Wednesday Night #2208

Only the 2024 NATO Summit adds a cheerful note to what otherwise is an exceptionally gloomy outlook this week.

Leaders are assembled for the Summit  that marks the 75th anniversary of the Alliance.
Seventy-five years ago, 12 countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C. to ensure their collective defence in an unpredictable world. This year, 32 NATO Allies meet again in Washington, D.C. to make key decisions on how to continue to protect their one billion citizens as the world faces the most dangerous security environment since the Cold War.
NATO allies commit to sending dozens of air defense systems to Ukraine, including four Patriots The announcement was made with much fanfare as the summit opened at the Mellon Auditorium, where the North Atlantic Treaty was first signed in 1949, establishing NATO. There both Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke urgently about the importance of the alliance and the need to stand together in support of Ukraine.
Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, were among those arriving at the US capital amid a warning that Russia could step up missile strikes on Ukraine this week, repeating a barrage that killed at least 38 on Monday.
Extensive coverage and analysis at The Atlantic Council
A sidebar: NATO is losing patience with one of its own members — and it’s not who you think
This week’s summit in Washington will get uncomfortable for Canada as allies press for more cash commitments.

Putin, Xi, Orbán, and Modi provide a disturbing backdrop to the start of the NATO Summit
Orbán’s rogue relations with Russia and China come as he takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, something Xi acknowledged as an opportunity, just days after the European Union kicked off new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Orbán stopped in Moscow before he flew on to Beijing.
During his visit to Moscow, Modi called Russia an “all-weather friend” and a “trusted ally.” Putin reciprocated the sentiment by welcoming his “dear friend” to his official residence.
Underpinning the Russia-India partnership is energy. India is the third-biggest crude oil importer in the world, and Russia is its single largest source of seaborne oil, accounting for around 40 percent of imports in recent months, up from just 2 percent in 2021.
Modi visits Putin in Moscow and stresses deepening the “special and strategic partnership” between India and Russia. A reminder of the historic relations between India under Indira Gandhi and the then-Soviet Union

While election results and aftermath in Britain and France have consumed us, “reformist” candidate Masoud Pezeshkian was elected president of Iran in the run-off election. The news that high-profile Iranian lawyer Mohsen Borhani has been arrested does not augur well for any signs of moderation.

The world has long-since stopped holding its breath as the on-again-off-again (ceasefire/hostage) negotiations between Israel, Hamas and other intermediaries continue. As Israel pursues its remorseless scorched earth mission in Gaza, launching attacks on or near schools sheltering displaced people four times in four days,  Netanyahu pays lip service to participation in negotiation by presenting a most unhelpful list of nonnegotiable demands, intensifying tensions both domestically and among international mediators. Netanyahu’s firm stance includes a contentious condition allowing Israel the option to resume military operations post-agreement, aimed at ensuring the complete achievement of its war objectives.
Our patience and sympathy for the government of Israel have long-since run out.
A recent post from Sauvé Israeli alumnus  Tomer Avital regarding Mossad’s Economic Warfare Division sent us on a chase ending with Former Mossad Official Reveals Financial Lifelines Sustaining Hamas
(The Media line) Dr. Udi Levi, former head of Mossad’s Economic Warfare Division, warns that Hamas receives over $1 billion annually, questioning the efficacy of Israeli efforts to dismantle the group.
…  Dr. Levi outlined how Hamas and other Islamist terror organizations secure financing. He estimated that Hamas receives over $1 billion annually and warned that without halting this financial flow, Israeli efforts to dismantle the group would be futile.

The passionate debate over President Biden’s future continues to range from Joe-don’t-go to Joe-must-go and we confess that our position has shifted several times as circumstances -and arguments- change.
Biden’s candidacy faces new peril as Pelosi, Clooney and more Democrats weigh in
The press coverage of Biden is at times hostile and at others, hysterical. What is abundantly evident is that the press -with our previously beloved NYT leading the pack- has been giving Trump a pass.
Many may have mistaken the sarcasm of Rex Huppke‘s column for humour. We believe it is right on target.
I can’t wait for all of the media coverage of Trump’s confusing Tuesday night rally
Folks, I’m worried about Donald Trump and his mental decline, which was on full display at a rally Tuesday night on one of his Florida golf courses.
We applaud Chris Goodfellow‘s recent comment: “The press [which] by and large should be ashamed for piling on at this late juncture. They need to stop and think for a moment…that Biden’s stutter and sometimes very apparent halting speech requires far more mental and motor control to master than the rest of us possess who do not suffer from the condition of stuttering. Stuttering or taking the time to gather your thoughts is not evidence of mental decline or inability to think logically and rationally. Personally, I cannot imagine how difficult it is when you have the weight and the exhausting schedule of the Presidency on your shoulders as well. I have all the more admiration for Biden because of this.
The man is fully functional and rational (and combative) as evidenced by his exchange yesterday on Morning Joe, particularly his speech on the Supreme Court decision and his ABC interview. ”
We highly recommend Timothy Snyder‘s Biden Experiments – How it might go, from here to victory (See Long reads below)

Heather Cox Richardson July 9, 2024
In this morning’s Talking Points Memo, David Kurtz observed that “much of political journalism is divorced from policy and the substance of politics.” It’s all about a horse race, he wrote, while complex questions, competing public interests, and the history of an issue get distilled to “whether it’s good or bad politically.”
Today, he noted, that horse-race coverage means that “[a]n election about whether the United States will continue its two and half century long experiment in representative democracy, where a convicted felon is running to return to the office he tried to seize through extralegal means, where the specter of a new form of fascism looms on the horizon is suddenly consumed by a political death watch for the only person at present standing between democracy and another Trump term in the White House.”

We applaud the news that on Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez files articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito
The New York congresswoman said that the justices’ refusal to recuse from certain prominent cases “constitutes a grave threat to American rule of law.” It may come to nothing, but is the right thing to do!

Varia
A treatment for anorexia nervosa?
McGill-led research team may have discovered neurological mechanism underlying common eating disorder
Is it OK to choose ‘no tip’ at the counter? Some customers think so
Survey results show 77% of Canadian respondents dislike auto-tipping prompts on payment machines
After years of sky-high gratuity auto-prompts, customers have reached their tipping point. Some say they will no longer tip anywhere they have to wait in a line, or where they’re prompted to tip before they’ve experienced the product or service.
An unprecedented meeting: Sherpa and Finance Tracks meet with Task Forces to conclude proposals for G20 Leaders’ Summit
Meeting of Task Forces proposed by Brasil’s G20 presidency with the forum’s Sherpa and Finance tracks highlighted priorities such as reducing inequalities and combating climate change. …
Representatives from 29 countries and 13 international organizations attended a Sherpas meeting with the Climate and Hunger task forces and the coordinator of the G20 Finance Track,
Bardella to lead new far-right European Parliament group
The leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, will head a new right-wing grouping in the European Parliament, Patriots for Europe.

Long reads
Why NATO Still Exists
The democracies must continue their long fight against Moscow’s barbarism.
By Tom Nichols
NATO’s longevity is cause for celebration; the continued need for its existence is a tragedy.
(The Atlantic) NATO turned 75 this year, and remains the most powerful and most successful alliance in the history of mankind: It has deterred cataclysmic war, allowed almost 1 billion people to thrive under a shield of peace, and more than doubled its initial size because of the eagerness of so many nations to join it. When the first NATO nations, led by the United States, banded together in 1949, they were trying to stop a group of evil men bunkered in Moscow from threatening the peace of the world. The mission today is the same, as NATO’s 32 members now consider how to deal with another group of evil men in the same city.

Timothy Snyder Biden Experiments – How it might go, from here to victory
The question, narrowly, is how his political party might maintain control of the executive branch and might regain a majority in the House of Representatives. We are at a moment in history when this is not a matter of policy or politics but of regime — of the continuity of our republic.
The question, broadly, is whether the United States will continue to exist. Donald Trump has made it very clear that he will seek to change our regime to one of an authoritarian type.

Democrats focus attacks on right-wing Project 2025 pushed by Trump allies
Biden’s campaign and allies are going to make what they characterize as the most extreme proposals from Trump allies a core element of their campaign. They have issued dozens of news releases mentioning the project — including five on Friday alone — and are asking surrogates, allies and others to talk about Project 2025 as often as they can.

Trump 2025 Is Coming Into View
By Thomas B. Edsall
The combination of recent Supreme Court rulings on presidential power and the Democratic Party’s nomination crisis in the wake of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance has significantly improved Donald Trump’s prospects — not only his odds of once again becoming president, but also of enacting a sweeping authoritarian agenda.

Jeremy Kinsman‘s detailed tours d’horizon of British and French politics are MUSTS:
The Starmer Storm —How Labour Got Smart, and Lucky; and
France’s Election: A Good Night for the Left, a Bad One for Le Pen, and a Mixed Bag for Macron

Some Things I Have Learned: Ambassador Bob Rae’s Speech to the Advocates Society
The text of a delightful speech delivered by UN Ambassador Bob Rae to the Advocates Society in Toronto on June 26, 2024.
…I have not spent much time in court; in any event, less time than Donald Trump. And I have a K.C. to prove it.
When I was called to the Bar in 1980, Bud Estey told a great story. He was recounting that, in some old reports, they used to supply much more of a summary of the oral argument in a case.
Allegedly one report had a nervous counsel starting his argument with these words “My Lord…er my Lord…er…my Lord…my unfortunate client…” The Judge interrupted the lawyer with these words “Keep going counsel, so far I agree with you.” I must confess I felt much more relaxed after that story. …

Event for those deprived individuals who do not have chalets where they can escape the heat.
Saturday, 13 July
Bowser… and Bowser
12:00pm to 12:45pm and 1:15pm to 2:00pm
Live Music in the Square, Quartier Greene (corner De Maisonneuve/ Greene)
George Bowser has been the stage left side of Bowser and Blue since 1978. His daughter Jeanne holds a BFA from Concordia University, and a Master’s degree from the University of Malmo, Sweden. She lives and works overseas. The two sing and play together when and wherever they can.