Monthly Archives: May 2017

Free Speech Is Not, Repeat Not a Hate Crime – Newsweek

Posted: May 14, 2017 at 5:34 pm

This article first appeared on the Verdict site.

In 1963, George Wallace was elected governor of Alabama on a segregationist platform.

At his gubernatorial inaugural address, he famously said that he supported segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.

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He went on to serve two non-consecutive terms (1963-1967, 1983-1987) and two consecutive terms (1971-79). In all, he was governor a little over 16 years in total, becoming the third longest serving governor in post-Constitutional U.S. history.

In 1963, the Harvard-Radcliffe Democratic Club invited Wallace to speak at the University. Harvard students then as now rejected George Wallaces views, but allowed him to speakno protests, no threats of violence.

Some people argued that he should not be invited, while others said, in the words of one member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Democratic Club, We should have a chance to see for ourselves the dancing bear. Those who did not want to attend the speech did not do so, but they did not block the entrance of those who wanted to see for themselves.

Wallace spoke in Memorial Hall, the very building that Harvard, nearly a century earlier, had dedicated to honor its alums who fought and died for the Union during the Civil War. On October 6, 1870, at the laying of the cornerstone, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. composed a hymn for the occasion, which concluded with:

Emblem and legend may fade from the portal,

Keystone may crumble and portal may fall;

They were the builders whose work is immortal,

Crowned with the dome that is over us all.

Memorial Hall was one of the largest halls at Harvard at the time and the place was packed with studentshundreds and hundreds of students. Wallace took questions from the audience. He called on a black student, who spoke in a crisp British accent.

What country are you from, asked Wallace.

Ethiopia, the student said.

Why, you people have slavery there, he claimed.

The student, I recall, shot back, Slavery is punishable by death in Ethiopia, and the audience cheered.

The event ended and we all went home. No one claimed that the Wallaces speech was a microaggression. No one asserted that inviting Wallace created a hostile educational environment, nor that the university was not a safe place. We were all exposed to a different viewpoint, and no one listening risked the fear that they would be so enthralled as to become racists. Later in life, Wallace said he recanted his racist views and asked black Americans to forgive him.

An American Nazi party member salutes during a rally at Valley Forge National Park September 25, 2004 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Ronald Rotunda writes that the American Nazis had the right to march in Skokie, Illinois, for the same reason that Martin Luther King Jr. had the right to march in Selma, Alabama. William Thomas Cain/Getty

In 1977, members of the American Nazi Party, dressed in military garb and wearing swastikas, wanted to march in Skokie, Illinois. The Nazis did not pick that city by accident. It was home to a large number of survivors of the Nazi death camps, and four out of every seven residents were Jewish. Nonetheless, the federal courts invalidated laws that prevented the Nazis march in the case ofCollin & National Socialist Party v. Smith.

The Skokie ordinance prohibiting dissemination of materials that would promote hatred toward persons on basis of their heritage was unconstitutional. Similarly, the ordinance prohibiting members of a political party from assembling while wearing military-style uniforms was unconstitutional.

Finally, an ordinance requiring those seeking to parade or assemble in the village to obtain liability insurance of at least $300,000 and property damage insurance of at least $50,000 could not constitutionally be applied to prohibit the proposed demonstration.

The Nazis had the right to march in Skokie for the same reason that Martin Luther King Jr. had the right to march in Selma, Alabama. The Nazis marched without incident.

That is not the world we live in today. Now, college students often claim that the slogan Make America Great Again is a microaggression and that it is the job of universities to protect them from that attack.

North Carolina State University is one of many universities that advises faculty to avoid expressions such as America is the land of opportunity because that is yet another microaggression. It becomes harder to attack students for silliness when the grownups, the college administration, support their eccentricities by policing everyday language.

The aggression and bullying behavior of those who oppose microaggressions goes behind the ivy halls of higher education. Portland, Oregon, for the last decade has hosted an annual Rose Festival and 82nd Avenue of the Roses Parade and Carnival. It bills the parade as a family-friendly parade meant to attract crowds to its diverse neighborhood. Apparently, it should not be too diverse.

This year, the city cancelled the parade because the parades 67th spot would be occupied by the Multnomah County Republican Party. Yes, the Republican Party! That outraged two self-described anti-fascist groups who threatened physical violence.

One anonymous email made clear that the threat was not to boycott; it was not to protest peacefully; it was to cause violence. This email recalled fondly the 2016 violent riots that Portland hosted after the November election. The Avenue of Roses cancelled the event, following threats of violence during the Parade by multiple groups planning to disrupt the event.

On April 26, Tucker Carlson on Fox News interviewed Professor Aaron Hanlon of Colby College who said that Ann Coulter, who was asked to speak at UC Berkeley, does not meet the standards for speakers that should be invited to campus.

That argument, however, only says that Professor Hanlon would not invite Coulter. That was not the issue. Legitimate university-recognized student groups at Berkeley did invite Coulter. The issue was whether other students or outsiders should be able to threaten violence to prevent her from speaking to those who wanted to hear her.

Carlson asked the professor if he would support expulsion of those students who violently prevent other students from listening to Ann Coulter. Professor Hanlon claimed he was very speech-permissive, but he refused to answer that simple question.

The American Civil Liberties Union, in contrast, supported the free speech rights of the American Nazi Party back in 1977 and bemoaned Berkeleys cancellation of Ann Coulters speech now. It tweeted, The hecklers veto of Coulters Berkeley speech is a loss for the 1st Amendment. We must protect speech on campus, even when hateful.

Every generation must relearn the lessons of free speech. It is no accident that Eastern European Communists suppressed speech and art as well as politics and religion. And when the people overturned the Communist dictators of Eastern Europe, they regarded freedom of expression as a premier right. The Czech revolution began in the theatres, and that countrys first freely elected president since World War II was a playwright.

Salmon Rushdie told us in his Herbert Read Memorial Lecture, of February 6, 1990, Peoples spiritual needs, more than their material needs, have driven the commissars from power.

Young people today may not know of Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses. After its 1989 publication, the spiritual head of Iran announced to the world that Mr. Rushdie must die because his book was, in his view, offensive to Muslim beliefs. It was hate speech.

Mr. Rushdie, a British subject, went into hiding, protected by the British government that he often criticized. Iran has never lifted its death sentence on Rushdie. That is how they react to microaggressions.

In this country, there are those who argue that microaggressions should be crimes, like hate crimes. These people often forget that hate crimes are not mere words, but crimes of action (e.g., assault or vandalism) accompanied by words. For example, vandalism of a synagogue with anti-Semitic words is a hate crime. Mouthing an anti-Semitic epithet, while crude, tasteless and offensive, is not a crime if divorced from action.

There are Westerners who defended Irans death fatwah on Rushdie. He had it coming, they said; he knew he was insulting Muslims. Writers like John le Carr wrote in The Guardian, that no one has a God-given right to insult a great religion and be published with impunity. Rushdie recalled

On TV shows, studio audiences were asked for a show of hands on the question of whether I should live or die. [A] point of view grew up [that] held that I knew exactly what I was doing. I must have known what would happen . . .

I find myself wanting to ask questions: when Osip Mandelstam [the Russian poet] wrote his poem against Stalin, did he know what he was doing and so deserve his death? When the students filled Tiananmen Square to ask for freedom, were they not also, and knowingly, asking for the murderous repression that resulted?

Even if I were to concede (and I do not concede it) that what I did in The Satanic Verses was the literary equivalent of flaunting oneself shamelessly before the eyes of aroused men, is that really a justification for being, so to speak, gang-banged? Is any provocation a justification for rape?

Over a quarter of a century after the Salman Rushdie death sentence, he is still in hiding, his Norwegian publisher was shot, his Japanese editor was murdered and his Italian translator stabbed.

Meanwhile, Western European countries are now prosecuting their citizens for insulting Islam.

Ronald D. Rotunda is the Doy & Dee Henley chair and distinguished professor of jurisprudence at Chapman University, the Dale E. Fowler School of Law. He is co-author of the six-volume Treatise on Constitutional Law: Substance and Procedure and Legal Ethics: The Lawyer's Deskbook on Professional Responsibility.

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Free Speech Is Not, Repeat Not a Hate Crime - Newsweek

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A free speech clash on the Common – The Boston Globe – The Boston Globe

Posted: at 5:34 pm

A conservative groups free speech rally on Boston Common Saturday triggered a counter-protest by a progressive anti-fascist group, with hundreds of screaming supporters separated by a line of police officers.

Boston Free Speech supporters promoted the afternoon rally as a gathering where Libertarians, conservatives, traditionalists, classical liberals, or anyone else who supports Trump or just hates leftists are encouraged to attend, according to an online posting.

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Boston Antifa a local chapter of the liberal anti-fascist group launched the counter-protest, calling on supporters to fight hatred in Boston, according to the announcement on Facebook.

Many attendees on the Antifa side, and some on the Boston Free Speech side, hid their faces with scarfs and masks. Both sides cited concern about harassment and doxxing, slang for posting personal information online.

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Some got into heated personal exchanges.

I suggest you get a job and then you move out to whatever country you want, since you dont like it [here] so much, said a man wearing a military uniform to a counter-protester who wore a black scarf over his face.

One person from each side was arrested after they got into a physical altercation, according to Officer Rachel McGuire, a police spokeswoman. They were identified only as a 19-year-old California woman and a 28-year-old New York man.

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A Boston Free Speech protester, who stood quietly with a free speech is how you stay free sign, said he was concerned about a slippery slope of opposing political views being labeled as hate speech.

Its a new definition of free speech where if you dont agree with that opinion, you start labeling it as hate speech, said the 29-year-old man, who would identify himself only as Mike of Boston. Thats not real free speech.

Morgan Coe, 42, of Allston said he does not believe conservative ideology is under attack.

Obviously, they will deny that, said Coe, who attended with friends.

A 50-year-old veteran, who identified himself only by his first name of Paul, commended Boston police for keeping the peace.

There are definitely clowns on both sides, he said.

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Deputy AG to Regev: Your threatening cultural institutions harms free speech – Jerusalem Post Israel News

Posted: at 5:34 pm


Jerusalem Post Israel News
Deputy AG to Regev: Your threatening cultural institutions harms free speech
Jerusalem Post Israel News
The accumulation of threats by Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev against cultural institutions that present themes she ideologically opposes harms free speech, Deputy Attorney-General for Legislative Affairs Dena Zilber recently told the minister.

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Commencement speeches celebrate immigrants, free speech … – UC Berkeley

Posted: at 5:34 pm

Maz Jobrani, comedian, actor, Cal alum and commencement keynote speaker (UC Berkeley photos by Keegan Houser)

Iranian-American stand-up comic and actor Maz Jobrani championed free speech even for conservative provocateurs and took swings at anti-immigrant sentiment in an alternately funny and serious speech to thousands of graduating seniors and their families at UC Berkeleys May Commencement.

Today, I stand in front of you giving the commencement speech at one of the top universities in America, if not the world, said Jobrani, whose family fled Iran during that countrys 1978 revolution. I am the American dream.

Regaling an audience of more than 45,000 at California Memorial Stadium that included native speakers of Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin, Farsi and Hindi, among countless other languages, Jobrani seemed to feel right at home.

This is a beautiful mix of people, said Jobrani, who graduated from UC Berkeley in 1993 with degrees in political science and Italian.

Inside the sun-parched stadium, more than 5,500 UC Berkeley graduating seniors, decked out in black caps, gowns and colorful variations thereof, marched onto the field to Pomp and Circumstance, smartphones in their hands, to celebrate a hard-earned rite of passage.

Amid a sea of visibly relieved-looking parents clutching floral bouquets was Jorge Colonia of San Jose, whose son, David, was graduating, having majored in both legal studies and economics.

Im very proud. He is our only son, Colonia said. Not a lot of people in our family went to college. We had financial challenges, but he worked hard, and it was worth it.

Chancellor Nicholas Dirks

In his welcoming remarks, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks drew applause as he described the graduates soon-to-be alma mater as not only the best university in the world, but also the most important for the values it upholds.

He also lamented the threats the campus faces such as stagnant state funding and reduced federal funding for research.

Were under fire, he said, reminding graduates that as life takes you beyond Sather Gate, Berkeley itself still needs you.

Also addressing the crowd was top graduating senior Grant Schroeder, an integrative biology major and extreme athlete. Using a triathlon as a metaphor, his speech took his peers through the steps of questioning, vulnerability and orientation that he navigated in order to graduate.

Like other speakers, Schroeder, a native of Goleta, in Santa Barbara County, cited the challenges of balancing free speech against public safety, and how the debate may never be resolved.

There is no clear answer to this question, yet our dedication to wrestling with pressing issues is why the rest of the world watches us, he said. Free speech is not dead, and Berkeley is not a bubble.

Jobrani, a founding member of the Axis of Evil comedy tour who is currently starring in the CBS sitcom Superior Donuts, warned of the dangers of censorship, even in the case of provocateurs who skirt the edges of hate speech.

If we limit free speech from the right, then we sound hypocritical when we criticize Trump for trying to delegitimize our free press, Jobrani said. Lets not be the ones attacking free speech, but the ones defending it.

He also touched on another of his signature themes on the comedy circuit: immigration and anti-Muslim sentiment. For one thing, he recounted his shock at the travel ban in January that targeted the citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations, including his native Iran.

That woke me up, he said.

Winding down, Jobrani urged UC Berkeley graduates to travel, not to the usual tourist destinations, but to the Muslim world.

You will see that Muslims are not out to get you. They just want you to buy a rug, Jobrani quipped. Never pay full price for a rug. Always negotiate.

As for his final tip: Kiss your parents every time you see them, especially if theyre immigrants, because you never know when they might be deported, he said to the laughing crowd.

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Boston Common ‘Free Speech Rally’ sparks counter-protest – Boston Herald

Posted: at 5:34 pm

At least two people have been detained after a Free Speech Rally on the Common sparked heated confrontations with counter-protesters.

Two people could be seen being taken away in handcuffs about 1:45 p.m. after one of the free speech demonstrators crossed a police barrier in an attempt to hand one of the counter-protesters a Pepsi a move that appeared to be an attempt to mock a recent commercial that depicted a protester handing a cop a soda.

The apparent attempt at a joke set off a scuffle between the man and one of the counter-protesters that eventually led to punches being thrown.

The man holding the Pepsi could be seen throwing at least one punch with the can of soda still in his hand.

The two groups have been demonstrating since late this morning and the protests have remained mostly peaceful, though both sides have been shouting insults at each other while a line of Hub cops works to maintain order.

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Prejudiced People Invoke Free Speech to Mask Their Racism, Says Study – Big Think

Posted: at 5:34 pm

A new study says that some people who claim to be for free speech when defending racist language do not really care about all speech, just the speech which agrees with their point of view. In fact, the researchers say that in such cases it often comes down to racists defending racists.

The study was carried out by the graduate student in psychology Mark H. White and psychology Professor Christian Grandall from the University of Kansas. They found explicit racial prejudice to be a pretty good predictor whether someone would use the free speech defense to defend racist attitudes.

The study saw that those with high levels of prejudice were very concerned with freedom of expression. They were also less likely to defend free speech in principle when faced with non-racial scenarios, suggesting that freedom of speech was more of a convenient rhetorical point, utilized when it suited them.

When people make appeals to democratic principles like freedom of speech they dont always represent a genuine interest in that principle, said White. We think of principles as ideas we use to guide behavior in our everyday lives. Our data show something different that we tend to make up our mind on something based on our attitudes in this case, racial attitudes and then decide that the principle is relevant or irrelevant. People do whatever best fits their pre-existing attitudes.

One way that people soften the appearance of their prejudices is by latching on to larger political causes like free speech. This allows people, the study found, to buffer racial and hate speech from normative disapproval. Basically, doing this can make it seem like your prejudice is ok and somewhat accepted by society.

This conclusion is sure to be controversial for its implications. The balance between fighting prejudice and the necessity of free speech in a democracy has been increasingly tested in todays America. A number of high-profile rightwing speakers have met violent opposition on college campuses, which resulted in some speeches like Ann Coulters being cancelled. Appearances by the white nationalist Richard Spencer have drawn much soul-searching and changed policies. Many in the conservative media (and even President Trump) defended such provocative personalities as Milo Yiannopoulos using the free speech position, after his appearance at Berkeley met with significant protests.

The study consisted of eight experiments with hundreds of participants, who were recruited from Amazons Mechanical Turk service. They were made to respond to news of racist incidents or situations like someone getting fired for racist speech. The reactions were scored according to the standard Henry and Sears Symbolic Racism 2000 scale.

The researchers observed a positive statistical correlation between racial prejudice and standing up for racist attitudes by arguing the need for free speech. Interestingly, those who scored low on prejudiced opinions actually avoided standing up for free speech in race-related situations.

The researchers point out that it would be irresponsible to paint everyone who makes free speech arguments as somehow prejudiced.

However, our data do show that racial prejudice is one of the many attitudes that go into people deciding to make this argument. We should not ignore the free speech defense, but we shouldnt assume that the motives are purely based on an abstract democratic principle, either, said White.

You can read the study Freedom of Racist Speech: Ego and Expressive Threats in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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Jeremy Corbyn has ‘been on a journey’ since suggesting Nato was a ‘danger to the world’ says Emily Thornberry – The Independent

Posted: at 5:31 pm

Media gather in Downing Street, London, ahead of a statement by Prime Minister Theresa May

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Theresa May exits 10 Downing Street to announce snap election

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British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for an early general election

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Prime Minister Theresa May walks back into 10 Downing Street after making a statement to the nation

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Broadcast journalists set up on the green outside the Houses of Parliament after the prime minister announced that she will seek an early general election

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A newspaper stand shows a copy of today's Evening Standard, with the front page story relating to British Prime Minister Theresa May's call for a snap general election on June 8

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Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn talks to carers during a visit to Birmingham Carers Hub to launch Labour's proposed Carer's Allowance increase

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Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech in Walmsley Parish Hall, Bolton, as she asked voters for the mandate to lead post-Brexit Britain ahead of the looming election campaign

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Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon walks with deputy leader and member of parliament Angus Robertson during a media facility outside the Houses of Parliament

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech to Conservative Party members to launch their election campaign in Walmsley Parish Hall in Bolton, England

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Prime Minister Theresa May during a visit to radar manufacturer Kelvin Hughes Limited in Enfield, north Londo

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Prime Minster Theresa May gives a short speech and at GSK in Maidenhead, England

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reads with children as he visits Brentry Children Centre in Bristol, during Labour's election campaign

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A tactical voting website in support of Labour. The use of digital marketing and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are likely to play and important role in the snap general election to be held on June 8

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses the STUC conference in Aviemore.

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Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron addresses supporters at a campaign event in Vauxhall, London

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The Liberal Democrat party website is displayed on a laptop computer. The use of digital marketing and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are likely to play and important role in the snap general election to be held on June 8

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Party workers clear a hall following Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron's address to supporters at a campaign event in Vauxhall, London

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The Conservative party website is displayed on a laptop computer in Bristol, England. The use of digital marketing and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are likely to play and important role in the snap general election to be held on June 8

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Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer makes a speech outlining Labour's approach to Brexit

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Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to a worker during a visit to a steel works in Newport, Wales

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UK Independence Party leader Paul Nuttall knocks on the door of a resident during a visit to Hartlepool

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UK Independence Party leader Paul Nuttall leaves a pub after meeting with television media in Hartlepool

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A UK Independence Party supporter (L) scuffles with a pro-europe supporter ahead of a visit by UKIP leader Paul Nuttall to Hartlepool

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Theresa May speaks at an election campaign rally in Banchory, Scotland

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British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at an election campaign rally on April 29, 2017 in Banchory, Scotland

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Jeremy Corbyn delivers a campaign speech on leadership in London

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Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks at an election campaign rally in East London

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Jeremy Corbyn speaks to supporters as he arrives for a conference for head teachers in Telford

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Green MEP Molly Scott Cato speaks during the launch of the Green Party Brexit policy watched by Co-Leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas and Green London Assembly member Sin Rebecca Berry at the Space Studio in London

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Co-Leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas, speaks during the launch of the Green Party Brexit policy at the Space Studio in London

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Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas, Sin Rebecca Berry, London Assembly Green Party member and the Bristol West candidate, Molly Scott Cato make an announcement of the party's new Brexit policy in London

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Scottish Conservative party leader Ruth Davidson gave a speech at the G&V Royal Mile Hotel in Edinburgh ahead of the local government election

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Ukip leader Paul Nuttall during a walkabout in Dudley town centre in the West Midlands, with Ukip West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge and Pete Durnell, West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate, while on the election campaign trail

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Ukip leader Paul Nuttall eats grapes during a walkabout in Dudley town centre in the West Midlands, with Ukip West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge and Pete Durnell, West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate

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Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, campaigns in Southampton

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Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, campaigns in Southampton

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A view of the Liberal Democrat battle bus during a general election campaign visit to Lewes in East Sussex

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a campaign stop at a company in St Yves, Cornwall, England

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a campaign stop at a company in St Yves, Cornwall, England. The Prime Minister is campaigning in South-West England, a former Liberal Democrat stronghold, as she urges West Country voters to stick with her party ahead of the polls on June 8

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May enjoys some chips during a campaign stop in Mevagissey, Cornwall

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Prime Minister Theresa May having some chips while on a walkabout during a election campaign stop in Mevagissey, Cornwall

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Britain's opposition Labour party Leader Jeremy Corbyn reacts as he meets with nursing students at the University of Worcester's Sheila Scott building in Worcester

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Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon gestures during her tour of the Inveralmond Brewery as she campaigns for the upcoming general election, in Perth

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Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon gestures during her tour of the Inveralmond Brewery as she campaigns for the upcoming general election, in Perth

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the Dhamecha Lohana Centre in north west London

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Ukip leader Paul Nuttall at a policy launch event in Gt George Street, London

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Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party campaigns outside Leamington Spa Town Hall

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Britain's Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn greets a supporter campaigning in Manchester, north west England

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Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and the party's local candidate Tessa Munt on board a hovercraft during a visit to the Burnham Area Rescue Boat (BARB), a charity that operates two life-saving rescue hovercrafts and an inshore rescue boat, at Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset

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Jeremy Corbyn has 'been on a journey' since suggesting Nato was a 'danger to the world' says Emily Thornberry - The Independent

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Nato tanks battle it out in training exercise as Russia practises … – The Sun

Posted: at 5:31 pm

US joins forces with Nato allies as Putin's tanks are seen falling from the sky amid heightening tensions in Europe

NATO commanders put on a show of strength during a tank competing exercise in Germany, as Russia flexed its muscles by parachuting tanks on to a battlefield.

Six Nato allies competed in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge in the town ofGrafenwoehr yesterday, with Austria coming first to beat France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the USA.

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The competition, held for its second time, tested soldiers on vehicle identification, battle damage assessment and precision manoeuvres.

Lt Gen, Ben Hodges, the commander of US Army Europe, has said the competition was designed to help build a team spirit between the six nations.

Nato, increasingly at odds with Russia over their perceived ambitions in Europe, held the event across five days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops were seen practising dropping tanks on to a battlefield on the same day.

A BMD-4M tank was dropped from the back of a Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane from 800m.

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How Norway stood up to Putin and what Canada can learn – The Globe and Mail

Posted: at 5:31 pm

Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia

Dmitry Rogozin paid a surprise visit to this Norwegian outpost two years ago, on his way to a Russian ice-station near the North Pole. The Russian deputy prime minister tweeted a picture of himself standing outside the airport.

It was a deliberately provocative act because Mr. Rogozin is at the top of Norways sanctions list, having championed the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Yet, as a Russian national, he was legally entitled to visit Svalbard because Norways sovereignty over its Arctic islands is not absolute: Citizens of any of the 45 parties to the 1920 Svalbard Treaty have a right of free access.

Norway responded to the provocation by offering to host a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Svalbard. The meeting took place this week.

Technically, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is not part of NATO but rather a parallel organization focused on discussion and networking among parliamentarians from the 28 NATO states. As a non-military organization, it could meet on Svalbard without violating another provision of the 1920 treaty; one that prohibits the islands from being used for warlike purposes.

Russia, however, condemned the choice of location as an attempt to drag Svalbard under the wing of the military political bloc. This, it said, violated the spirit of the treaty.

Now, this might seem like a tempest in a tea cup, but it is much more than that.

For decades, Norway has followed a policy of engagement and co-operation with Russia, especially in the Arctic. This policy has provided significant gains for both countries, including a jointly managed cod fishery in the Barents Sea worth billions of dollars each year.

But Vladimir Putin is restless. The Russian President has annexed Crimea, forcefully intervened in Syria, and conducted countless near-border exercises and airspace incursions in the Baltic and Arctic regions.

Most recently, Mr. Putin has intervened in elections in the United States, France, and other NATO countries with propaganda campaigns and computer hacking.

Cyber-attacks can constitute armed attacks under international law, for example, if they cause a nuclear power plant to meltdown. And Mr. Putins attacks have struck at the core of liberal democracy. Armed attacks generate a right of self-defence, and collective self-defence against Russia is the raison dtre of NATO.

Mr. Putins greatest victory involves the apparent capture of the U.S. President. Donald Trump has questioned the value of NATO and threatened to not come to the defence of member states that fail to meet the alliances spending target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product.

This week, Mr. Trump dismissed the director of the FBI in a blatant attempt to block an investigation of Russias involvement in the U.S. election. Then, he warmly welcomed a smug-looking Russian foreign minister to the White House.

At best, Mr. Trump is ignorant, naive and disinterested with respect to NATO and the Russian threat. At worst, he is working for Russia.

Canada and some other NATO member states have deployed small numbers of troops to the Baltic States. But would this trip wire function if the United States withdrew its support?

Would Canada be willing to go toe-to-toe with Russia if it called our bluff and sent tanks into Latvia? Or would Prime Minister Justin Trudeau order the Canadian troops to stand down? What if Mr. Trump asked him to stand down?

A popular Norwegian television show revolves around a fictional Russian occupation of that country. The plot seemed farfetched when the show was broadcast during Barack Obamas presidency, because it was based on the premise that the United States would abandon Norway to its fate. The same premise is far more plausible today.

By hosting the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, little Norway pushed back against Mr. Putin in a small but symbolically important way. Having been occupied by Hitlers forces during the Second World War, it knows something about bullies and opportunists.

The threat is not so different today. It is time for NATO countries to stand firmly together. It is time to renew our commitment to collective self-defence, with or without the United States.

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How Norway stood up to Putin and what Canada can learn - The Globe and Mail

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NATO’s Most Vulnerable Spot: Why the Fear of a ‘Russian Threat’ is Openly Stupid – Sputnik International

Posted: at 5:31 pm

The reason behindthe NATO hysteria is that the drills are set totake place not far fromthe so-called "Suwalki Corridor" or "Suwalki Gap", which NATO and the Pentagon consider "the most vulnerable spot" ofthe Alliance and which they think Russia will seize first inits war withthe block.

The so-called "Suwalki Corridor" or "Suwalki Gap"

The Suwalki Gap, or SK Gap inAmerican military parlance, named afternearby Polish town ofSuwaki, is a 64 mile (102 km) land corridor betweenPoland and Lithuania, which is also wedged betweenRussian ally Belarus and the Russian exclave ofKaliningrad. This particular fact has turned this stretch ofland intoa core concern ofall the NATO member states.

The NATO commanders consider that "should Vladimir Putin decide toinvade, the corridor would be perfect foradvancing Russian tanks" ina scenario where Russia approaches both fromKaliningrad and Belarus, seizing the corridor and completely cutting offthe Baltic States.

"Military officers worry that inthe event ofa conflict withMoscow, the Russian military could use its forces inKaliningrad, home tonumerous military bases and bristling withadvanced missiles, toeffectively cut offthe Suwalki Gap and sever the Baltic states fromthe rest ofthe alliance, they said," The Wall Street Journal reported onthe issue.

"Russia could take overthe Baltic states faster thanwe would be able todefend them," the commander ofUS ground forces inEurope, General Ben Hodges, admitted earlier inthe year.

AFP 2017/ ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

"It would not be necessary forRussian forces tocomprehensively occupy the Sulwalki Gap area. Rather, even a thin and discontinuous line ofRussian forces strung outalong the Gap would present a barrier tothe land reinforcement ofthe Baltics, unless NATO forces were prepared toforce a passage and escalate the crisis," other US media speculated onthe issue.

Commenting onthe joint Russia-Belarus military drills, called West 2017, which are scheduled forSeptember 14-20, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite added fuel tothe fire bystating the exercise "demonstrates the preparation ofBelarus and Russia towage war withthe West."

Even Ukraine which has no apparent relation tothe territory, has recently tried tocapitalize onthe issue. The country's Secretary ofthe National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov recently said that "the objective ofthe Russian military exercise is tocheck the readiness oftroops toconduct large-scale operations withstrict time restrictions ontheir preparation. During the exercises, Russia is also planning towork outa plan tocreate a corridor toKaliningrad, which inreality is impossible withoutengaging Lithuania and Poland militarily."

Sputnik/ Grigoriy Sisoev

In his analytical article foronline newspaper Vzglyad, Russian political analyst Yevgeny Krutikov explains why all these fears are "openly stupid."

The "West" (Zapad) military drills, he notes, are held ona regular basis, once every two years inrotation onboth territories ofthe Union State ofRussia and Belarus.

"There is nothing extraordinary aboutthem buteach time some western neighbor gets demonstratively scared," he writes, adding that last time it was Poland which "had an episode," now it's Lithuania's turn.

For the first time inhistory, he says, Belarus has invited NATO observers tomonitor the drills, which has caused a certain "voyeuristic thrill."

Mainstream media interpreted it asan attempt bythe Belorussian president Lukashenko to "make assurances" against "Russian invasion."

AFP 2017/ Armin Weigel / dpa

Commenting onthe Suwalki Gap area, the political analyst says that the vast majority ofthe terrain consists ofwild woods, lakes and swamps. It is the most deserted area ofPoland withundeveloped infrastructure and neglected Polish-Lithuanian settlements. The Wigry Polish National Park is also located inthe area and is often shown onthe English language National Geographic, which contains bison, wild boars and deer.

There are no roads, especially direct routes fromBelarus toKaliningrad.

"It does not even cross anyone's mind that tanks cant pass throughthe Suwalki woods. It is easier, faster and more reliable totake Warsaw if we think interms offronts and armies, asthey do inthe Pentagon inthe 21st century. Or we could drive our Armata fromthe Belorussian territory throughthe Lithuanian checkpoint ofMedininkai further tothe capital Vilnius, central Lithuanian city ofKaiiadorys, then Kaunas and upto Marijampol onthe border withRussias Kaliningrad oblast. This route will be a lot more preferable, withoutany need tocross the Neman river," Krutikov suggests.

The current mindset inNATO and the Pentagon is pitiful, he suggests.

Russias Defense Ministry has invited and will continue toinvite reporters tocover Russian military drills, so the country has no need foroutside advice, Russian Defense Ministrys Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov responded onSaturday.

"It is highly improbable tofind either a motivated journalist or a media outlet inRussia that the Defense Ministry has not invited tocover its military exercises overthe last five years," Konashenkov said ina comment.

"General Hodges has never dreamt ofthe level oftransparency that the media has been given tocover military operations ofthe Russian air force and navy inSyria. Otherwise, major US channels would not have broadcast by mistake the Russian Defense Ministrys video footage taken inSyria asillustrations ofthe US Air Forces war onterror inthe Middle East."

Since the Russian Aerospace Force started carrying outstrikes inSyria, the Defense Ministry has organized more thanten press tours forforeign journalists, when they were able tocommunicate withlocal civilians and servicemen.

"Instead ofurging us tobe transparent, General Hodges should recall whether Russian journalists have ever been invited tocover the US Armys exercises inEurope," he concluded.

Continued here:
NATO's Most Vulnerable Spot: Why the Fear of a 'Russian Threat' is Openly Stupid - Sputnik International

Posted in NATO | Comments Off on NATO’s Most Vulnerable Spot: Why the Fear of a ‘Russian Threat’ is Openly Stupid – Sputnik International