Nov 3, 2025
Josep Borrell
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Josep Borrell
[T]he West's political "elites" condemned Israel for defending itself by targeting Hezbollah's leadership. There was no mention of internati
by Robert Williams
[T]he West's political "elites" condemned Israel for defending itself by targeting Hezbollah's leadership.
There was no mention of international law for Hezbollah's unprovoked, year-long attacks: bombardments of missiles and attack drones every day at a country smaller than New Jersey.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell lamented Israel's continued successful attempts at destroying one of Iran's proxy armies.
When Israel took out Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, one of the world's most dangerous arch-terrorists, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres could barely hold back his disappointment, counterfactually calling Hezbollah's unprovoked war against Israel and the IDF's response a "cycle of violence."
Only Argentina's President Javier Milei displayed a reaction fitting the removal of a terrorist mass murderer...
Israel, as has been noted, is doing the entire world an enormous service by taking out Hezbollah.
Iran, just since October 2023, through its militias in Syria and Iraq, has launched more than 160 attacks on the US forces in the Middle East.
[W]hen Israel killed Ibrahim Aqil, the mastermind of the 1983 attacks and a member of Hezbollah's Jihad Council, its highest military body, the US could not even bring itself to thank its ally.
The world's political elites apparently cannot forgive Israel for seeking to defend itself, and rid the world of terrorists working to destroy both America and Western civilization. Could these elites, wittingly or not, be working towards the same result?
“Gaza was before the war the greatest open-air prison. Today it's the greatest open-air graveyard.” - Josep Borrell
2024 / 33
Aperçu of the week
“All we have to do is call our opponent a communist or a socialist or someone who will destroy our country.”
(Donald Trump. We'll see about that...)
Bad News of the Week
Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic - although there hasn't actually been one - I've been waiting for its successor in a slightly anxious mood. Another rapidly infecting virus that spreads worldwide, is potentially deadly and, above all, restricts all our lives again. Now it's here: Mpox. For the first time since Corona, the WHO (World Health Organization of the United Nations) has declared the highest alert level, a “public health emergency of international concern”. Because of the virus that was previously called “Monkey Pox”. Discovered in Congo at the end of 2023, it has now also broken out in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.
The initial figures spoke of 14,000 suspected cases. Based on the usual 50% rate and the reported 500 deaths, this means that one in twelve people who become infected will die. That's a lot. So it's certainly a virus that should be taken seriously. One day later, it was reported that the first case in Europe had emerged in Sweden. Then the first three in Asia in Pakistan. It's the usual pattern: on the one hand, every infectious disease spreads faster and more uncontrollably in times of international travel. On the other hand, specific cases are only discovered when they are specifically sought or tested for. So the numbers will now quickly go through the roof. Because the spread is already more advanced than we know.
What will happen now? What will the states do? How will society react this time? And above all: what have we learned? There is a lot of talk in Germany about the need to come to terms with everything that has happened around COVID. Also to learn from the mistakes. There is a lot of need for clarification - for example with regard to the procurement of masks, the closure of schools, compulsory vaccination, curfews and unequal treatment in the retail sector. And what has happened since (drum roll please!): Nothing. What applies to politics also applies in private life. Some friends turned out to be conspiracy theorists, others were law and order hardliners, most were simply irritated and unsettled. There were even rifts right through families. Rifts that still exist.
And now we could all be facing the same situation, just as ill-prepared. And if Mpox doesn't develop into a pandemic, perhaps swine fever will spread to humans. Or bird flu. Or something else entirely, be it from the South American jungle or from the secret laboratory of some deep state. Or a revenant from the past spreads again - cholera still exists after all and first cases of polio are reported from Gaza. No, I'm not panicking. But I do have one or two worries. After all, humanity has shown itself more than once to be incapable of learning from the past. I would love to be wrong about that.
Good News of the Week
Venezuela is not giving up. It is wonderful to see how the people are fighting for democracy, no longer wanting to put up with the corruption of their “elites” and finally wanting to have a perspective worth living in. Just under a month ago, elections were held in the Latin American country, which could actually live in prosperity and peace but is suffering from dramatic economic decline, inflation and poverty since years. Or as investigative journalist Sebastiana Barráez says in the news magazine Der Spiegel: “Maduro has couped!”
Initially, the state electoral authority declared President Nicolás Maduro Moro, who has been clinging to power since 2013, the winner without providing any evidence - as is actually required by the constitution. The opposition has now had access to more than 80 percent of the printed protocols of the individual polling stations and has made them public. According to these, their candidate Edmundo González won with around 67 percent of the vote - compared to 30 percent for the incumbent head of government. So did Maduro commit electoral fraud? It looks like it.
The United Nations and the Carter Center had sent election observers to Venezuela. They have now criticized the election authority's actions and declared that the official result was not achieved democratically. The panel of experts speaks of an “unprecedented process in recent electoral history”. No wonder that most Latin American countries as well as the USA and Europe did not recognize the “official result”. And Maduro? He doesn't give a damn. The despot has further intensified the repression against the population with the help of the military, the National Guard and other state organs loyal to him. According to the independent rights organization Foro Penal, over 2,000 people have been arrested since the election. These include opposition politicians. And journalists. That speaks a clear language.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the US government has now offered Maduro and close associates of the regime an amnesty if they relinquish power. I wish the Venezuelans would keep up the pressure. And the international stage too. Until Madura and his clan really abdicate. Because then the country, which has already been abandoned by 20% of its population in recent years, could return to better times. In a survey conducted by the Gallup polling institute in December 2012, the country's inhabitants were among the happiest people on earth. It would be nice if this vague memory could become reality again.
Personal happy moment of the week
“Your application for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) has been approved. You are now authorized to travel to Canada by air.” Nothing more to add here. Taking off this sunday. Boy am I excited...
I couldn't care less...
...about the discussion that Germany “only” came 10th in the medal table at the Summer Olympics in Paris - behind hosts France and Great Britain, even though their populations are smaller. “What does it take for more medals?” asks the Tagesschau news channel. That is of little interest to me. Much more important is the charisma of athletes as figures of identification for a nation, the role model function for children, the motivation to surpass oneself. After all, it's not for nothing that the Olympic motto is “Taking part is everything”. In that sense, Eddie the Eagle really did fly.
It's fine with me...
...that the Democrats' party conference is now turning into a coronation mass. Because the most important decisions have been made: Presidential candidate and his (better in this case “her”) running mate. Normally, I would now say that political program content should not be completely secondary. But I don't care about that at the moment. The main thing is momentum. The main thing is optimism. The main thing is not to go back. The main thing is that Donald Jessica Trump doesn't triumph in November. Harris Walz!
As I write this...
...we're trying to catch a mouse. Apparently it was raining too hard outside and it wanted to get out into the dry. Now she's hiding behind a bookshelf and is afraid of us - even though we want to rescue her and set her free. Update: we've got her and she's fine. Second update: there seems to be another one...
Post Scriptum
It's good when someone doesn't look away but points. Even if it's about Israel committing an injustice. After all, you are then almost reflexively vilified as an Anti-Semite. In this respect, I am pleased that the European Union is showing more and more backbone in this regard. In this case, I am not referring to the maltreated Gaza Strip, but to the West Bank, where the Palestinian population is suffering more and more from brutal attacks by militant Israeli settlers - who can be sure of the backing of Benjamin Netanyahu's increasingly right-wing extremist government.
Once again, there have been attacks by extremist Israeli settlers on the population of the West Bank. And now EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has had enough. He will “present a proposal for EU sanctions against the supporters of the violent settlers, including some members of the Israeli government”. Including the government! That's a bombshell. I very much hope that he finds the necessary support for this. Because this massive problem is currently all too easily overlooked in the great shadow of Gaza.
Dmytro Kuleba & Josep Borrell remind everyone of the stakes in Russia's war of aggression, as it enters its third year.
The tankies, Trumpsters, neo-isolationists, and appeasers are all eager to kowtow to Putin – though they may have different reasons for wanting to do so. But it's in the interest of liberal democracy and peaceful international stability that we should continue to support Ukraine's struggle against neocolonial aggression.
Josep Borrell, vice president of the European Commission, and Dmytro Kuleba, foreign minister of Ukraine, co-wrote this piece for Project Syndicate.
What Russia is doing is a classic example of nineteenth-century-style imperial and colonial aggression. Ukraine is enduring what many other countries have cruelly suffered in the past. For Russia, this war has never been about Ukraine’s neutrality, NATO enlargement, protecting Russian-speakers, or any other fabricated pretexts. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine does not exist as a nation and that Ukrainian identity is artificial. The war is solely about annihilating an independent country, conquering land, and re-establishing dominance over a people that decided to be masters of their own destiny. Russia’s imperial ambition is doubtless familiar to many nations around the world that were previously subject to colonial rule and oppression. [ ... ] The war and its consequences thus concern every country. Should Russia prevail, it would send a very dangerous message that “might makes right.” Every aggressive power around the world would be tempted to follow in Russia’s footsteps. If aggression ultimately pays, why wouldn’t all those with territorial claims against their neighbors act on them? This is why it is in many Asian, African, and Latin American countries’ interest that Ukraine wins the war. Ultimately, this war is not about “the West against the rest.” Supporting Ukraine is not “pro-Western.” It is about rejecting war and terror. It is about standing for the principle of international relations based on mutual respect, and supporting Ukrainians’ right to security and liberty. Ukraine and the European Union share a view of international relations in the twenty-first century that is exactly opposed to that of Putin’s Russia. Our vision is based on international law, respect, and mutual benefit, instead of coercion, bribery, and fear. [ ... ] The only way to achieve a just peace is to double down on support for Ukraine. The EU has done exactly that in recent months, and it is set to increase assistance even further in 2024. Our common goal is to ensure that Ukraine can turn the tide of the war in its favor so that a just peace can be reached as soon as possible. The world’s support is crucial for achieving this result. It is in everyone’s interest that international law be upheld, and that cooperation is the highest priority. There must not be a return to the dark past of military aggression, imperialism, and colonialism – neither in Europe nor in any other region.
Many people mistakenly believe that Russia was never a colonial power because it didn't colonize overseas territories. But Russia did colonize vast parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Far East. Even now Russia uses a disproportionate number of racial minorities from its remaining colonized areas in Siberia to be used as cannon fodder in Ukraine.
Putin is trying to re-establish the tsarist/communist colonial empire that lasted from circa 1700 to 1990. That is what this war is about. Putin's geopolitical nostalgia for the USSR of his youth is the driving force behind the killing of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and hundreds of thousands of Russians.
Imagine if Britain, France, Spain, or Portugal decided to take back their old colonies despite treaties and international laws which recognize the independence of those territories. What Russia is doing in Ukraine is no different from such a scenario.
Ukraine stands for liberal democracy against a form of expansionist totalitarian fascism. And the aid the US has already given Ukraine has severely weakened our biggest military adversary at bargain basement costs.
A free and independent Ukraine, integrated into the European Union, would also serve as an economic powerhouse the way South Korea is in East Asia. Ukrainians have shown how resourceful and industrious they are in wartime; such talents will not disappear when the last invader is driven out.
Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, on Biden's comments about Gaza, “Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people being killed."
American and European leaders’ profound lack of imagination has brought the world to the brink of war.
