An influential member of Russia’s Federation Council wrote that the former EU leaders admitting they never intended to honor the Minsk agreements means they have the blood of the thousands of victims of the Donbass civil war on their hands.
A top Russian legislator said the recent admissions by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande that they had no intention of honoring their commitments under the Minsk agreements represent a “formalization of betrayal... by the West” of the people of the Donbass.
On Wednesday, Hollande acknowledged that the international agreements for which France served as a guarantor were little more than a ploy to buy time for the Ukrainian regime to increase its military capabilities with NATO weapons and training.
“Since 2014, Ukraine has strengthened its military posture… It is the merit of the Minsk Agreements to have given the Ukrainian Army this opportunity,” the former French president told a Ukrainian outlet.
His comments echoed a similar confession by Merkel, who admitted in early December that Minsk was merely “an attempt to buy time for Ukraine,” and that “Ukraine used this time to become stronger.”
Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council and long-time Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Duma, issued a harsh condemnation of Western duplicity on Telegram.
In what appears to be the first public denunciation of both Hollande and Merkel’s comments by a senior Russian official, the influential legislator wrote Friday that “the confessions of Merkel and Hollande are a formalization of betrayal.”
Косачев Константин Said
Not festive, sadly.
Now Hollande's acknowledgment, following Poroshenko and Merkel, that the Minsk agreement was necessary only as a time gain for Kyiv's accumulation of military power, speaks for at least two things.
First, for the West, the integrity of Ukraine (as opposed to, say, the integrity of Great Britain with Scotland and Spain with its Catalonia) is precisely control over territory, and not public approval. This is land, not people. This is violence, not negotiation. It is an occupation of a part of one's own country against the wishes of part of its citizens. And all this is in direct contrast to the so-called European values, blown up from within by Ukrainian-style geopolitics.
And the second. Our country turned out to be the only co-author of the Minsk agreements (although Moscow did not sign them), consistently and honestly trying to act as their guarantor. It is Russia, unlike Ukraine, Germany and France, that is on the side of the people in this matter, setting aside the territorial question - as long as (at least in theory) it is still possible to implement the Minsk agreements as they are. written there.
And then it became clear that it was impossible. The secret becomes clear. The sabotage of the Minsk accords by the frenzied Kyiv and irresponsible Brussels collectives fueled the development of events according to the only remaining scenario. As Russia, though almost alone, though in other ways, actually continues to protect the peoples of the region who were thoughtlessly rejected from Ukraine by Kyiv on the Maidan and, as it turned out, betrayed by Berlin and Paris on Minsk.
Appropriate. Merkel's and Hollande's confessions are a fixation on betrayal. The southeast of Ukraine was initially betrayed by the West, despite the verbal tinsel surrounding it. The price for this betrayal was thousands of human lives during the last eight years of the Ukrainian civil war. Which the West did not stop at first, which turned the Minsk agreement into a thin letter. But what Russia is now forced to stop with its special military operation.
“The southeast of then-Ukraine was initially betrayed by the West… The price of this betrayal was thousands of human lives over the last eight years of the civil war in Ukraine – which was not initially stopped by the West, which turned the Minsk agreements into scrap paper – but which Russia is now forced to stop with its special military operation,” Kosachev noted.
“For the West, the territorial integrity of Ukraine is all about control over land,” he continued. “It’s about territory, not people.”
“It’s about violence, not negotiations” – an attitude which he noted “directly contradicts so-called European values.”
Ultimately, Kosachev explained, “our country turned out to be the only co-author of the Minsk agreements… which consistently and honestly tried to act as their guarantor. It was Russia, unlike Ukraine, Germany and France, that was in this case on the side of the people.”
The public admission that Ukrainian officials see their UN votes as little more than leverage to extract concessions from their counterparts suggests an unprincipled and highly transactional understanding of global politics.
The Ukrainian regime refused to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to weigh in on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to provide them with weapons in return, a new report says.
“A Ukrainian official said [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky told Netanyahu that in return for voting against or abstaining he wants to hear how the new Israeli government is going to change its policy” and provide the Ukrainian regime with weapons, an Israeli reporter wrote Saturday on Twitter.
4 \ A senior Israeli official told me Netanyahu called Zelensky as part of a series of phone calls with leaders of countries that Israel wanted to change their country’s vote and oppose the resolution or at least abstain
According to the journalist, the Ukrainian source said Netanyahu refused to capitulate but said he would be “ready to discuss Zelensky’s requests in the future.”
In October, Kiev sent Tel Aviv an official request for “Iron Beam, Barak-8, Patriot, Iron Dome, David's Sling, Arrow Interceptor” weapons systems, as well as “Israeli support in training for Ukrainian operators.” But Israel has declined repeated requests from the Ukrainian regime for Israeli arms.
“Zelensky didn’t like Netanyahu's answer and didn’t agree to vote against the resolution or abstain,” the reporter wrote.
The discussion between the heads of state took place as Netanyahu made a round of last-minute phone calls on Friday night in an effort to drum up diplomatic support for the Israelis ahead of the UN vote, which ultimately passed 87-24 with 53 countries abstaining.
Under the terms of the resolution – which was opposed by Washington but supported by Russia, China, and nearly every Arab state – the World Court is set to issue an advisory position on the legal impacts of Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation … including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”
At a UN committee vote earlier this month, Ukrainian officials voted in favor of the measure, in what they privately painted as an effort to signal their displeasure with Israel’s relative neutrality amid NATO’s ongoing proxy war against Russia.
During the final vote on Friday, the Ukrainian delegation was nowhere to be found. “Zelensky decided that we will not attend the vote in order to give a chance to the relationship with Netanyahu,” an official reportedly claimed.
Ankara agreed to withdraw troops from Syrian territory following trilateral talks between the defense ministers of Russia, Syria and Turkey in Moscow on Wednesday, Syrian media reported, citing anonymous sources in Damascus.
According to the reports, Turkey agreed to withdraw forces from the territories they occupied in northern Syria. Russia, Turkey and Syria also discussed the implementation of the agreement made in 2020 on the opening of the M4 highway linking Aleppo to Latakia, the source said.
The sides reportedly stressed that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey, was "a proxy of Israel and the United States" and posed "the greatest danger to Syria and Turkey."
On December 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he had offered to Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting between the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Syria, which would be preceded by a meeting of the heads of the intelligence services, defense and foreign ministries.
On December 28, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the defense ministers of Russia, Syria and Turkey held trilateral talks in Moscow to discuss ways to resolve the Syrian crisis. The talks marked the first official meeting between Ankara and Damascus in 11 years.
The war in Syria has been ongoing since 2011, with various armed insurgent groups, including terrorist organizations, fighting the Syrian Army in an attempt to topple the government of President Bashar Assad. Since 2016, the Turkish armed forces have also been conducting air and ground operations in Syria against armed Kurdish groups. Moscow and Ankara have been acting as mediators in the conflict within various frameworks, such as the mediation group on the Syrian settlement in Astana launched together with Iran in 2017 or the Congress of the Syrian national dialogue hosted in the Russian city of Sochi in 2018.
Hulusi Akar, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, and Sergey Shoigu, the defense ministers of the three nations, met in Moscow on Wednesday for the first time since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
According to the paper’s source in Damascus, the negotiations resulted in “Turkey’s consent to completely withdraw its troops from the Syrian territories that it occupies in the north of the country.”
Ankara and Damascus also expressed a common view that the Syrian-based Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey associates with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), “are agents of Israel and the US, and pose a grave threat to both Turkey and Syria.”
Turkey considers the separatist PKK and allied Kurdish groups to be “terrorist organizations” that threaten its national security. The Turkish military carried out airstrikes against YPG targets in northern Syria in November, with Ankara saying a ground operation in the area was also on the cards.
A special trilateral commission will be created by Russia, Turkey and Syria to ensure that the agreements reached in Moscow are honored, Al-Watan reported.
Akar told local media on Saturday that “one shouldn’t expect that everything will be solved at once in a single meeting,” RT reported.
In Moscow, Turkey “emphasized that we respect Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights, and that our only goal is the fight against terrorism” including the PKK/YPG and Daesh (ISIL or ISIS),” he said.
Ankara and Damascus have agreed to continue talks to deepen reconciliation, Akar added. He also suggested that those negotiations could even result in a joint anti-terrorist operation involving the two countries, which would happen “if we can solve our problems related to defense and security, if we can meet our needs.”
The Syrian side had earlier described the meeting in the Russian capital as “positive,” while Russia’s defense ministry said the talks had been conducted in a constructive manner and stressed the need for the continuation of such engagement.
Mulai Januari 2023, Naik KRL Tak Lagi Bisa Pakai Aplikasi LinkAja (Foto: MNC Media)
Pembayaran kereta rel listrik (KRL) Jabodetabek dan Jogja-Solo dengan menggunakan aplikasi LinkAja sudah tidak bisa lagi dilakukan mulai 16 Januari 2023 mendatang. Hal tersebut berdasarkan pengumuman resmi yang dirilis di laman LinkAja.
Menanggapi hal tersebut, Reka Sadewo selaku VP Corporate Secretary LinkAja menyatakan, sehubungan dengan kerja sama antara PT Fintek Karya Nusantara (LinkAja) dan PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) dalam rangka penyediaan metode pembayaran transportasi KCI, bahwa untuk saat ini kerjasama belum dapat dilanjutkan kembali.
Dengan demikian, mulai 16 Januari 2023, Aplikasi LinkAja dan LinkAja Syariah sebagai pilihan metode pembayaran tiket pada gerbang Commuterline baik di Jabodetabek, maupun Commuterline Yogya-Solo dengan menggunakan QR Code, tidak dapat digunakan sebagai metode pembayaran.
"Kenyamanan dan kepuasan pengguna adalah prioritas kami, selama proses transisi berlangsung, LinkAja menjamin seluruh transaksi tetap aman dan terlindungi," kata Reka.
Dia juga menjelaskan, bahwa LinkAja saat ini fokus memperbaiki profitabilitas dan on-track terhadap path to profitability-nya.
LinkAja saat ini memfokuskan diri ke bisnis model dua sisi (two-sided business model) B2B2C, yaitu tidak hanya menghadirkan layanan solusi finansial bagi konsumen Indonesia, namun juga menyediakan solusi finansial end-to-end bagi para pelaku rantai pasok (supply chain) baik digital maupun tradisional, dan tetap berfokus pada ekosistem yang berada di dalam ekosistem BUMN.
"Tidak hanya mempermudah transaksi di tataran penjual ritel dan pembeli, LinkAja juga mendigitalisasi transaksi dari pihak agen, distributor, hingga tingkat principal (produsen)," ujarnya.
Menurutnya, berkenaan dengan penghentian layanan LinkAja sebagai metode pembayaran KCI, hal tersebut tidak memberikan dampak negatif yang signifikan bagi kinerja LinkAja, baik dari sisi pengguna aktif maupun pendapatan.
"Faktanya, LinkAja masih memproyeksikan pertumbuhan pendapatan yang sehat sepanjang tahun 2023. Jika dibandingkan dengan November 2022, saat ini jumlah transaksi di LinkAja meningkat hampir 30% dengan total nilai transaksi meningkat lebih dari 20%," imbuhnya.
Menjelang akhir 2022, pihaknya juga memproyeksikan pendapatan LinkAja bisa naik lebih dari 30% dibandingkan dengan rata-rata bulanan pada tahun 2021, dengan beban operasional menurun lebih dari 50%.
Meski akan dihapus per 16 Januari 2023, pengguna KRL masih bisa menggunakan pilihan pembayaran lainnya, yakni dengan Kartu Multi Trip, kartu e-wallet yang dikeluarkan oleh bank, dan scan QR Code lainnya. Tapi khusus QR Code hanya tersedia khusus KRL di Jabodetabek.
Reaksi terhadap Keputusan manajemen Commuterline itu menuai kekecawaan dari beberapa pelanggan yang kerap memanfaatkan aplikasi LinkAja untuk naik KRL.
"wa parahhh...saya sehari2 sudah pakai linkaja...100% contactless...lha kl emoney...itu mah full contact (sama mesinnya)...ga masuk akal nich...jaman ud canggih malah mundur lagi," tulis seorang warganet.
"Yaah min. Gue bela2in install link aja buat naik krl. Biar ga pke e money," kicau netizen lain.
"Sepertinya sekarang jarang pakai LinkAja karena manfaatnya terbatas. Ditambah, isi saldo LinkAja sekarang dikenai biaya Rp1000," tulis warganet.
Seperti diketahui, selama ini pengguna Commuterline dapat menggunakan aplikasi LinkAja untuk membayar tiket. Pengguna KRL Yogyakarta-Solo dan Yogyakarta-Palur dikenakan tarif sebesar Rp8.000.
Penumpang cukup membuka aplikasi LinkAja saat berada di stasiun. Lalu goyangkan ponsel untuk mendapatkan kode tiket. Kode tersebut ditunjukkan pada mesin scanner pada gate hingga lampu berubah menjadi hijau.
As the year comes to a close, it is worth looking back at 2022 - but more specifically, the good, the bad, and the ugly of US President Joe Biden’s second year in office.
The good and bad are self-explanatory - dedicated to the wins and losses of the Biden White House. The ugly outlines matters that cannot be considered a total loss since the administration intended to do it but that shouldn’t be classified as a win because they were unpopular, went against previous promises, or put the world in danger.
Let’s start with the good, because the Democrats and the Biden administration did manage to pull out some surprising wins in the past year.
The Good
Democrats Maintain Senate Control, Limit Damage in House
Over the summer, Democrats looked like they were about to take a beating in the midterms. Typically, the party that controls the White House suffers in midterm elections and Biden’s approval rating in the summer was at historic lows.
But a few legislative wins (more on that later) and a base motivated by the repeal of Roe v Wade resulted in Democrats performing better than expected in the midterm elections. Democrats held onto control of the Senate and even added a seat to their ranks, a significant feat since the Senate is in charge of approving appointments, effectively making Biden’s job far easier.
Unlike the upper chamber, Republicans took control of the House of Representatives; however, the win only gave the GOP a razor thin advantage in the lower chamber. And yet, however slight the gains were, Republicans are already riddled with headaches as the party fails to get behind one candidate for the House speaker post.
Respect for Marriage Act
Turning out to be a bit of a layup for Democrats, the Respect for Marriage Act officially repealed the Defense of Marriage Act, which was already off the books due to a 2015 Supreme Court decision on Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriages nationwide.
However, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stated the high court should reconsider cases like the Obergefell v. Hodges while writing for the majority in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that repealed Roe v. Wade.
The development subsequently encouraged Congress to push the Respect for Marriage Act forward, enshrining the protections afforded by Obergefell v. Hodges. The bill was supported by members of both parties, with 39 Republican Representatives and 12 Republican senators voting for the bill, a rare act of bipartisanship in Congress.
Biden’s Supreme Court Pick Confirmed
The Biden administration got a rare first half of the year win when his first Supreme Court nomination, Ketanji Brown Jackson, was confirmed without much pushback.
During his presidential campaign, Biden promised to nominate an African American woman for his first Supreme Court pick, and with the nomination and confirmation of Jackson, he fulfilled that promise.
While the court appointment did not affect the political balance of the Supreme Court, it did prevent the bench from leaning further to the right as Jackson was replacing fellow liberal-leaning Justice Stephen Breyer.
Inflation Reduction Act
And then there was the Inflation Reduction Act, one of the legislative wins credited for helping Democrats perform better than expected during the November midterms. While the legislation failed to immediately curb inflation, and the Congressional Budget Office predicted the bill would not significantly reduce prices, the measure represented a rare legislative win for Biden’s domestic agenda.
The bill extended the Affordable Care Act subsidies for another year, put a 15% minimum corporate tax rate on companies with more than $1 billion in income, and placed a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks, all of which are extremely popular policies with American voters.
The Inflation Reduction Act also capped prescription drug prices and allowed Medicare to negotiate with drug manufacturers; however, those policies, which are also popular with the voting public, won’t take effect until 2025.
Brittney Griner/Viktor Bout Prisoner Swap
When WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia for possession of cannabis and sentenced to nine years in prison, it quickly became a political headache for the Biden administration.
In July, Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, said Biden had not responded to a handwritten letter by the imprisoned basketball star, and claimed the US government was not “doing anything” to secure the athlete's release.
After months of negotiations, the Biden administration finally secured her release in late November by trading Viktor Bout, who the United States claims is an illegal arms dealer, in a prisoner swap.
Although folks hailed Griner's US return, the prisoner swap was met with unease by many who questioned why the Biden White House failed to secure the release of US Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested for espionage in Russia in 2018.
The Bad
It was not all victories for the Biden administration in 2022, and Biden’s summer approval ratings proved to be a clear indication of that development.
Roe v. Wade Overturned
While Democrats were in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, ending federal abortion protections after nearly 50 years on the books.
Democrats were given forewarning of the decision after it was leaked months before the official decision, but still failed to even put forth legislation that would have protected abortion rights.
This was actually the second time Democrats failed to codify abortion rights while holding Congress and the White House. The Obama administration, when Biden served as vice president, held a filibuster-proof majority in 2009, but Obama had said codifying Roe was “not a priority” and focused on the Affordable Care Act
Thirteen years later, the second presidential administration that included Biden, oversaw the destruction of those very same rights.
The repeal did help Democrats secure a better-than-expected performance in the midterms by motivating the Democrats’ base, but failing to protect abortion rights, a cornerstone of the Democratic platform, cannot be classified as anything but a major defeat.
Inflation at 40-Year High
While the rate of inflation eased somewhat in the last months of 2022, it remains dangerously high and a top issue for voters. A poll taken a week before the midterms showed it was a top priority, with 36% of respondents saying it was their top concern. Abortion came in second at 10%.
While the Biden administration has pointed to low unemployment numbers and a growing GDP figure as signals the economy is doing well, the experience for everyday Americans has been different and inflation seems to be at the heart of that disconnect.
Even after a post-midterm bump, US adults are still pessimistic about the economy.
A December CNN poll revealed more than half, 53%, of Americans believe the economy is moving in the wrong direction, compared to just 17% who say it is getting better. Worse still, a whopping 93% of polled adults say they are at least somewhat worried about the US cost of living.
Title 42 Gets Saved by Supreme Court
The pandemic-era, Trump-created Title 42 rule allowed for the quick expulsion of asylum seekers at the US border. To date, the Biden administration has had no success in stopping the rule’s enforcement since the early days of 2022.
In fact, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Title 42 should remain in place until it can hear arguments in February, giving the mostly Republican-controlled states that have been fighting for it to remain in place a significant, albeit temporary, end-of-the-year victory over the Biden administration.
The ruling, which came down in a 5-4 vote, was slammed by Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who underscored in his dissent that "the current border crisis is not a COVID crisis."
"Courts should not be in the business of perpetuating administrative edicts designed for one emergency only because elected officials have failed to address a different emergency," Gorsuch wrote. "We are a court of law, not policymakers of last resort."
The controversial legislation allows the federal government to enact emergency actions in order to keep illnesses from spreading stateside, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. With over 2 million expelled under the policy, Republican lawmakers have used the measure to clamp down on entries from the US-Mexico border.
Student Loan Forgiveness
This may end up being an early 2023 victory for the Biden administration, but as it stands now, Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness executive order has been halted by the courts as the program deals with various legal challenges.
Of late, the order has gone all the way to the Supreme Court, which has so far shown a trend to favor conservative viewpoints. If they rule against the program, what seemed like a major turning point for the Biden administration will instead become an embarrassing defeat.
Biden long promised to address student loan debt during his presidential campaign, and if he fails to do that by the 2024 election, voters may blame the administration for failing to deliver another campaign promise.
COVID Rages On
COVID nearly made the ugly category, because it is not clear the current situation isn’t satisfactory in the eyes of the Biden administration. While pandemic-era lockdowns and vaccine mandates look to be a thing of the past, US citizens are still dying from COVID at an alarming pace.
Weekly COVID deaths remain in the thousands and there is seemingly no end in sight. Meanwhile, the Biden White House has largely ignored the problem, declining to reinstate significant COVID prevention measures.
In 2021, Biden declared the vaccine would prevent COVID infection and deaths, but that has not turned out to be the case.
“You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations,” Biden said in early 2021. “If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalized, you’re not going to be in the ICU unit, and you are not going to die.”
As of August 2022, only 42% of people who died from COVID were unvaccinated. That does not mean the vaccines are completely useless, there are more vaccinated adults than there are not, but Biden’s assertion in 2021 that the vaccine - and the vaccine alone - was enough to prevent COVID, proved to be misguided at best.
To top it off, the Biden administration announced in August that federal funding for COVID vaccines, treatments, and tests will be ending in January 2023. This, after Biden and first lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID in July and August, respectively. The following month also saw the commander-in-chief declare that the "pandemic is over," much to the chagrin of health authorities.
While ending federal funding for COVID, the Biden administration did institute a Trump-like rule on Wednesday, requiring negative COVID tests for travelers arriving from China, despite the pandemic continuing to spread inside the United States unchecked.
The Ugly
Intentional actions cannot be considered losses for the Biden administration, even if their results are a loss for the rest of us. Here are the ugliest actions intentionally taken by the Biden camp in 2022:
Biden’s Not-So-Secret Affair With Saudi Arabia
During the 2020 presidential Democratic primary debates, Biden promised to hold the Saudi government accountable for both the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and for the country’s brutal war in Yemen. He not only neglected to do that over the past two years, in 2022 he went in the opposite direction.
The “fist-bump heard around the world” got significant attention for a relatively silly controversy but it foretold future concessions from the Biden administration.
In August, the Biden administration approved a $3 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. During his presidential campaign, Biden promised to “end the sale of material to the Saudis where they’re going in and murdering children,” and promised to make the country a “pariah” in the international community.
When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said he was going to introduce a War Powers Resolution Act to force the White House's hand in Saudi Arabia in regards to Yemen, Biden promised to veto the bill if it passed Congress, signaling his support for Saudi Arabia was here to stay.
He also promised to make the Saudi Government “pay the price” for Khashoggi’s murder, but in November, the State Department filed a court brief recommending Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman be given immunity in the case as a head of state. Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, called the decision a betrayal.
“If even the United States will not serve to bring criminals to justice, who will? Biden betrayed his own word. He has used 'democracy and human rights' as words or slogans everywhere. But [there's] not real action on it.”
In early December, a federal court threw out the lawsuit Cengiz brought against bin Salman and 28 others, citing the State Department’s brief.
Breaking the Railroad Strike
Biden repeatedly promised to be “the most pro-union” president in American history, but that assertion was tested when faced with a railroad workers' strike.
If the railroad strike had gone forward, it would have cost the economy $2 billion a year, according to the pro-management Association of American Railroads.
The main sticking point in labor negotiations was paid sick leave: the workers had none. The Biden administration stepped in during the summer and mediated a deal that did not include paid sick leave. The union rank-and-file members of the largest unions rejected the deal, setting up a possible strike.
However, the Biden administration couldn't have that and, working alongside members of Congress, utilized the Railway Labor Act of 1926 to prevent a rail workers' strike, effectively forcing workers to take the deal they were given.
In an attempt to lessen the PR blowback, Democrats put forth a bill that would have given railroad workers seven paid sick days, roughly half of what workers were asking for, but decoupled that from the bill that ended the strike.
The result was as predictable as it was cynical: the bill blocking the strike passed while the bill ensuring sick leave for workers was rejected by the Senate.
"Joe relied on us to get him home to his family," roadway mechanic Reece Murtagh told NPR at the time, remembering Biden’s penchant for taking Amtrak as a Delaware senator. "But when it was his turn to help us out... to better our life, he turned his back on us."
Trading Global Stability for Weapons Manufacturer Profits
Regardless of how one feels about Russia’s special military operation, the fact it happened at all should be seen as a major loss for the Biden administration. The conflict has cost thousands of lives and tens, if not hundreds, of billions in treasure for the United States and other NATO countries.
It should be considered a loss, but it is going in the ugly category because for a small subset of people, many of them donors to the Biden campaign and members of his cabinet, the conflict has been extremely profitable.
Raytheon, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and other war profiteers have received billions in contracts related to funding the Ukrainian military.
Since December 2021, Raytheon’s stock price is up more than 15%, General Dynamics is up more than 18.4%, and Lockheed Martin is up an eye-watering 35.9%. All nice profits for companies that combined donated $4,956,901 to Democratic causes during the 2020 election cycle, including more than $1.2 million to the Biden campaign.
The leaching is not limited to weapon manufacturers, however. On Wednesday, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink announced a deal for the financial management company to oversee investments into the reconstruction of Ukraine.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise for those paying attention to Biden’s cabinet, which is filled with former Blackwater executives.
Former Blackrock global chief investment strategist Michael Pyle was appointed as Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief economist in January last year, despite not being an actual economist. He was joined by former managing director Eric Van Nostrand who joined the Treasury Department in August of this year.
Both of them were preceded by Biden’s initial cabinet picks, which included no less than two former Blackrock executives.
Nuclear war with Russia was not the only thing the Biden administration was willing to risk to increase the stock price of war profiteers. The administration has been saber-rattling in China. Earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) angered Beijing over the summer by visiting Taipei, greatly increasing tensions in the area.
The profits from that potential conflict are already rolling in: the latest defense bill includes $10 billion in military aid for Taiwan, which is sure to provide a nice profit for the companies producing those weapons.
With that backdrop, the conflict in Ukraine and escalating tensions with China take on a new light and may be exactly what the Biden administration intended. Unfortunately, it puts the whole world at risk.
