Month: April 2023

In New York City, crime in general has surged 31percent, and murder is up 34 percent. The two key figures in NYC law enforcement, NY State Attorney General Leticia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, however, are more concerned with a political prosecution of political opponents than they are about keeping the citizenry safe.  Indeed, they both campaigned on promises to “get” Trump.

But their obsession with Trump is not their sole reason for ignoring violent crime. Similar to other progressive elected officials, they see their mission not to do the specific job they were elected to, but to promote a hard-left agenda, one that frequently runs afoul of existing law, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution.

One of those drives is the elimination of of the right of self-protection.  There are ample examples of this.   As reported in the New York Post, A Manhattan parking garage attendant was shot twice by an alleged thief.  In self defense, the worker wrestled the weapon away from the assailant and shot him.  Bragg’s office chose to prosecute the innocent worker.

It’s a familiar story in progressive jurisdictions.  In a previous example, a NYC deli worker was attacked by a thief. The worker protected himself with a knife, stabbing the criminal. The worker was arrested and temporarily incarcerated until an enraged citizenry forced his release.

The Post notes the impact of Progressive DA Bragg’s obsession:  “Bragg’s office wins a conviction just 51% of the time” when it prosecutes serious felony charges — “down from 68% in 2019 [under DA Cy Vance], the last year before the pandemic disrupted the court system. Bragg’s own decisions clearly drive much of the troubling data: His office has downgraded 52% of felony cases to misdemeanors, vs. 39% in 2019. The office under Vance from 2013 onward never downgraded more than 40% of felony cases.

NY State Attorney General has expressed concern with many things, including “getting” Donald Trump, and complaining that a local sports team’s game wasn’t televised.  Unfortunately, fighting crime does not appear to be a major worry for her.

Self-defense and individual rights are the essence of America.  The earliest settlers came here to escape the tyranny of their home governments in Europe. The Minutemen at Lexington and Concord, where the battle that began the American Revolution was fought, were attempting to shield their right to self-defense, both legally and in the ability to protect themselves from King George’s troops.

With the Revolution over and won, the debate over how to protect individual rights in the new nation began, eventually culminating in the Bill of Rights.  The First Amendment provided for free speech, the Second Amendment gave the right to own weapons, the Fourth Amendment provided the right of privacy, and the Ninth and Tenth Amendments provided that those powers not specifically given to the federal government belonged to the people or the states.

Each of those safeguards has come under substantial attacks by the Left.  Those who disagree with Progressives, particularly on college campuses, are frequently met with either verbal or physical violence. 

Writers on social media who express conservative views, as has been recently exposed, face censorship due to federal pressure on those who administer those forums.

The explosive growth of the federal bureaucracy has made a mockery of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments.  

To Americans, the existence and sanctity of personal rights are as common and permanent as the air itself.  That assurance is increasingly unwarranted. There is determined political faction, growing ever stronger, that perceives the Bill of Rights as a roadblock to their dream of establishing an all-powerful central state that would determine every facet of life, from the rights to raise your children in the beliefs you hold dear, to even how you cook your food (seen in the attacks on gas stoves.) Self protection is the most central right, and, under people like Alvin Bragg, the most endangered.

Illustration: Pixabay

The recent meeting between China’s strongman Xi and Russia’s Putin emphasized a disturbing reality: Americas enemies are coalescing into a solidified alliance aimed squarely at western interests, national sovereignty, and democratic principles.

Although it receives far less print space and air time than the latest Kardashian fashion statement, the reality that Russia, Iran, China, along with North Korea and Belarus are working closer together to establish a combined military threat is a reality that will imperil those that ignore it.

The U.S. Office of National Intelligence has reported that Moscow and Beijing are closer today than at any time in over half a century.

On the oceans, Moscow and Beijing are continuing to hold joint naval maneuvers. In December, the two nations conducted joint naval maneuvers.  Iran is rapidly moving towards the development of atomic weapons (even President Biden has admitted that hopes of a nuclear deal are dead) and is assisting Putin’s Ukrainian assault by providing him drone weapons. Reportedly, Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un have discussed ways to assist each other’s militaries.  Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko is eagerly moving closer to joining Russia’s Ukrainian war, and is receiving advanced weapons.

The threat is not just on distant continents; indeed, it is close to home. Military Review notes that Russian military ties to Latin America have become a significant factor. Evan Ellis, CSIS Senior Associate, testified before Congress in July that:

“During the period from the lead-up to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of the Ukraine through the present, as in previous episodes of conflict with the West in the past 15 years, Russia has demonstrated its intent and capability, however limited, to conduct military and other strategic activities oriented against the U.S. and our partners in the Western Hemisphere. Its key vehicle for doing so has been collusion with anti-U.S. authoritarian regimes in the region, including Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. Recent demonstrations of Russia’s hostile intent toward the U.S. and our partners in the Western Hemisphere include Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov’s January 2022 suggestion that Russia might deploy military forces to Venezuela or Cuba, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov’s February 2022 signing of a pact to increase military cooperation with Venezuela,and Nicaragua’s June 2022 re-authorization for limited numbers of Russian troops and equipment to enter the country for training missions and other forms of support. Most recently, Russian actions also include announced participation by a team of snipers, along with teams from China, Iran, and seven other countries, in an upcoming military sniper competition in Venezuela, the first time the competition has been held in the country.”

Russia is not alone. China, according to Leland Lazarus and Ryan C. Berg of Foreign Policy have highlighted Beijing’s growing military relationships in the region. The Dialogue’s Latin American Advisor publication reports that:

“Chinese military leaders visited with their counterparts in Latin America 215 times between 2002 and 2019, according to a report released last year by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Chile, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina accounted for more than half of those visits, according to the report. Additionally, China and the CELAC bloc of Latin American and Caribbean nations last December agreed to continue collaboration on military issues through the China-Latin America High-Level Defense Forum.”

Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, and Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command, testified before a Senate Armed Services Committee that China and Russia are looking for opportunities to undermine U.S. partnerships in the Americas.

At this point, there is no reasonable prospect that the growing relationship between Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and Belarus will not become more intense, or that their interplay in the Western hemisphere will become less dangerous.

Photo: Russia-China joint naval manuevers (China Defense Ministry photo)

Last September, for the first time in almost three years, Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled abroad. He chose to visit Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit where participant countries discussed regional security and development issues. Xi’s arrival stoked world media stories linking the trip’s significance to progress on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Nine years earlier Xi had chosen Kazakhstan’s capital of Nursultan to announce the start of the BRI. There was a reason he picked a Middle Corridor country. China’s foreign policy leadership is strategic in its thinking and long-term in its approach. 

Central Asia is a group of neighboring states that sit strategically between China and Europe. Using its trade routes enables China to export to Europe and bypass Russia. Kazakhstan is “ground zero,” according to one military analyst who called the region a potential flashpoint if the region leans to heavily in either China or Russia’s direction. Kazakhstan is performing a finely-tuned balancing act. It is an independent state formerly under Soviet control. Today the country supplies minerals, gas, oil, and metals to China and transships goods from China to Europe. It is a misconception, however, to simply assume the nation is now under China’s influence. 

The country recently reached an agreement to export oil to Germany. Biz Media reports that after a couple of months delay KazTransOil delivered 20,000 ton of Kazakhstani oil in its first shipment. Although less than the 300,000 originally planned, the deal is significant. To enable this supply, Kazakhstan came to an agreement with Transneft, a Russian energy company. Flowing through the 2,500-mile long Druzhba pipeline, the Kazakhstani oil traveled through Russia, Belarus, and Poland before arriving in Germany, according to Nurbek Bekmurzaev’s Jamestown Foundation report. 

One unknown since the deal was reached last December is whether Kazakhstan will now play a larger and more independent role in the European energy market. Kursiv Media earlier this year reported that the country’s oil exports to Germany in 2023 could reach almost 7 million tons a year. Russia will play an outsized role in the sale since it could decide to halt shipments through its pipeline to Germany. Putin still may terminate the agreement to punish Germany if it continues to support Ukraine’s war effort. Kazakhstani oil remains Germany’s cheapest solution to its energy needs. 

Kazakhstan wants to sell the crude oil, which is similar in composition to what Germany has previously purchased. Officials in Nursultan recognize that its particular blend of crude saves Germany’s Schwedt refinery money as it can avoid costly adjustments to the refining process and the pipeline location is convenient. To ensure the integrity of the supply chain Nursultan government officials are carefully balancing Russian concerns over Germany’s support of the Ukraine war effort with its need for capital to develop the country. Analysts suggest the delay of the first shipment was due to an internal political balancing act by officials in Nursultan. “Small technical errors” were used as an excuse before the shipment was reduced in size to appease Russian concerns.

“Thus, with only a couple days left until the end of the first fiscal quarter, the modest amount of 20,000 tons exported instead of the projected 300,000 has cast doubt on the hopes that Kazakhstan could effectively rescue Germany and the rest of Europe in an energy crunch,” says Bekmurzaev. Kazakh officials have not forgotten that last year Russia shut down the Caspian Pipeline Consortium on several occasions, stopping its oil from reaching Europe. 

Moscow lost valuable transit fees in 2022 and may not be in a position to lose them again this year. Nursultan officials acknowledge the country may not be able to fully supply all of Europe as its doesn’t produce enough oil. They are hoping the reduced supply of what they can ship will be more acceptable to Moscow. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recognizes that Putin needs the cash revenue from the oil transiting Russia for its war effort. “Russia will retain some leverage over Germany by keeping it hooked on oil imports arriving via a Russian-controlled pipeline. Thus, while the oil itself will arrive from Kazakhstan, Germany will remain dependent on Russia at some level for supporting the exports,” says Bekmurzaev. He adds that keeping the Druzhba pipeline operational leaves the door open for renewed oil exports from Russia in the future.

China is the dominant partner in its relationship with Russia. When Putin went to war in Ukraine Beijing immediately filled some of the gaps left in Central Asia. Although BRI development projects have helped the region, Beijing has not been able to simply replace Moscow’s influence as suggested by some Western leaders. The situation is more complex. China and Russia, like NATO Member states, work closely together on some issues while disagreeing on others. The Middle Corridor is a complicated environment in which the Central Asian states play off the great powers to achieve their own end goals. Kazakhstan is using the geopolitical environment and the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to play a key role in the European energy market while also making sure to appease China’s leadership who come with regional aspirations and BRI money to buy their way into the transit corridor. 

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.

Illustration: Pixabay