Månad: september 2021

Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) Yngve Odlo will this week meet with Lieutenant General Stanislav Maslov, Chief of the FSB Border Directorate, in Kirkenes, Norway. The two Lieutenant Generals will on Wednesday preside over the first protocol meeting between the NJHQ and the FSB Border Service since October 2019.

A press release says the Covid-19 pandemic has made it challenging to conduct physical meetings between the delegations from the Russian Federal Security Services’ (FSB) Border Service of the Western Arctic Areas and the Joint Headquarters.

Norway has, like NATO, suspended its bilateral military cooperation with Russia since 2014. Activities shielded from this suspension include a.o. cooperation about coastguard and border control, areas in which annual protocol meetings still take place.

Cooperation on the Norwegian-Russian border is based on the border demarcation agreement between Norway and Russia dating back to 29 December 1949. In other words, it is thus a historically rooted cooperation characterized by an open and good dialogue between the border control forces and the Norwegian and also Russian border commissioners, the press statement says. Läs artikel

If one thing is clear from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, it is that India will defend herself against external threats and the increased dangers of terrorism that may come from Afghanistan through Pakistan and is perfectly capable of acting in its own interests – both on land (Kashmir or Ladakh) and at sea (the Indian Ocean). His address can be taken as further evidence of the new multipolarity that is rapidly reshaping global politics.

India will not sacrifice its sovereignty to accommodate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s reported itch for war games against the Taliban from Indian territory.

Despite pressure from neocons and Mackinderites (those who believe that Anglo-American maritime power should promote conflict and division among the major Eurasian land powers), it will be nearly impossible to persuade India to grant NATO “over-the-horizon” rights to strike Afghanistan from Indian territory. India can smell a skunk in the garden and will be cautious. Läs artikel

[…]As many of you may know, my holistic view of Finland’s security sees it as resting on four pillars. They are, first, the national defence and security; second, the Western integration and partnerships; third, the relationship with Russia; and fourth, the international system and comprehensive security. […]

Let me begin with the first pillar, our national defence and security. As I have often said, a credible defence has a twofold function. On the one hand, it raises the threshold against a potential aggressor. On the other, it makes us a more lucrative partner for others, particularly when interoperability is high.

A credible defence builds on adequate military capabilities and resources. Our past and future procurements for the different domains are necessary to make sure that our national capacity stays on top of emerging challenges.

But a credible defence cannot be built on hardware alone. It also stems from the very mindset of the population: a genuine will to defend one’s own country. That will has traditionally been on a remarkably high level in Finland. That does not mean that we could take it for granted in the future. We must actively nurture that will in the coming generations. […]

Finland’s relationship with Russia is longstanding and multifaceted. Over time, this relationship has experienced fluctuations, to put it mildly. But what has persisted for decades, is a shared commitment to seek working relations between neighbours. In the process, maintaining a functioning relationship with Russia – as functioning a relationship as possible at a given point in time – has become an important pillar supporting our own security. Läs talet

Zabihullah Mujahid, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, on Wednesday said the United States has violated Afghanistan’s airspace by its drones.

“It has recently acted in violation of all international law and the United States’ commitments to the Islamic Emirate in Doha, Qatar, and Afghanistan’s sacred airspace is being occupied by US drones. These violations must be corrected and prevented,” Mujahid tweeted.

Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on all countries, especially the United States, to act in light of mutual commitments and in accordance with the international laws and avoid violating Afghanistan airspace.

Mujahid statement followed remarks by US officials who have said the Untied States does not need to cooperate with the Islamic Emirate on over the horizon counterterrorism efforts. Läs artikel

Grekland köper tre fregatter från Frankrike som en del i ett djupare strategiskt samarbete, meddelar Frankrikes president Emmanuel Macron. Syftet är att bygga ett självständigare Europa.

[…] Utanför Kapitoliumsa Boris Johnson att den franska reaktionen lät som någon som precis har blivit dumpad, och fortsatte i samma mobbarmanér med att Aukus inte alls handlade om att vara exkluderande eller att försöka knuffa ut någon.

Frankrike svarade i sin tur med att dra tillbaka sina ambassadörer från Canberra och Washington. Men ambassadören i London kunde lika gärna vara kvar, eftersom Storbritannien fungerar mer som en lydstat under USA ändå, som fransmännen sa. Så kan man också psyka ett land som fortfarande ser sig som en stormakt.

Vad har då Sverige för roll i dramat?

Bara dagar efter det internationella storbråket tog Peter Hultqvist emot den franska försvarsministern för att skriva under en avsiktsförklaring om fördjupat försvarssamarbete. Det är en del av en större trend där USA fokuserar alltmer på Stillahavsregionen och mindre på Europa.

I takt med att USA har blivit svårare att lita på har Sverige uppvaktat Frankrike – EU:s enda land med kärnvapen och en permanent plats i FN:s säkerhetsråd. När alla går hem vill ingen stå ensam kvar.

För bara några år sedan var den svensk-franska militära relationen frostig, efter att Sverige 2017 köpte in det amerikanska luftvärnssystemet Patriot i stället för franskproducerade vapen. Men de svenska aktierna har stigit i Paris, framförallt genom vårt deltagande i den franskledda insatsen i Mali, där Sverige har närmare 400 militärer på plats. Sedan ett knappt år tillbaka får det västafrikanska landet dessutom två miljarder i bistånd årligen, vilket gör Mali till ett av våra största mottagarländer.

Varför är vi där, egentligen?

Den militära insatsen har framförallt byggt på en fransk vision – och en svensk vilja att säkerhetspolitiskt ha en bra relation med Frankrike. Målet för fransmännen är europeisk strategisk autonomi, ett Europa som kan ta ansvar för att till exempel förhindra terrorattentat och på så sätt bli jämbördiga med USA och Kina. […]

Men frågar du svenska försvarspolitiker eller högt uppsatta personer inom försvaret kan ingen entydigt svara på vad Sveriges mål med insatsen är. Läs artikel

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has said he was seeking approval to resume investigation into Afghanistan, focusing on the actions of the Taliban and the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), while alleged US crimes will take a back seat.

A statement on the ICC website on Monday said the request was being made to the court’s judges in light of developments since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan last month.

Karim Khan, who took over in June, said the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover meant war crimes were no longer likely to be investigated properly.

A lawyer for alleged victims of US torture in Afghanistan was “stunned” after Khan announced he would “deprioritise” the investigation into American forces, a probe that has long enraged Washington.

The ICC had already spent 15 years looking into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan before opening a full investigation last year. The Hague-based ICC’s inquiry had been put on hold in 2020 after the now-deposed government in Kabul said it would try to investigate war crimes allegations itself. […]

The court had found there was a reasonable basis to believe war crimes had been committed between 2003 and 2014, among them suspected mass killings of civilians by the Taliban, as well as suspected torture of prisoners by Afghan authorities and, to a lesser extent, by US forces and the CIA. But the United States is not a party to the ICC, and imposed sanctions against the office of the prosecutor for investigating the role of US forces.

Shifting the focus of the probe could help mend the court’s relationship with Washington. Läs artikel

Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) units have entered the Black Sea for the third time this year to conduct further routine operations, and conduct a port visit to Batumi, Georgia.

According to NATO here, SNMCMG2, consists of Spanish flagship ESPS Rayo, Italian ship ITS Viareggio, and Turkish ship TCG Edincik. Romanian ship ROS Lt. Lupu Dinescu and Bulgarian ship BGS Shkval will join the group after they enter the Black Sea. […]

U.S. Air Force Major General Phillip A. Stewart, Deputy Chief of Staff Strategic Employment Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, was quoted as saying:

“NATO operates across the breadth and depth of SACEUR’s Area of Responsibility—day-in and day-out. These activities are consistent with our shared values and keep with international law—our activities in the Black Sea are no different. The three Allied and two partner Nations participating in this joint exercise strengthen NATO’s awareness and demonstrates our ability to secure the sovereign terrain of our great Alliance.” Läs artikel

In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his conviction that the people of Iraq would welcome “liberation” by the United States and Britain. He refused to listen to warnings that Britain’s imperial record in Iraq would in fact lead them to regard British military intervention with instinctive distrust and hostility.

Yet Blair was also the first British prime minister to apologize in public for the crimes of the British empire. As with Western liberal internationalists in general, this acknowledgement of past national sins did not qualify in any way Blair’s assumption of the right to lecture other nations on their sins, tell them how they should be governed, and invade them in the name of building democracy. This combination of attitudes is inexplicable in rational terms — but makes perfect sense as a manifestation of secular religion. In a religious context, how often have loud public confessions of personal sinfulness provided the justification for ferocious condemnation of the sins of others? Läs artikel

The Kremlin warned on Monday that any expansion of NATO military infrastructure in Ukraine would cross one of President Vladimir Putin’s ”red lines”, and Belarus said it had agreed to take action with Moscow to counter growing NATO activity. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close Moscow ally, accused the United States of setting up training centres in Ukraine which he said amounted to military bases. He said he had discussed the issue with Putin.

”It’s clear we need to react to this…(We) agreed that we need to take some kind of measures in response,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.

Ukraine began joint military exercises with U.S. and other NATO member troops last week, while Russia and Belarus held large-scale drills that alarmed the West.  Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, has long sought closer ties with the West and its militaries. It has had fraught relations with Russia since Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014 and backed separatists fighting in Ukraine’s east.

Russia staunchly opposes the idea of NATO membership for Ukraine. It alarmed Ukraine and the West earlier this year by building up military forces near Ukraine’s borders. Läs artikel