatest rebel-lion yet against a politically bankruptsystem. Mr. Altaaj ardio can beconfident o a job at the start o June,but he would be unwise to count onmaking it to pension age. Somethingnew and interesting is aoot.

TW I N B R I E F

nNordic countries beef up theirdefenseFinland will sign a Memorandum o

Understanding with , Finnishnewspaper Sunnuntaisuomalainenreported earlier this week. Finlandsdeense minister, Carl Haglund, em-phasized that the agreement was nota step toward membership, butthat in theory, in times o crisis weare better qualified or receiving as-sistance rom other EU countries, theNordic countries and countries.Meanwhile, on April , Swedens cen-ter-right government announced plans

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Related: China-Philippines Standoff

Intensifies

Beijing SwallowingSouth China Sea?THE DAILY STAR | April 23

T China and thePhilippines spiked in March when asmall civilian boat was conronted bya Chinese Coast Guard vessel about kilometers [. miles] rom thePhilippine coast.

Te boat was trying to bring sol-diers, ood and water to a groundedPhilippine Navy ship on SecondTomas Shoal, which serves as thePhilippines last line o deense againsturther Chinese incursions into itswaters in the South China Sea.

Te incident took place just two

days beore the Philippines submittedits memorial in a case filed beore anarbitral tribunal established under the United Nations Convention onthe Law o the Sea.

Documented by journalists onboard the small boat, the incidenturther proves that China has estab-lished an undeclared and paramilitaryblockade against Philippine ships inthe South China Sea. In , Chinaeffectively took over the ScarboroughShoal, located well within the Philip-

pine exclusive economic zone. TisSecond Tomas Shoal incident is thelatest flare in the ongoing contest orportions o the South China Sea. Itmarks Chinas increasingly provoca-tive movements against its maritimeneighbors.

Chinas adventurism in the SouthChina Sea is a product o its impres-sive economic growth and aspira-tions to be a major maritime power.Its economy relies greatly upon

maritime trade, and the South ChinaSea contains vital sea lanes needed totransport everything rom uel andraw materials to manuactured goods.

o protect its massive trade inter-ests and demanding fishing popula-tion, China is investing heavily in

military and civilian maritime assetsto enhance its capability to projectits naval might, as well as its fishingfleets.

With its back against the wall, thePhilippines could do little but seekthe support o its long-time ally, theUnited States, to dissuade Chinasincreasingly assertive and dangerousmaritime incursions.

While the present dispute isbetween the Philippines and China,

the outcome may decide whether theSouth China Sea will remain parto the global commons or not. Withprecious little with which to challengeits giant neighbor, the Philippines canonly hope that ortune truly avors thebold.

Why China Wants

Aircraft CarriersREAL CLEAR DEFENSE | April 16

L , Secretary o DeenseChuck Hagel was the guest o honoror a tour o Chinas aircraf carrierLiaoning, an event that once againraised U.S. media interest in ChinasNavy, its aspirations, and the role thiscarrier and others may someday play.

It is not clear how many or what

kind o carriers China will eventuallybuildwhether they will more closelyresemble Liaoning or be somewhatmore modest in design, akin toU.S. Wasp-class amphibious assaultships. Te ormer point China towardgrander power projection missions;

the latter toward the more immediategoal o establishing hegemony overits neighbors, many o whom haveterritorial disputes with China in theSouth and East China Seas. But it doesappear that the Peoples LiberationArmy Navy () has the aircrafcarrier bug and the implications orthe United States are large, whichevercourse Beijing takes.

Several commentators were quickand correctto observe that the

aims to deny the U.S. Navy and Amer-ican seapower in general access to theWestern Pacific. Tis sensible observa-tion, however, overlooks the strategicobjectives China seeks to accomplishby turning to carrier aviation.

For example, Bloombergs editorspenned an editorial using Chinassecondhand carrier to argue that the is decades behind the U.S. Navyand thereore not much o a threat.Te editors ailure to conront thelarger strategic picture belittles the

threat that China poses. Its thesekinds o arguments that insist thatthe rebalance to Asia is unwise, andthat continued deep budget cuts to theU.S. naval and aerospace orces arewarranted.

Tis might make a small amounto sense i China were turning tocarrier aviation to prepare to fight theUnited States. But there is not a shredo evidence or this opinion. Tereis no credible discussion in Chinese

ASIA

to expand the nations militaryo-cusing mainly on aircraf and subma-rines. Leaders o our o the coalitionparties wrote that Russias action inCrimea confirms and surpasses theears that they had earlier, in an op-ed or the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.Tey announced that, i reelected, they

would increase the deense budget by million dollars a year. Te sameday, Norway published its annualdeense report where its deense chie,Adm. Haakon Bruun-Hanssen, arguedthat Norway needed more militarypersonnel to keep up with the currentworkload and ensure security at home

while cuts back. All three othese countries are very close to Russiaand clearly shaken by events o the lastew months. For more on how thesenations will be motivated to look toEurope or help, read rumpet editorin chie Gerald Flurrys article TeCrimean Crisis Is Reshaping Europe!
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naval journals o using the carriers totake on the United States, and thereis more than a bit o mirror imagingin the analysis o those who suggestotherwise.

I not to take on the United States,

why is the pursuing an expen-sive uture o aircraf carrier powerprojection?

Russia Builds Case forMilitary InterventionFOREIGN POLICY | April 21

F weeks, Russian Presi-dent Vladimir Putin and his topdiplomats have provided the worldwith repeated assurances that theyhave no intention o sending Rus-sian troops into eastern Ukraine. OnMonday, April , Russian ForeignMinister Sergei Lavrov brushed asidethose pledges, providing the strongestsignal yet that Moscow may be layingthe political groundwork or a militaryincursioninto its jittery neighbor.

Speaking at a Moscow newsconerence, Lavrov said Russia iscommitted to stop[ping] whathe claimed were provocations byarmed Ukrainian extremists will-ully seeking to unleash civil war in

Russian-speaking areas o Ukraine.Te Russian government, he said, iscoming under mounting pressurerom its allies in eastern Ukraine toprotect them. Russia is increasinglycalled upon to save southeasternUkraine rom chaos, Lavrov said,according to remarks carried on theRussian Foreign Ministrys witteraccount. Te comments were strikingbecause the oreign minister has beenat the center o Moscows efforts tonegotiate a diplomatic settlement to

the crisis.Lavrov went even urther duringthe Monday news conerence. Tosewho are deliberately pursuing acivil war are pursuing a criminalpolicy, he told reporters there. Andwe will not only condemn this policybut will also stop it.

Russian Facebook IsUnder Putins ControlTHE VERGE | April 22|

T

ounder o VK, Rus-

sias largest social networking site,said this week that the company isnow under the complete control otwo oligarchs with close ties to Presi-dent Vladimir Putin. In a VK postpublished Monday, Pavel Durov saidhes been fired as o the website,claiming that he was pushed out on atechnicality, and that he only heard oit through media reports. Accordingto Durov, the site will now be underthe control o Alisher UsmanovRus-sias richest man and the head o web

giant Mail.ruand Igor Sechin, o a state-owned oil company andreportedly a close Putin ally.

VK has more than million usersacross Russia and nearby countries. Itwas launched in , and is widelyregarded as a Russian Facebook dueto its similar design and unctionality.

Earlier this month, Durov claimedthat Russias intelligence agency, theFederal Security Service, had pres-sured him to hand over personal data

R seizure and rapid annexation oCrimea last month and its potential designs on the resto Ukraine appear to have rattled U.S. allies in Asia whoare concerned that China may use Moscows tactics asprecedent or capturing disputed territories in the region.

And considering that the United States is unwilling totake military action to stop Russia, treaty allies such asJapan, South Korea and the Philippines are worried Wash-ington will be equally reluctant to stop China in its tracksi it emulates Moscows aggression.

In , when China seized a disputed and potentiallystrategic reethe Scarborough Shoalin the South ChinaSea that had been under Philippine jurisdiction, the UnitedStates shrugged off the aggression despite its mutual de-ense treaty with Manila.

A year later, when China declared a special air deenseidentification zone over disputed islands with Japan, theU.S. sent B- bombers through the sensitive airspace but

later told American commercial airlines to comply withBeijings new rule to avoid any unintended conrontation.

Te U.S. move was interpreted by some as caving into China and, in turn, undermining Japan, Washingtons

most important ally in Asia.So amidst the ominous clouds over Ukraine and

heightened concerns among U.S. allies about the prospecto China using orce to pursue its territorial claims, U.S.President Barack Obama may have a tough time reassuring

allies during his fifh trip to Asia beginning next week.I think the [Obama] administration is coming to real-

ize that events on the other side o the globe have a bigimpact on the security dynamics within Asia, Mike Green,a ormer senior White House Asia adviser, said aheado Obamas eight-day trip rom April to Japan, SouthKorea, Malaysia and the Philippines, all o which have ter-ritorial disputes with China in the South and East ChinaSeas.

Even though U.S. options are limited on CrimeaWashington has no binding security agreement withUkraine unlike with treaty allies Japan, South Korea andthe Philippinesit becomes part o a narrative and the

dots start getting connected, Green said.

Will China Use Russian-Style TacticsRADIO FREE ASIA | April 20

Related: China Expands Its Sphere in the

South Pacific

Related: Ukraine Crisis: Russia Displays

Its Power

Related: Chinas New Air Defense Zone Tests U.S. Resolve
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on VK users involved in anti-govern-ment protests in Ukraine. Durov saidhe reused to do so, though hes gradu-ally ceded control o the company inrecent months and has long buttedheads with government authori-ties. Experts have speculated that theKremlin is looking to tighten its grip

over VK and other social networksin the same way it controls print and media. Many Russians used VKto organize widespread anti-Putindemonstrations in and ,when thousands took to the streets toprotest allegedly rigged elections.

Must Putin StrikeSoon?Jeremiah Jacques | April 25

T R Army will be ullycombat-ready only until the middleo May because o the rotation cycleo its conscripts, reports on Tursdaysaid. I Russian President VladimirPutin wants to mobilize troops intomainland Ukraine, he would have todo so soon or else wait months or the

Red Army to be prepared or such amove again.Te reports allegedly show a

substantial number o Russian tanks

and soldiers moving toward Ukraineto reinorce the tens o thousands osoldiers already stationed there. Tetiming o these events has led to somespeculation over whether the long-simmering rictions between Moscowand Kiev could come to a boil beoremid-May, possibly even this weekend.

Russian conscripts serve only oneyear, s Corey Flintoff reportedon April . [Tis means] they spendmuch o their time in training, andare only combat-ready or about halo their stint in the military.

Flintoff quotes Pavel Felgenhauer, aMoscow-based military analyst saying,Tats why its so important that weeither move now, and order the con-scripts to stay in units because o a warsituation, or we dont move at all.

Felgenhauer explained that around

hal o the drafed troops are pre-pared to be discharged by mid-May,so unless Russia makes its move bythen, the army will not be completelycombat-ready again until sometimein August or September. Tis windowcould grant Ukraine the time requiredto improve its own outdated militaryorces, which could transorm it into aslightly more dangerous adversary orthe Russians.

Whether the conflict comes to a

boil in the days ahead or not, theseevents are already having a prooundimpact on Europe. o learn the detailsand significance o the European

response, read Te Crimean Crisis IsReshaping Europe.

TW I N B R I E F

nJapan pushing to amend PacifistconstitutionJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

is pushing or a swif amendment tothe post-World War constitutionthat limits the Japanese military toa small, strictly deensive orce. Teprime minister asserted that currentpolitical threats make the constitu-tional restrictions suicidal or Japanand says the time to develop offen-sive capabilities is now, beore China

pulls a Crimea in the East ChinaSea. Afer the devastation o Asia bythe Imperial Japanese Army in WorldWar , the U.S. and allied victors

issued a constitution imposing strictconstraints on the size, structure andoperational sphere o the Japanesemilitary. Te constitution orbade o-ensive use o the military and deploy-ments outside o Japanese territory.For decades, Japan abided by theserestrictions, but as tensions withinAsia have continued to heat up, Japanhas been slowly increasing the scopeo its military. Prime Minister Abe isnow utilizing Russias recent invasion

o Crimea as the precedent he needsto lighten some o the restrictionslimiting the development o Japansmilitary might.

LATIN AMERICA/AFRICA

Gulf Cartel Sends OutRecruiting FliersLATINO DAILY NEWS | April 21

W pay you in dollars! Stopliving in the old neighborhoodand hop on the Metro! Choose yourcar or truck! Interested? Well tell youhow. Tis is the message written inthe [Gul] Cartels recruiting propa-ganda, which was released [April ]by the newspaper Reforma.

Te headline read: ImportantNotice, Te Gul Cartel Has a Job or

You! According to the newspaper, thefliers are distributed at night and theattorney general o the Federal Dis-

trict is in the process o investigatingits source.

Horrific Massacre inSouth SudanASSOCIATED PRESS | April 24

T UN Security Council on[April ] viewed horrific pictureso corpses rom the scene o last

weeks massacre in South Sudan anddiscussed taking actions that couldinclude sanctions, diplomats said.

Te UN has said hundreds ocivilians were killed in the massacrelast week in Bentiu, the capital o oil-producing Unity state. Te top UN aidofficial in South Sudan, oby Lanzer,has said piles and piles o bodieswere lef behind.

Security Council members watcheda video showing bodies lining astreet and the interior o a mosquewhere civilians had sought shelterrom rebel orces taking control rom

Related: Is Vladimir Putin the

Prophesied Prince of Rosh?
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government troops amid ethnic ten-sions in the worlds newest country.

Because o the months o fighting,more than million people have fledtheir homes. With ew residents tend-ing crops, UN officials say the countryaces a severe risk o amine in the

months ahead. We have also to ace the act that

maybe we cant cooperate with thisgovernment anymore, [French am-bassador to the UN, Gerard] Araud,told reporters. Because atrocities arecommitted by both sides. So I do think

we have to have some soul-searchingabout what should the UN do.

Te [UN] mission said the numberso people sheltering inside the baserose rom , on April , when thekillings started, to about , by[April ].

ANGLO-AMERICA

Canadian AbortedBabies Incinerated toProvide ElectricityLIFESITENEWS | April 23

T B Columbia Health Min-

istry has admitted that the remainso babies destroyed by abortion in B.C.acilities are ending up in a waste-to-power acility in the United States,providing electricity or residents oOregon.

Te provinces Health Ministry saidin an e-mail to theB.C. Catholicthat

biomedical waste shipped to the U.S.to be incinerated includes humantissue, such as surgically removedcancerous tissue, amputated limbs

and etal tissue.Te ministry understands that

some is transerred to Oregon. Tereit is incinerated in a waste-to-energyplant, the e-mail stated.

Te ministry said that contractorshandling the provinces biomedi-

cal waste ollow health and saetyprotocols, as well as ederal, provincial,and local regulations.

Te power acility, located inBrookes just off the I-, burns waste intwo massive boilers at a temperatureo about , degrees Fahrenheit.Te heat transers into water tubes,which creates steam to drive turbines.Te turbines generate electricity.

A article about the Marionwaste-to-energy acility that appeared

Who or What Is theProphetic Beast?

What does Bible prophecy reveal about world events now

leading to Armageddon and the end of this age?GERALD FLURRY

Click to Play

in the Willamette Liveironicallytitled Burn, Baby, Burnstated thatat the time the incinerator burnedabout tons (,, pounds) omedical waste per year.

Te news comes one month aferthe remains o more than ,aborted babies were ound to have

been incinerated, along with othermedical waste, to heat and generatepower or British hospitals.

U.S. Middle ClassNo Longer Most

ProsperousTELEGRAPH | April 23

M- A havelost their status as the most pros-perous in the world, a study has ound,shattering the myth o the U.S. dreamo prosperity and opportunity.

For the first time in years, aperson on median income in Americais less well-off than one in Canada,which has overtaken the U.S. as thebest place in the world to be middle

class.Te data, published by the NewYork imes,shows that median in-comesthose in the th percentile inwealth termsare alling in the U.S.compared to international competi-tors despite relatively strong economicgrowth.

Te disparity is explained by theact that the richest five percent oAmericans remain by ar the most a-fluent in the world.

Related: Why Shouldnt Hospitals Use

Aborted Babies for Furnace Fuel?
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In contrast, the poorest five percentare worse off in the U.S. than in manyother countries in the developedworld, including Canada, Sweden,Norway, Finland and the Netherlands,all o which were behind America inpoverty terms in the s.

And the gap between top, middleand lower income earners in the U.S.is growing, according to the data oninternational incomes compiled by theLuxembourg Income Study Database.

Although America remains therichest country in the world in termso gross domestic product per capita,wealth distribution is concentrated atthe top, with the middle class incomesrising ar less ast that those in the topfive percent.

Lawrence Katz, a Harvard econo-mist, told the New York imes:In, we were massively richer thananyone else. In , we were richer.In the s, we were still richer.

Te idea that the median Ameri-can has so much more income than

the middle class in all other parts othe world is not true these days. While older Americans have

above-average literacy, numeracy andtechnological skills compared to therest o the industrialized world, thoseo -to--year-olds rank among thebottom.

When it comes to pay, U.S. firmstend to reward senior executives armore generously than those aroundthe world. But weak trade unions and

comparatively low minimum wagelevels state to state mean those inmore lowly positions have not kept up,with small or zero post-inflation payrises.

Poor Americans in the bottompercentile o the income scale have

ound themselves less well off thanthose in several other developed coun-tries since the s, and now have percent less than those in Canada andHolland.

In contrast, the top five percent oAmericans, with an average incomeo , afer tax, continue to takehome percent more than those[in] Canada, percent more thanBritains wealthy and percent morethan those in the Netherlands.

O , Republican senators, including evenSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY),denounced President Barack Obama in a scathing letter orthreatening Americas entire constitutional system withhis immigration enorcement review that threatens to

nulliy the nations immigration laws.Your actions demonstrate an astonishing disregard

or the Constitution, the rule o law, and the rights oAmerican citizens and legal residents, the senators wrotein a letter to Obama. Our entire constitutional system isthreatened when the executive branch suspends the law atits whim and our nations sovereignty is imperiled whenthe commander in chie reuses to deend the integrity oits borders.

Afer intense pressure rom pro-amnesty groupswho ear that amnesty legislation will not pass this year,Obamas Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson metwith advocacy groups last month to reportedly consider

administrative actionssuch as granting more orms oamnesty, not deporting illegal immigrants who have notcommitted major crimes, and allowing bond hearingsor illegal immigrantsto urther erode the nations laws.Te senators said they had grave concerns with thesepotential actions because they would represent a nearcomplete abandonment o basic immigration enorcementand discard the rule o law and the notion that the UnitedStates has enorceable borders.

It is not the province o the executive to nulliy the lawsthat the people o the United States, through their electedrepresentatives, have chosen to enact. Congress has not

passed laws permitting people to illegally enter the countryor to ignore their visa expiration dates, so long as they donot have a elony conviction or other severe offense on theirrecord, [the lawmakers wrote].

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who also signed the letterand has relentlessly debunked the notion that PresidentObama is the so-called deporter in chie, told BreitbartNews that Obamas immigration policies also urther hol-low out the middle class that has been ound to no longer

be the worlds wealthiest and hurt Americans at the bot-tom o the economic ladder Obama claims he wants tohelp.

Te senators also cited the testimony to Congress romChris Crane, president o the National [Immigration andCustoms Enorcement ()] Council, who said the Obamaadministration is not only handcuffing agents but alsotaking disciplinary actions against its own officers ormaking lawul arrests, it appears clear that Federal law en-orcement officers are the enemy and not those that breakour nations laws.

Sessions also noted to Breitbart News that net immigra-tion levels have quadrupled over the last years.

Te senators wrote that Obama should not look or newways to weaken immigration laws, especially since hisadministration has since : issued policy directivesand memoranda incrementally nulliying immigrationenorcement in the interior o the United Statesto thepoint that unless individuals in the country illegally are ap-prehended, tried and convicted or a elony or other seriousoffense, they are ree to live and work in the country.

You swore an oath to preserve, protect and deend theConstitution o the United States, they wrote. We there-ore ask you to uphold that oath and to carry out the dutiesrequired by the Constitution and entrusted to you by the

American people. Sens. John Cornyn (R-X), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Lind-sey Graham (R-SC) were the senators on the JudiciaryCommittee who did not sign the letter.

Threatening to Nullify Immigration LawsBREITBART | April 24

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APRIL 25 201412THE TRUMPET WEEKLY

Putin is a judo man, so, afer deploying undercoveragents to destabilize Crimea, he held a reerendum to decidewhether the people o the peninsula wanted to return toMother Russia. He basically said, Give the people a voice; letthe individuals most affected make this weighty decision; letnot my will, but theirs, be done!

Afer the vote, Putin even spouted off a line that could

have come straight out o a Hillary Clinton press conerence:[It was] in ull accordance with democratic procedures andinternational legal norms. Te truth is that Ukrainian lawunambiguously orbids any such reerendum. Its constitu-tion explicitly states that Crimea is an inseparable constitu-ent part o Ukraine, and its laws are subservient to those othe central government in Kiev. But the people spoke.

And remember January , when a reerendum result-ed in the creation o South Sudan? President Obama calledit an inspiration to the world and a tribute to the determi-nation o the people and leaders o south Sudan to orge abetter uture. Te Sudanese vote was more internationallylegitimate than that in Crimea, but that recent history still

puts a serious judo leg lock on Americas ability to criticizeCrimea or wanting to orge a better uture or itsel.

Te reerendum in Crimearegardless o how unairlyit was actually conductedallows Mr. Putin to say heremained within the boundaries o international law, andthat he let the power o the people prevail. He used theWests weight against it, in something like a standard judolarge wheel throw. Putin: ; Te West:

Te Shoulder TrowPerhaps the most blundering geopolitical lunge in the

modern era was in the s and s when the U.S.bombed the Serbs to rubble so Kosovo and other states could

break away rom Yugoslavia. For Germanywho orchestrat-ed the bloody maneuver rom behind the scenesit was any-thing but blundering, but it still set a dangerous precedent.

Te significance o this precedent wasnt lost on Putin.He cited it or his maneuvers in Ukraine. []he Crimeanauthorities reerred to the well-known Kosovo precedentaprecedent our Western colleagues created with their ownhands in a very similar situationwhen they agreed that theunilateral separation o Kosovo rom Serbia, exactly whatCrimea is doing now, was legitimate and did not require anypermission rom the countrys central authorities.

In act, Putin is right that there is little difference inwhat he did in Crimea and what the U.S., at Germanys

behest, did in Yugoslavia. Here again, judo master Putinis using the strength and movement o the West against it,making it difficult or his adversary to take the moral highroad against him. By citing the Kosovo precedent, Putinhas perormed something like a crippling two-arm shoul-der throw. Putin: ; Te West:

Te Rice Bail ReversalNext, consider the Responsibility to Protect, a norm in

international law saying nations must protect their peoplesrom various man-made atrocities. Te U.S. has cited thisnorm as cause or intervention in Kenya, Ivory Coast andLibya. Make no mistake, President Obama said at the outset

o the last o these, we are answering the calls o a threatenedpeople. Compare that to Putins statements regarding theturmoil in eastern Ukraine and the threat it presents to theminority o ethnic Russians living there: [W]e have to doeverything to help these people to protect their rights anddecide on their ate. Tis is what we are going to fight or.

Under Responsibility to Protect, the U.S. and havelunged themselves clumsily across the international stage

several times. Te precedent set by those lunges now places ajudo thrust choke on their ability to criticize Russia. And Pu-tin is in a prime position to harness the momentum o thoselunges to execute the geopolitical equivalent o a classic ricebail reversal upon his adversaries. Putin: ; Te West:

Sweeping Wraparound TrowSince the earliest stirrings o the Arab Spring, President

Obama has urged most any leader accused o dictatorial be-havior to relinquish power. His strongest o such statementscame in February when he said Bashar Assad muststep aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed im-mediately. [A]ny government that brutalizes and massa-cres its people does not deserve to govern.

Tis precedent would make it quite easy or Putin to sup-port an overthrow o Oleksandr urchynov, the man whobecame Ukraines president afer the ouster o Viktor Ya-nukovych. Afer all, isnt the unrest and conflict in easternUkraine the result o urchynovs rule? No, but Putin cansay it is i the claim serves his purpose, and he can persuadeethnic Russians living there to ollow suit.

Putin also continues to recognize Yanukovych asUkraines leader. Tis means i the Russians currentlyworking to destabilize Ukraine are proven to be there underPutins orders, he can say it was the wish o the lawulleader to send them in. Tat would enable him to label the

presence as legitimate in terms o international law. Tesame would be true or a ul l-scale intervention.Once again, Mr. Putin has harnessed the momentum o

the U.S.s blundering oreign policy. He has Washington offbalance, and is positioned to administer a sweeping wrap-around throw. Putin: ; Te West:

We Have a WinnerTe examples could go on. Te important thing is that

in his struggle against the militarily heavier U.S., Putin iswinning. Te annexation o Crimea is a ait accompli,andPutin has his adversaries off balance.

His strategy o justiying his invasions by citing West-ern-esque rationals such as enabling popular sovereignty,

ollowing international law, and protecting threatenedminorities has placed him in a dominant stance. Now heis eyeing mainland Ukraine, and may not even need toinvade in order to destabilize its eastern regions to a degreethat gives him de acto control over them.

Neither the U.S. nor Europe seem to be in a position to re-gain their ooting against Putin any time soon. For the U.S.,we shouldnt expect any leader to emerge who can challengethe Russian judo strategist. But in Europe, the emergenceo such a warrior is sure, and will happen soon. For details,read our article, Europe Will Get Its Vladimir.

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