Daily Archives: August 1, 2017

‘Heretics!’ Illustrates the Contentiousness Surrounding Philosophy – PopMatters

Posted: August 1, 2017 at 5:59 pm

(Princeton University Press) US: Jun 2017

The period of European modern philosophy covered in this clever and informative new book was unusually fertile. From roughly 1600 to 1700, significant philosophical positions were articulated by the likes of Rene Descartes, Bento (Baruch) Spinoza, Gottfried Liebniz, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton, and many others. Barring the birth of philosophy in ancient Greece, this might be the most intellectually fruitful era in all of philosophy.

In this telling of the story of modern philosophy, esteemed historian of philosophy Steven Nadler, who has previously authored or edited academic books on Spinoza, Leibniz, Descartes, Nicolas Malebranche, Antoine Arnauld, and Jewish modern philosophy, teams with his son, illustrator Ben Nadler, to turn these complex theories into a visual journey through the history of ideas. The focus here tends to be on the scientific (Bacon, Newton, Galileo) and the epistemological/ metaphysical (Leibnizs monads, Spinozas pantheism, Cartesian knowledge and mind-body dualism) although some of the most significant developments in ethics and political philosophy (including Hobbess theory of government, Spinozas views on democracy, and Lockes influential views on property) get some coverage as well.

This story of modern ideas unfolds in the style of a comic book, with chapters (usually centered around a thinker and his critics) divided into panels on each page. The panels are generally limited to six or fewer per page, with each panel featuring expository passages and/or dialogue between these characters from the period.

Ben Nadlers art is colorful and expressive, and he has taken some pains to make these figures look like their classic depictions from historical art. Leibniz, for example, is drawn with impressively poodle-like hair and a prominent nose, much like the Christoph Bernhard Francke portrait from the early 1700s. However, Nadlers art softens their stern features and makes them more approachable and fun. By adding in plenty of humorous moments to their livesfrom Descartes , a thinking thing by definition, with a giant brain (26) to a Cartesian mind-body picnic (39) echoing the Bart Sells His Soul episode of The Simpsonsthe reader gets to laugh at some of these clever intuition pumps and thought experiments.

The anachronistic Disco Malebranche (109), for example, offers an explanation for the notoriously counter-intuitive theory of occasionalism, the view that God is the only cause and that all other apparently self-directed things (like a leisure-suit bedecked Malebranche in a disco) are moved only by the occasional decision of God to move them. Im not sure how many professors have ever used disco dancing to explain occasionalism, but it is a clever and resourceful way to present an idea that students usually respond to with blank stares and open mouths.

The combination of comic art and complex ideas is particularly helpful with some of the more arcane and confusing theories presented here. Take, for example, Leibnizs metaphysical monadology, always a head-scratcher for intro students (95-99). In the care of Nadler and Nadler, the puzzle of corporal substances and Leibnizs solution, windowless monads, is presented in a clear, visual manner that includes a cat, a volcano, a shark, and Leibniz himself. It sounds puzzling, but it makes sense, with brief and deft explanations paired with eye-catching illustrations. Spinozas solution to the mind-body problem, and the pantheism (or panentheism) that is entailed by it on pages 58-63 is another case where the illustrations serve to illuminate an often puzzling theoretical view, tying Spinozas view to Hamlets pondering of fate and free will. Its skillfully explained and depicted, and in five short pages, the view that led Spinoza to be branded a heretic is laid bare.

One of the more interesting questions this book leaves open is a meta-textual one: who or what is the intended audience? It crosses the borderlines between popular philosophy, general introduction, and academic text. It might, for example, serve as a useful introductory text (supplemented by some of the source works) for a course in modern philosophy, particularly for students with no background in philosophy at all. Its an excellent text for a non-academic audience, although the ideas and concepts discussed probably require at least a little knowledge of religious and political history. It might, with some scaffolding, be useful for younger readers who are trying to wrap their minds around the development of philosophical views in general.

The narrative arc of this story of modern philosophy is bound up in Spinozas abominable heresies and monstrous deeds (as the Herem against him claimed) and the so-called heresies of many of these modern philosophers, who shared both intellectual endeavors and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Conflicts and challenges between these figures, including bad blood between philosophers, schisms between iterations of faith, and political upheavals, dot the terrain of modern philosophy. Almost all of these figures had at least one view that was considered a heresy in the eyes of some other key figure or institution, and this willingness to put forth challenges to the prevailing views is part of the identity of philosophy in the modern era.

Given the heretical arc, it is very fitting that the book ends with an epilogue focused on Voltaires Candide. Voltaires brilliant satire took the intellectual gymnastics of modern philosophy, particularly that of Gottfried Leibnizs famous Best of All Possible Worlds theodicy, to the woodshed and gave them a beat-down. This is not to say that Nadler is trying to jump into the frayhis portrayal of these philosophical views is tempered and charitable, but also critical and questioning. Voltaire took philosophers to task, but Nadler gives them their due.

They might be heretics, but we owe them (and ourselves) the intellectual honesty to take their ideas seriously before moving on to those ideas that are less threatening and more comfortable. Its a lesson sorely lacking in our current intellectual culture, and this lovely introduction helps to present it in a historically relevant way.

Rating:

Eric Rovie teaches high school AP English in suburban Atlanta. He has also contributed to The A.V. Club and to several Chunklet publications. In his previous iteration, he was an academic philosopher and he might have edited a book and published a few articles. Originally from the Twin Cities, he worships at the altars of The Replacements, Hsker D, and The Hold Steady, as any good son of the Cities should. He re-reads The Catcher in the Rye at least once a year, but he has never tried to assassinate anyone.

Read the original here:
'Heretics!' Illustrates the Contentiousness Surrounding Philosophy - PopMatters

Posted in Pantheism | Comments Off on ‘Heretics!’ Illustrates the Contentiousness Surrounding Philosophy – PopMatters

Mendelssohn’s philosophy, Mendelssohn’s grandchildren – The Jerusalem Post

Posted: at 5:59 pm

According to Daniel B. Schwartz in his study of The First Modern Jew the historian is referring to Baruch Spinoza as that trailblazer he discusses the descendants of German-Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, who was influenced by the heretic of Amsterdam. Of Mendelssohns six children, Schwartz writes, four converted [to Christianity], all following their fathers death in 1786. Of his grandchildren, only one went to his grave as a Jew.

Was Mendelssohns philosophy responsible for the conversions to Christianity of his descendants? The blame of the mass apostasy of Mendelssohns descendants does rest, for some, on his philosophy. There is precedent for this assessment in the work of historian Yitzhak Fritz Baer in his dichotomy between Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews. Baer, a German Jew who made his mark of brilliance at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, blamed the conversion of Jews to Catholicism in Spain on their study of Aristotelian philosophy which, the historian believed, weakened their spiritual resolve. This was opposed to the Talmud-centered folk piety of medieval Ashkenazi Jews who chose martyrdom rather than conversion.

Many centuries before Baer in Muslim Spain, Hebrew poet Judah Halevi argued in his Kuzari that Revelation as an historical event dispensed with the need to reconcile Torah and Aristotle. But one could argue that Moses Mendelssohn was not Moses Maimonides, that 18th century Berlin was not medieval Cairo, and that the attempt by Mendelssohn to confront Kant led to a Jewish crisis worse than the Jewish struggle over Rambams philosophical works. For an early modern thinker like Catholic theologian and mathematician Blaise Pascal there was only one choice: Not the God of the philosophers but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But that is only part of the picture. While Mendelssohns philosophy was certainly the outcome of a confrontation with the German Enlightenment, it was not a radical rejection of Judaism in fact, it was an heroic defense of the Jewish faith and Mendelssohn remained an observant Jew his whole life. His classic work of Jewish philosophy, Jerusalem (1783), is conservative and careful and a far cry from the pantheism of Spinoza. In this work, Mendelssohn argues that Kant and the German Enlightenments understanding of Judaism are warped. Rather than viewing Judaism as coercive laws and superstitions that in no way elevates the individual morally, ethically or spiritually, Mendelssohn argues that it is Judaism that is a revealed legislation and not a revealed religion.

Mendelssohn is no atheist and, in fact, he argues that Judaism is the epitome of the Religion of Reason, purged of the dogma and superstition that dominated Christianity.

He is on the mark despite the fact that he reinterprets the nature of Revelation in a way that would not please traditionalists.

Mendelssohn seems to neutralize that nature of the Covenant based on the relationship between God and Gods Chosen People. Still, he argues against religious coercion and for religious tolerance and is brave enough to confront those who would demean Judaism and he would defend Judaism against Christianity. I do not see, at first glance, how this would lead to apostasy.

It seems just the opposite.

A more cogent argument is a social one.

Mendelssohns involvement in Prussian society, being dubbed the German Socrates, broke down the barriers which for centuries separated Jews from the non-Jewish majority. Mendelssohns acceptance by the German Enlightenment and especially by his close friend G.E. Lessing integrated the Jewish philosopher into a modern world he would not have know of had he been born 50 years earlier. The pressure on Mendelssohn by Christians to convert was intense and he had the fortitude to reject these calls. His children did not have that fortitude.

Under the pressure of Prussian society they were unable to resist the temptation to abandon their fathers modern approach to Revelation and instead abandoned Judaism.

Indeed, as described by historian Daniel B.

Schwartz, in the period in Berlin from 1750 to 1830 there was a wave of Jews who converted to Christianity. Among Berlins Jewish elite there was an epidemic of baptism. Heinrich Heine, born a Jew, the greatest German lyric poet of the 19th century, converted to Lutheranism, in part for professional reasons.

Throughout Germanic lands baptism was required to teach in universities or gain a professional position in the law. While I came down hard on Rachel Varnhagen and her salon that brought together Jews and Christians in the elite, my harshest criticism was that after her conversion she seemed to embrace a sincere Christianity. But for Jewish converts like Heine, baptism opened doors of opportunity that were closed for Jews. So the epidemic of baptism could have little to do with religious faith and much to do with Jews achieving success in Berlin in that period of discrimination.

Still, the conversions do not only have their roots in Jews getting ahead in Christian society. For many of the Jewish elite in Berlin the embrace of Christianity was an act of religious and intellectual conviction.

Abraham Mendelssohn a son of the great philosopher and a deist and rationalist, raised his children as Lutherans. In a July 1820 letter to his daughter, Abraham Mendelssohn seemed to both reject the influence of the legacy of his own father but also seemed to follow in a logical path of conversion where the philosopher could lead the Jew: The outward form of your religion your teacher has given you is historical, and changeable like all human ordinances.

Some thousands of years ago the Jewish form was the reigning one, then the heathen form, and now it is the Christian. We, your mother and I, were born and brought up by our parents as Jews, and without being obliged to change the form of our religion have been able to follow the divine instinct in us and in our conscience. We have educated you and your brothers and sister in the Christian faith, because it is the creed of most civilized people, and contains nothing can lead you away from what is good, and much that guides you to love, obedience, tolerance, and resignation, even if it offered nothing but the example of its founder, understood by so few, and followed by still fewer.

Heinrich Heine writes that the baptismal certificate is the ticket of admission to European culture. This indicates that the worldview of Abraham Mendelssohn, Rachel Varnhagen and Heine was rooted in the inferiority of Judaism to German culture. Heines conversion to Lutheranism was not simply practical but psychological.

Heine, in an early poem, equated Judaism with disease. This was not the outlook of Moses Mendelssohn he was raised in an observant environment with exposure to the great works of Jewish literature and theology.

For Mendelssohns son to explain that Judaism was only relevant 2,000 years ago and that one could reach goals of spirituality and ethics in the Christianity of the Enlightenment is an insult to his fathers faith. The argument for tolerance of all religion does not mean that all religions are equal. There is a rich heritage of Jewish polemics throughout the ages that argued for the superiority of Judaism. To understand the fundamental principles of Christianity and Islam in no way levels the playing field. The deists were wrong: Yahweh is not Christ is not Allah.

While Abraham Mendelssohn certainly did not understand the founder of Christianity as a Son of God in a way a traditional Lutheran would understand, there is no doubt that his fathers philosophy of tolerance for all religion weakened his sons perception that Judaism was still a vital faith and Christianity stood in opposition based on detail and dogma. G.E. Lessing, a close confidante of Moses Mendelssohn, expresses the equality of all religion as emanating from one source in his play praising his Jewish friend titled Nathan the Wise (1779). Mendelssohn believed in separation of church and state and emancipation.

At a time when the greatest German Enlightenment philosopher, Immanuel Kant, was discussing the euthanizing of Judaism as an outmoded and unethical superstition, Moses Menddelssohn spoke out bravely for the integrity of Judaism in the world of the European Enlightenment.

But his break with Jewish theology and tradition as understood by Jews living apart from non-Jews in the ancient and medieval world and their belief that their faith was divine in origin and their religion superior to other faiths created a slippery slope from which Modern Judaism would not recover.

Have Jews died with the Shema on their lips because a God of Reason revealed legislation to them on Mount Sinai? Was Judah Halevi right? Perhaps, the national and historical experience at Sinai was not a rational experience that needs to be reconciled with Athenian or Kantian or Hegelian philosophy. This is not to negate the great tradition of Jewish philosophy and its confrontation with the surrounding world. But divine legislation is sterile and banal and will only inspire the elite of the Haskala. Or in the case of the German Enlightenment lead Jews away from Judaism.

That his children and his followers interpreted his words in their own way often at odds with traditional Judaism, even embracing apostasy does not mean that there were many other social and psychological factors that weakened the resolve of the Jews of Berlin. In Jerusalem, the philosopher stated: Adapt yourselves to the morals and the constitution of the land to which you have been removed; but hold fast to the religion of your fathers. It seems too often in the modern Diaspora that Mendelssohns call for integration into non-Jewish society far outweighs holding fast to 3,500 years of profound texts and traditions.

(The text of Abraham Mendelssohns letter to his daughter can be found in The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History edited by Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, Second Edition.) The author is rabbi of Congregation Anshei Sholom in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Share on facebook

Go here to see the original:
Mendelssohn's philosophy, Mendelssohn's grandchildren - The Jerusalem Post

Posted in Pantheism | Comments Off on Mendelssohn’s philosophy, Mendelssohn’s grandchildren – The Jerusalem Post

Atheists in Muslim world: Silent, resentful and growing in number – Washington Times

Posted: at 5:58 pm

BABYLON, Iraq Lara Ahmed wears a headscarf and behaves like a pious Muslim.

But the 21-year-old Iraqi woman hides a secret from her peers at the University of Babylon: her atheism.

I was not convinced by the creation story in the Quran, she said. Besides, I feel religions are unjust, violate our human rights and devalue womens identities.

She doesnt dare share her strong beliefs with strangers.

I wear a headscarf despite being an atheist, said Ms. Ahmed, who studies biology at the school, about 115 miles south of Baghdad. It is difficult not to wear it in southern Iraq. Few women take the risk not to cover their hair. They face harassment everywhere.

Her fears stem from the remarks of powerful politicians such as Ammar al-Hakim, the head of Iraqs Islamic Supreme Council, a major Shiite political party and the president of the National Alliance, a Shiite parliamentary bloc.

Some are resentful of Iraqi societys adherence to its religious constants and its connection to God Almighty, Mr. al-Hakim said on his partys TV channel in May, claiming a rising tide of atheism was threatening the Arab world. Combat these foreign ideas.

Statistics on atheism in the Middle East and North Africa are hazy, but analysts say Ms. Ahmed represents an increasing trend based on recent developments.

In 2014, an Egyptian government-run Islamic legal institute, citing a dubious international study, said that only 866 atheists lived in the country of more than 90 million. Recently released court statistics saying thousands of Egyptian women sought divorce in 2015 claiming their husbands were atheists one of the few ways women can initiate divorce under Islam suggested the numbers might be far higher.

In 2011, the now-defunct Kurdish news agency AKnews published a survey finding that 67 percent of Iraqis believed in God and 21 percent said God probably existed, while 7 percent said they did not believe in God and 4 percent said God probably did not exist.

Today, the information revolution fueled by the internet, the freedoms released by the Arab Spring, the growing power of sectarian religious parties and the rise of the harsh orthodoxy of the Islamic State have all fueled growing unbelief in God and traditional religions, said atheists and others.

For youths, who are the majority of new atheists, the savagery of the Islamic caliphate established by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in 2014 created a reaction that [has] shaken the religions image, said Ali Abdulkareem Majeed, 22, a nonatheist Iraqi sociology student who conducted a study on atheism for a religious body that he asked not to be identified for his safety.

Social media shutdown

Last year, Facebook shut down more than 50 atheist, Arabic-language pages in after extremist Muslim groups campaigned to remove them, according to a petition sent to Facebook by the Atheist Alliance-Middle East and North Africa, a U.S.-based global atheist federation.

Many of those Facebook pages have been since been relaunched.

In March 2015, U.S.-based Iraqi and other Arab atheists launched the Arabic and English-language Free Mind television and magazine websites, which promote atheistic viewpoints and have recorded more than 1 million visits so far.

That led scholars at Al-Azhar University, a pre-eminent Sunni Muslim center of learning in Cairo, to call on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to push Free Mind organizers to repent or face execution by beheading. Mr. el-Sissi responded by suggesting that those who insulted religion should lose their Egyptian citizenship.

Even so, online atheist programming is easily available in Arabic now.

Atheism is not illegal in Egypt or Iraq, but officials often level blasphemy or other charges against atheists in those countries. Those rejecting the faith face the death sentence in Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Mauritania.

Many atheists in the region say their bigger fear is not being punished for their beliefs but that they will become targets of violent sectarian groups seeking political support from the faithful.

It is a distraction from the fact that Islamists were not able to accomplish anything over the past 13 years, said Faisal al-Mutar, a U.S.-based Iraqi human rights activist who heads Ideas Beyond Borders, a nonprofit that supports minorities in the Middle East. So they want to create an enemy to keep [the] constituency united against and avoid being held accountable for their mistakes.

Keeping their beliefs secret is the norm for atheists of all backgrounds throughout the region.

In Jordan, an Amman-based writer at the Free Mind Magazine whose last name is Farouki but who asked to keep her first name secret said she is nearly estranged from her family, angered by her rebellion against religion. They see me as insane, said Farouki, 50. Jordanians cannot accept atheists, and it is highly possible to be killed if you are one.

Social media has provided atheists with a meeting place and source of information.

Most of my atheist friends have not changed all of a sudden, said Osama Dakhel, 21, a fine arts student in Baghdad. Some were so devoted at first exploring the religions minute details. They start to read for Islamic reformers. Then they start to accept other opinions, discuss atheists online and end up atheists.

Ahmed Abdul-Aziz, 22, a medical student in upper Egypt, also writes openly for the Free Mind Magazine on atheism. It is easier to announce your ideas in Cairo, he said. Nobody would look after you, but in small rural towns, everyone watches the other.

Even so, Mr. Abdul-Aziz said, he hides his beliefs from his own family.

They will feel angry even if I call for some modern Islamic ideas, he said. I am forced to attend the Friday prayers and fast during Ramadan. I feel uneasy to practice things I do not believe in.

Ms. Ahmed paid a price for unwittingly drawing notice for not praying or fasting during Ramadan at the University of Babylon. A colleague called me an infidel and insisted on waking me up at dawn to pray, she said. I faced problems even for not using the name of Allah to swear.

Read more from the original source:
Atheists in Muslim world: Silent, resentful and growing in number - Washington Times

Posted in Atheism | Comments Off on Atheists in Muslim world: Silent, resentful and growing in number – Washington Times

The Atheist Movement Needs More Scientific Skepticism – Patheos (blog)

Posted: at 5:58 pm

This weekend, I spoke at Gateway to Reason, an atheist convention in St. Louis. It was a large gathering of non-believers, including big names like Seth Andrews and David Smalley, but there was still something missing: scientific skepticism.

Many atheists are also skeptics, but thats not always the case. This is something I already knew, but it became even more apparent after my talk on Saturday. The topic was You Dont Have to be a Scientist to Think Like One, and I talked about all that is pseudoscience from acupuncture to UFOs, and everything in between.

I expected most people to be on board, but as my talk progressed it became clear that I had offended a number of audience members by categorizing their particular beliefs as false. After I left the stage, the first person to approach (confront) me was a 9/11 Truther asking me about the missing engine from the plane that hit the Pentagon that tragic day (anyone who asks this question seriously is more of a denialist than a scientific skeptic).

The second person to come up to me, believe it or not, was also a Truther who wanted to know why I believed the official government story about what happened. But they werent the only ones. People who believed in ghosts, psychics, and other assorted woos all came to tell me why theyre right despite a complete lack of supporting evidence.

This is a real problem for the atheist community. Atheism is only important because it often reflects a persons critical analysis of god claims from various religions, but what about when those non-theistic beliefs are the result of anything else? Like being born into an atheist family? Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: many atheists dont ask important questions about other non-religious areas of their lives. They dont apply skeptical scrutiny to certain beliefs.

Its worth noting that the skeptical movement also needs more atheism. At skeptical conferences, its common for people to discourage discussions of religion so as not to offend any believers. This is extremely hypocritical, however, considering religion is one of the first (and arguably the most dangerous) incarnation of pseudoscience.

Dont worry, there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel filled with nonsense. There is a cure for the type of gullibility I saw at Gateway to Reason and have seen for the last 10 years of my career as a secular/skeptical author. Its very simple: scientific skepticism the process of looking for demonstrable evidence prior to forming beliefs.

As I mentioned in my talk at Gateway to Reason, belief in non-religious supernatural ideas is rising even as church attendance falls at record numbers across the globe. More people believe in ghosts and Bigfoot, despite the fact that the nones (those of us who dont associate with any particular faith) are growing at an unprecedented rate. It is more important now than ever to look at these issues critically and skeptically.

I love the stick to atheism! posts I get when I discuss another brand of irrational belief. It reminds me how important rigorous scientific skepticism is.

The good news is Ive seen signs that this is already happening. There is at least some indication that skepticism is being injected into the atheist movement and thats encouraging. For starters, I didnt see any of the speakers at Gateway to Reason fall prey to these pseudoscientific beliefs (that, of course, includes Andrews and Smalley). This means that, if people follow their example, we should be OK, right?

Not necessarily. We need to do more by actively discussing these cousins to religions, demonstrating their harm, and showing people how they result from the same failure to think critically. Fortunately, some people are already doing this. At Gateway to Reason, for instance, Dan Broadbent and Natalie Newell of the Science Enthusiast Podcast did a live show in which they discussed skepticism and pseudoscience.

So, there is hope, and I think ultimately the atheist movement will receive the shot of skepticism it so desperately needs. If it doesnt, it will lose its relevance as people continue to turn away from religion in the Age of Information.

Id like to end with a quote from my new book, No Sacred Cows: Investigating Myths, Cults, and the Supernatural. This is from the chapter called, Blurred Lines Between Atheism and Skepticism.

If youre an atheist, it means you havent fallen for the god gambit, but the existence of deities isnt the only commonly held yet likely false notion. Skepticism and critical thought protect from all forms of faith-based ideas. Although the god question is often one of the most controversial ideas for which we can utilize skepticism, its not always the most relevant one. Thats why its important to stress critical thinking and reason in all areas of life above all else. I want to encourage those who reject the worlds many god claims to apply the same skeptical scrutiny to ghosts, psychics, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, and just about any topic supernatural or not.

Yours in reason,

David

Please support my work here: https://www.patreon.com/DavidGMcAfee. Any amount helps!

Read the original here:
The Atheist Movement Needs More Scientific Skepticism - Patheos (blog)

Posted in Atheism | Comments Off on The Atheist Movement Needs More Scientific Skepticism – Patheos (blog)

Trump Declines to Affirm NATO’s Article 5 – The Atlantic

Posted: at 5:56 pm

Updated at 5:07 p.m.

BRUSSELS President Trump did not explicitly endorse the mutual-aid clause of the North Atlantic Treaty at the NATO summit on Thursday despite previous indications that he was planning to do so, keeping in place the cloud of ambiguity hanging over the relationship between the United States and the alliance.

Speaking in front of a 9/11 and Article 5 Memorial at the new NATO headquarters, Trump praised NATOs response to the 9/11 attacks and spoke of the commitments that bind us together as one.

But he did not specifically commit to honor Article 5, which stipulates that other NATO allies must come to the aid of an ally under attack if it is invoked.

The only time in history that Article 5 has been invoked was after the September 11 attacks, a fact that Trump mentioned. The memorial Trump was dedicating is a piece of steel from the North Tower that fell during the attacks.

NATO, Meet Donald Trump

We remember and mourn those nearly 3,000 people who were brutally murdered by terrorists on September 11, 2001, Trump said. Our NATO allies responded swiftly and decisively, invoking for the first time in its history the Article 5 collective-defense commitment.

Trump did refer to commitments, saying of the memorial, [t]his twisted mass of metal reminds us not only what weve lost, but forever what endures: the courage of our people, the strength of our resolve, and the commitments that bind us together as one. ... We will never forsake the friends who stood by our side. And we will never waver in our determination to defeat terrorism and to achieve lasting prosperity and peace.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday evening that Trump would use the speech to finally endorse Article 5. Though top members of his administration, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence have done so, Trumps refusal has shaken NATO allies.

Trump has been a harsh critic of NATO overall, at one point calling it obsolete. He has repeatedly criticized other allies for not paying their fair share of the defense burden of the alliance. He has pushed the alliance to do more to combat terrorism. At the NATO leaders summit, counter-terrorism and burden-sharing will dominate the agendanot Russia.

Trump did mention the Russian threat in his remarks on Thursday. The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration, as well as threats from Russia and on NATOs eastern and southern borders, he said.

But he spent the bulk of the speech haranguing the other members of the alliancestanding only feet from himfor not meeting their spending obligations.

Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying for their defense, Trump said. We should recognize that with these chronic underpayments and growing threats, even two percent of GDP is insufficient to close the gaps in modernizing, readiness and the size of forces, he added. Two percent is the bare minimum for confronting todays very real and very vicious threats.

Trump even took a slight dig at the new NATO headquarters, which are being unveiled in time for this leaders meeting. I never asked once what the new NATO headquarters cost, Trump said. I refuse to do that. But it is beautiful.

After the speech, televisions in the press center at NATO showed Trump in discussion with a group of other leaders including NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

NATO had sought to make Trumps inaugural visit as smooth as possible. The conferences two topics of focusspending and counterterrorismare the two main thrusts of Trumps critique of the alliance.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer, speaking to the pool reporters after the speech, said that despite the presidents omission, Were not playing cutesy with this. Hes fully committed.

If you are standing at a ceremony talking about the invocation of Article 5 after 9/11 and talking about that, that is a pretty clear indication of the support that exists for it, Spicer said. Ive seen some of the questions Ive gotten from you guys, but theres 100 percent commitment to Article 5.

In a press conference on Wednesday before the summit, Stoltenberg had downplayed Trumps silence on Article 5. He said that because Trump has expressed support for NATOwhich he declared no longer obsolete during Stoltenbergs visit to Washington last monthhe has also of course expressed strong support of Article 5, because Article 5, collective defense, is NATOs core task.

At a press conference after the leaders meeting on Thursday, Stoltenberg was asked repeatedly about Trumps refusal to verbally commit to Article 5. He maintained his position, arguing that Trump has shown sufficient commitment to NATO, and thus to Article 5. President Donald Trump dedicated a 9/11 and Article 5 memorial, Stoltenberg said. And just by doing that he sent a strong signal. We have had a clear message from the U.S. administration, he added, citing assurances he received from top administration officials as well as from Trump himself in meetings. Its not possible to be committed to NATO without being committed to Article 5.

Asked if Trumps demands about burden-sharing had troubled any allies, Stoltenberg said they had already heard Trump being blunt on spending before. We have to invest in defense not just to please the United States but we have to invest in European defense because it is in our own interest to do so, he said.

Read the rest here:
Trump Declines to Affirm NATO's Article 5 - The Atlantic

Posted in NATO | Comments Off on Trump Declines to Affirm NATO’s Article 5 – The Atlantic

NATO jets intercept Russian aircraft near Estonian airspace – CNN

Posted: at 5:56 pm

"Two Spanish F-18 jets assigned to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission scrambled from Estonia's Amari Air Base on Tuesday morning to intercept unidentified non-NATO military aircraft near Estonian airspace," acting NATO spokesman Dylan White said in a statement.

He added that Finnish jets also scrambled to intercept the Russian aircraft which he identified as two MiG-31 fighter jets and an AN-26 transport plane.

NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission involves allied aircraft securing the airspace of the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The incident between NATO and Russian military aircraft comes less than 24 hours after US Vice President Mike Pence visited Estonia where he reaffirmed America's commitment to NATO's collective defense clause in the face of Russian aggression.

"No threat looms larger in the Baltic States than the specter of aggression from your unpredictable neighbor to the east," Pence said an appearance with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

"Under President Donald Trump, the United States of America rejects any attempt to use force, threats, intimidation, or malign influence in the Baltic States or against any of our treaty allies," he added.

The incident also saw the Spanish aircraft "accidentally" entering Finnish airspace.

"In handing over the intercept to the Finnish jets, the Spanish jets accidentally entered Finnish airspace. NATO's Air Command has explained the incident to the Finnish Air Operations Centre to improve future coordination," White said.

Finland, which is not a member of NATO, appeared to confirm the incident Tuesday with its ministry of defense issuing a statement saying the two Spanish jets were "suspected of having violated Finland's airspace on Tuesday morning."

"We have seen an increase in air activity in the Baltic region, but with few exceptions, the vast majority of the intercepts are conducted in a safe and responsible manner by all parties," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters last month following a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council.

He also referred to a Finish Initiative which recently convened a working group of representatives from Russia, NATO, Sweden and Finland to discuss the issues involving the congested Baltic airspace.

"They are working in a good way," Stoltenberg said.

More:
NATO jets intercept Russian aircraft near Estonian airspace - CNN

Posted in NATO | Comments Off on NATO jets intercept Russian aircraft near Estonian airspace – CNN

Russia’s Military Drills Near NATO Border Raise Fears of Aggression – New York Times

Posted: at 5:56 pm

Even more worrying, top American military officers say, is that the maneuvers could be used as a pretext to increase Russias military presence in Belarus, a central European nation that borders three critical NATO allies: Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

The great concern is theyre not going to leave, and thats not paranoia, Gen. Tony Thomas, the head of the United States Special Operations Command, told a national security conference in Aspen, Colo., in July.

Peter B. Zwack, a retired one-star Army general who was the American defense attach in Moscow from 2012 to 2014, said: First and foremost, the messaging is, Were watching you; were strong; weve learned a lot; dont mess with Russia.

Western military officials caution that the United States and Russia are not on the brink of war. But they expressed concern that the heightened Russian military activity could lead to unintended confrontations.

For this installment of the Zapad maneuvers, a Cold War relic revived in 1999 and held again in 2009 and 2013, Russia has requisitioned enough rail cars to carry 4,000 loads of tanks and other heavy equipment to and from Belarus.

Airborne,

Assault and

Special Forces

New units deployed after 2013.

Units existing in 2013

redeployed and/or expanded.

Units existing in

2013 and after.

New units deployed after 2013.

Units existing in 2013

redeployed and/or expanded.

Units existing

in 2013 and after.

The Russians already have about 1,000 air defense troops and communications personnel stationed in Belarus, and logistical teams are surveying training sites there. By mid- August, advance elements of the thousands of Russian Army, airborne and air defense troops that are to participate in the exercise are expected to arrive. The rest of the force is expected to reach Belarus by early September ahead of the Zapad exercises, scheduled for Sept. 14 to 20.

The United States is taking precautions, including sending 600 American paratroopers to NATOs three Baltic members for the duration of the Zapad exercise and delaying the rotation of a United States-led battle group in Poland.

Look, well be ready; well be prepared, said Lt. Gen. Frederick B. Hodges, the head of United States Army forces in Europe. But were not going to be up on the parapets waiting for something to happen.

In 2014, Russias stealthy forays into eastern Ukraine and its rapid capture of Crimea were seen as skillful exercises in hybrid warfare, a combination of cyberwarfare, a powerful disinformation campaign and the use of highly trained special operation troops and local proxy forces.

But there is nothing subtle about the tank-heavy unit at the heart of the coming Zapad exercise.

The First Guards Tank Army, made up mainly of forces transferred from other units, including elite motorized and tank divisions near Moscow, has an extensive pedigree. The unit battled the Germans during World War II on the Eastern Front and eventually in Berlin before becoming part of the Soviet force that occupied Germany. In 1968, it participated in the invasion of Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring.

After the end of the Cold War, the unit was withdrawn to Smolensk, near the border with Belarus, before being disbanded in 1998. But it was reconstituted by Mr. Putin to give the Russian military more offensive punch and present a visible demonstration of Russian power.

That name was chosen for a reason, said Philip M. Breedlove, a retired four-star Air Force general who served as NATO commander. It sends a very clear message to the Baltics and Poland.

In addition, the Russians have fielded a new motorized division near Smolensk, close to the border with Belarus, which could be used in conjunction with the tank unit. In combination with the highly mobile tank army, that force has about 800 tanks, more than 300 artillery pieces and a dozen Iskander tactical missile launchers.

That is more tanks than NATO has in active units deployed in the Baltic States, Poland and Germany put together, not including armor in storage that would be used by reinforcements sent from the United States, noted Phillip A. Karber, the president of the Potomac Foundation, who has studied Russian military operations in and around Ukraine.

There is only one reason you would create a Guards Tank Army, and that is as an offensive striking force, General Hodges said. This is not something for homeland security. That does not mean that they are automatically going to do it, but in terms of intimidation it is a means of putting pressure on allies.

Mr. Karber cautioned against exaggerating the First Guards Tank Armys capability, noting that not all of its units were fully manned and that some of the most modern tanks earmarked for it have not arrived.

But if fully deployed into Belarus, he said, it will be a powerful offensive formation and a way for the Russian military to rapidly project power westward, which is all the more important for Moscow. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that Russian forces lost Belarus and Ukraine as buffers.

Just the presence of the First Guards Tank Army near the Polish border would put NATO on the horns of a dilemma, Mr. Karber said. Does NATO reinforce the Baltics or defend eastern Poland? NATO does not have enough forces to do both in a short period of time. It adds to the political pressure Russia can bring to bear to keep the Baltic nations and Poland in line.

The Russians have also announced that the First Guards Tank Army will be the first formation to receive the T-14 Armata tank, a new infantry fighting vehicle, as well as advanced air defense and electronic warfare equipment.

A more immediate concern, however, is whether Russia will use the Zapad exercise to keep Belarus in line. Belarus has long worked closely with Moscow, and its air defense units are integrated with Russias to the east. But with friction between the nations autocratic president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, and Mr. Putin have come reports that Belarus is reluctant to host more Russian forces permanently.

As part of the maneuvers, units of the First Guards Tank Army are expected to establish a forward command post in western Belarus, and to hold exercises in training areas near Brest, on the Polish border, and Grodno, near Poland and Lithuania.

Russian officials have told NATO that the maneuvers will be far smaller than Western officials are anticipating and will involve fewer than 13,000 troops. But NATO officials say the exercise is intended to test Russias contingency plans for a major conflict with the alliance and will also involve Russian civilian agencies.

We have every reason to believe that it may be substantially more troops participating than the official reported numbers, Jens Stoltenberg, NATOs secretary general, said in July.

Adding to the concern, the Russians have yet to agree that international observers can monitor the Zapad exercise. American officials have long said that monitoring is important, given the difficulty of Western intelligence in determining whether Russian military activity is merely an exercise or a preparation for an armed intervention.

The United States, in contrast, allowed Russian, Chinese and even North Korean observers to monitor a recent Army exercise, called Saber Guardian, in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.

At least two battalions of First Guards units, or some 3,000 armored troops, are expected to participate in the Belarus maneuvers. The total number of Russian troops, security personnel and civilian officials in the broader exercise is expected to range from 60,000 to as many as 100,000.

The question NATO officials are asking is whether all of the troops and equipment in Belarus will leave.

Said General Hodges, I am very interested in what goes in and what comes out.

Earlier versions of this article mischaracterized Kaliningrad. It is an exclave of Russia, not an enclave.

Michael R. Gordon reported from Washington, and Eric Schmitt from Washington and Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.

A version of this article appears in print on August 1, 2017, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Russian Exercise On NATO Border Has U.S. on Alert.

Read the rest here:
Russia's Military Drills Near NATO Border Raise Fears of Aggression - New York Times

Posted in NATO | Comments Off on Russia’s Military Drills Near NATO Border Raise Fears of Aggression – New York Times

Pence Says US Backs Georgia in NATO Over Russian Objection – Bloomberg

Posted: at 5:56 pm

Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. strongly supports Georgias ambition of joining NATO, even as Russia remains hostile to the military alliance expanding its influence in Moscows former Soviet backyard.

We see Georgia as a key strategic partner and stand by your territorial integrity and your aspirations to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Pence said at talks with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump asked me to extend greetings to you this morning and to say we are with you, Pence said.

The vice president is also attending joint military exercises involving as many as 800 Georgian and 1,600 U.S. troops during his visit. The Noble Partner 2017 drills, which also include German, U.K., Turkish, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Armenian forces, are the largest in the Caucasus republic since Georgia fought a brief war with Russia in 2008 over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Pence arrived in Georgia Monday after delivering a similar message in Estonia to leaders of Baltic nations facing the specter of aggression from Russia, which he called the greatest threat to their security as NATO members. Georgia wants to join NATO against opposition from Russia, whose annexation of Crimea and involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine has strained ties with the U.S. and Europe the most since the Cold War. Russia accuses NATO of seeking to undermine its security by expanding the alliances presence near its borders.

The U.S. is monitoring preparations for major Russian exercises planned on NATOs eastern border amid concerns about the scale of the military buildup, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Some 13,000 troops are to take part in joint military drills from Sept. 14-20 in Russia and neighboring Belarus, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, which said Russia will also send about 280 military vehicles to the Zapad 2017 exercises.

Pences visits to Estonia, Georgia and Montenegro are taking place amid spiraling tensions with Russia after President Vladimir Putin said the U.S. must slash staff at its diplomatic mission by 755, or nearly two-thirds, in retaliation for new sanctions approved by Congress.

Trump will sign the Russian sanctions bill soon, Pence said at a news conference later with Kvirikashvili. While the U.S. wants better relations, Russia has to change its behavior before this can be achieved, he said.

Get the latest on global politics in your inbox, every day.

Get our newsletter daily.

Kvirikashvili said Georgias facing daily provocations from Russia, which has encroached deeper into its territory in recent weeks by shifting the dividing lines with the breakaway regions established after the war. Russia has stationed thousands of troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia after recognizing them as independent republics. The international community considers the regions as part of Georgia.

NATO declared at a summit shortly before the 2008 war that Georgia will become a member at some point. While it hasnt agreed to accept Georgia since then, partly out of concern about antagonizing Russia, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Tbilisi in September that the alliance is committed to the goal and that the bonds between NATO and Georgia are stronger than ever.

Pences visit is an important milestone in the bilateral relationship as we work to further strengthen security, economic, and trade cooperation, Kvirikashvili said Monday after the vice presidents arrival.

Two-thirds of Georgians support joining NATO while 23 percent are opposed, according to a survey conducted by the Caucasus Resource Research Centers for the National Democratic Institute. The poll of 2,261 respondents was conducted between June 18 and July 9 with a margin of error of no more than 2.2 percentage points.

With assistance by Henry Meyer

Link:
Pence Says US Backs Georgia in NATO Over Russian Objection - Bloomberg

Posted in NATO | Comments Off on Pence Says US Backs Georgia in NATO Over Russian Objection – Bloomberg

NATO helicopter has hard landing in Afghanistan; 2 injured – ArmyTimes.com

Posted: at 5:56 pm


ArmyTimes.com
NATO helicopter has hard landing in Afghanistan; 2 injured
ArmyTimes.com
KABUL, Afghanistan A U.S. Black Hawk helicopter encountered a mechanical problem that forced a hard landing in eastern Afghanistan, according to a NATO statement. The region is where American troops are supporting Afghan security forces in a ...

and more »

Read the original here:
NATO helicopter has hard landing in Afghanistan; 2 injured - ArmyTimes.com

Posted in NATO | Comments Off on NATO helicopter has hard landing in Afghanistan; 2 injured – ArmyTimes.com

How US Allies Undermine NATO – Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Posted: at 5:56 pm


Wall Street Journal (subscription)
How US Allies Undermine NATO
Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Worse, many of these free riders also punish U.S. companies for manufacturing weapons used by the Pentagon to defend NATO allies and other countries. Specifically, several NATO member governments have divested from or even criminalized the ...

Here is the original post:
How US Allies Undermine NATO - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Posted in NATO | Comments Off on How US Allies Undermine NATO – Wall Street Journal (subscription)