Even before officially taking office, the leadership of the victorious Move Forward Party has vowed to help pursue US foreign policy objectives both in regards to “rebalancing” Thailand away from China and back toward the West, as well as regarding US interference elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and more specifically, Myanmar.
Republican Ohio Senator J.D. Vance accused the Biden administration of “moralizing and lecturing” other countries in a floor speech opposing a new diplomatic nominee late Wednesday.
“Right now, you know that Joe Biden is not sending weapons to Taiwan, weapons that we promised the Taiwanese, because we’re sending those weapons to Ukraine or elsewhere,” Vance said.
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Though Vance said he admires the brave people of Ukraine, he said America should remove troops and resources from Ukraine.
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“It’s time to manufacture our weapons in the United States,” the Ohioan said. “And it’s time to send a message to the world that America is the arsenal of democracy, but we cannot do that unless you get out and stop the focus on Ukraine.”
“The great arsenal of democracy” came to specifically refer to the industry of the U.S., as the primary supplier of material for the Allied war effort [WWII].
Meanwhile, he wants to pull a Zelensky back home. /s
In 2022, the US committed $1 billion to humanitarian relief in Yemen. Maintaining that level given the worsening situation should be a mere formality.
Yet having spent the past week in Washington with members of Congress and the Senate regarding this crisis, it is apparent that political and fiscal calculations flourish when media coverage is fleeting, and outrage muted. As one Senator sterilely offered during our meeting, “That’s a lot of money.” A lot, indeed. Accordingly, to try to describe the near $110 billion the US has pledged to Ukraine in the last year sends one scrambling for a thesaurus.
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Nevertheless, the wheels are steadily in motion for that outcome, as global aid for Yemen is in staggering decline. Announced on Monday by Secretary Blinken, with unfortunate lack of context, the US government is slashing this year’s contribution to the UN appeal for Yemen by roughly 25% – additionally I’ve been told by multiple sources at USAID that their cuts for aid to Yemen in 2023 could go as high as near 40%, with further cuts planned for 2024.
Apart from meeting with senior Ethiopian government officials, Blinken is scheduled to meet with humanitarian [front] organizations that partner with the United States and civil society leaders. Food security, humanitarian assistance and human rights are among the agenda items he will be discussing with the aforementioned groups.
The State Department on Monday reaffirmed its opposition to countries upgrading their ties with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even if it is an effort to aid Syria’s earthquake relief.
An unnamed Israeli military official has threatened to bomb Iran’s shipments of humanitarian aid to Syria, following a devastating earthquake in the Arab country’s northwestern region.
The US has temporarily eased its sanctions on Syria in an effort to speed up aid deliveries to the country’s north-west, where almost no humanitarian assistance has arrived despite the deaths of thousands in this week’s earthquake.
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