The United States vote with Russia, North Korea, & Belarus at the UN

[Circularmadness]

America votes with Russia and North Korea at the UN. They didn’t abstain, they voted with them. The USA voted against Russias withdrawal from the Ukraine. You are who your friends are, as they say.

Wow 18 against and 65 countries abstaining.
The USA is looking increasingly desperate for rare minerals to the extent that they are willing to try just about anything (annexing Canada or Greenland or now teaming with Russia).

There are suggestions it was part of the agreement reached in Saudi with the Russians that the US would take a more Russia friendly stance at the UN. It’s shit but they couldn’t be any clearer in telling us who they are.

The world is changing, the USA and Russia don't have to be at odds forever, no matter how scary that seems for the rest of us. Nothing surprises me anymore!

Odd to see Israel voted against and very surprised that China and Iran abstained.

China have abstained consistently throughout on these votes, it’s pretty standard. Israel I suppose the argument could be made that they don’t want to name Russia as an aggressor when they’re doing similar in Gaza and the West Bank. That and they want to keep Trump happy.

Putin has some kind of hold over Trump. Didn’t he have a sex tape or something? From years ago.

This makes me so embarrassed/ashamed to be an American. All my life, it was apparent that the bad guys together, and they were always on the OTHER side.

😥

The "revelation" of the so-called "pee-tape" (which supposedly showed prostitutes urinating, for Trump's enjoyment, on a bed used by Obama) was part of what was called the Steele Dossier. Trump supporters like to say that this was a lie, but as far as I know, it has neither been proven nor disproven. It is a mark of Trump's reputation, though, that it's so easy to believe - the combination of tawdriness and petty vindictiveness.

Make no mistake that, as someone on the FT politics podcast put it, the US “is now an adversary”.

I hope Europe is ready to co-ordinate and aggressively stand up for progressive liberal democracy. Women - who are one of the groups most at risk in the new world order - need to be ready to do likewise, in whatever way they can. Donate, protest, call out examples of everyday sexism wherever you find them, vote for candidates who have your interests at heart.

It would be easy to feel complacent - that could never happen over here - or that one person cannot make a difference. But future generations (and I say this as someone who is childfree by choice) need all of us to advocate for a decent, better world which operates according to something other than the law of the jungle (might is right).

Israel was understandably horrified that Zelenski joined the Canadian Parliament to give a standing ovation to a Waffen SS man. The Waffen SS were responsible for many pogroms against Jews, Poles etc in WW2. Israel understandably will not back Ukraine now while Zelenski is in charge.

Why are you surprised to see Israel vote against? It fits with their own aspirations and them wanting to keep the Yanks happy

Zelensky is Jewish.