Ukraine could be defeated this year

Hawks pushing for 'axis of evil' reunion tour

Lumping US adversaries into a single-headed monster is a paranoid delusion used as to fuel militarism

U.S. House speaker announces ‘new axis of evil’
Mike Johnson reverted to Republican orthodoxy as he vowed to get weapons to Ukraine as a matter of “critical” importance

House Speaker Mike Johnson at a press conference at the US Capitol, Washington DC, January 17, 2024. ©  AFP / Brendan Smialowski

In a dramatic break from his party’s hardline conservative base, US House Speaker Mike Johnson this week praised the country’s deep state, called Russia, China, and Iran an “axis of evil,” and vowed to put his job on the line to funnel more than $60 billion to Kiev.
For months, Johnson has resisted bringing a $95 billion foreign aid bill to a vote, arguing that neither he nor his fellow Republicans could support the bill – which would give $14 billion in military aid to Israel and $60 billion to Ukraine – without it being tied to an overhaul of US border security.
However, after a series of recent meetings with US intelligence chiefs, Johnson has changed his tune.
“This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. “I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do.

I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten.”

Vox

Even George H.W. Bush now denounces his son's "axis of evil" speech. And he's right. - Vox

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US has found a surprising military frontier against Russia and China
An increasingly multipolar world means Washington’s influence over the continent will wane as
alternative strategic partners emerge

By Dr Westen K. Shilaho, scholar of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

FILE PHOTO: Outgoing Africa Command commander US General William Ward (2nd L) and his successor US General Carter Ham (R) take part in the AFRICOM change of command ceremony in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart, Germany. ©  Mandel Ngan-Pool / Getty Images

Justified Accord 2024, the US Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) largest exercise in East Africa, ran from February 26 to March 7 and was hosted in Kenya, Djibouti and Rwanda. 

The Africa-US joint military exercises have been in existence for years and are portrayed as crucial to the security and stability of the continent. 

• They are also presented as integral to addressing terrorism, and other transnational crimes in Africa and beyond. 
• Through these exercises, the US seeks to improve the capacity of Africa’s militaries. 
• Terrorism and other forms of extremism have been on the global agenda for decades and attracted unprecedented attention after 9/11. 

Violent extremism and counterterrorism were seen as the foremost national security issue under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and it was also an issue of concern under the Clinton administration.

The US military presence in Africa, however, is led by its national security objectives as well as its geopolitical interests. Africa’s security is part of broader US security concerns across the globe.  

• Russia’s upswing in Africa’s security matrix – especially in the West African subregion, the Central African Republic, Libya, the Sahel – has placed the US on tenterhooks. 
• Moreover, China’s footprint in Africa, primarily in infrastructure development and security, has also drawn the attention of Washington and enhanced the significance of the Africa-US military partnerships. 

Ukraine could be defeated this year – 

CIA chief Kiev urgently needs a new US aid package or it will likely break under 

Russian pressure, William Burns says

FILE PHOTO: CIA Director William Burns. ©  Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Ukrainian defenses could completely collapse under a Russian onslaught as early as this year unless the US approves a new aid package for Kiev, CIA Director William Burns has claimed. His comments come after US House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the chamber would vote on the long-delayed measure later this week.

Speaking at the Bush Center’s 2024 Forum on Leadership on Thursday, Burns stressed the urgency of the US approving a $61 billion security aid package for Ukraine. 
The bill has been held up for months in Congress due to Republican opposition demanding more efforts to enhance security on the Mexican border. Burns urged lawmakers to break the gridlock on aid as soon as possible. 

“With the boost that would come from military assistance both practically and psychologically, the Ukrainians are entirely capable of holding their own through 2024 and puncturing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s arrogant view that time is on his side,” he claimed.

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However, Ukraine will face extreme difficulty if it is left out in the cold by the West, the CIA chief insisted.

In his view, “there is a very real risk that the Ukrainians could lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024” or at least put Moscow in a position where it could “dictate the terms of a political settlement.”

• The CIA director also argued that failure to support Kiev would have ramifications that would echo well beyond Europe. 
• Burns believes that a powerful Western campaign to aid Ukraine has convinced China to tread lightly when it comes to its regional ambitions. 
• “The surest way to undo that impact is for us to be seen to be walking away from the Ukrainians right now,” he added.