New Panama Papers series exposes secret deals in Africa ...

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Photo: Timothy Fadek / Bloomberg via Getty Images New Panama Papers series exposes secret deals in Africa New revelations published today by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, in collaboration with more than a dozen news organizations in Africa, expose fresh details about the misuse of corporate secrecy and hidden wealth in Africa, the world’s poorest continent. The investigations include new details about the middleman at the center of a probe into hundreds of millions of dollars in suspected bribes paid for oil and gas contracts awarded in Algeria, and also reveal the offshore assets, including a luxury yacht and jet, of a Nigerian aviation and oil magnate linked to a $1.8 billion oil scandal. Today's publications also include an interactive quiz game, designed to test and expand your knowledge of Africa, and discover how the use of offshore companies impacts the continent: Join us in supporting investigative journalism ICIJ has worked with more than 400 journalists from dozens of countries on the Panama Papers investigation, providing tools, data services and training in addition to producing investigative news stories and products used by media partners around the world. With your support, ICIJ can continue investigating important global issues and working with our international network of reporters and partners.

Europe Can't Save the South China Sea...

Europe Can't Save the South China Sea

07/24/16

Emanuele Scimia

Security, Asia

America is on its own.

The United States and European Union reacted quite differently to the recent South China Sea arbitration ruling, with the European bloc distancing itself from the transatlantic ally’s sharpest approach to the issue. Washington bluntly called on Beijing to respect the legal decision handed out by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12, as Brussels loosely backed the arbitrators’ work and urged all parties involved to act with restrain and according to the international law.

Beijing refused the arbitration court’s verdict, which had rejected Chinese claims over vast parts of the South China Sea. China’s territorial demands to the region are disputed by the Philippines—which brought the case to the court in The Hague in 2013—and other Southeast Asian nations.

Some in the U.S. foreign-policy community do advocate transatlantic moves to push China to comply with the arbitration court ruling and assert freedom of navigation and overflight in the area. However, pressed by the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, and seriously underfunded, NATO appears to be in no position to challenge China in East Asia. Regarding the Western Pacific region, in the final communiqué adopted at the Warsaw summit in July 8–9, NATO’s leaders only expressed generic concerns about the nuclear threat coming from North Korea, with no hint of the South China Sea problem.

The EU Commission and the EU External Service, in a June 22 joint document for a new European strategy on China, actually proposed that cooperation between Brussels and Washington in the South China Sea was “reinforced.” But the EU is divided on how handle the matter, as it covertly emerged by the words of EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and European Council president Donald Tusk in the wake of the recent EU-China summit and Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM).

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How the GOP Stopped Loving China...

How the GOP Stopped Loving China

07/24/16

Jared McKinney

Politics, United States

It’s the Republican Party that has changed, not China.

The New York Times editorial board has condemned the GOP’s new platform, just authorized at the Republican National Convention, as the “most extreme” in memory. This may well be the case, but the platform is also remarkable for something the Times does not comment on: belligerence and a new cynicism towards China. To show how this really is something new, this article reviews GOP platforms since Nixon’s rapprochement with China and traces the evolution thereafter of GOP disillusionment.

In 1972 the Republican platform boasted, “President Nixon’s visit to the People's Republic of China was . . . an historic milestone in his effort to transform our era from one of confrontation to one of negotiation.” Relations between the two countries were seen as promoting “an important contribution to world peace,” as the 1976 platform reaffirmed. Despite cultural and political differences, the relationship was based above all on “the need to maintain peace and stability in Asia” as the 1980 platform put it. In 1984, Republicans spelled out what they meant by the euphemistic “peace and stability”: “Despite fundamental differences in many areas, both nations share an important common objective: opposition to Soviet expansionism.” By 1988, when Reagan’s détente with the USSR was in full swing, the platform approved later that year cut out the anti-Soviet rhetoric, basing the U.S.–China relationship instead on “mutually beneficial trade,” and China’s continued economic and political opening u

How Saudi Arabia and Israel Are Bracing for the Iran Deal's Collapse...

How Saudi Arabia and Israel Are Bracing for the Iran Deal's Collapse

07/24/16

Farhad Rezaei

Security, Middle East

They’re watching carefully for any slip-ups.

In discussing the reaction to the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that was signed by Iran and the international community in July 2015, scholars have warned about the possible cascade of proliferation in the Middle East. They have been particularly concerned about the responses of two key Middle Eastern countries—Israel and Saudi Arabia—to the JCPOA. While the architects of the nuclear agreement hailed it as a way to limit proliferation in the region, critics have contended that the deal would actually spur a nuclear race.

According to the JCPOA, Iran committed itself to a serious rollback of its nuclear project in exchange for lifting sanctions. In December 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency certified Iran in compliance with the agreement, thus paving the way for sanction relief. The IAEA promised stringent oversight of Iran’s remaining civil program for the fifteen-year duration of the agreement. All sides to the agreement expressed optimism that the historical deal would prevent proliferation in the Middle East.

However, Iran has a long history of fomenting tensions in the region and an equally long record of deception in dealing with the Safeguard Division of the IAEA. As a result, a strong residue of mistrust has clouded the achievements of the JCPOA. Concerns have been raised that, despite stringent oversight, Iran could manage an illicit weapons program. Questions about Iran’s ultimate intention of achieving nuclear dominance in the Middle East have also not been put to rest.

Two countries—Israel and Saudi Arabia—offered guarded acceptance of the JCPOA, but reserved the right to reevaluate their decision should Iran fail to comply with the deal. Iran’s future behavior is thus of critical importance in shaping their respective responses. Israel, the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, has emerged as a leading opponent of the nuclear agreement.

As envisaged by David Ben-Gurion, the Israeli nuclear arsenal was to provide deterrence against threats from Arab countries with numerically strong armies. To sustain this deterrent power, however, Israel has to preserve its nuclear monopoly in the region. As a result of this assumption, under the so-called Begin doctrine, the Israel Air Force bombed the Iraqi Osirak reactor in 1981 and a Syrian reactor in 2007.

Remember in November...Vote Responsibly of just stay home!

  

  

  

  

 

 

Ukraine Warning Update: Possible Clashes Could Trigger Snap Elections...

Ukraine Warning Update: Possible Clashes Could Trigger Snap Elections

By: Nataliya Bugayova, Kathleen Weinberger, Franklin Holcomb and the ISW Russia-Ukraine Team Read the full update with hyperlinks here Key Takeaway:  President Putin and pro-Russia actors within Ukraine aim to trigger snap parliamentary elections to bring pro-Russian and populist parties to power and start rebuilding the client regime. ISW assesses that Russia intends to provoke clashes during a large march of Orthodox Christians to Kyiv on July 27 to cause a crisis, to try to set conditions for snap elections. Russia's military action against Ukraine failed to reverse the political defeat dealt to Russia when the Euromaidan movement came into power in 2014. President Putin seeks to find lower profile methods of regaining control of Ukraine, including exploiting lack of political unity and decreasing public support for the current Ukrainian governing coalition. Bringing Ukraine back to Russia's orbit is a major strategic objective for President Putin in his efforts to reassert Russia's power globally.  Tripwire: The Ukrainian government may face a Russian-provoked political crisis if clashes erupt between Russian Orthodox members and Ukrainian nationalists, as this could be sufficient to undermine the governing coalition's mandate, forcing snap elections and allowing pro-Russia and populist parties to regain political influence. The "All Ukrainian Crusade for Peace," a march of thousands of Orthodox Christian believers, departed from its primary rallying points in Svyatohirs'k in the east and Pochaiv in the west on July 03 headed for the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The march, the first of its kind, will move throughout Ukraine, including separatist controlled territory, and will culminate on July 27th in Kyiv with services projected to be attended by 30,000 people. Ukrainian officials claimed  on July 16th that Russian intelligence services have infiltrated the march and are preparing provocations to spark clashes. Ukrainian nationalist groups, opposed to the Orthodox march due to its ties to Russia, have blocked roads along the procession and announced their intention to refuse the march entrance to the center of Kyiv. Ukrainian security services are on high alert. The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs formed a "coordination council" to safeguard the Orthodox march and prevent violence.   Pattern: Russia has previously utilized pro-Russia social movements and the narrative of religious and political rights violations to mobilize resistance against state governments. This is a strategy that has been used in separatist areas in Ukraine, in Georgia in 2008, in the breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova and with regard to ethnic Russians in the Baltic States. Russia has undertaken a deliberate media campaign since the march began to frame Ukrainian nationalists, who they claim are terrorizing  and threatening  the Orthodox believers, as likely perpetrators of violence. These accusations are consistent with Russia's efforts to frame  Ukraine as a latently fascist society that targets Russian Orthodox  believers and Russian speakers in Ukraine. Russia might use women and children participating in the march as human shields  as has been done by Russian proxies in Eastern Ukraine, in order to perpetrate this narrative and further undermine Ukraine's image in the international community.  Timing: The march is occurring as opposition parties in Ukraine openly prepare themselves for early parliamentary elections. Although the current Ukrainian government holds a mandate until 2019, snap parliamentary elections can be automatically triggered if the parliament is not able to operate for 30 days or if called by the president at will. While Ukraine is showing some progress towards further integration with the EU and rebuilding the economy, the Ukrainian government remains politically vulnerable. Public approval of parliament's performance and of President Poroshenko is low, the economic situation continues to stagnate, and there is an overall lack of consolidation among pro-western forces. Violent clashes between marchers and Ukrainian nationalists could trigger snap elections by causing political and social chaos that would allow opposition parties to claim that the ruling party no longer holds a mandate. Political players in Ukraine have positioned themselves to increase their presence in parliament in the case that elections are called:  - Pro-Russian former allies of former-President Viktor Yanukovich are preparing for a political comeback. Leaders and members of the Opposition Bloc, the successor to Yanukovich's pro-Russian Party of Regions, were forced to assume a low profile after he was ousted in 2014. However, recently Opposition Bloc members have begun to reemerge and reinsert themselves into Ukrainian politics. The Opposition Bloc attempted to establish a perception of legitimacy when it claimed victory  in a number of local elections in eastern and southwestern Ukraine in October 2015. They have openly called for the new parliamentary elections.  - Ukrainian political parties that are not overtly pro-Russia but oppose the Ukrainian government are attempting to gain political influence as support for the governing coalition wanes. Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Fatherland Party and former Ukrainian Prime Minister, called for early elections most recently on July 18th. Tymoshenko has allied herself with the leader of the Opposition Bloc and former close ally of President Victor Yanukovich, Yuri Boyko. Tymoshenko and Boyko blockaded the podium of Ukraine's parliament on July 12th in a protest with highly populist economic overtones. Tymoshenko also aligned herself with the leader of the Radical Party Oleh Lyashko to lead a populist demonstration  in Kyiv on July 6 to protest rising gas prices while accusing Ukrainian President Poroshenko and Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman of organizing "tariff genocide."  - Reformist and western-oriented politicians in Ukraine have been preparing to join the political race by posturing as reformist alternatives to the Petro Poroshenko Bloc. Former Georgian President and Governor of Odesa Mikheil Saakashvili indicated in May that he will form his own political party in Ukraine. Pro-Western politicians affiliated with the Euromaidan movement also aim to create their own reformist "Democratic Alliance party."    Assessment: The eruption of clashes on or around July 27th could provide opposition groups and pro-Russian forces with sufficient leverage to trigger early elections in Ukraine. The opposition parties will try to exploit low approval ratings of the current government, a deteriorating economic situation, and the lack of unity in pro-western factions to win more seats in parliament. If pro-western reformist parties maintain political unity heading into elections, however, they could stop the Russian loyalists and populists from making significant gains in the elections.   - Russia's Most Likely Course of Action: Russia is likely to use the Orthodox march to encourage or instigate clashes between Ukrainian nationalists and pro-Russian groups when the march reaches Kyiv. Russia aims to create sufficient political chaos with these clashes that President Poroshenko is pressured to call early elections, or else to disrupt parliament and trigger snap elections according to Ukrainian law. Russia will support Ukrainian political movements that oppose the current government to ensure that they gain power in the case of snap elections and push for representatives from separatist regions to be included. Russia will also exploit the clashes in the march to frame Ukraine as an unstable and violent society in order to discourage further Western support.  If Ukrainian security forces manage to prevent violent clashes, Russia will aim to push for early elections in Ukraine by other means, such as increased economic pressure . - Russia's Most Dangerous Course of Action:  Russia could provoke clashes which pro-Russian actors would escalate to the point of major violence or major protests in Kyiv. These clashes could destabilize, and potentially, collapse the Ukrainian government and return a Russian client regime to power. They may tempt separatist forces to escalate militarily in the Donbas region in order to exploit distraction and disunity in Kyiv. Implications: Opposition parties in Ukraine, including pro-Russian players, have a high likelihood of winning significant political victories in parliament if snap elections are called. Victory of parties loyal to the Russian Kremlin in Ukraine will have far-reaching implications for Ukraine's relationship with the West and for Russia's ability to pursue revanchist policies.  - The return of pro-Russia and populists parties to power in Ukraine would be a major geostrategic victory for President Putin. It would begin the reversal of gains made in the aftermath of Euromaidan Revolution. Ukraine would be pulled further from the EU and the reform path, and closer to Russia.  It would also signal to the rest of the former Soviet Union that Moscow will not relinquish control of territory it perceives as within Russia's presumed sphere of influence.  - Political turmoil and nationalist clashes in Ukraine can help Russia build its anti-Ukrainian narrative in the EU to pull Ukraine further away from European integration.  - Russia could potentially succeed in persuading European countries to lift sanctions in December of 2016. EU countries suffer from sanctions on Russia and could be convinced to lift them if Ukraine abandons its pro-Western stance and pursues rapprochement with Russia. The easing of sanctions would indicate to President Putin that he may act with impunity in Eastern Europe due to the absence of punishment mechanisms for Russia's revanchist policies.  - U.S. support for Ukraine might weaken if Ukraine realigns towards Russia. Russia may use the violent clashes in its information warfare campaign to undermine Ukraine's image and cast doubt on its reliability as a partner.  Indicators: The continued propaganda campaign that tracks the Orthodox march indicates that Russia is continuing to prepare the information space in Europe and domestically and believes that clashes are likely. Aggressive or increasingly agitated statements from Ukrainian nationalist organizations such as Right Sector would indicate that Ukrainian nationalists may be preparing to act against what they perceive as Russian provocateurs and infiltrators. Aggressive statements or signs of preparations for rapid escalation by pro-Russia separatist forces in Donbas would indicate that Russia's military proxies are preparing to exploit political uncertainty and civil discontent within Ukraine. Editorials  by the Russian press predicting snap elections or government collapse could also reveal Russian intent to trigger these events.

Assault on ISIS in Libya; Trump’s plan to win quickly; Erdogan’s strong position; NCS chief dispatched to China; and a bit more...

July 22, 2016

Counter-ISIS forces in Libya are advancing on the coastal city of Sirte—its biggest stronghold outside of Iraq and Syria—capturing a neighborhood and a hotel used by the Islamic State following nearly two months of delays due to "snipers, suicide bombers and mines as they have closed in on the city center," Reuters reports. "After a lull in fighting earlier this week, the government-backed forces launched a fresh assault on several fronts after first pounding IS positions with artillery and air strikes. The brigades, made up mainly of fighters from the western city of Misrata, said in a statement...they had foiled three attempted car bomb attacks and destroyed an armored vehicle. A Reuters witness saw a tank belonging to the brigades being blown up, though it was not clear what caused the explosion." The government-backed forces claimed to have killed nearly 50 ISIS fighters on Thursday, while "at least 25 brigade members were killed and 200 wounded, according to Misrata's central hospital. Since the campaign for Sirte began in May, more than 300 fighters from the brigades have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded, a spokesman for the forces said." More here. In northern Syria, ISIS has reportedly ignored the Syrian Democratic Forces calls to leave Manbij within 48 hours—and so fighting there has resumed today, AP reports with little further detail. The Global Business Brief - by Marcus Weisgerber - coming soon to Defense One. From boardrooms to battlefields around the globe, all the essential insights, right in your inbox. Sign up for this new weekly newsletter and receive Defense One's defining news coverage, analysis, and insights about the intersection of business and international security. Subscribe Now Also in Manbij, alleged ISIS fighters were reportedly captured by SDF on Thursday trying to dress up as women. Watch video of the scene from the SDF, here. And the BBC's Feras Kilani became "the first international journalist to get inside Manbij since the start of the battle to force IS out," filing this fairly harrowing video report from the city—where some 25,000 civilians remain trapped—on Thursday. Back to Geneva: Russian, American and UN officials are scheduled to return to the negotiating table for Syrian peace talks, the UN's special envoy for the war said this morning. Previous talks on the crisis were suspended in April. Read the previously "untold story" of how Russian airstrikes nearly killed U.S. and British special operators in Syria, Don't look now, but a "massive tragedy" is in the making in rebel-held Aleppo, the Washington Post reports as "pro-government forces have cut off the only road into those areas, leaving an estimated 300,000 people at risk of starvation." How is this different from the dire news out of Aleppo over the last few months? Cutting off those portions of the city could deal a significant blow to "the rebellion and its main outside supporters, Turkey and Saudi Arabia," the Post's Hugh Naylor writes, "which supply Assad's opponents with money and weapons. That scenario also signals another significant setback for U.S. policy in Syria, which backs the moderate opposition to Assad's government and formally calls for his departure as part of a transition to end the conflict." Read the rest, here.

Here's Donald Trump's three-part strategy to defeat ISIS, which he laid out while accepting the GOP nomination for president Thursday night: Collect "absolutely the best" intelligence, stop "the failed policy of nation-building and regime change," and "work with all of our allies who share our goal of destroying ISIS and stamping out Islamic terrorism." Outcome: "We're going to win. We're going to win fast!" OK, then. Of course, those allies might be a little wary of working with a United States that doesn't honor its treaty obligations, as national-security experts across the spectrum spent all of yesterday pointing out. Reacting to Trump's "extraordinary interview" (as Ron Fournier put it) with the New York Times, The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg wrote, "Trump is making it clear that, as president, he would allow Russia to advance its hegemonic interests across Europe and the Middle East. His election would immediately trigger a wave of global instability—much worse than anything we are seeing today—because America's allies understand that Trump would likely dismantle the post-World War II U.S.-created international order. Many of these countries, feeling abandoned, would likely pursue nuclear weapons programs on their own, leading to a nightmare of proliferation." Jim Stavridis, the NATO supreme commander-turned-Fletcher School-chief and now reportedly a potential Hillary Clinton vice-presidential pick, defended NATO as not just an operational but a moral force. It's quite worth reading, here. NATO leaders themselves were incensed enough to take the unusual step of responding to a political candidate's words. Wall Street Journal, here. But even as defense-and-foreign-security heads exploded around the world, Fournier explains how Trump's "comments are consistent with his populism—they appeal to his base and, more importantly, could find appeal beyond his nominating coalition." Read that, here. For what it's worth, a Green Beret friend of The D Brief had this to say about Trump's NATO remarks: "Understand that he doesn't even have to be elected for this kind of thing to be dangerous. He's just so monstrously out of his depth."

After nearly a week of working off generators, the U.S. troops at Incirlik air base are finally working once again on commercial electricity, U.S. European Command announced this morning. Meanwhile in Turkey, Erdogan vows to restructure the military. Reuters: "Erdogan said the government's Supreme Military Council, which is chaired by the prime minister, and includes the defense minister and the chief of staff, would oversee the restructuring of the armed forces. 'They are all working together as to what might be done, and ... within a very short amount of time a new structure will be emerging. With this new structure, I believe the armed forces will get fresh blood,' Erdogan said. That, here. Make no mistake: "Erdogan has the West over a barrel," U.S. News' Paul Shinkman reports, writing that "many Western officials and observers" believe the Turkish president now "has everything in place he needs to continue transforming Turkey's parliamentary republic into an autocracy, and nobody, including the U.S. or NATO, is going to stop him."

From Defense One

America's reliance on Turkish manufacturing; Raytheon's CEO talks tech; What's next for Boeing's tanker — That's the subject line on the first issue of our new weekly Global Business Brief newsletter, by biz editor Marcus Weisgerber. Read it here, and then subscribe here. Welcome to Friday's edition of The D Brief by Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston. On this day in 1802, the USS Constitution (now a museum in Baltimore) sank two Corsair gunboats off Tripoli. Send your friends this link: http://get.defenseone.com/d-brief/. And let us know your news: the-d-brief@defenseone.com.

The White House is dispatching National Security Advisor Susan Rice to Beijing to "urge restraint on all sides" in the South China Sea, she told Reuters in an exclusive this morning. "With less than six months remaining of President Barack Obama's tenure, Rice's broader mission in her July 24-27 trip is aimed at keeping overall ties between the world's two largest economies, which she called 'the most consequential relationship we have,' on track at a time of heightened tensions." Her visit also includes a stopover in Shanghai that coincides "with visits by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Laos and the Philippines where he is expected to try to reassure Southeast Asian partners of Washington's commitment. The United States is also using quiet diplomacy to persuade claimants like the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam not to move aggressively to capitalize on The Hague ruling." Washington isn't "looking to do things that are escalatory," a U.S. official said. "And at the same time we don't expect that they (the Chinese) would deem it wise to do things that are escalatory." Nevertheless, Reuters adds, "two Chinese civilian aircraft conducted test landings at two new military-length airstrips on reefs controlled by China in the Spratly Islands shortly after the arbitration ruling...[and] a Chinese state-run newspaper said that up to eight Chinese ships will offer cruises to the South China Sea over the next five years." Boeing eats another $393 million on KC-46 tanker.  The week started off with good news for the project when the Air Force said the new plane had passed a crucial test clearing the way for the Pentagon to buy more aircraft. The week ends with bad news: the fix for the problems with the plane's refueling boom, which delayed the project five months, will cost Boeing $393 million($573 million before tax, according to the Wall Street Journal). That latest "charge" brings the total cost of the overruns for the new tanker to $2 billion. But since the Air Force signed a fixed price contract with Boeing, those extra charges are all on them, not the taxpayer. More here. For your ears only: Listen along as movie director Alex Gibney discusses the Stuxnet virus believed to be responsible for damaging Iranian nuclear reactors—and the difficulties that Gibney, director of "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," faced making a movie about a top secret program that few people will publicly acknowledge ever existed." That via Christian Science Monitor's Passcode blog, here. Finally this week: a reason to rejoice for refugees: former Afghan refugee brothers just developed a mine-hunting drone, AFP reports from the Netherlands. But first a brief review of work they've already received high praise for: "In 2013, they won worldwide acclaim for the 'mine kafon'—a giant ball shaped like a dandelion-seed head that rolls around with the wind, its plastic stalks tripping landmines in the process. Inspired by their childhood toys, the kafon—short for 'kafondan' which in the Hassanis' native Dari language means 'something that explodes'—drew high praise from anti-landmine organisations." Now in 2016, their new "mine-hunting device combines drone technology, 3D printing and robotics with a metal detector to find and ultimately destroy landmines. Hinged on six arms with rotors that creates lift, the 4.5 kilo (10-pound) drone consists of a blue hard plastic casing that contains batteries, computer hardware and software and a global positioning system. A robotic arm slung underneath is fitted with pincers that can remotely be opened and closed. The pincers can carry a metal detector or a small explosive charge, which the brothers say can be used to destroy a landmine. The on-board GPS allows it to plot its course via computer." The drone is intended to work "in three stages: mapping, detecting and destroying… When deployed, a 3D mapping system scans the section that needs to be demined. Secondly, the mapped area is meticulously [swept] by the drones carrying a metal detector on a pre-programme path... Finally, the plan is to destroy the mines by using the drone to place a small charge on every mine to detonate it." One of the inventors, Massoud Hassani, said he believes mine-clearance can be achieved "almost 20 times faster than what they are now." Read the rest from AFP, here. And have a great weekend, everyone!

An interesting and thought-provoking article. Donald - The next assassinated president!

An interesting and thought-provoking article. Donald - The next assassinated president   Written by the distinguished Bill Bennett about Donald Trump. I think you will find it very interesting and alarming. You might want to take the time to read it. PHD - Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan Cultural studies at the distinguished and renown Heritage Foundation Interesting take on Trump. William J. Bennett, Host of Bill Bennett's Morning in America Show, is one of America's most important, influential, and respected voices on cultural, political, and education issues. He has one of the strongest Christian world views of any writer in modern times. What I See Happening In a Trump Presidency By Bill Bennett "They will kill him before they let him be president. It could be a Republican or a Democrat that instigates the shutting up of Trump. Don't be surprised if Trump has an accident. Some people are getting very nervous: Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton and Jon Corzine, to name just a few. It's about the unholy dynamics between big government, big business, and big media. They all benefit by the billions of dollars from this partnership, and it's in all of their interests to protect one another. It's one for all and all for one. It's a heck of a filthy relationship that makes everyone filthy rich, everyone except the American people. We get ripped off. We're the patsies. But for once, the powerful socialist cabal and the corrupt crony capitalists are scared. The over-the-top reaction to Trump by politicians of both parties, the media, and the biggest corporations of America has been so swift and insanely angry that it suggests they are all threatened and frightened. Donald Trump can self-fund. No matter how much they say to the contrary, the media, business, and political elite understand that Trump is no joke. He could actually win and upset their nice cozy apple cart. It's no coincidence that everyone has gotten together to destroy The Donald. It's because most of the other politicians are part of the a good old boys club. They talk big, but they won't change a thing. They are all beholden to big-money donors. They are all owned by lobbyists, unions, lawyers, gigantic environmental organizations, and multinational corporations – like Big Pharmacy or Big Oil. Or they are owned lock, stock, and barrel by foreigners like George Soros owns Obama or foreign governments own Hillary and their Clinton Foundation donations. These run-of-the-mill establishment politicians are all puppets owned by big money. But there's one man who isn't beholden to anyone. There's one man who doesn't need foreigners, or foreign governments, or George Soros, or the United Auto Workers, or the teacher's union, or the Service Employees International Union, or the Bar Association to fund his campaign. Billionaire tycoon and maverick Donald Trump doesn't need anyone's help. That means he doesn't care what the media says. He doesn't care what the corporate elites think. That makes him very dangerous to the entrenched interests. That makes Trump a huge threat to those people. Trump can ruin everything for the bribed politicians and their spoiled slave masters. Don't you ever wonder why the GOP has never tried to impeach Obama? Don't you wonder why John Boehner and Mitch McConnell talked a big game, but never actually try to stop Obama? Don't you wonder why Congress holds the purse strings, yet has never tried to de-fund Obamacare or Obama's clearly illegal executive action on amnesty for illegal aliens? Bizarre, right? It defies logic, right? First, I'd guess many key Republicans are being bribed. Secondly, I believe many key Republicans are being blackmailed. Whether they are having affairs, or secretly gay, or stealing taxpayer money, the National Security Agency knows everything. Ask former House Speaker Dennis Hastert about that. The government even knew he was withdrawing large sums of his own money from his own bank account. The NSA, the SEC, the IRS, and all the other three-letter government agencies are watching every Republican political leader. They surveil everything. Thirdly, many Republicans are petrified of being called racists, so they are scared to ever criticize Obama or call out his crimes, let alone demand his impeachment. Fourth , why rock the boat? After defeat or retirement, if you're a good old boy, you've got a $5 million-per-year lobbying job waiting. The big-money interests have the system gamed. Win or lose, they win. But Trump doesn't play by any of these rules. Trump breaks up this nice, cozy relationship between big government, big media, and big business. All the rules are out the window if Trump wins the Presidency. The other politicians will protect Obama and his aides but not Trump. Remember: Trump is the guy who publicly questioned Obama's birth certificate. He questioned Obama's college records and how a mediocre student got into an Ivy League university. Now, he's doing something no Republican has the chutzpah to do. He's questioning our relationship with Mexico; he's questioning why the border is wide open; he's questioning why no wall has been built across the border; he's questioning if allowing millions of illegal aliens into America is in our best interests; he's questioning why so many illegal aliens commit violent crimes, yet are not deported; and he's questioning why our trade deals with Mexico, Russia and China are so bad. Trump has the audacity to ask out loud why American workers always get the short end of the stick. Good question! I'm certain Trump will question what happened to the almost billion dollars given in a rigged no-bid contract to college friends of Michelle Obama at foreign companies to build the defective Obamacare website. By the way, that tab is now up to $5 billion. Trump will ask if Obamacare's architects can be charged with fraud for selling it by lying. Trump will investigate Obama's widespread IRS conspiracy, not to mention Obama's college records. Trump will prosecute Clinton and Obama for fraud committed to cover up Benghazi before the election. How about the fraud committed by employees of the Labor Department when they made up dramatic job numbers in the last jobs report before the 2012 election? Obama, the multinational corporations and the media need to stop Trump. They recognize this could get out of control. If left unchecked, telling the raw truth and asking questions everyone else is afraid to ask, Trump could wake a sleeping giant. Trump's election would be a nightmare. Obama has committed many crimes. No one else but Trump would dare to prosecute. He will not hesitate. Once Trump gets in and gets a look at the cooked books and Obama's records, the game is over. The goose is cooked. Holder could wind up in prison. Jarrett could wind up in prison. Obama bundler Corzine could wind up in prison for losing $1.5 billion of customer money. Clinton could wind up in jail for deleting 32,000 emails or for accepting bribes from foreign governments while Secretary of State, or for misplacing $6 billion as the head of the State Department, or for lying about Benghazi. The entire upper level management of the IRS could wind up in prison. Obamacare will be de-funded and dismantled. Obama himself could wind up ruined, his legacy in tatters. Trump will investigate. Trump will prosecute. Trump will go after everyone involved. That's why the dogs of hell have been unleashed on Donald Trump. Yes, it's become open season on Donald Trump. The left and the right are determined to attack his policies, harm his businesses, and, if possible, even keep him out of the coming debates. But they can't silence him. And they sure can't intimidate him. The more they try, the more the public will realize that he's the one telling the truth".   Please don't delay in forwarding to your fellow Americans...     =

 

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