Houthi Leaders Risk Their Lives to Cling to Power

Last Thursday, the Israeli armed forces killed Yemen’s Houthi administration Prime Minister Ahmed Ghalib al-Rahawi, Foreign Minister Jamal Amer, and ten other ministers — more than half of Yemen’s government members — in a precise airstrike. Such an outcome is undeniably impressive, and it could not have arisen by chance as if in a fairytale.

In this case too, the strike was preceded by weeks of intelligence gathering involving around 200 military intelligence professionals. The group worked in a secret bunker located in Israel and also included representatives of the United States military.

The actual attack was carried out by Israeli fighter jets just a few hours after the intelligence team had confirmed the meeting place of the Yemeni government. At that moment, the Yemeni ministers had just gathered to listen to the speech of spiritual and military leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who, fortunately for him, was speaking via remote connection and thus preserved his life.

For the time being, the broader impact of the successful strike remains uncertain, but it seems that the Houthi administration is trying to hold on to its position. In doing so, its members are taking an enormous risk of another Israeli and U.S. strike, which, if successful, could cost them their lives. In any case, it is clear that the intelligence services of these states will do their utmost to succeed again.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Will Power Change Hands in Iran?
The End of the Holy Soldier of the Arabs
Religious authority and the Iran strike on Israel

Shock in Berlin: AfD Surges, Merz Stumbles

It may come as no surprise that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is taking the country's intelligence service to court over its classification of the party as a far-right group. What is a far bigger surprise, however, is that Friedrich Merz was not elected Chancellor in the first vote of the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, to lead a coalition government between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats.

This is likely to be corrected in the second vote. More interestingly, the AfD has already called for new elections.

The reason for this is likely the party’s rising popularity, now surpassing that of all other parties. This is certainly not only due to the perception that the intelligence service’s classification is undemocratic. The protest mood has likely also been fueled by the fact that no attempt was made—even symbolically—to negotiate a coalition with the AfD, which came second in the election. That, too, can be seen as a sign of broken democracy.

That’s why it will be fascinating to see how support for German political parties evolves in the coming months and years. Will the AfD continue to grow in popularity, or will Merz’s government restore public trust in the traditional parties?

At least Merz has a good starting point: the debt brake has been loosened, and he has pledged to fix Germany’s infrastructure and armed forces with hundreds of billions in additional funding. On the other hand, if Germany's sluggish economy begins to noticeably affect people's standard of living, support could also rise for protest parties other than the AfD.

Aiempia ajatuksia samasta aihepiiristä:
AfD Under Fire – But Is Democracy the Price?
Good luck to Chancellor Friedrich Merz!
What will post-migration Europe look like in the future?

AfD Under Fire – But Is Democracy the Price?

The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been classified as a far-right group. This conclusion was reached by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, which – according to Social Democratic Interior Minister Nancy Faeser – operated without "any political interference" during the process.

According to the background report justifying the classification, the assessment was based on the fact that AfD seeks to exclude certain population groups – particularly immigrants from Muslim-majority countries – from equal participation in society. The report states that "this is evident from numerous ongoing xenophobic, anti-minority, anti-Islamic, and anti-Muslim statements made by the party’s leading members."

This new classification is not insignificant – it could even lead to the banning of AfD. However, such a ban would not happen automatically. Moreover, it is already clear at this stage that AfD will take legal action against the new classification, accusing it of being politically motivated.

Personally, I am not taking a stance on AfD’s political line here, but it would be rather striking if as much as a quarter of people supported – without a justified reason – a far-right party in a country whose darkest historical chapters include the Nazi party and the Holocaust. Even more peculiar is the fact that no effort is being made to address the reasons behind the views of this quarter of the population. Instead, there appears to be an attempt to block a democratic – that is, electoral – path to solving the problem.

In fact, such an approach would not only be undemocratic but also dangerous. It is clear that if there is a real and fixable reason behind the growth in support for AfD, simply suppressing it will not eliminate the problem. On the contrary: in such a situation, there is a risk that a dissatisfied segment of the population might – at least partially – turn to undemocratic means.

Surely that would not be in the interests of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency? Or would it?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Good luck to Chancellor Friedrich Merz!
Too Many Finns Share Trump’s Inability to Comprehend
What will post-migration Europe look like in the future?

Western Countries Have Neither a Reason Nor a Need to Accept Asylum Seekers from Syria or Gaza

After the Syrian revolution, many believed that a new and better era was dawning for the country. This was despite the fact that the HTS alliance, which came to power in December, has an Islamist background.

However, the persecution of Syria’s minorities recently made headlines, after which President Ahmed al-Sharaa promised to end the violence and arbitrary executions. Now, however, it has emerged that Alawites who fled to Lebanon have a different view.

According to one of them, “Bashar al-Assad is a murderer, but al-Sharaa is even worse. Words cannot describe the horrors.” 

A Christian, on the other hand, claimed that government forces had shot his father. According to him, “The troops entered our house, and my father was the only one home. Otherwise, we would all be dead.”

At this stage, it is difficult to assess the accuracy of these accounts, as there is no precise information available on the violence that has occurred. Allegations suggest that, in response to uprisings against the new government’s fighters, Islamists have retaliated ISIS-style with arbitrary executions and by kidnapping women as sex slaves.

If this has indeed happened, it is, of course, an extremely serious matter. On the other hand, it is clear that people who have fled Syria are not necessarily reliable sources.

Therefore, it would be important for the intelligence agencies of other countries to obtain more reliable information about what is currently happening in Syria. And if the allegations of crimes described above are confirmed—or especially if they appear to be becoming the new norm—the rest of the world must take action.

Or alternatively, acknowledge the situation and let people live in the reality of their own society without even trying to change it. While at the same time declaring that all cultures are equally good. And to understand that for this very reason, Western countries have neither a reason nor a need to accept asylum seekers from Syria.

* * *

Israel attacked Gaza again some time ago, stating that the reason was that Hamas had been preparing attacks on Israeli territory. This justification became very clear today, when Hamas' military wing announced that it had fired rockets into Israel.

One of the rockets was intercepted, and two fell in uninhabited areas within Israel. The almost certain consequence of this will be an Israeli counterstrike, which will cause even greater suffering for the people of Gaza, who are already experiencing hard times.

Also in this case, Western people should acknowledge that all cultures are equally good. And understand that therefore they have no reason to accept even a single Palestinian asylum seeker.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Uncertain Horizons: Syria's Post-Assad Era
The Need for Asylum Among Syrians Disappeared with the Regime Change
On the Consequences of Russian Inability in Syria

Finnish military intelligence: the Russian army is at the limits of its operational capability

Finnish military intelligence has reported that Russia has relocated about 80 percent of the troops near the Finnish border to other areas, specifically to Ukraine. This particularly concerns ground forces, where, in addition to personnel, the remaining equipment shows signs of obsolescence.

The same is most likely happening in other military bases across Russia. Therefore, even if the ongoing war in Ukraine were to end at this moment, it would take several years for the Russian army to regain its previous level of combat capability.

This indicates that Vladimir Putin's army is at the limits of its endurance in its invasion of Ukraine. It also means that it would not be capable of launching large-scale military operations elsewhere at this time.

This also implies that Russia currently lacks the ability to defend against a conventional military attack directed against it. This might explain why Russia has recently brought up the possibility of changing its nuclear doctrine.

From the perspective of the war in Ukraine, the weakening of the Russian army is naturally a good thing, especially now that its ground attack in the Kharkiv direction has resulted in nothing but significant personnel and equipment losses for the attacker. This does not mean that Putin will abandon his plans, but it perhaps gives hope that the operational capability of the Russians will continue to weaken on the other Ukrainian fronts as well.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, suggested that Ukraine should cede part of its territory
Finnish weapons are being tested against the Russians in Ukraine
Technically backward, miscellaneous group of gunmen

Hussein Al-Taee, an Islamic militant and a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland

Next Sunday, Finland will hold parliamentary elections, and one of the candidates for the Social Democratic Party is Hussein Al-Taee. He has an immigration background and is known for his work in Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari's peace mediation company. 

However, it has been revealed that Al-Taee sympathizes with militant Islam and dictatorships, and has been suspected of having connections to the intelligence service of Iraq. He may also have had a task to interfere with Finnish policy and help members of Shia militia immigrate into Finland through the international asylum system. Additionally, Al-Taee has written antisemitic texts, but he apologized for his mistakes after they became public.

Despite these concerning revelations, Al-Taee was still accepted as a candidate for the Social Democratic Party in the elections. Furthermore, he published a video in Arabic where he suggests that immigrants are taken from their parents by force.

In other words, Al-Taee is spreading the same kind of disinformation in Finland that is used in Sweden to hinder the integration of immigrants from the Islamic world into their new home. Furthermore, he has made it clear that his positive views on militant Islam have not changed.

Therefore, as the people of Finland, we must question whether the Social Democrats should continue to support Mr. Al-Taee. They should admit that they made a mistake by nominating him as a candidate for Parliament and discourage voters from supporting him. If they do not take action before the elections, they should cancel his party membership immediately after the election, regardless of the outcome.

We must also consider whether allowing Al-Taee to remain a member of the Social Democratic Party obstructs Finnish immigration policy and endangers the country's security. If so, the party leaders and the entire organization may be unworthy of the trust of the Finnish people.

The original blog post in Finnish:
SDP:n on erotettava Hussein Al-Taee

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Ayatollahs in Iran demonstrated their ridiculousness
Sweden already in trouble - Finland following
Riots in Sweden: what next?