Where We Are This Week 12/23/22
$100 billion for Ukraine, the Taliban are no fans of women, and Messi wins his World Cup.
Where are we this week? Likely inside. I’m writing this from zero-degree Tennessee. I peered out my window last night amid the howling wind and freezing rain to see it had begun snowing. Snow is still a welcome sight for me - just slightly less so now that it doesn’t bring with it school cancellations - but it has become tedious as I continue to creep into adulthood.
With the threat of snow and frigid temperatures comes the onslaught of panic-buying at the grocery store. Think early days of covid but solely bread, eggs, and milk - you know, the ultimate survival food. But despite this, southerners will jump to tell you that snowfall isn’t the real threat to our safety. It’s black ice.
Black ice is to the Southern American as quicksand is to Scooby-Doo and the Gang. If Saturday morning cartoons were to be believed, it was imperative for me and my cohort to understand the perils of quicksand and possess the knowledge of how to escape - move slowly, distribute your weight evenly, don’t panic, etc. I’ve even watched Bear Grylls crawl out of it - and yes, he knowingly jumped in. I’m still waiting to deploy my expertise, but would you know I’ve never run across the stuff?
Black ice, however, is different in the fact that no one tells you how to navigate such an obstacle but only tells you to avoid it. Its treacherousness is only enhanced as it’s essentially invisible from the driver’s seat. But even if I accept the premise that I will likely encounter black ice, how am I supposed to handle myself while I’m careening across it? Stay still? Cover my eyes? Lock my brakes? Jerk my steering wheel and pray for the best? Who knows?
I’m sure I’ll get plenty of messages telling me I need to take black ice more seriously, and to those people, I’ll say this. I’ll take it more seriously when I see Bear Grylls skate across it with flying colors. I digress.
Housekeeping
Actually, one more note before we jump in. Substack continues to boast its successes. A couple of weeks ago
announced the next step for her newsletter - a publication that has grown immensely since its inception. On the first day of her “Twitter Files” reporting, Bari announced that her publication, previously known as Common Sense with Bari Weiss, will now be known as . It’s an inspiring move for any aspiring writer, and I wish them all the success in the world - they do great work there.In light of their name change - and the resulting vacancy - I’m shaking things up here a little bit. I’m thrilled to announce that, following Bari’s footsteps, from here on out
will now be known as Common Sense with Bari Weiss. Okay, now, let’s get on with it.Mr. Zelenksy goes to Washington
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Biden and appeared in front of congress on Wednesday in order to lobby for financial and military aid. Before we mention the undeniable success of his foray into the States let’s get something else out of the way.
The man looks like he’s larping a toy soldier. Is it entirely necessary that he dress in faux fatigues to remind all of us that his country is, in fact, at war? Maybe I should remind myself that he is, in fact, addressing Congress so they might need the visual cues. The role-playing and political theater of it all are nauseating. Nevertheless, I must be in the minority opinion here, because not only was Zelensky named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, he’s flying back to Ukraine with an additional $44 billion to add to their war coffers.
And it’s not like all of those funds go directly to Ukraine so that they may spend them as they like, no, much of that will go through war profiteers like Raytheon and Boeing. The spending package totals $100 billion this year in funds sent to Ukraine. I hate to be so cynical but these funds are being directed to a politician who banned his political opposition, nationalized news agencies, repeatedly broke the Minsk Agreements, and employs literal nazis in their military.
A previous report from CBS showed that only 30-40% of all military aid sent to Ukraine actually made it to their front lines. Regarding this latest expenditure, Congress rejected Rand Paul’s amendment that suggested oversight for the billions of dollars. Makes sense. To make matters worse, while Putin is certainly culpable for his despicable actions, this war is likely a result of decades of NATO antagonization on Russian borders. I empathize with the Ukrainian people but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like their government - or ours - has their best interest in mind.
A peaceful resolution doesn’t seem just over the horizon. Ukraine’s western allies continue to prop up the war effort, and Mitch McConnell this week stated that providing that assistance is his number one priority.
*For more analysis of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, see my recent article*
Ironically, Elon Musk was lambasted for spending $44 billion on Twitter when $20 billion, by UN estimates, would end world hunger. Not only could the U.S. government have ended world hunger five times over since the start of the war, no funding for that effort is to be found in the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by the Senate on Thursday. But, that’s not the point, is it?
No New Nuclear Deal for Iran?
Could Iran’s treatment of its people finally be getting the reprimand it deserves? Probably not, but there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon.
US National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Tuesday that while Iran continues to kill its own citizens, and supply weaponry to Russia, there will be no nuclear deal for the Islamic Republic.
“We simply don’t see a deal coming together anytime soon, while Iran continues to kill its own citizens and sell UAVs to Russia,” Kirby said to reporters on Wednesday.
While it’s not a sweeping condemnation of the regime’s sharia law as a whole, it’s at least a rebuke of their actions over the last few months.
“What we’re focused on right now are practical ways to confront Iran in those areas and not on the Iran deal,” Kirby added.
There’s a chance that this stance could pave the way for a more stalwart position opposing the Iranian government, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. It appears that EU officials are keen on returning to the JCPOA (Iranian nuclear deal) once Iran corrects their recent missteps.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell met in Jordan this week to discuss the potential return to the 2015 agreement that eased sanctions on the country in exchange for its commitment to not pursue a nuclear weapon.
Borrell said stressed that Iran must end the current repression of its citizens and cease supplying weapons to Russia in order for the deal to be revitalized. Borrell said that the two officials, “Agreed we must keep communication open and restore #JCPOA on the basis of Vienna negotiations.”
US and EU officials will probably return to appeasing the regime if civil unrest abates and Iran quits providing drones to Russia, but the recognition of the regime’s appalling behavior could provide the first stepping stone on the path to treating the regime appropriately.
Friendly reminder: Any monetary aid provided to Iran does not make it to the people, but instead to terror groups across the world. Additionally, the notion that Iran would comply with a new nuclear deal is bogus. Israel’s Mossad revealed that the Islamic Republic had been pursuing a nuclear weapon under the guise of the JCPOA, and its disingenuous participation in the agreement has been detailed by Israeli officials thoroughly.
The Taliban bans women from higher education
Remember Afghanistan? How about the Taliban? Remember when the Biden administration left millions of vulnerable Afghans to starve under the new regime? Or when they left an entire population of Afghan women to the whims and predations of 8th-century barbarians? Yeah, me neither.
American government and media have moved on to a much sexier conflict that feels much more European. Meanwhile, the Taliban issued a decree on Tuesday banning women from higher education effective immediately.
Small protests in Kabul were quickly shut down by the government as Afghanistan is catapulted back in time. United Nations and US officials have condemned the new law, and have promised that the acting government will suffer consequences. Yeah, like, maybe they’ll have to host the 2030 World Cup.
Seriously, how many stories have you seen about the Afghan struggle since the United States’ calamitous withdrawal last year? Yes, it was last year. It feels like it was a decade ago relative to the amount of coverage I’ve seen. That alone should tell you the level of concern the international community and America have for a place we occupied for two decades. It’s still early, and maybe the Taliban could cave to political pressure, but they’ve made bedfellows with China and Russia - so, Western pressure could be a wash.
Argentina and Lionel Messi win the 2022 World Cup
I was wrong. France didn’t win. But boy, did they come close. In what was maybe the best, most entertaining World Cup in the competition’s history, Argentina edged out France in a penalty shootout to grab the trophy.
Lionel Messi scored during regular time and slotted his penalty coolly into the back of the net. After Gonzalo Montiel put home the winning penalty, Messi lifted the World Cup trophy and stepped outside of Diego Maradona’s massive shadow - may his memory be a blessing. Now, the debate will rage on with increased intensity about who is the greatest Argentinian to ever lace up a pair of boots.
I don’t have a dog in the fight, but, it’s worth mentioning that Messi won his World Cup without ever having to score a goal with his hand - not like a certain someone.
Watching the Argentinian celebrations reminds me of what sport is all about. The country is currently resplendent with joy, community, and delirium. It’s beautiful to watch a people celebrate so passionately and come together over something so simple, but so meaningful.
The politics of the Qatar World Cup have been exhausting, but now we can look forward to an American (US, Mexico, Canada) tournament in 2026, where nothing controversial ever happens, and a 2030 World Cup potentially hosted by Saudi Arabia. I’m not kidding.
Holidays
From my household to yours, I’m wishing you the happiest of holidays. Enjoy yourselves, and your family. If you find yourself embroiled in political or cultural debate with your relatives, find common ground and expand from there. That’s how we build something new and powerful. Pray for peace, an end to tyranny, and for people everywhere - and watch out for black ice.
See you in a week. Cheers.
~FDA