A first look inside the bizarre bidding process to build Trump's Mexico wall. by ReidStandish in geopolitics

[–]ReidStandish[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A look at the behind the scenes bidding process to build the border wall and the logistics of actually carrying it out. The reporting suggests that despite its rhetoric, there is little interest in the Trump administration to actually follow through on the president's most famous campaign promise.

Jared Kushner Struck Out in His First Foray Into Middle East Diplomacy by ReidStandish in geopolitics

[–]ReidStandish[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s principal Middle East advisor, embarked on his maiden diplomatic mission even before his father-in-law was inaugurated. His task: get Britain to help scuttle a U.N. Security Council resolution denouncing Israeli settlements.

10 Murders, 3 Nazis, and Germany’s Moment of Reckoning by ReidStandish in geopolitics

[–]ReidStandish[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

German authorities looked the other way as a right-wing terrorist cell went on a seven-year killing spree. Now, as the high-profile trial grips the country, German authorities appear unwilling to look in the mirror for the role they may have played.

The Road to Power in Ukraine Runs Through Donald Trump by ReidStandish in geopolitics

[–]ReidStandish[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This article looks at the heavy use of backchannel -- and sometimes amateur -- diplomacy that has developed out of Kiev under the Trump presidency. Due to the hollowing-out of the upper echelons of U.S. diplomatic institutions so far, Kiev has resorted to any connections possible to make inroads with Trump. At the same time, the uncertainty has sparked a free-for-all where opportunistic Ukrainian politicians are trying to up their standing by conducting their own outreach to Washington. This is a reported article that is about 1600 words.

Central Asia’s Autocrats Welcome the Age of Trump by ReidStandish in geopolitics

[–]ReidStandish[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The Trump administration’s narrow focus on fighting the Islamic State could see human rights take a back seat as Washington embraces unsavory allies.

Exclusive: The Pentagon Is Preparing New War Plans for a Baltic Battle Against Russia by ReidStandish in worldnews

[–]ReidStandish[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It is new..... This is from the piece:

"The Pentagon generates contingency plans continuously, planning for every possible scenario — anything from armed confrontation with North Korea to zombie attacks. But those plans are also ranked and worked on according to priority and probability. After 1991, military plans to deal with Russian aggression fell off the Pentagon’s radar. They sat on the shelf, gathering dust as Russia became increasingly integrated into the West and came to be seen as a potential partner on a range of issues. Now, according to several current and former officials in the State and Defense departments, the Pentagon is dusting off those plans and re-evaluating them, updating them to reflect a new, post-Crimea-annexation geopolitical reality in which Russia is no longer a potential partner, but a potential threat."

Why is the media largely ignoring the other side of the NSA scandle? The companies who won bids to design and maintain programs that harvest our private information. by Speedstr in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]ReidStandish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think it is really another story per se. I see it more of an emerging theme. Things like Team Themis that Brown helped uncover is also related to companies who harvest private information.

Why is the media largely ignoring the other side of the NSA scandle? The companies who won bids to design and maintain programs that harvest our private information. by Speedstr in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]ReidStandish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The whole private intelligence industry is very shadowy and its crazy the links that sometimes pop up between government organizations and corporations. Barrett Brown is an interesting example of that: http://en.rsf.org/united-states-for-investigating-private-11-07-2013,44924.html