The time has come to recognize and make better choices. Choose between wisdom and foolhardiness. While embracing sovereignty, choose respectful engagement over disparagement and disengagement. In forums of serious deliberation (not pandering events or pageantry made for social media), plan for the future. Choose life, liberty and possibility for all people.
Choose to build up instead of tearing down.
ontrary to this ideal, American leaders and their partners have continued a pattern of betrayal. Divide and disable. Weaken the American people. Destroy the homeland’s inner strength and preparedness.
Their reign of terror at home matches their destruction abroad. Unchecked and unchastened (with impunity, without punishment), they have continued to commit unconscionable aggression against world nations.
They have initiated, overseen, and acquiesced to the continuing withdrawal from vital international treaties. They have advanced the breakdown and abuse of important post-World War II institutions, such as the United Nations.
American leaders and their partners have persisted in razing and destabilizing nations; forcing mass displacement of the world’s peoples; and furthering their contempt for life, they have driven the bloody sword to its hilt by demonizing and disparaging people forced by foreign meddling and aggression to flee their homelands; and, simultaneously, demonizing and disparaging originating countries as well as other nations and leaders of the world.
However, not all nations and leaders have chosen to imitate the global carnage and self-decapitation Brand.
While clearly devoted to the imperative of sovereignty, nations outside the United States and beyond Washington’s incestuous, echo-chambered ideology have chosen a different path.
From the Global South to the Far East, nations are pulling together, building each other up; and moving substantively, constructively forward.
IN THE MOMENT
World News October 2022
“‘Friendship Games’” are welcoming “athletes from more than 20 countries” and anticipating distributing more than “100 sets of awards” “among 800 athletes.” Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, also an important sporting figure in his homeland and helper in organizing the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, said “Russia will welcome athletes from more than 20 countries when it hosts the in the city of Kazan next month.”
Hosting the Friendship Games will be citizens of Russia’s fifth-largest and most populous city, an important cultural center situated on the Volga River, Kazan, Tatarstan, a republic of Russia in Eastern Europe.
Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said these games will “bring athletes together” “and underline our commitment to the principles of fair sport.”
World news November 2022
In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (headquartered in a country that collaborates with and aids and abets the US-led violence-prone global aggressor NATO) pushed for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from global sports events.
This week, sports officials of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) “held an online meeting in which they discussed strengthening cooperation.” Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin representing Russia reflected on principles of the bloc’s sports cooperation being rooted “in the spirit of partnership, equality, mutual respect and non-discrimination.” (Emphasis added)
Recent meetings over the past few months have included discussions of “a new ‘Marathon League’ involving the five countries;” “sports ties with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the world’s largest regional bloc, composed of a combined population exceeding three billion people;” and “plans for the 2023 BRICS Games” including ten sporting disciplines to be held in South Africa.
RT October 28, 2022, “Russia outlines plans for latest ‘Friendship Games’: The country is gearing up to host the sporting event in November,” https://www.rt.com/sport/565526-russia-friendship-games-kazan/
RT November 2, 2022, “Russia hails ‘mutual respect’ of BRICS ties: New ideas have been pitched for sporting relations within the bloc,” https://www.rt.com/sport/565797-russia-brics-marathon-league-sports-ties/
SWI Swiss info dot ch History: Swiss perspectives in 10 languages: “Switzerland and NATO: engaged but not married,” https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/70th-anniversary_switzerland-and-nato--engaged-but-not-married/44874180
IN CONTEXT
Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Full Members
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India
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Kazakhstan
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China
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Kyrgyzstan
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Russia
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Pakistan
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Tajikistan
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Uzbekistan
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SCO Observer Status Countries
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Afghanistan
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Belarus
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Iran
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Mongolia
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Dialogue Partner Status Countries
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Azerbaijan
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Armenia
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Cambodia
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Nepal
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Turkey
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Sri Lanka
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SCO Defined
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established by proclamation “on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.”
The SCO’s main goals were declared as
- “Strengthening mutual confidence and good-neighborly relations among the member countries;
- “Promoting effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields;
- “Making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region,
- “Moving toward the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.” (Emphasis added)
“Initially, the SCO focused on mutual intra-regional efforts to curb terrorism, separatism and extremism in Central Asia.”
October 26, 2005: “The SCO Interbank Consortium (SCO IBC) was established by the Council of Heads of Government to provide funding and bank services for investment projects sponsored by the governments of the SCO member states.”
The BRICS Origin and Scope
Member Countries
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Brazil
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Russia
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India
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China
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South Africa
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“BRICS countries are influential members of leading international organizations and agencies such as the United Nations, the G20, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Group of 77.”
Further
- “The Russian Federation is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the Eurasian Economic Union.”
- “Russia and China are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.”
- “Brazil is a member of the Union of South American Nations, MERCOSUR, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.”
- “The Republic of South Africa is a member of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community.”
- “India is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.”
History “BRICS is an informal group of states comprising the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa.
Consideration of the establishment of the bloc, based on Russian proposals, began with BRICS foreign ministers in September 2006 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York; continued in May 2008 in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg; and two months later on the sidelines of the G8 Summit in Tokyo, Japan. After a June 16, 2009, meeting in Yekaterinburg, BRICS Leaders issued a joint statement setting out BRICS’ goals of
“promoting dialogue and cooperation among (member) countries in an incremental, proactive, pragmatic, open and transparent way.” (Emphasis added)Furthermore, their document asserted that
“The dialogue and cooperation of the BRICS countries is conducive not only to serving common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries; but also to building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.” https://infobrics.org/page/history-of-brics/
Over the years, the “BRICS cooperation has deepened and become more tangible;” and the “influence of its cooperation has gone beyond the five countries and become a constructive force for boosting world economic growth, improving global governance and promoting democracy in international relations.”
The BRICS countries “uphold fairness and justice; actively promote reform of the global governance system and make the BRICS voice heard on international and regional hotspot issues. This has not only enhanced the say (voice, influence) of emerging markets and developing countries in the world; but also made BRICS an important platform for promoting South-South cooperation.” (Emphasis added)
The BRICS “cooperation has been widely recognized by developing countries;” and its “status and role in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the G20, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have been rising and growing.” http://brics2022.mfa.gov.cn/eng/gyjzgj/jzgjjj/
It seems that older nations are endowed with the better wisdom.
Younger nations whose leaders center on self and superficiality are inept and weak in courage and work ethic. They are unconcerned about the future-- preferring to weaken the young at home by failing to nourish them with basic essentials (health, education, welfare, housing); and to kill, maim and starve the young in other countries. They are foolhardy. These younger nations, sporting BRAND USA, are by far the riskier nations. The character and caliber of their leaders make them dangerous to the homeland, and to the whole world.
It is therefore imperative that wiser nations (their sober leadership and cooperating organizations) work to check and neutralize (nonviolently) the crazed, criminal, and counterproductive nature of younger nations.
World and National Sources
Collage composed of individual Internet images
Composition, Compilation Commentary excluding quoted material and individual images
Copyright © Carolyn LaDelle Bennett
Author’s links
www.BennettsAmericanEpitaph.com
https://www.facebook.com/carolynladelle.bennett
https://insightbeyondtodaysnews.blogspot.com/
nolandanisland@hotmail.com
