10/04/2020 News & Commentary – National Security
News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and Published by Riley Murray.
1. America is having a code red moment. Which of its enemies is likely to strike first?
2. China Task Force Report
3. This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic
4. East Asia allies likely to bide time as U.S. election looms over Pompeo trip
5. Twitter banished the worst QAnon accounts. But more than 93,000 remain on the site, research shows
6. Remember Trump’s trade deal with China? So far they are buying half what was promised
7. Lawmakers introduce bill targeting foreign disinformation on social media
8. Japan to push for one-year cost-sharing deal on U.S. troops in country
9. Geopolitical forces pushing Russia, China closer together
10. Saving Uighur Culture From Genocide
11. Veterans Feel Betrayed as U.S. Immigration System Fails Imperiled Iraqi Allies
12. Six whistleblowers allege misconduct by government media boss
13. Philippine troops rescue man seized by suspected militants
14. Opinion | Americans Increasingly Believe Violence is Justified if the Other Side Wins
15. A Theory About Conspiracy Theories
16. Harrowing tale of Green Beret’s Vietnam valor drives push for Medal of Honor
1. America is having a code red moment. Which of its enemies is likely to strike first?
The Guardian · by Simon Tisdall · October 4, 2020
I know this is heresy and likely an unpopular statement but given the national security implications perhaps there should be a transfer of power to ensure the stability and continuity of our government. Confusion and uncertainty about US governance surely can give the wrong idea to our adversaries. Can we put national security and the safety of the nation above politics (or more specifically election politics)?
2. China Task Force Report
You have to read the 141 page report on Scribd at this link: https://www.scribd.com/document/478104010/China-Task-Force-Report?
3. This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic
The Atlantic · by Zeynep Tufekci · September 30, 2020
For those who follow the science. Those who believe COVID is a hoax or just a flu will want to avoid this. This is a difficult read for a layman like me but it provides some very interesting information about the spread.
4. East Asia allies likely to bide time as U.S. election looms over Pompeo trip
Reuters · by Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom · October 3, 2020
As noted, SECSTATE will not travel to South Korea and Mongolia and oly to Japan for the Quad meeting.
5. Twitter banished the worst QAnon accounts. But more than 93,000 remain on the site, research shows
The Washington Post – by Craig Timberg – October 3, 2020
I fear QAnon has reached a pandemic level.
6. Remember Trump’s trade deal with China? So far they are buying half what was promised
https://fortune.com/2020/10/03/trump-china-trade-deal-war-results-so-far/ – by Shawn Tully – 3 October 2020
7. Lawmakers introduce bill targeting foreign disinformation on social media
The Hill · by Maggie Miller · October 1, 2020
Excerpts:
Spanberger, a former CIA officer, said Thursday that “our nation is always under siege from foreign adversaries who seek to sow division and spread false information. However, social media networks remain especially vulnerable to foreign campaigns.”
“Disclaimers on social media posts are often non-existent, particularly when content is shared or linked,” Spanberger said in a statement. “This means that social media can serve as an ideal rumor mill for disinformation, as nefarious actors are able to leverage the rapid transfer of information from person to person.”
8. Japan to push for one-year cost-sharing deal on U.S. troops in country
japantimes.co.jp · October 3, 2020
Deja vu all over again? Is Japan going to play hard ball like South Korea?
9. Geopolitical forces pushing Russia, China closer together
asiatimes.com · by MK Bhadrakumar · October 4, 2020
Looking at it from Russia and China’s view point: “The answer is that what brings Russia and China closer together is the challenge posed by the alliance systems that the US is assembling on their borders to “contain” them.”
So the problem is us, the US, and our alliance structure.
10. Saving Uighur Culture From Genocide
The Atlantic · by Yasmeen Serhan · October 4, 2020
Such a tragedy.
11. Veterans Feel Betrayed as U.S. Immigration System Fails Imperiled Iraqi Allies
Rolling Stone · by Shoshana Akabas · October 4, 2020
I am not a regular reader of Rolling Stone but this article caught my eye since it is such an emotional issue as well as a national security one.
12. Six whistleblowers allege misconduct by government media boss
Politico – 30 September 2020
More terrible news from the US Agency for Global Media.
13. Philippine troops rescue man seized by suspected militants
Stars and Stripes – 1 October 2020
The son of an American.
14. Opinion | Americans Increasingly Believe Violence is Justified if the Other Side Wins
Politico – by LARRY DIAMOND, LEE DRUTMAN, TOD LINDBERG, NATHAN P. KALMOE and LILLIANA MASON – 1 October 2020
I would like to know from those who espouse violence on the right and left how what is your strategy? How do you intend to use violence to “save” our country? Explain to me your campaign plan, your objectives?
But most importantly I have two questions: Do you still believe in our Constitution and that we must support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign, and yes, domestic. Second, what have you done to ensure the Constitution works? And I guess a third question, have you exhausted all the political means to ensure protection of the Constitution?
Do our partisan differences have to result in violence and what good will that violence do to protect our Constitution? It seems to me the extremists on both sides have extreme political views of the other side: The extreme left believes the right wants to institute a fascist government while the extreme right believes the other side wants to destroy our government and institute a socialist/communist system. What is paradoxical is that if either side had their way (the way the other side believes) it would lead to totalitarian dictatorships taking away our individual liberty and freedom which of course is fundamentally what our Constitution is designed to prevent.
In my mind the majority of Democrats and Republicans both want our federal democratic republic to continue to flourish. Yes, they have different worldviews and political ideas, but the majority believe in our Constitutional form of government. Yet it is the extreme right and extreme left that dominate the narratives, and this is what appears to be the catalyst for talk of the use of violence.
But again, I ask, how do you intend to use violence to protect our country. Most simply how does the use of violence ensure the rule of law which is of paramount importance to American democracy?
15. A Theory About Conspiracy Theories
The New York Times · by Benedict Carey · September 28, 2020
Yep, those who believe in these outlandish conspiracy theories must have personality disorders.
16. Harrowing tale of Green Beret’s Vietnam valor drives push for Medal of Honor
armytimes.com · by Todd South · October 2, 2020
Another story that makes us ask where do we find such incredible Americans and soldiers? I hope we can make this right.
“No one knows better than I the bitter denials of life.
But I have made my limitations tools of learning and true joy.”
– Helen Keller
“Another flaw in the human character is that
everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.”
– Kurt Vonnegut
“If we had no winter,
the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome.”
– Anne Bradstreet