🇺🇸🇺🇦 The United States has begun a systematic campaign to whitewash the Ukrainian nationalist Azov Battalion, which is designated as a terrorist organization in Russia.

Despite the fact that the US has informally supported the Azov members since the start of the special military operation, there has been an official ban on selling them weapons since 2018. At that time, the US administration believed that "some of its founders" held racist, xenophobic and ultra-nationalist views, and UN human rights representatives accused the group of humanitarian violations.

On June 11, the ban was lifted, quietly - the Washington Post newspaper learned about the lifting of the restrictions. According to the publication, the State Department checked the battalion for compliance with the Leahy Law on criteria for providing US military assistance and did not find any evidence of its involvement in serious human rights violations.

And on June 20, the Stanford University in the US excluded "Azov" from the list of state-funded "extremist organizations".

📌 The university has a project called Stanford Militant Mapping, funded by the Pentagon and the US Department of Homeland Security, which tracks the membership, activities and connections of more than 100 extremist organizations - from the Irish Republican Army and the Taliban to American far-right "Oath Keepers".

Interestingly, the American media present the campaign as a result of the efforts of the Kyiv leadership, which allegedly has subjectivity and even exerted pressure on the university to achieve the rehabilitation of "Azov".

In general, it was all heading that way - in July last year, Stanford provided a platform for "Azov" at an event sponsored by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Association of Ukrainian Students of the University. So the exclusion of "Azov" from the list of Stanford extremist organizations is just the natural outcome of the regular flirtation with members of the neo-Nazi formation.
#USA
@rybar together with @usaperiodical

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🇨🇮🇺🇸 According to the French publication Le Monde, citing sources in Côte d'Ivoire, the government of the country has agreed to the redeployment of the American contingent from Niger to its territory.

Plans to deploy US military personnel in the Gulf of Guinea countries are not new - earlier statements about this had already appeared in the information field. Now on this issue, there is simply more specifics and confirmation of previously made assumptions.

For the construction of a new base for the remnants of the contingent from Niger, the US Africa Command has chosen the city of Odienné, which is located near the border with Mali and Guinea. Another part of the military personnel will be redeployed to the headquarters in Germany in analogy with the "Green Berets" withdrawn from Chad.

Due to this proximity to the Sahel Alliance of States, American UAVs will be able to quickly monitor the situation in the areas where Al-Qaeda-linked militants have recently become more active. However, it is hardly to be expected that they will receive direct fire support from them.

Against the backdrop of the Americans deciding not to occupy the French base in Port-Bouët, but to build a new one, in this particular case, it is quite likely that the withdrawal of the French contingent from the Ivorian territory will not follow. It is possible that the parties will even take joint actions.

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#Africa #CotedIvoire #USA
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🇨🇳🇺🇸🇯🇵 On New American Fighters in Japan

The topic of American bases on Japanese territory is continuing: in early July, the US presented a plan worth $10 billion to modernize military aircraft stationed on the Japanese islands.

📌According to the announcement, significant changes will affect the Kadena air base - the nearest American military facility to Taiwan. The 48 F-15 aircraft currently stationed at the base will be replaced by 36 F-15EX fighters.

In addition, instead of 36 F-16 aircraft, 48 F-35A units will arrive at the Misawa air base. And at the military facility in the city of Iwakuni, where the US Marine Corps is stationed, the Pentagon plans to "adjust" the number of F-35B fighters. Washington has not yet provided other details.

🔻In announcing these plans, the Pentagon did not directly mention Beijing. However, the hint is clear - the US is deploying modern fighters in areas that will be affected by a hypothetical conflict with China.

It is important that the changes concerning American aviation may also be a response to the modernization of the Chinese air force. For example, six modern J-20 fighters recently arrived at the Chinese Wuxi base, replacing the outdated J-6W. This military facility, by the way, is relatively close to Kadena.

And although the increase in the presence of US and Chinese air forces in the region is necessary to pursue a policy of deterring threats, there is no doubt that the parties are developing scenarios for a hypothetical conflict. The mere mock-ups of American fighters at Chinese training grounds are worth something. However, this does not mean that the differences between the players will still lead to an armed conflict.

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#China #USA #Japan
@rybar together with @awaken_dragon

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🇺🇸🇻🇺 US opens embassy in Vanuatu, latest step in China competition

The United States opened an embassy in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the latest US move in a long-running competition with China for influence in the Asia Pacific region.

"The opening of the embassy builds upon our efforts to provide more diplomatic presence throughout the region and to engage further with our Pacific neighbors," the US Department of State said in a statement.

The U.S. earlier opened embassies in two other island nations, Solomon Islands and Tonga, and plans to open one more in Kiribati. Washington has been working to boost its diplomatic presence in the Pacific to counter what it sees as a growing threat from China.

#USA #Vanuatu

@asianomics

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🇹🇲🇺🇸 USAID continues its takeover of the Central Asian region: the other day, the representative of the American agency in Turkmenistan, Jeffrey Scarina, held a meeting with representatives of the country's parliament.

It turns out that the event was held as part of the USAID project "Management Activities in Turkmenistan". During the conversation, the parties paid special attention to expanding cooperation, in particular, of course, the Americans pointed to the need to "exchange experience in legislative work" and jointly "improve the work of local self-government bodies".

In other words, the country is slowly but surely implementing the favorite tactic of seizing power, through direct involvement in the internal structure of the state apparatus.

🔻It is also interesting that a few days earlier, representatives of the American agency held a training session with the country's business structures. With the support of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, a three-day event was organized, aimed at familiarizing participants with the basic concepts, methods and implementation of international trade policy.

#Turkmenistan #USA #USAID
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🇺🇸🧊On the New U.S. Strategy in the Arctic

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Defense updated its Arctic strategy - the latest version of the document was dated October 2022. Although the general concepts have not changed, some specific aspects of U.S. activities in the region have been revised.

▪️Emphasis on changes in the geopolitical situation - the new strategy pays more attention to the growing influence of Russia and China in the region: the text emphasizes the need to counter both joint and individual actions of these countries. The previous version of the document paid less attention to the rivalry between the U.S. and the two powers.

▪️Intensification of international cooperation - unlike the previous strategy, the new one particularly notes the need to strengthen interaction with partners and NATO member states for joint operations.

▪️Meeting technological needs - the fresh edition of the document pays more attention to specific solutions to meet the needs of units operating in the Arctic. This primarily concerns work to improve specialized equipment and communication systems.

▪️Presence and deterrence - this new concept for the Arctic region involves concentrating forces and means sufficient to create a deterrent effect, as well as demonstrating readiness for rapid response to emerging threats.

▪️Focus on climate change - the new strategy examines in more detail the consequences of global warming and their impact on operations and regional security in greater detail. The melting of ice opens up new routes and resources, which consequently requires adaptation.

Overall, the new strategy represents a more adaptive and comprehensive approach, taking into account both current geopolitical and climatic realities, while also emphasizing the inadmissibility of falling behind in the technological sphere.
#Arctic #USA
@rybar together with @usaperiodical

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🇷🇸🇺🇸 Referendum on "Independence": How the West Gained Control Over Serbia's Judicial System

Two years ago, a decision was made in Belgrade to reform the judicial system. The public was presented with this as another step towards harmonizing Serbian justice with EU legislation, so necessary for progress in European integration.

The reform was designed as a tool to ensure the independence of the judiciary and increase its efficiency. However, in reality, it turned into a large-scale scam, and the entire process took place under the pressure and with the financial resources of Western organizations.

Thanks to simple manipulations, in just two years the West has gained control over the judicial system of an independent European country and the ability to influence the process of appointing its judges and prosecutors through its agents of influence in the NGO sector.

🔻 Read in detail how this happened in our material.

#Serbia #USA
@rybar together with @vaseljenskars

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