As usual, I will be mostly ignoring the State of the Union address.
Imperialism
Russia
Ukraine
Fig. 1. “Destroyed Russian military vehicles located on the main street Khreshchatyk are seen as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Kyiv, August 24.” Photograph by Gleb Garanich for Reuters, August 24, 2022,[1] fair use.
The irony is that Emmanuel Macron was, earlier, among those desperately seeking a diplomatic end to the war.[2] It’s safe to say his line has hardened considerably.[3]
Radina Gigova, Christian Edwards, and Jennifer Hansler, “Sweden officially joins NATO, becoming alliance’s 32nd member,” CNN, March 7, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/07/europe/sweden-join-nato-official-intl
Henry Samuel, “Macron: West may need to save Ukraine if Russia makes breakthrough,” Telegraph, March 7, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/07/emmanuel-macron-threat-russia-breakthrough-ukraine-elysee/
Israel
Palestine
Fig. 2. The ruins of a terminal at the Gaza airport. Image by Said Khatib (Agence France-Presse) on September 9, 2018, via the Times of Israel,[4] fair use.
By all accounts, President [Joe] Biden still holds a relatively old-school Democratic view of Israel — one that’s deeply sympathetic to the country and its security interests.
As frustrated as he may be with [Binyamin] Netanyahu’s brutish policies and rank partisanship, it’s far from obvious that he is willing to start putting real pressure on Israel.
Most of Biden’s actual policies have involved giving Israel what it wants, like vetoing two UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire. Perhaps most importantly, the US has made over 100 arms sales to Israel since the war began, many of which were structured in such a way that they could escape congressional and public oversight.
For this reason, hearing about the administration’s frustration with Israel can feel a bit like hearing about Republican frustration with Trump. They’re perfectly happy to complain to reporters in private so long as they don’t have to actually do anything about it.[5]
Zack Beauchamp, “Are Biden and the Democrats finally turning on Israel?” Vox, March 8, 2024, https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/3/8/24093748/biden-israel-democrats-state-of-the-union-gaza-port
Illiberalism
Gilead
Donald Trump
Russia investigation
Fig. 3. Photograph by Presidential Press and Information Office (Russia, Kremlin.ru), June 28, 2019,, via Wikimedia Commons Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0
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Tori Otten, “Stable Genius Trump Hit With Massive Fine in Steele Dossier Lawsuit,” New Republic, March 7, 2024, https://newrepublic.com/post/179650/trump-six-figure-fine-steele-dossier
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Century III Mall
Fig. 4. “The exterior of the closed Century III Mall taken from a drone . . . in West Mifflin.” Photograph by Benjamin B. Braun, May 11, 2023, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,[6] fair use.
The next time [they] tell me anything that’s truthful, it will be the first time.[7]
Paula Reed Ward, “Century III Mall owners joust with Allegheny County DA over razing blighted property,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 7, 2024, https://triblive.com/business/century-iii-mall-owners-joust-with-allegheny-county-da-over-razing-blighted-property/
Paula Reed Ward, “Judge gives Century III Mall owners until next month to prove they will raze the property,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 8, 2024, https://triblive.com/local/judge-gives-century-iii-mall-owners-until-next-month-to-prove-they-will-raze-the-property/
- [1]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q↩
- [2]Ishaan Tharoor, “The uncomfortable need to talk about diplomacy with Russia,” Washington Post, October 19, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2022/10/19/diplomacy-russia-ukraine-need-nuclear/↩
- [3]Leila Abboud and Henry Foy, “Macron says sending western troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out,” Financial Times, February 27, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/83b8a80d-ab22-47fc-bbbb-6b1fd9df68ba; Henry Samuel, “Macron: West may need to save Ukraine if Russia makes breakthrough,” Telegraph, March 7, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/07/emmanuel-macron-threat-russia-breakthrough-ukraine-elysee/↩
- [4]Agence France-Presse and Times of Israel, “20 years after its opening, destroyed Gaza airport embodies grounded peace hopes,” Times of Israel, September 12, 2018, https://www.timesofisrael.com/20-years-after-its-opening-destroyed-gaza-airport-embodies-grounded-peace-hopes/↩
- [5]Zack Beauchamp, “Are Biden and the Democrats finally turning on Israel?” Vox, March 8, 2024, https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/3/8/24093748/biden-israel-democrats-state-of-the-union-gaza-port↩
- [6]Neena Hagen, “The fall of the Century: Once a retail shopping jewel, the West Mifflin mall has been left to rot,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 21, 2023, https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2023/05/21/centuryiii-west-mifflin-mall-slag-heap-kaufmanns-sears-police-closed-crime/stories/202305210039↩
- [7]Chris Kelly, quoted in Paula Reed Ward, “Century III Mall owners joust with Allegheny County DA over razing blighted property,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 7, 2024, https://triblive.com/business/century-iii-mall-owners-joust-with-allegheny-county-da-over-razing-blighted-property/↩