Mereja.Forum

[Zmeselo]

[eritrea]

Yeah indeed. It has been a grandiose day if not historic.

[kebena05]

BEAUTIFUL PICTURE INDEED!!!
THE PROUD FLAG OF ERITREA HAS TAKEN A CENTER STAGE.....LITERELY

[Zmeselo]

To Avoid A War With China Over Taiwan, The US Needs To Back Down

Dave DeCamp

https://original.antiwar.com/Dave_DeCam ... back-down/

May 11, 2023



After members of the House’s committee on China participated in war games simulating a Taiwan invasion, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the committee chair and new face of China hawks in Congress, said the U.S. must arm Taiwan "to the teeth" https://www.reuters.com/business/aerosp ... 023-04-20/ to avoid a Chinese attack on the island.

Members of Congress participating in war games is unusual and demonstrates how the US is preparing for a future war with China. Unlike Ukraine, President Biden has vowed https://www.cbsnews.com/news/president- ... 022-09-18/ to send troops to fight in Taiwan if the island is invaded, and US military leaders are speaking openly https://news.antiwar.com/2023/03/02/us- ... er-taiwan/ about the fact they are getting ready for a direct clash with the People’s Liberation Army.

Often missing from the conversation is that – just like a direct war between the US and Russia – a head-on conflict between the US and China risks nuclear escalation. While Beijing has a vastly smaller nuclear arsenal than Russia, they have enough nuclear-tipped ICBMs that a nuclear exchange between the US and China could end life as we know it.

Gallagher and his cohorts insist they are trying to prevent a war with China. They want to ramp up arms sales, provide unprecedented military aid, and increase diplomatic and trade ties with Taiwan in the name of "deterrence." But China’s recent actions and rhetoric show that the increasing US military and diplomatic support will not deter China but will provoke China.

The most blatant example was when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) decided to visit Taiwan in August 2022 despite very strong warnings from China. Beijing views high-level contacts between the US and China as an affront to Washington’s one-China policy, and such diplomatic meetings are arguably more provocative in the eyes of Beijing than the US shipping F-16s to Taiwan.

In response to Pelosi’s visit, China launched unprecedented military exercises. https://news.antiwar.com/2022/08/04/chi ... osi-visit/

For the first time, the PLA fired missiles over Taiwan and simulated a blockade on the island. Since then, China has kept up the military pressure on Taiwan and now regularly sends planes across the median line, an unofficial barrier that separates the Taiwan Strait.

According to Japan Times, China flew 302 sorties across the median line in August 2022. https://archive.ph/Gr4Se

Between 1954 and August 2020, China flew across the barrier only four times. From September 2020 until Pelosi’s visit, Chinese warplanes made the flight 23 times.

The slight uptick in Chinese flights across the median line between September 2020 and Pelosi’s visit can also be explained by US diplomatic visits to Taiwan. In August 2020, President Trump sent then-Health Secretary Alex Azar to Taiwan, the highest-level US cabinet official to make the trip since Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979. The following month, Trump sent Keith Krach, who was serving as an undersecretary of state at the time. The trip made Krach the highest-level State Department official to visit Taiwan since 1979. It was around this time that Taiwan’s Defense Ministry began reporting frequent Chinese military flights in its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Despite the clear pattern that high-level US contacts are provoking Chinese military action, they haven’t stopped. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California provoked the largest Chinese show of force https://archive.vn/J07og around Taiwan since the Pelosi exercises.

Beijing has also responded to the growing military ties between the US and Taiwan. In December 2022, President Biden signed into law the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill included military aid for Taiwan and other measures to increase US support for the island. China responded by conducting major drills around Taiwan, https://archive.vn/5cYCn which the PLA described as a

resolute response to the escalating collusion and provocation by the United States and Taiwan.

The lesson from China’s actions is that increasing US support for Taiwan will bring more Chinese military pressure on the island. Gallagher and the rest of the China hawks draw precisely the wrong lesson and point to China’s military activity as a reason to boost ties with Taipei, pitting the US and China is a cycle of escalation.

Chinese officials have made clear that they believe if the US doesn’t change course on its Taiwan policies and overall military buildup in the Indo-Pacific, it will lead to war.

If the United States does not hit the brake, but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there surely will be conflict and confrontation,

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in March. https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_6 ... 37190.html

The US is not hitting the brake as Taiwanese media has reported 200 US troops https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202304170022 have been deployed to Taiwan, marking the largest known US military presence on the island in decades. Taiwan’s defense minister recently said Washington and Taipei are discussing the US providing $500 million in "free" weapons. https://archive.is/WeGmZ

The US has always sold weapons to Taiwan since the diplomatic shift in 1979 but has not provided weapons free of charge, making the potential weapons package unprecedented.

The Biden administration constantly claims it does not want to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, but these policies are doing just that. The US needs to back way down on its support for Taiwan and seriously engage with Beijing on the issue if it truly wants to prevent war.

China has every incentive not to launch an invasion https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/ ... to-ponder/ but doesn’t rule out the use of force to achieve "reunification." At some point, the increasing US support for Taiwan will become intolerable for Beijing. Whether the China hawks like it or not, that’s the reality, and arming Taiwan to the teeth will only make a catastrophic war in East Asia more likely.


Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com and host of the daily podcast Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp. https://www.youtube.com/@antiwarnews He is based in Virginia and can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave.

[Zmeselo]

EARTHQUAKES IN AFRICA
A moderate magnitude 4.6 earthquake occurred in Northern Red Sea Region, Eritrea, 23 minutes ago.

Strongest quake today: Mag. 4.6 | Northern Red Sea Region, 59 km E of asamara, Central, Eritrea - 47 minutes ago.
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthq ... 7TyEe1XrE8

[Zmeselo]

The America Times Warmly Welcomes Four Honorary Co-Managing Editors Amb. @HaroldAgyeman H.E. #MherMargaryan (@ArmeniaUN), @AmbStesfamariam &
@MilicaPDJ - “of,” “by” and “for P. R.s” to enhance the “public good”: Truth, Honor, and equal Justice for all. Ravi Batra: @RaviBatra

H.E. Sophia Tesfamariam (PR, Eritrea)



CURRICULUM VITAE Sophia Tesfamariam

https://www.america-times.com/the-ameri ... g-editors/

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the United Nations

Summary Profile

Global experience in social development- extensive work with youth and women

Conducted over 100 seminars and workshops for youth and women in USA, Europe and Africa

Exemplary Communication and Facilitation skills

Leadership and Strategy development

Strong networks in Africa, Europe, and Australia

Passion for producing possibility mindsets & results for Horn citizens

Published over 1000 articles and reports for various media outlets, and blogs

Co-Editor Diaspora Magazine and America Times

Professional Experience

Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the UN 5 September 2019- Present

Eritrean Mission to the United Nations, NY NY

• Delegate and Representative of Eritrea at several International Conferences and Meetings.

• Guest lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and University of Pennsylvania

• Executive Board of the International Association of Permanent Representatives

Executive Director,

US Foundation for the Horn of Africa July 2005 – August 2019

Responsible for the overall administration, programs and strategic plan of the organization. Extensive outreach and public diplomacy in the Horn of Africa communities. The core mission of US Foundation for the Horn of Africa (USFOA) is to inspire the conversations and actions of Africans in general and Horn residents in particular, to bring stable peace to the region. In partnership with community activists from the region, USFOA developed a strong Horn Diaspora network to inform Policy makers about the Horn of Africa.

Conducted over 100 seminars and workshops in the USA, Europe, Africa and Australia. Participated in Conferences held in North America (USA and Canada), Europe, and Africa

Administrative Assistant

Boeing Company, Leesburg, VA 1998 –2005

Generated company reports, transcribed minutes, responsible for orientation and creation of handbooks and guidelines for new employees, conduct research as needed.

Credentialing Specialist

PHP-Healthcare, Reston, VA 1989 – 1998

Verification of credentials of all health providers in the network for a major insurance company, enforce regulatory compliance and quality assurance. Prepared and maintained reports of credentialing activities such as accreditation, membership or facility privileges for providers in the network.

Education

• Bachelor of Science, (B.Sc.), Business Management, Western International University, Phoenix, Arizona, 1989

[Jaegol]

The proud son of independent Africa