Hybrid Warfare | Trudeau’s Scandal | Money Links

MARCH 4, 2019  /   SUBSCRIBE
 
 
 

SEASONED NUTS: QUOTABLE

 

“Tell me anyway–maybe I can find the truth by comparing the lies.”

“Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one’s enemies.”

“You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”

– Leon Trotsky

 
 
 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

 

The World Wide Web’s (Cyber) Warfare: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has explained why Russia is pursuing an autonomous internet: it’s because of constant cyberattacks by the US. Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday that the US has carried out a number of digital attacks on Russian entities and people. “This is the reality with which we live,” he said. His remarks followed a Washington Post report that in the midst of the 2018 midterm elections, US Cyber Command blocked internet access to the Internet Research Agency, a St. Petersburg-based organization accused of spreading disinformation. The Kremlin has denied influencing elections in the US. (NPR)

Hybrid Warfare is Not the Future of Warfare It is Our Current War:Russian General Valery Gerasimov spoke at a conference Saturday on the country’s military strategy: a blending of political, economic and military power. Some experts say it’s President Vladimir Putin’s signature strategy; others say it’s simply a recognition of modern war and politics. Gerasimov said Russian troops must maintain both “classical” and “asymmetrical” potential—translation: a mix of combat, intelligence and propaganda tools, like those used in Syria and Ukraine. In 2013 Gerasimov published an article in The Military-Industrial Courier echoing similar themes. Those same “hybrid war” tactics were later used in Ukraine, where Russia backed separatist rebels and used soldiers in unmarked uniforms to seize Crimea. Gerasimov cited the Syrian war as an example of successful Russian intervention abroad. Combining a small expeditionary force with “information” operations, he said, provided lessons on how to “defend and advance national interests beyond the borders of Russia.” (NYT)

 
 
 

MIXED NUTS: QUICK TAKES ON WORLD NEWS

 

Lady In The Sheets, Chinese Patriot In The Sheets: Beijing is working hard to incentivize Chinese couples to have two or more children, but for three decades it had stringently enforced its ‘one couple-one child’ policy through heavy fines, forced abortions and sterilizations. Now many experts are saying the government’s new plan is too little too late. There’s a double-edged sword here. Areas of the country that have experienced rapid urbanization, along with rising incomes and education levels, are seeing natural constraints on the birthrate. And in formerly industrialized areas now in some decline, the poor economy is limiting family size. An economics professor at Peking University said the birthrate peak arrived earlier than once thought, in 2016. It’s been declining ever since. The author of Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China, said she fears that when Beijing realizes simply urging parents to produce more children isn’t working, it could turn to more punitive measures to increase the birthrate. “There’s a long history in population planning of extreme coercion. There is no question that the government could adopt coercive measures,” she said. (Guardian)

Measles On The Rise: Measles is highly contagious and spreads more rapidly than Ebola, tuberculosis or influenza. It infects the respiratory tract and is potentially fatal to malnourished children and babies too young to be vaccinated. Once infected, there is no specific treatment for the disease, making vaccination a life-saving tool. Yet cases of childhood measles are surging to shocking levels around the globe. A survey by the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said 98 countries worldwide reported a rise in measles cases in 2018, including a number of countries that had previously eradicated the disease. The increases were noted not only in countries affected by serious conflict, where access to vaccination has been disrupted, but also in states that have experienced an increase in “vaccine hesitancy” because of misinformation spread by anti-vaccination advocates, or “anti-vaxers.” One social media site said instead of calling them “anti-vaxers” they should be called “pro-plague-rs.” (Guardian)

Indictable Man: Last week’s announcement that Israel’s prime minister for the past decade, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to be indicted on corruption charges has thrown Israeli politics into an overnight tailspin, and given his chief rival a big lead in the latest poll. But the PM, known affectionately as Bibi, is not dropping out of the race, and he has a pretty good argument for his re-election. He says he’s the only one who can keep the nation safe — he’s Israel’s ‘Indispensable Man.’ At Rueven and Negina Abramove’s grocery store in Rehovot, a city likened to Ohio for its tendency to mirror results of national elections, an Israel without Bibi is simply unthinkable. What do the Abramoves think about the corruption charges? “I would rather have a dishonest but strong leader than an honest but clueless leader,” Ms. Abramove said. “He is the one holding this country up.” (NYT)

 
 
 

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

 

Trumpdeau Drama: Last Wednesday America’s political junkies were riveted by Michael Cohen’s 7-hour congressional committee testimony, ratting out his former boss President Donald Trump. That same day a different political crisis was unfolding for Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Unlike Trump, Liberal Trudeau is a proud feminist, a defender of minority rights, an environmental champion, and an advocate for transparency, inclusivity and decency. But last week he was being morally eviscerated over hours of stunning testimony before parliament by his former attorney general and justice minister, and Canada’s first indigenous cabinet member, Jody Wilson-Raybould. Unlike Cohen, she is a person of great integrity.

Wilson-Raybould testified that Trudeau and his aides pressured her not to prosecute Montreal-based engineering giant SNC-Lavalin for allegedly paying millions in bribes over a decade to Libyan officials in exchange for securing lucrative contracts. SNC-Lavalin employs several thousand people in Trudeau’s home province of Quebec; if found guilty, the company would be barred from bidding on federal projects for ten years. Company executives wanted a “deferred prosecution agreement,” which would have allowed them to pay a fine in lieu of a trial, with no ban on bidding for contracts. Prosecutors instead decided to pursue a criminal trial. Wilson-Raybould told lawmakers that government officials had made “veiled threats,” saying she was on a collision course with the PM; regardless, it was inappropriate for her to make decisions based on “partisan political considerations,” and she wouldn’t be persuaded otherwise.

Trudeau is running for reelection in October. When Wilson-Raybould declined to override the judgment of her top legal team, she was demoted. Her father, Bill Wilson, is a Kwakwaka’wakw hereditary chief, and the first aboriginal lawyer in British Columbia. He took on Justin’s father Pierre Trudeau during the 1980s, helping to enshrine indigenous rights in the Canadian constitution. Wilson said he was proud but not surprised by his daughter’s strong stance: “She was trained by her mother and grandmother to be a leader of her tribe.” Her accusations of political interference may not hurt Trudeau in Quebec, but they could prove damaging in the rest of the country.

 

 
 
 

NUTS IN AMERICA

 

The Gang’s All Liable: House Democrats are wasting no time ramping up efforts to hold President Trump accountable. Monday the judiciary committee will issue demands for documents from more than 60 people and entities, including Donald Trump, Jr. and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, the justice department and other agencies and individuals, including possibly former chief of staff John Kelly and former White House counsel Don McGahn. On Sunday Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler told ABC’s This Week “We will do everything we can to get whatever evidence ..to begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.” (Guardian)

 
 
 

LOOSE NUTS: MONEY LINKS

 

A topic not often discussed amongst friends is money. A topic that is constantly discussed in media is money.

Please consider making a donation to Daily Pnut, an independently operated and bootstrapped publication. Many thanks to everyone who already supports us!

Yes, I want to sound marginally more intelligent: