NATO
Putin: Battle for Cultural Supremacy is Growing
In a speech yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the “battle for cultural supremacy is growing on the world stage,” adding that Russia’s “rich cultural heritage and spiritual potential” put the country “in a unique position to successfully spread traditional Russian moral and religious values.” Putin outlined a foreign policy position that Russia is the world’s defender of traditional moral values against “the aggressive imposition of neoliberal views by a number of states,” such as the United States and European democracies.
Analyst Comments: This is similar to what’s outlined in Alexander Dugin’s book “The Great Reset versus the Great Awakening”, which is about how traditional societies must become allies in the fight for collective traditional values. Dugin pointed to China and the Islamic community as traditional, socially conservative societies and described Trump conservatives as bearers of traditional values in North America.
Estonia: Baltic “NATO Sea” to Deter Russia
The inclusion of Sweden and Finland into NATO will effectively transform the Baltic Sea into an “inner sea of NATO” according to statements made by Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur. The effective surrounding of the Baltic Sea by NATO territories will amplify deterrence of Russian aggression in the region according to Pevkur creating “one unified operational space” allowing for strategic multi-domain force applications that would enable a wide range of deterrence efforts including the effective closure of the sea to Russian air and naval traffic.
Analyst Comments: The creation of unified deterrence efforts will be met with stiff resistance by Russia who will likely claim the efforts amount to an illegal embargo of its Baltic ports and Kaliningrad enclave. This will drastically increase tensions in the region, creating a geopolitical and strategic environment overripe with potential flashpoints for global conflict.
Swiss To Build Defensive Ties with EU, NATO
Swiss defense officials released a new policy paper outlining their intent to expand and modernize the country’s military. The planned expansions include a reorientation towards international cooperation that includes building closer defensive ties with European Union and NATO forces. Swiss forces will take an active role in joint military exercises and join the EU rapid-deployment teams conducting rescue and evacuation operations.
Analyst Comments: The move by the Swiss government is a significant departure from its historical tradition of stark neutrality and is reflective of a changing security situation in Europe that has caused a shift by traditionally neutral countries, including Finland and Sweden, towards the NATO sphere.)
Energy Crisis Triggers Civil Unrest in Czech Republic
Civil unrest broke out in the Czech Republic over the weekend, following Russia’s announcement of the closure of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
by permiegirl 
