REVELATION 10:5-6And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, THAT THERE SHOULD BE TIME NO LONGER:
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for THAT DAY IS GREAT, SO THAT NONE IS LIKE IT: IT IS EVEN THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE, but he [Israel’s Believing Remnant at the end of the seven year tribulation} shall be saved out of it.
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION, WHICH SHALL COME UPON ALL THE WORLD, TO TRY THEM THAT DWELL UPON THE EARTH.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! FOR THE DEVIL IS COME DOWN UNTO YOU, HAVING GREAT WRATH, BECAUSE HE KNOWETH THAT HE HATH BUT A SHORT TIME.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST:
And I saw heaven opened, and BEHOLD A WHITE HORSE; AND HE THAT SAT UPON HIM WAS CALLED FAITHFUL AND TRUE, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and UNDERSTAND THAT I AM HE: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore THEY SHALL KNOW IN THAT DAY THAT I AM HE THAT DOTH SPEAK: BEHOLD, IT IS I.
Luke 21:28 And WHEN THESE THINGS BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, THEN LOOK UP, AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS; FOR YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH.
In His Service,
Night Watchman
Paul Rolland
Night Watchman Ministries
Make Your (7) Decision for Christ NOW!!!!!!! Time is Up!!!!!!!
Jesus Christ’s Offer of Salvation:
The ABCs (7) of Salvation through Jesus Christ (the Lamb)
- (7) Admit/Acknowledge/Accept that you are sinner. Ask (7) God’s forgiveness and repent of your sins.
. . . “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).
. . . “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10).
. . . “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8).
B. Believe Jesus is Lord. Believe that (7) Jesus Christ is who He claimed to (7) be; that He was both fully God (7) and fully man and that we are (7) saved through His death, burial, and resurrection. (7) Put your trust in Him as your (7) only hope of salvation. Become a son (7) or daughter of God by receiving Christ. (7777777) 7×7
. . . “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:15-17). For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).
C. Call upon His name, Confess (7) with your heart and with your lips (7) that Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
. . . “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
RED HORSEMAN
Then another horse came out, A FIERY RED ONE. ITS RIDER WAS GIVEN POWER TO TAKE PEACE FROM THE EARTH AND TO MAKE PEOPLE KILL EACH OTHER. TO HIM WAS GIVEN A LARGE SWORD.
WHY ARE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SUDDENLY INSTRUCTING CITIZENS TO PREPARE FOR WAR?
By Michael Snyder/End of the American Dream November 22, 2024
It appears that something really big is in the works. All of a sudden, a number of countries in Europe seem to be really freaking out about what is ahead, and that seems very strange.
The war in Ukraine has been actively raging since February 2022. So why are so many European nations now telling their people to prepare for war? What has changed? Do they know something that we don’t?
On Tuesday, Ukraine fired six long-range missiles that were provided by the United States into Russia.U.S.-made products. On Wednesday, Ukraine fired twelve long-range missiles that were provided by the United Kingdom into Russia.
This is literally insane.
What would we do if another superpower was using Canada or Mexico to launch long-range missiles at us? Needless to say, there would be millions of Americans screaming for us to use nukes against that superpower. Well, right now there are millions of people inside Russia that want their government to use nuclear weapons against the United States and Europe.
Of course if there is a full-blown nuclear war, there won’t be any winners. We should be doing all that we can to find a way out of this mess.
The war in Ukraine is not good for anyone except for the military-industrial complex, and so leaders on both sides should be seeking to sit down at the negotiating table while it is still possible to do so. But instead of pushing for negotiations, a number of countries in Europe appear to be preparing for war. For example, on Monday Sweden began to distribute more than 5 million copies of a booklet “advising its citizens how to prepare for war”…
Sweden on Monday started to distribute copies of a booklet advising its citizens how to prepare for war, as Nordic countries teach people how to brace for a potential Russian attack. The 32-page brochure, which is also available in English and several other languages, advises citizens on warning systems, how to seek shelter during an air raid and even psychological and digital security.
Why would Sweden need to prepare for war? Nobody is going to attack Sweden. Something doesn’t smell right. Sweden has not had to fight a war for a very long time, but apparently top Swedish officials believe that this is a very real possibility…
Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin made waves in January when he warned: “There could be war in Sweden.” Sweden’s then army chief Micael Byden also alarmed many when he days later said “Swedes have to mentally prepare for war.” Sweden has not gone to war in more than two centuries.
Meanwhile, Finland and Norway are also suddenly interested in getting their citizens prepared for war… As Norwegian paper Aftenposten recently reported, Norway’s citizens have also received similar “emergency preparedness” pamphlets because “in the worst case” acts of war could also affect Norway.
Finland’s government, too, has released a digital booklet to prepare citizens for “incidents and crises,” stating that the country “has always been prepared for the worst possible threat, war.” In particular, Finland has become quite paranoid. They are actually constructing a 10-foot-tall wall that is going to be 200 km long when it is finally finished… Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia and Helsinki has maintained a higher level of preparedness.
But after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Helsinki announced plans to build a 200-kilometre border fence with Russia. Three meters (10 feet) tall and topped with barbed wire, it is due to be completed by 2026.
Why would the Russians invade Finland?
The Russians have their hands quite full with Ukraine, and that isn’t going to change any time soon. Once again, something is not adding up.
In Germany, an incredibly detailed document that is a thousand pages long contains intricate plans for a war with Russia… According to a 1,000-page document entitled ‘Operationsplan Deutschland’, Germany would reportedly host hundreds of thousands of troops from NATO countries and serve as a logistics hub for sending huge quantities of military equipment, food and medicine toward the front.
A report by Der Spiegel in the summer said as many as 800,000 soldiers from the security bloc could be hosted by Germany as they transit to posts further East. The German army is also instructing companies and civilians on how to protect key infrastructure and mobilise for national defence, envisaging a situation in which Russia expands drone flights, spying operations and sabotage attacks across Europe.
Why are they spending so much time and energy preparing for a hypothetical war with Russia? If the Russians become convinced that an all-out war with NATO is inevitable, they won’t invade Europe with conventional forces. Instead, they will use their nukes.
And the Europeans won’t be the first to get nuked. The United States will. As I have relentlessly warned my readers, Russia has been preparing to fight a nuclear war with the United States for a long time. Their strategic nuclear arsenal is far superior to our own, their anti-missile systems are far superior to our own, and the subs that they would use to deliver a devastating first strike are so quiet that we cannot even track them effectively.
So let’s find a peaceful solution to the problem in Ukraine before events spiral completely out of control. Because right now we are closer to nuclear war than we have ever been, and the death and destruction that a full-blown nuclear war would cause would be unthinkable.
MORNING RUNDOWN: 7 BILLION LIVES AT RISK AMID GROWING NUCLEAR TENSIONS
By Charisma Staff Nov 21, 2024
As Russia and Ukraine mark their 1,000th day of war and Western leaders give the greenlight to use long-range missiles they provided, spearheaded by President Joe Biden, the world is on the brink of nuclear war.
No, this isn’t fear-mongering to rile up the masses, this is the threat NATO faces as Russian President Vladimir Putin has said if these missiles are used against Russia, he will consider it an act of war upon Russia by NATO forces who supplied the armaments.
“This is now the time where we really start praying,” says prophetic voice Joseph Z of Z Ministries. “I’ve been praying about this because…the defeat that they experienced, and who is they? I’m talking about the Dems and these wicked lizard overlord…mafia-types, that have, honestly, acted like they are going out peacefully and kind.
“But suddenly, permission is given to this nation…and getting permission to send these spears, javelins, arrows, missiles, into the former Soviet Union. And these are USA provided,” Z continues.
But what could be the point of this? Why on earth would the current administration knowingly instigate and antagonize a nuclear-capable Russia who has said they are willing to cross that red line?
“So what they are trying to do is hand WW3 to 45/47, and there’s even calls now for Biden to step down…and there’s calls to say ‘put her [Kamala Harris] in,’” Z reveals.
In times of war, we need a wartime leader. Israel had King David. The United States had General George Washington. If the past three years are any indicator, the Biden-Harris administration is lacking a wartime leader, and the American people just voted to bring one into the White House
Z points to the repeated warnings from Putin about the potential consequences of the West’s actions, and has built a reputation as a man who carries out the threats that he makes.
“[Putin] has said you have, basically, until the holidays, until Christmas. ‘If you don’t stop, I’m going to push the button,’” Z says, believing that Putin is trying to wait as long as possible, because he knows who will assume the mantle of President of the United States next. Donald Trump has also made a name for himself as a man who is willing to use action over words.
“I have a great concern about this,” Z shares. “…I gotta tell you, if they push too fast too soon, they could let one off the leash. And the outcome of this, is devastating.”
Playing right into Z’s worst fears, Ukraine has reportedly continued to launch long-range missiles, this time using British-made ‘Storm Shadow’ missiles, into Russia.
According to the UK’s media outlet, “The Mirror”:
British-made Storm Shadow missiles have allegedly been fired into Russia for the first time today, just hours after British officials joined their U.S. counterparts and suggested they may lift an existing missile ban.
Unconfirmed reports on Russian Telegram channels cited by the Kyiv Post have alleged that 12 of the missiles flew over the border from the Kursk region today. The claims come less than a day after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed that Ukraine must have “what it needs” to counter the threat posed by Russia.
“The concern I have is what I’ve seen,” Z says, “this is why we’ve got to pray.… now we’re in a place where suddenly they’re going to try to trigger something that could turn into a domino effect.”
The potential destruction from such a trigger event is staggering, according to Z. Revealing information from analysts with whom he has communicated, an estimated death toll from a nuclear-driven World War 3 event would reach upward of 7 billion lives lost.
“This is on our front step. This is serious,” Z warns. “That they could let these tactical nukes go, or bigger ones, or any of it. I believe this is something the church, just like we had to pray about the hurricanes, just like we had to pray about the election, just like we had to pray about everything, now we’ve got to pray about this. Because this is very serious.”
WE ARE THE GENERATION OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION
MICHAEL SNYDER NOVEMBER 22, 2024
What is it going to take for people to finally start waking up? Warheads are literally raining out of the sky. The Russians essentially simulated what a nuclear attack on Ukraine’s fourth largest city would look like, and yet most people don’t seem too alarmed. The Russians only used conventional warheads, but they are clearly warning us that next time things could be very different. Meanwhile, we could see a massive escalation in the Middle East at any moment. Jesus specifically warned us that the days just before His return would be a time of “wars and rumors of wars”, and if you haven’t figured out that we are living in a time of “wars and rumors of wars” by now, I don’t know what to say.
If we really are living in the end times, war is in our future.
IN FACT, REVELATION 6:8 TELLS US THAT WAR WILL BE ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS WHY ONE-FOURTH OF THE ENTIRE GLOBAL POPULATION DIES DURING THE SEAL JUDGMENTS…
AND I LOOKED, AND BEHOLD A PALE HORSE: AND HIS NAME THAT SAT ON HIM WAS DEATH, AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH HIM. AND POWER WAS GIVEN UNTO THEM OVER THE FOURTH PART OF THE EARTH, TO KILL WITH SWORD, AND WITH HUNGER, AND WITH DEATH, AND WITH THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH.
This is coming.
Maybe you don’t think it is coming right away, but if the Bible is true it is coming.
And at this moment we are closer to an apocalyptic global war than we have been since the days of World War II.
Yesterday, a British missile that was fired from Ukrainian territory hit a military base in Russia and wounded a top North Korean general…
A senior North Korean general was wounded in a recent Ukrainian strike in Russia’s Kursk region, Western officials said Thursday.
It is the first time Western officials have said that a high-ranking North Korean military officer has become a casualty in the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict.
More than 10,000 North Korean troops are deployed in Kursk as the Kremlin tries to repel Ukrainian troops who mounted an offensive there in August, U.S. officials have said.
This conflict in Ukraine has evolved into a truly global struggle.
During a speech that he just delivered, the former head of the Ukrainian military boldly declared that World War III started in 2024…
Ukraine’s former military Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny said that the direct involvement of Russia’s autocratic allies in its war on Ukraine means that World War III has started.
“I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun,” said Zaluzhny, who is now Ukraine’s envoy to the United Kingdom, during a speech at Ukrainska Pravda’s UP100 award ceremony.
“Because in 2024, Ukraine is no longer facing Russia. Soldiers from North Korea are standing in front of Ukraine. Let’s be honest. Already in Ukraine, the Iranian ‘Shahedis’ are killing civilians absolutely openly, without any shame,” said Zaluzhny, adding that North Korean and Chinese weapons are flying into Ukraine.
On the other side, Vladimir Putin is also acknowledging that what is happening in Ukraine is now a “global” war…
On Thursday President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning in the wake of Ukraine launching long-range strikes on Russia’s territory utilizing newly approved US and UK long-range missiles.
“Kiev has launched a long-range missile strike against military facilities located within internationally-recognized Russian territory,” began his televised address by saying. He confirmed British-made Storm Shadow missiles and US-made HIMARS were fired targets located in Bryansk and Kursk Regions.
He said this action threatens to turn the Ukraine conflict into a global war. “A regional Ukraine conflict instigated by the West has acquired elements of a global one,” Putin spelled out, and noted that these systems cannot be used without the direct operational involvement of Western military specialists.
Putin warned us that bad things would happen if western leaders allowed Ukraine to fire long-range missiles provided by them into his country.
Of course western leaders decided to call his bluff, and then they found out how serious the Russians really are about their red lines.
Following the stunning attack on Dnipro, Putin went on television and admitted to the world that his country had just used a hypersonic ballistic missile to deliver those warheads…
Today Vladimir Putin gave an unscheduled live address to the nation. He claimed that on Nov. 19, six ATACMS missiles — and on Nov. 21, several Storm Shadow missiles — had been used by Ukraine for strikes against targets in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk regions.
According to Putin, Russia retaliated on Nov. 21 with a combined strike against a Ukrainian defense industry facility. In addition, “a field test was conducted in combat conditions” for one of Russia’s newest medium-range weapon systems: a nuclear-free hypersonic ballistic missile. “Our engineers named it ‘Oreshnik’ [‘Hazel’],” Putin declared with a smile.
It didn’t have to come to this.
Donald Trump won the election, and Joe Biden and his minions should have allowed him to make the decision about whether or not to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.
But instead, it appears that they are trying to make it very difficult for Trump or anyone else to end this war. I really like how Tucker Carlson made this point during a recent interview…
“If you doubt how serious the opposition is to the public, not just to Trump, but to the majority of the country that voted for him, They’re trying to leave him with World War III on the way out,” Carlson urged.
Russia is furious about the Biden administration lifting restrictions on use of US developed long range missiles, and Putin has repeatedly stated that such a move would mean NATO countries are at war with Russia.
Carlson continued, “I can’t imagine a more desperate or evil thing for Tony Blinken, who I think is desperate and evil, in my view, to do. Leave him with a war?”
Most Americans have no idea how much damage U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has done.
It will be so good to see him leave Washington.
But of course there are lots of other warmongers in D.C., and they will be pushing for the war in Ukraine to continue.
If we stay on the path that we are currently on, it will lead to nuclear war.
At the end of Revelation chapter 6, there appears to be a description of a future nuclear conflict…
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Have you noticed that very few people like to talk about this particular passage?
But we should be talking about it, because we are steamrolling toward an unthinkable global conflagration right now.
We really are living in the end times.
We really are the Book of Revelation generation.
Bible prophecy is playing out right in front of our eyes, and yet most of the population is still in a very deep state of sleep.
UNITED STATES / RUSSIA / NORTH KOREA / CHINA
Biden praises cooperation at meeting with South Korean, Japanese leaders amid North Korea worries
Associated Press Videos Updated Sat, November 16, 2024 at 6:31 AM EST
President Joe Biden on Friday praised the cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the U.S. at countering what he described as North Korea’s “dangerous and destabilizing cooperation with Russia.”
KIM JONG UN WARNS US OF NUCLEAR WAR
Kim Jong Un has accused the United States of heightening tensions and fueling conflict, warning that the Korean Peninsula is currently facing very serious nuclear risks.
During a speech at an exhibition, the North Korean leader stated that he had attempted to negotiate with Washington, but claimed their policies toward his country were “aggressive and hostile,” according to North Korea’s state media outlet KCNA.
Kim Jong Un also urged his nation to continue developing a significant nuclear arsenal to strengthen its position on the global stage.
North Korea has reportedly sent a contingent of 12,000 troops to Russia, and in return, Pyongyang is believed to have requested technological assistance to advance its nuclear weapons program.
Meanwhile, Kyiv fears that North Korea might deploy even more soldiers, as Moscow struggles to regain control of the Kursk region.
Last summer, thousands of Ukrainian troops surprised Moscow by easily crossing the border and pushing deep into the region. Despite repeated offensives, Russia has been unable to drive back Ukrainian forces.
KOREAN PENINSULA FACING NUCLEAR DESTRUCTION – PYONGYANG
THE US IS STROKING TENSIONS AS IT TRIES TO ASSERT HEGEMONY IN ASIA AND BEYOND, KIM JONG-UN HAS CLAIMED
22 Nov, 2024 07:50 RT
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivering a speech at a defense exhibition in Pyongyang on November 21, 2024
The US is seeking to bend the entire world to its will and in doing so is increasing the risk of a nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Thursday.
In a speech at a national defense exhibition, Kim accused Washington of abusing its power by claiming a sphere of influence that covers the entire world, and of using military threats against dissenting nations, including North Korea, the KCNA state news agency reported.
Having attempted negotiations with Washington in the past, Pyongyang is certain that the US is unwilling to coexist with nations that do not share its ideology, Kim assessed. The US “aggressive and hostile policy toward North Korea will never change,” he stated.
The world today is ravaged by multiple armed conflicts and is “the most chaotic and violent since World War II,” Kim claimed. This means that “a country that has given up self-defense cannot be called a truly sovereign state” as it risks being “trampled by tyranny,” he added.
Domestically-developed North Korean weapons shown at the expo are on a par with modern foreign technology, ensuring the country’s safety, Kim said, praising their developers. They also have “righteous purpose and character,” which makes them superior to the arsenals created by “imperialist countries in their pursuit of slaughter, destruction, and economic gain,” he claimed.
Kim held three rounds of negotiations with then-US President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019. The diplomatic engagement was among the signature moves of the Republican politician’s first term in office. It facilitated a brief thaw on the Korean Peninsula, which has since been replaced with a period of hostility between the North and the South.
Trump secured a return to the White House in the US presidential election earlier this month, running on a promise to reduce American involvement in foreign armed conflicts.
Under the administration of US President Joe Biden, Washington and Seoul have resumed joint military exercises, which were suspended amid Trump’s outreach to Kim. Pyongyang considers such drills a major security threat, arguing that they could be used to disguise preparations for an invasion.
NORTH KOREA WARNS US OF THERMONUCLEAR WAR
Story by Maya Mehrara NEWSWEEK NOVEMBER 22, 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the U.S. of contributing to increasing global tensions that could escalate into a “most destructive thermonuclear war,” according to the state news agency Korean Central News Agency.
While speaking at a military exhibition in Pyongyang, he emphasized that the Korean peninsula has never been at greater risk for nuclear war, and prior negotiations with Washington have only made clear the U.S.’ “aggressive and hostile” policy toward North Korea.
The statements come amid escalating tension between the U.S. and Russia as well as global backlash Kim has received for deploying more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers to the front lines in Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
Newsweek reached out to the embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for comment via email. Newsweek also reached out to the White House press secretary and President-elect Donald Trump‘s transition team for comment via email outside normal business hours.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaking at the opening ceremony of a defense exhibition on November 22, 2024. In his speech Kim warned the US that tensions between the two countries could lead to thermonuclear war.
“The Korean peninsula has never been under such a critical situation as the present, in which there is a growing likelihood of a most destructive thermonuclear war breaking out amid the acutely dangerous confrontation between the belligerents,” Kim said.
“We already did everything possible in the bilateral negotiations with the United States, and what we were eventually convinced of was not the superpower’s will to co-exist with us but its domineering stand and unchangeably aggressive and hostile policy towards the DPRK.”
In a joint statement with the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the High Representative of the European Union, the U.S. spoke out against the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the increasing military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including the DPRK’s export and Russia’s unlawful procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles in breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), as well as Russia’s use of these missiles and munitions against Ukraine,” they said in the statement on the State Department‘s website.
“DPRK soldiers receiving or providing any training or other assistance related to the use of ballistic missiles or arms is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions 1718, 1874 and 2270. We are also deeply concerned about the potential for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology from Russia to the DPRK in violation of the relevant UNSCRs. We urge the DPRK to stop providing assistance to Russia’s war of aggression.
“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to support Ukraine as it defends its freedom, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. We are working with our international partners for a coordinated response to this new development.”
U.S. relations with North Korea have not improved during Joe Biden’s presidency, as his administration has reached out to Pyongyang multiple times with no response.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused North Korea of “unlawful and reckless missile launches, including the launch of a long-range ballistic missile over Japan in October” and added that the U.S. was deepening its trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea to “deter and, if necessary, defend against aggression.”
North Korea has not commented on Trump’s reelection since his victory. He was the first U.S. president to visit the country in 2019 after meeting Kim for the first time a year earlier.
During his first term and after, Trump said that he “largely solved” the tension between the U.S. and North Korea and emphasized that he got along well with Kim.
Trump has also said that he believes Kim would “like to see” him back in office and that he misses Trump, although North Korea denied the statements.
North Korea seemed to be preparing for upcoming conflicts with the West as it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in about a year in October.
Kim has also said that he wants North Korea to develop its “strategic deterrence” to combat the U.S.’ nuclear arsenal and emphasized the need to further modernize and fortify the strategic missile bases.
As for Trump’s future relations with North Korea, Edward Howell, a lecturer in politics at the University of Oxford, previously told Newsweek that Trump said in his rallies that he would offer to meet with Kim, but North Korea has not referred to U.S. relations during Trump’s first term as fondly as the president-elect.
“Ultimately, North Korea even went as far as to make clear that irrespective of the outcome of the election, Pyongyang’s worldview towards the U.S. would not change: Washington remains a ‘hostile’ power pursuing—with its allies—a ‘hostile policy’ towards the DPRK,” Howell said.
NORTH KOREA’S STATE MEDIA WARNS US-LED ‘NUCLEAR ALLIANCE’ ON DOORSTEP
Published Nov 19, 2024 at 1:06 PM ESTUpdated Nov 19, 2024 at 4:56 PM EST NEWSWEEK
By Micah McCartney China News Reporter
North Korean state media outlet has condemned the United States, Japan, and South Korea’s growing joint defense ties as a destabilizing force in the Asia-Pacific.
“Such moves of the U.S., Japan and the ROK [Republic of Korea] for securing permanent three-party cooperation have sown the seed of discord and confrontation deeper into the Korean Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region,” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) wrote Tuesday, using the South’s official name.
The aim of this “nuclear alliance” is to achieve “political and military supremacy in the region,” the outlet added.
The commentary suggests Pyongyang was riled by U.S. President Joe Biden‘s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Friday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Lima, Peru.
They hailed the progress made since they came together for last year’s Trilateral Leaders Summit last year, which has seen Tokyo and Seoul, which share often uneasy ties over the legacy of Japanese colonial rule, a territorial dispute, and other issues, improve on the security front.
Kim Jong Un delivering a speech on November 15. Pyongyang has criticized what is describes as a growing “nuclear alliance” between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. Korean Central News Agency
To follow up on these successes, the leaders announced a new “Trilateral Secretariat” would be tasked with coordinating joint efforts “to make the Indo-Pacific a thriving, connected, resilient, stable, and secure region,” according to a joint statement released by the White House.
The allies’ statement said the leaders also reiterated their commitment to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and strongly condemned Russia and North Korea’s moves to “dangerously expand Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” particularly through arms transfers and the North’s deployment of thousands of troops to fight on the front line.
“What the world has witnessed since the start of the ‘era of tripartite cooperation’ talked big by the U.S., Japan and the ROK is by no means peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region,” KCNA wrote.
This military partnership has morphed into a “nuclear alliance,” the agency wrote, citing the “unprecedented confrontational hysteria of the hostile states” as justification for intercontinental ballistic missiles [ICBMs] “targeting the U.S. at all times.”
U.S. defense commitments to Japan and South Korea include extending the so-called nuclear umbrella over the countries, a key component of Washington’s extended deterrence policy.
The KCNA article also blasted last week’s joint Freedom Edge military exercise as a “regular anti-DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] war rehearsal.” The series of drills was jointly conducted by all three countries and joined by the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.
Activities such as the allies’ military drills and port visits to the South by U.S. nuclear submarines justified continuing North Korea’s United Nations-sanctioned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, the Kim Jong Un regime said, citing self-defense.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department and North Korean embassy in China with written requests for a response.
NORTH KOREA MISSILE TEST PUTS ANYWHERE IN UNITED STATES WITHIN RANGE
Published Oct 31, 2024 at 8:55 AM EDT NEWSWEEK By Jordan King AND John Feng
North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday shows that anywhere in the U.S. mainland is within its range.
The missile was reportedly fired at 7:11 a.m. local time in Pyongyang’s first such test in almost a year. It flew northeastward to the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea in South Korea, where it landed in the water at 8:37 a.m.
The ICBM reached an altitude of 4,350 miles (7,000 kilometers), flew a distance of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and was in the air for 87 minutes, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters. But it was fired at a steep angle in an effort to control its path and avoid neighboring countries.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter inspect a missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea on November 18, 2022. North Korea’s most recent test launch shows the U.S. mainland.
If launched normally, and dependent on its payload, this translates into a potential range of up to 9,320 miles (15,000 kilometers), Kwon Yong Soo, an honorary professor at South Korea’s National Defense University said, which puts anywhere in America in its range.
From Pyongyang, it is 6,800 miles (10,940 kilometers) to Washington, D.C. and New York, 5,600 miles (9,000 kilometers) to San Francisco and 5,100 miles (8,200 kilometers) to Seattle.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Department of Defense, via email outside of normal working hours, for comment.
THE ICBM’S MAXIMUM RANGE—DEPENDENT ON ITS PAYLOAD—COULD PUT THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES IN NORTH KOREA’S CROSS HAIRS.
North Korea’s ability to reach the U.S. was already theoretically proven in Pyongyang’s previous test launch of an ICBM, dubbed the Hwasong-18, in December 2023, which lasted a little less than the latest test—73 minutes.
Experts cited by Defense News say the fact that Thursday’s launch saw the missile fly for longer means its engine thrust has improved. They believe this most recent launch was carried out to determine whether the missile could carry a bigger warhead.
It comes amid international fears over North Korean troops being deployed to fight for Moscow in Ukraine, with the Pentagon reporting on Monday that around 10,000 soldiers have been sent to Russia.
“North Korea could have probably thought that its rivals could look down on it after it gave away so much in military resources to Russia,” Yang Uk, an expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute Institute for Policy Studies told Defense News.
“The launch may have been intended as a demonstration to show what it’s capable of, regardless of troop dispatches or other movements,” he said.
Newsweek has contacted the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office, via email, for a response.
News of the launch was initially reported by Japan’s Defense Ministry and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, before it was confirmed by state media in North Korea, which claimed that the ICBM test aimed to demonstrate the “modernity” and “creditability” of the North’s strategic deterrent.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, vowed that his country would continue to bolster what he called “modern strategic attack forces” and “perfectly round off” the response capability of its nuclear forces, citing the security situation as well as perceived threats and challenges.
“I affirm that the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] will never change its line of bolstering up its nuclear forces,” said Kim, using the official name of North Korea.
KIM JONG UN CALLS FOR UNLIMITED NUCLEAR WEAPONS EXPANSION
Published Nov 18, 2024 at 7:14 AM ESTUpdated Nov 18, 2024 at 7:20 AM EST
By Chloe Mayer AND John Feng
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un ramped up his nuclear threats amid escalating international tensions—vowing to strengthen his arsenal “without limitation.”
The supreme leader made the comments during a speech to military officials in which he also hit out at the U.S., according to state media reports on Monday. Kim told the Conference of Battalion Commanders and Political Instructors of the Korean People’s Army that such war preparations were necessary because his country’s enemies had embarked on “frantic” military confrontations against them.
The latest rhetoric comes amid increasingly fraught international relations, stretching well beyond Asia. Tensions have been ratcheting up for months with democratic neighbor South Korea, and relations worsening further as the pair have taken different sides in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Kim Jong Un during a press conference on June 19, 2024, in Pyongyang, North Korea. He has ramped up his nuclear threats.
Last month, North Korea—which has a nuclear arsenal—saw Kim amend the constitution to define South Korea as a “hostile state.” The neighbors have accused each other of flying drones or balloons into their respective airspace to distribute political leaflets or dump trash across the border.
Ukraine has proved to be another flashpoint; North Korea has aligned itself with Russia and Kim has even dispatched his troops to support Moscow on the battlefield. In contrast, South Korean is reportedly considering sending its own soldiers to fight with Ukrainians, meaning the Koreas could find themselves in direct conflict on foreign soil.
It is in this febrile atmosphere that Kim has outlined his plans for nuclear expansion. The graph below shows estimates of how many nuclear warheads the country currently has compared to other nations around the world. The secretive state is thought to hold around 50 in reserve, a number dwarfed by the thousands held by Russia and the U.S.
Kim revealed his new ambitions for his nuclear arsenal on Friday, which saw the culmination of the two-day military conference held in the country’s capital, Pyongyang. His words, shared by state media, were subsequently reported by the country’s anxious neighbor South Korea.
“We will strengthen our self-defense power, centered on nuclear forces, without limitation, not being content [with our current level] and ceaselessly,” Kim said, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
He added that his regime’s enemies were “frantic” and had stepped up their confrontational behavior. He warned that an alliance between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan was a “critical” factor threatening to destabilize the Korean Peninsula. His comments came the same day as the three allies held a trilateral summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit currently being held in Peru.
“[The] U.S.-led military alliance has been expanding into more larger areas encompassing Europe and the Asia-Pacific region,” Kim told his military commanders. He suggested that the U.S. and the West were using Ukraine in order to fight a war against Russia because the U.S. wanted to exert more control overseas.
Newsweek has reached out by email to the White House and South Korea’s government seeking comment on Kim’s vow to expand his nuclear capabilities.
BIDEN AUTHORIZES UKRAINE TO USE US-SUPPLIED LONGER RANGE MISSILES FOR DEEPER STRIKES INSIDE RUSSIA
AAMER MADHANI Updated Sun, November 17, 2024 at 11:33 PM EST
President Joe Biden, right, listens as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Sept. 26, 2024.
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, easing limitations on the longer range weapons as Russia deploys thousands of North Korean troops to reinforce its war, according to a U.S. official and three other people familiar with the matter.
The decision allowing Kyiv to use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, for attacks farther inside Russia comes as President Vladimir Putin positions North Korean troops along Ukraine’s northern border to try to reclaim hundreds of miles of territory seized by Ukrainian forces.
Biden’s move also follows the presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who has said he would bring about a swift end to the war and raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue the United States’ vital military support for Ukraine.
The official and the others knowledgeable about the matter were not authorized to discuss the U.S. decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s reaction Sunday was notably restrained.
“Strikes are not made with words,” he said during his nightly video address. “Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves.”
Zelenskyy and many of his Western supporters have been pressing Biden for months to allow Ukraine to strike military targets deeper inside Russia with Western-supplied missiles, saying the U.S. ban had made it impossible for Ukraine to try to stop Russian attacks on its cities and electrical grids.
Zelenskyy’s statement came shortly after he posted a message of condolence on Telegram following a Russian attack on a nine-story building that killed at least eight people in the northern city of Sumy, 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the border with Russia.
Russia also launched a massive drone and missile attack, described by officials as the largest in recent months, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians. The attack came as fears are mounting about Moscow’s intentions to devastate Ukraine’s power generation capacity before the winter.
“And this is the answer to everyone who tried to achieve something with Putin through talks, phone calls, hugs and appeasement,” Zelenskyy said.
The comment appeared to be a dig at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke Friday with Putin in the first such call with a sitting head of a major Western power in nearly two years.
Some supporters have argued that the limitation and other U.S. constraints could cost Ukraine the war. The debate has become a source of disagreement among Ukraine’s NATO allies.
Biden had remained opposed, determined to hold the line against any escalation that he felt could draw the U.S. and other NATO members into direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.
Putin has warned that Moscow could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets if NATO allies allow Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory.
News of Biden’s decision followed meetings over the last two days with the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China. The addition of North Korean troops was central to the talks, which took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.
Biden did not mention the decision during a speech at a stop in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil on his way to the Group of 20 summit.
Asked about the decision, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that the U.N. position is “to avoid a permanent deterioration of the war in Ukraine.”
“We want peace, we want fair peace,” Guterres said Sunday before the summit in Rio de Janeiro. He didn’t elaborate.
The longer-range missiles are likely to be used in response to North Korea’s decision to support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to one of the people familiar with the development.
The overall supply of ATACMS missiles is short, so U.S. officials in the past have questioned whether they could give Ukraine enough to make a difference. Some supporters of Ukraine say that even a few strikes deeper inside Russia would force its military to change deployments and expend more of its resources.
North Korea has provided thousands of troops to Russia to help Moscow try to claw back land in the Kursk border region that Ukraine seized this year. The introduction of North Korean troops to the conflict comes as Moscow has seen a favorable shift in momentum. Trump has signaled that he could push Ukraine to agree to give up some land seized by Russia to find an end to the conflict.
As many as 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian assessments. U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials say North Korea also has provided Russia with significant amounts of munitions to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpiles.
Trump, who takes office in January, spoke for months as a candidate about wanting Russia’s war in Ukraine to be over, but he mostly ducked questions about whether he wanted U.S. ally Ukraine to win.
He also repeatedly slammed the Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars in aid. His victory has Ukraine’s international backers worrying that any rushed settlement would mostly benefit Putin.
America is Ukraine’s most valuable ally in the war, providing more than $56.2 billion in security assistance since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.
Worried about Russia’s response, however, the Biden administration repeatedly has delayed providing some specific advanced weapons sought by Ukraine, agreeing only under pressure from Kyiv, its supporters and in consultation with allies.
That includes initially refusing Zelenskyy’s pleas for advanced tanks, Patriot air defense systems and F-16 fighter jets, among other systems.
The White House agreed in May to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weaponry for limited strikes just across the border with Russia.
A MENTALLY UNFIT JOE BIDEN HAS CROSSED THE LINE BETWEEN PROXY AND DIRECT WAR WITH RUSSIA
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES BE OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL OF LONG-RANGE MISSILE STRIKES?
By Glenn Diesen, professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and an editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal. 21 Nov, 2024 21:03 RT
Sgt. Jimmy Lerma readjusts an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for loading on a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) at Williamson Airfield in Queensland, Australia.
The discussions in the West about authorizing long-range missile strikes on Russia are profoundly dishonest and misleading. The political-media elites present deeply flawed arguments to support the conclusion that attacking Russia with these weapons doesn’t cross the line between proxy war and direct war.
NATO may be successful in deluding itself, yet for Moscow there is no doubt that this is an act of war.
“Ukraine has the right to defend itself”
The argument that Ukraine has the right to defend itself as a justification for NATO to authorize long-range strikes into Russia is very manipulative. The public is pulled in with a very reasonable premise, based on the universal acceptance of the right to self-defense.
Once people have accepted this, then it’s presented as a foregone conclusion that Ukraine should be supplied with long-range missiles to attack Russia. The extent of NATO’s involvement in the war, as the main issue, is subsequently eliminated entirely from the argument.
The point of departure in an honest discussion should start with the right question: When is the line between proxy war and direct war crossed? These are US long-range missiles, their use is entirely dependent on American intelligence and targeting. They will be operated by US soldiers and guided by US satellites.
Washington didn’t use these weapons against Russia for three years as it knew it would amount to a direct attack, yet now the media is attempting to sell the narrative of this merely being uncontroversial military aid to enable Ukraine to defend itself.
The US and some of its NATO allies have decided to attack Russia directly, and they should be honest about this intention. Attempts to present it as merely giving military aid to Ukraine to defend itself constitute an irresponsible effort to shame any dissent and avoid a serious discussion about attacking the world’s largest nuclear power.
It is imperative to place oneself in the shoes of opponents and ask how we would interpret a situation and what we would do if the situation were reversed. The US and NATO have invaded many countries over the years, so we do not need to delve too deep into our imagination to set up a hypothetical scenario.
How would we have reacted if Moscow had sent long-range missiles, dependent on Russian intelligence and targeting, operated by Russian soldiers and guided by Russian satellites, to attack NATO countries under the guise of merely helping Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen of another country to defend itself?
We are deluding ourselves if we pretend that this would not have been interpreted as a direct attack, and despite the great risks involved, we would be compelled to retaliate to restore our deterrent.
President Putin warned in September 2024 that Russia would interpret this as a direct attack and the beginning of a NATO-Russia War, and Putin argued that Russia would respond accordingly. The clarity in his language makes it nearly impossible to walk back the commitment to strike back at NATO, which is a deliberate tactic in the game of chicken, as Russia cannot swirl away.
Stories about thousands of North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine or Kursk are used to legitimize the attack on Russia. This is most likely NATO war propaganda as there would be some evidence if thousands of North Korean soldiers were fighting. The North Koreans allegedly training in Russia are likely intended as a deterrent in case NATO would go to war against Russia. However, even if North Koreans involve themselves in the fighting, it does not make NATO any less of a participant in the war by attacking Russia.
“Russia would not dare to retaliate against NATO”
The reluctance by Moscow in the past to sufficiently retaliate against NATO’s incremental escalations has been presented as evidence for the false conclusion that it wouldn’t dare respond. There is no doubt that Russia’s restraints have emboldened NATO. President Biden once argued that sending F-16s would result in a Third World War, such warnings now are denounced as ”Russian propaganda”. Russia’s failure to respond when the US crossed that line meant that the US could argue it did not amount to a direct attack. The rules of proxy war subsequently changed.
Russia’s dilemma over the past three years has been to either respond at the risk of triggering a Third World War, or to gradually abandon its deterrent and embolden the US. With every NATO escalation, Russia is facing an ever-higher price for its restraint. Russia has been under pressure to set a final red line, and NATO attacking Russia directly is simply too dangerous to go unanswered.
How will Russia respond? There are several more steps on the escalation ladder before pushing the nuclear button. Russia can intensify strikes on Ukrainian political targets and infrastructure, possibly introduce North Korean troops, strike NATO assets in the Black Sea and logistic centers in Poland or Romania, destroy satellites used for the attacks on Russia, or attack US/NATO military assets in other parts of the world under the guise of enabling other countries to defend themselves.
Russia’s response will also depend on how these missiles are used. The New York Times has suggested that the use of these missiles would be limited and primarily used to assist Ukraine with the occupation of Kursk, which also makes the US an even more involved participant in the occupation of Russian territory. However, Russia must respond forcefully to any breach of its red lines to counter NATO’s incrementalism – salami tactics that aim to chop away at its deterrent. The purpose of such incrementalism is to avoid an excessive response from Russia. The US will predictably impose restrictions on how these weapons can be used as it engages in direct attacks on Russia, but gradually these restrictions will be removed.
The extent of Russia’s response will depend on the extent to which these weapons are effective. The war is evidently being won by Russia, which is why Moscow is cautious about any escalations, as it only needs time. However, if these weapons would actually turn the tide of the war, then Russia would consider itself compelled to launch a powerful attack on NATO as Moscow considers this to be a war for its survival. NATO should therefore hope that these weapons are not effective, which undermines the reasoning for using them at all.
The missiles can turn the tide of the war
The war has already been lost, and Washington previously admitted that these long-range missiles would not be a game changer. There are two reasons for escalating the war at this point, to further bleed Russia and to sabotage Trump’s objective to end the fighting.
There is overwhelming evidence that the overarching objective in sabotaging all paths to peace and fighting the proxy war in Ukraine has been to weaken Russia as a strategic rival. Even Vladimir Zelensky recognized in March 2022 that some Western states wanted to use Ukraine as a proxy against Russia: ”There are those in the West who don’t mind a long war because it would mean exhausting Russia, even if this means the demise of Ukraine and comes at the cost of Ukrainian lives.” Both Israeli and Turkish mediators have confirmed that the US and UK sabotaged the Istanbul peace agreement in order to pit Russia against the Ukrainians, while interviews with top American and British diplomats have revealed that the weakening of Russia and regime change in Moscow was the only acceptable outcome.
The timing of Washington’s decision is also suspicious and appears to aim at sabotaging Trump’s massive mandate to end the proxy war. By comparison, Obama similarly threw a wrench into US-Russia relations in late 2016 as he was handing the White House over to Trump. The anti-Russian sanctions and expulsion of Russian diplomats were intended to sabotage Trump’s promise to get along with Russia. Biden appears to be following the same playbook by risking a Third World War to prevent peace from breaking out in Ukraine. Biden was too cognitively impaired to run for re-election, yet he is supposedly mentally fit enough to attack Russia as he prepares to leave the White House.
NATO Goes to War
The world today is more dangerous than at any other time in history. The US decision to attack the world’s largest nuclear power is a desperate effort to restore global primacy. What makes this situation even more dangerous is the absurd self-deception across the West that results in us sleepwalking towards nuclear war. The public should be presented with more honest arguments when making the case for risking a third world war and nuclear annihilation.
PENTAGON ‘CONCERNED’ BY RUSSIA’S NEW HYPERSONIC MISSILE
UKRAINE HAS WITHSTOOD “SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER” ATTACKS AND WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT WITH US HELP, ACCORDING TO SPOKESPERSON SABRINA SINGH
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh22 Nov, 2024 01:19 RT
By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh has said that Russia’s newly battle-tested hypersonic missile poses a threat to Ukraine, but dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning to NATO as “reckless rhetoric” rather than a credible threat.
On Thursday, Putin announced that the nation’s military launched its new hypersonic ballistic missile – the Oreshnik – against a military industrial facility in Ukraine. The strike was a response to what Putin described as the “aggressive actions of NATO member states,” warning that Moscow reserves the right to target military facilities in countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russian territory.
At a press briefing later that day, Singh said, “any weapon that’s going to be employed on the battlefield absolutely imposes a threat to the Ukrainians.”
“So, this was a new type of lethal capability that was employed on the battlefield. So that’s certainly a concern to us. And we’re going to – I don’t have an assessment of its impacts right now, but it’s something that of course we’re concerned by,” Singh told journalists.
“But again, Ukraine has withstood countless attacks from Russia, including missiles with significantly larger warheads than this weapon. So, we’re going to continue to support Ukraine with what it needs,” she said.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Washington “will not be deterred” and will continue to provide military aid to Kiev
Earlier this week, Putin ordered the enactment of the country’s new nuclear doctrine, in which an attack against Russia by a non-nuclear country backed by a nuclear power should be considered a joint attack by both. Both the White House and the Pentagon called this development concerning and escalatory, but said it would not lead to any changes in the US nuclear posture.
“Of course, we’re going to take seriously the rhetoric coming out of Russia. But our focus remains on arming Ukraine and supporting Ukraine what it needs the most on the battlefield,” Singh stated, highlighting the latest $275 million package of weapons for Kiev and promising even more “in the weeks and months ahead left of this administration.”
Outgoing US President Joe Biden authorized the use of American-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) for strikes inside Russia’s pre-2014 borders for the first time this week, though Washington has yet to officially confirm this. He also reversed his own policy against supplying Ukraine with anti-personnel landmines as part of a broader effort to bolster Kiev before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year.
Moscow has accused the West of waging a proxy war against Russia and using Ukrainians as cannon fodder. US and UK officials have openly referred to Ukraine as a Western “battle lab” and “military innovation laboratory.” Even Kiev’s former defense minister, Aleksey Reznikov, described his country as a perfect “testing ground” for the “military industry of the world.”
Putin referred to the launch of the Oreshnik missile, which can reportedly travel up to 5,000km at speeds of up to Mach 10 (2.5 to 3 kilometers per second), as a successful “combat test.” Moscow will use it if necessary to respond decisively to any aggression, he said, promising to warn civilians about the strikes well in advance “without fear of counter-moves by the enemy.”
“Why without fear? Because there are no means of countering such weapons today,” Putin stated. “Air defense systems currently available in the world and missile defense systems being developed by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles.”
PUTIN WARNS OF RETALIATION AGAINST COUNTRIES PROVIDING WEAPONS TO STRIKE RUSSIA
MOSCOW WILL RESPOND DECISIVELY AND IN KIND TO ANY AGGRESSION, THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID
21 Nov, 2024 18:02 RT
Moscow reserves the right to strike the military facilities of countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russian territory, President Vladimir Putin has said.
The head of state gave a public address on Thursday, promising a decisive response to any aggression.
“We will determine the targets during further tests of our newest missile systems based on the threats to the security of the Russian Federation,” Putin stated.
The president continued: “We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.”
According to Putin, the United States has ravaged the international security system, raising the risk of a global conflict.
The Russian president stressed that Moscow has always favored a peaceful resolution and is ready to resolve all contentious issues.
“But we are also ready for any development. Do not doubt it, there will always be a response,” he said.
The Ukrainian military has fired British-made Storm Shadow missiles and US-made HIMARS at targets located in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk Regions, he specified.
Multiple media outlets, including Bloomberg, the BBC, and The Guardian, reported on Wednesday that Ukraine had used Storm Shadow missiles to attack Kursk Region this week. Moscow’s Defense Ministry has said that ATACMS missiles have already been used in an attack on Bryansk Region. Neither the UK nor the US have officially commented on the reports.
This week, Putin ordered the enactment of the country’s new nuclear doctrine, which says that an attack on Russia by a non-nuclear power backed by a nuclear one should be considered a joint attack by both.
BIDEN’S LAST GAMBLE: IS WASHINGTON TRYING TO START WORLD WAR III?
WITH THE OUTGOING US PRESIDENT SEEMINGLY EAGER TO THROW A FINAL TANTRUM BEFORE HIS TIME IS UP, IT’S UP TO MOSCOW TO BE THE ADULT IN THE ROOM
19 Nov, 2024 13:12
Never a dull day: America’s political culture is constantly evolving. Currently, we are witnessing a beautifully “bipartisan” competition over who can leave the president’s office as the sorest loser. After the 2020 election, when Donald Trump was defeated and had to vacate the White House to make room for Joe Biden, Trump and his followers would not stop whining about having been cheated (no, they were not). In the end, whatever you think about its political meaning – vulgar riot or full-blown coup attempt – their January 2021 storming of the Capitol in Washington certainly qualified as a tantrum of historic proportions. Think Boston Tea Party, but with very, very tired toddlers.
And now, with Trump riding back into town – and even the New York Times forced to acknowledge that he is not an aberration but a “transformational force” – the outgoing Biden team has found an even more tempestuous way of throwing its toys out of the pram: Whereas the unimaginatively homebound Trumpsters of 2021 could not think of anything better than making a very embarrassing scene at home, the Bidenistas of 2024 – good liberal internationalists that they are – have found a way of going global with their anger management issue. What’s a storming of a national parliament if you can risk triggering World War III?
Because that is what the Biden administration is doing by – after long and well-founded hesitation – allowing the regime of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to use American ATACMS missiles for strikes into Russia. The attitude of the EU-NATO Europeans has been muddled. Usually they, of course, fall in line with the US, but there are some signs that this time they might find it too risky or split over the issue. Germany will not – for once (and for now!) – follow the US slavishly: Barely-still-chancellor Olaf Scholz is clinging to his “no” to delivering Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev. France and Britain, too, are reported to be “circumspect,” whatever that may mean in the end.
To be precise, three caveats are in order: The initial news of this shift were, US-style, not fully official but wrapped in a leak released through the as-always-obliging New York Times on November 18. Then, one day later, the White House followed up with neither confirming nor denying the story. The ATACMS attack on the Bryansk region shows that the news was real enough. Second, the Russia being targeted does not “merely” consist of territories that used to be Ukrainian in 1991 but are now claimed by Moscow: The new decision is so explosive because it means firing into territories everyone acknowledges as belonging to Russia. Finally – and crucially – things are made worse by the fact that this is not even really about “allowing” Ukraine to use the ATACMS missiles in this manner. Rather, these weapons do not only come from the US, they also can only be operated with substantial Western assistance. What we are talking about are, in other words, not simply Ukrainian but joined NATO-Ukrainian attacks on Russia with American weapons fired from Ukrainian territory.
Russia has just officially changed and, to an extent, loosened its nuclear arms doctrine. The Russian president Vladimir Putin has long warned the West that Moscow will not tolerate the absurd fiction that these missiles will come only from Ukraine. Instead, such use of the ATACMS, he has been clear, will bring about a (direct and open) state of war between Russia and NATO. In response to the Biden administration’s fresh escalation, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that this position has not changed: Washington is “pouring oil into the flames,” Peskov has commented, risking escalating “tensions to a qualitatively new level.” In particular, he pointed out that such a US policy also implies “a whole new situation with regard to US involvement in this conflict.”
So, there is no doubt that this Democratic administration, already on its way out after a thorough electoral thrashing by the Trumpist Republicans, is, literally and deliberately, dialing up the tension in a manner that risks World War III – a direct clash between NATO and Russia (and, in that case, most likely, not only Russia).
In effect firing (with and for a friend, so to speak) your missiles at a great-power state with a large nuclear arsenal is always a really, really dicey move. Getting ready to do so just after elections have made clear that you definitely do not represent your nation, especially on that issue, adds a nice touch of contempt for the American people. Say what you will about MAGA-fury and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, she is right about this one.
Why is this happening? We do not know. There are published rumors that even Biden advisers are split on the issue. Is this, then, a last desperate throw of the dice by the most bellicist White House and State Department faction, trying to escalate to full-scale war before Trump will get his chance to shut the whole thing down? Or is it “merely” an especially cynical maneuver meant to poison the US-Russian relationship even further so that Trump will have as hard a time as possible when trying to fix it? Is it part of an information war strategy aimed most of all at the American public, preparing the ground for the post-proxy war blame game? “We Democrats did everything we could to the last minute, but then they, the Republicans, came in and lost Ukraine!” – That kind of thing.
Or has the whole operation been coordinated with the incoming Trump team to increase the pressure on Russia, a sort of primitive bad-cop-good-cop con, as some speculate? Unlikely, it seems. For that explanation to be plausible, the protests from the Trump side are a little too loud. That Greene has come out guns blazing may not be strong evidence. She is well known for being – cough, cough – extremely outspoken and a bit of a loose cannon, too. But Donald Trump Jr. – currently much in favor with his dad – and Trump senior’s designated national security adviser Mike Waltz have also weighed in: For Trump junior, the Biden move is about the “military industrial complex” trying to “get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.” Waltz, meanwhile, has, in effect, publicly agreed with the Russian position by calling the ATACMS move another “step up the escalation ladder” leading into the unknown. He has also stressed that the Biden administration did not inform him in advance – so much for talk about a smooth transition, then.
Whatever the reasons for Biden’s last hooray, no one in Washington even claims that adding these ATACMS strikes will actually make a genuine military difference (that is, in Kiev’s favor). The times when one miracle weapon after the other was sold to Western publics as a “game changer” are over. Now we hear much more modest assertions, such as that, somehow, such ATACMS attacks are the right response to the alleged appearance of North Korean allies on Russia’s side. How? No one really knows or seems to feel they’d need to know. Instead, we hear vague mumbling that the ATACMS will, in essence, teach North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un a lesson. Good luck with that… I bet the man who built himself a nuclear deterrent in defiance of the US and its allies will be immensely impressed.
But let’s not try too hard to understand Washington. To paraphrase a famous line from the nineteenth-century Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev, late-imperial Washington cannot really be grasped by reason. It’s just too irrational for that. What is more important is to ask what consequences these US antics will have. Here the key fact to keep in mind is that risking World War III is certainly very bad, especially in the context of a dastardly proxy war that should never have happened in the first place. But it’s still not the same as actually starting World War III, fortunately. Washington could, of course, do that as well. Yet as things are, its disruptive activities are limited to making it more likely.
In the end, therefore, the key factor remains Russia. Or to be more precise, how Moscow will choose to respond to a type of attack – once it happens – that it has warned the West about in very clear terms. One option we can rule out is that Russia will simply do nothing. That is impossible because that is not its style nowadays (it’s not the 1990s anymore, as hard as many in the West still find it to process that fact), and, also, it would embolden an out-of-control and lawless West further and allow it to undermine Moscow’s credibility.
Russia will exact a price. The question is how exactly. Even while Putin has warned that a direct state of war between Russia and NATO will follow from joined NATO-Ukrainian ATACMS attacks in Russia, Moscow has, of course, not tied its own hands: Even if it considers itself at war, it will still be Russia’s decision what to do about that. Here the fact remains that the Russian leadership has no interest in a type of retaliation – for instance, a direct attack on NATO bases in Poland, Romania, or Germany – that would play into the hands of Western bellicists, especially while Russia is winning the war on the ground in Ukraine and on the eve of Trump’s return to Washington.
What seems more likely are responses elsewhere in a world that features between 700 and 800 US bases, often in places where no one wants them. It would, for instance, be easy for Russia to dish out painful payback through regional adversaries of the US and their allies, for instance in the Middle East. Moreover, Moscow can, obviously, also retaliate within Ukraine, including against Western black-ops troops and mercenaries, as it has done before.
The bottom line remains that Biden’s last gamble is a double sore-loser move: By a president and a party that cannot accept that Trump – with his at least declared vision of making peace with Russia – has beaten them at the American polls. And by a US foreign policy establishment that won’t admit that its whole hubristic proxy war project of demoting Russia has not only failed but backfired: Moscow has grown stronger and the West weaker. And once again, the world will have to rely on the Russian leadership to be the adult in the room and find a way to respond and, if necessary, retaliate in a smart manner that will avoid global escalation. That, in turn, will only increase Russia’s standing even further. Bidenistas: Slow claps for you, again.
BIDEN COMMITTING ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL АCT OF WAR’ – US LAWMAKER
ALLOWING UKRAINE USE AMERICAN MISSILES AGAINST RUSSIA IS AN IMPEACHABLE ACT, CONGRESSMAN THOMAS MASSIE HAS CLAIMED
19 Nov, 2024 18:41
Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, speaks to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington
President Joe Biden has violated the US Constitution and ought to be impeached for permitting Ukraine to fire American-supplied long-range missiles into Russia, Congressman Thomas Massie has said.
Multiple US outlets reported over the weekend that Biden had lifted the restrictions on Kiev’s use of US-supplied rockets. While the White House has neither confirmed nor denied the news officially, a volley of missiles was fired at Russia’s Bryansk Region early on Tuesday.
“By authorizing long range missiles to strike inside Russia, Biden is committing an unconstitutional Act of War that endangers the lives of all US citizens,” Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
“This is an impeachable offense, but the reality is he’s an emasculated puppet of a deep state,” he added.
According to anonymous officials who spoke to the media, the US permission would “mostly” apply to the Kursk Region of Russia, which Ukraine invaded in August. The decision was reportedly triggered by the Ukrainian claim that 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Kursk to aid the Russian troops.
The US and its allies had placed certain restrictions on the use of the weapons they have supplied to Kiev since 2022, in order to maintain plausible deniability regarding their involvement in the conflict with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the use of long-range missiles would change the nature of the conflict and make NATO a direct participant in the hostilities. Moscow has also revised its nuclear doctrine to encompass conventional attacks by proxies.
Massie has served in the US House of Representatives since 2012 and won his latest re-election bid unopposed. His insistence on constitutionalism has often put him at odds with both the Democrats and his own party.
Under the US Constitution, only Congress has the power to start a war. The last time this happened, however, was in 1942, when it was declared against Axis-aligned Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. Since 1991, the national legislature has passed three Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF), twice against Iraq and once against Al-Qaeda. The AUMF targeted at Al-Qaeda has been stretched to justify the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan as well as subsequent interventions in Syria, Somalia, Yemen and elsewhere.
US MILITARY PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR STRIKES – SPOKESMAN
WASHINGTON IS NONETHELESS SEEKING TO AVOID ANY USE OF SUCH WEAPONS, THOMAS BUCHANAN HAS SAID
21 Nov, 2024 12:22
The US is ready to use nuclear weapons if necessary but would only do so on terms “acceptable” for the country and its interests, US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) spokesman Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan has said.
Speaking at the Project Atom 2024 event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday, Buchanan noted that such conditions imply that the US will “continue to lead the world.”
“If we have to have an exchange then we want to do it in terms that are most acceptable to the United States,” which are namely to maintain a position where the US is largely viewed as a world leader, Buchanan said.
The admiral noted that in the event of a potential nuclear exchange, the US would seek to maintain a portion of its arsenal for continued deterrence.
“We’d have to have reserve capacity. You wouldn’t expend all of your resources to gain winning, right? Because then you would have nothing to deter from at that point,” Buchanan said.
At the same time, he stressed that the US “would not like to be in an environment that would follow the exchange of nuclear strikes,” and seeks to avoid any such scenario. The admiral urged ongoing dialogue with Russia, China, and North Korea to reduce the risk of a nuclear conflict, adding that “nuclear weapons are political weapons.”
His remarks come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new national nuclear doctrine that outlines the scenarios in which Moscow would be authorized to deploy its nuclear arsenal.
The new doctrine states that Moscow will have the right to consider the nuclear option if Russia or Belarus come under attack by conventional arms, and if such aggression creates a “critical threat” to their sovereignty or territorial integrity.
Commenting on the updated nuclear doctrine, a number of political experts pointed out that it could force the US and other Western nations to reconsider their military support for Ukraine.
Following the publication of the revised rules, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that the new doctrine effectively gives Russia the right to consider a nuclear response to the use of Western-supplied non-nuclear missiles by Kiev against Russian territory.
WOULD THE US WIN A WAR WITH CHINA OVER TAIWAN? US LAWMAKERS BRIEFED ON THE POTENTIAL OUTCOME
Story by Morgan Phillips FOX NEWS NOVERMBER 21, 2024
House lawmakers were briefed Wednesday about the potential outcome if the U.S. were to find itself at war with China over Taiwan within the next two years, as the global superpower increasingly encroaches on U.S. allies.
The Chinese defense industrial base is operating at a “wartime footing,” and now has a shipbuilding capacity 230 times greater than the U.S.’s, making a potential invasion of Taiwan a not-unlikely outcome.
U.S. military analysts have projected 2027 as the year by which China would be fully equipped for a military invasion of Taiwan. And the U.S. has long followed a policy of refusing to say whether it would come to the island’s defense under such a scenario.
But under war exercises gamed out by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) 25 times and presented to members of the House China Select Committee, the alliance of the U.S., Taiwan and Japan defeated an amphibious invasion by China and maintained an autonomous Taiwan, but not without suffering heavy losses.
During the simulation, the cost for all sides was high – there were more than 10,000 casualties – and the U.S. lost 10-20 warships, two aircraft carriers, 200-400 warplanes and more than 3,000 troops were killed over the three weeks of fighting.
China loses 90% of its amphibious fleet, 52 major surface warships, and 160 warplanes.
“In our tabletop exercise today, we walked through one simulation of what might happen in a worst-case scenario conflict with China and learned ways we can work together in a bipartisan manner to ensure that America is prepared to be the arsenal of democracy once more if called upon. No matter where or when, the United States and our allies must have the military means to defeat our adversaries,” Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the committee, told Fox News Digital.
The report emphasized four key points: 1) Taiwan must “hold the line” of the ground invasion, 2) there is no “Ukraine” model where the U.S. can slowly escalate – it must decide immediately whether it will come to Taiwan’s defense, 3) military operations would need to be conducted through Japan and 4) the U.S. needs to immediately increase its supply of anti-ship missiles.
The bottom line of the report is that China chooses “D-Day,” but Taiwan and its defenders must be ready at any moment. The war game assumed a 2026 launch date for China’s invasion.
The scenario operates under the assumption that the U.S. under President-elect Trump would come to Taiwan’s defense, though no such promise has been made. It’s unclear what Trump would do under such a scenario – he has mused about Taiwan needing to pay the U.S. for giving it defensive aid.
Japan would be the U.S. and Taiwan’s key ally in such a fight because South Korea has not authorized the U.S. to launch combat missions from its territory. CSIS recommends deepening U.S.-Japan diplomatic relations immediately.
“It certainly would be very helpful if South Korea stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us,” said Matthew Cancian, researcher at the Naval War College and lead author of the project. The U.S. would likely move two of the four squadrons it has stationed in South Korea to help with the fight against China over Taiwan.
But, as the presenters warned, North Korea may try to take advantage of the situation and invade the south, especially after gaining operational experience from their fight with Russia against Ukraine.
The exercise also claimed that unlike U.S. aid to Ukraine, which passes over NATO territory to arrive there, the U.S. would not be able to arm Taiwan without sending in U.S. forces – China’s anti-tank or anti-air missiles would threaten any shipments making their way to the island.
“U.S. forces would have to be directly involved,” said Cancian. “There is no way to achieve denying a takeover of Taiwan while also keeping U.S. forces safe.”
And if the U.S. were to come to Taiwan’s defense, there would be no time to waste since China is much closer geographically than U.S. forces. “If the U.S. were not to join the fight for two weeks [after an invasion], it would be too late. Chian would already have too strong a footing,” said Cancian.
Chinese land attack missiles and anti-ship missiles would pose the greatest threat in the theater. Harpoons and coastal defense cruise missiles would be “absolutely critical” to Taiwan’s defense, according to the wargame exercise.
China is outproducing the U.S. on airplanes, ships and missiles, the exercise found, and in order to deter them from provoking war over Taiwan, the U.S. needs to immediately ramp up its production of key munitions, per the war games.
The U.S.’s current stockpile of anti-ship missiles, around 440, would run out in less than seven days in a war with China.
China would not be keen to give up easily, as a loss in Taiwan could be “very destabilizing” to the government’s legitimacy back at home.
The war games also underscored the need for the Taiwanese defense budget to stop focusing on expensive, large ships that China will easily destroy and focus on smaller, more survivable ships and submarines.
Chinese naval fleet passes through a mine threat area
The U.S., too, must focus on arming Taiwan with smaller ships and cheaper munitions, with most iterations of the war games finding the U.S. losing two aircraft carriers and 10 to 20 large surface combatants.
“We need to make them fire their exquisite stuff at our non-exquisite stuff,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. “They’re going to out-produce us… we need to wake up.”
The U.S. and Taiwan must not attack the Chinese mainland, both to avoid risking escalation with a nuclear power and because Chinese air defense on the mainland is “too strong.”
Ultimately, such an invasion could happen sooner, or not at all.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) head, Adm. Samuel Paparo, said recently he believes the U.S. would make it “exceedingly difficult” for China to mount a cross-strait invasion.
For years, the U.S. military has been pivoting its focus from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific, “the most stressing theater,” as Paparo describes it, given that China is the most capable potential adversary in the world.
According to Chinese policy, the CCP will invade only if Taiwan declares its independence from China, if a third power intervenes in the dispute or Beijing determines that “unification was irrevocably beyond its reach by any other means.”
While the U.S. has no formal alliance with Taiwan, China has been encroaching on the air and sea territory of U.S. allies in the Pacific – Japan and the Philippines.
Paparo said he’d seen “the most rehearsal and the most joint exercises” from China over the summer that “I’d seen over an entire career of being an observer.”
“This included on one particular day 152 vessels at sea,” Paparo added.
China’s navy is the largest in the world, with more than 370 ships and submarines. The U.S.’s battle force includes 295 vessels, including 11 active aircraft carriers.
“This was the largest rehearsal we’ve seen on an upward trajectory of PLA [People’s Liberation Army] modernization,” Paparo said, referring to the Chinese military’s name.
XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD ‘LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION’ WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS
Trump has proposed up to 60% tariffs on Chinese-made goods
By Morgan Phillips Fox News Published November 7, 2024 1:57pm EST
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6363235850112
Chinese President Xi Jinping called President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his election win, and warned the U.S. would “gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation” with China.
The message comes as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) must prepare for deeper tensions as Trump has vowed to bring back the trade war of his last presidency with blanket tariffs.
“Xi Jinping noted that history tells us that both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. A China-U.S. relationship with stable, healthy and sustainable development serves the common interests of the two countries,” China’s foreign ministry said in a readout of the conversation.
“It is hoped that the two sides will, in the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and find the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other in the new era to the benefit of the two countries and the world.”
This week, Republicans captured control of the Senate and have favorable prospects in the undecided race for power in the House. With both chambers in Congress and the presidency, little would stand in Trump’s way of a steep sanctions regime.
In recent years, U.S.-China relations have worsened not only on trade — China has been threatening U.S. allies like the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan in the South China Sea. They’ve been accused of sending Chinese nationals to spy on U.S. military bases and sent what was believed to be a surveillance balloon across the U.S.
While Trump ushered in an era of steep trade competition and increased support for Taiwan, President Biden did not necessarily warm the relationship.
Trump increased duties by at least 10% during his first term on over $300 billion worth of goods. Biden did not lift those tariffs.
That was on top of export controls on a variety of items that started under Trump and furthered under Biden.
On the campaign trail this year, Trump has proposed a 10% tariff on all U.S. imports and 60% on Chinese-made products.
If Trump successfully raises tariffs to 60%, it could reduce China’s exports by $200 billion and cause a one percentage point drag on GDP, said Zhu Baoliang, a former chief economist at China’s economic planning agency, at a Citigroup conference.
Last year, China exported about $500 billion worth of goods to the U.S., about 15% of all of its exports.
Mainland China and Hong Kong stocks fell Wednesday as it became clear Trump would win the election.
China’s exports grew 12.7% year-on-year, hitting a 27-month high in October, in anticipation of the potential for a Trump victory, as Chinese vendors likely rushed out products that could be hit by tariffs next year.
Beijing is expected to unveil a bold stimulus package on Friday to aid its ailing economy, amid lackluster consumer spending and deflation.
The U.S. and Europe both increased tariffs on electric vehicles recently, darkening the trade outlook for a market where China has long dominated.
China has been taking key steps to buoy its markets, and has an arsenal in response to U.S. tariffs that could include imposing duties on U.S. agricultural imports, export controls on critical minerals essential for U.S. defense and targeting U.S. companies with interests in China.
MARK OF THE BEAST: INFRARED QR CODE, MICRONEEDLE VACCINATION SMART PATCH MARK
666. THE NUMBER OF THE PRINCE, BEAST, ANTICHRIST, MAHDI, 12TH IMAM
A BIBLICAL BOTTOMLESS PIT OF EVIL: SEVEN SAUDI KINGS AND THE BEAST
FIVE-FOLD SINS RESULTING IN MEN’S ETERNAL DAMNATION:
- Worship the beast. (6X). (Rev. 13:4, 13:8, 13:12, 14:9, 14:11)
- Worship the beast’s image. (6X). (Rev. 13:14, 13:15, 14:9, 14:11, 16:2, 19:20)
- Take the beast’s mark. (6X). (Rev. 13:16, 13:17, 14:9, 14:11, 16:2, 19:20)
- Take the beast’s number. (2X). (Rev. 13:17, 13:18)
- Take the beast’s name. (2X). (Rev. 13:17, 14:11)
Commentary: There are a total of eighteen (18) verses that indicate the eternal sins of damnation that result from worshipping the beast, worshipping his image and taking his mark of identification. Three (3) denotes God’s emphasis and intensity. Six (6) denotes the evil number of man = 18, or 6+6+6 = 18, or 666 . . . “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is he number of a man; and his number is Six Hundred and threescore and six (666).” (Rev. 13:18). Worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark are the eternal sins that men commit during the Tribulation.
There are a total of ten (10) combined references of evil men taking the beast’s mark, number or name. These three descriptions are synonymous with being identified with (or belonging) to the beast and his system. Ten (10) denotes God’s allness or physical completeness regarding things on earth. These ten references indicate man’s complete earthly evilness and damnation resulting from taking either the mark, number of name of the beast and his kingdom.
These men are so deceived and evil, that they not only allow themselves to worship the beast and his fake image, but they allow themselves to be physically ‘branded’ or marked in order to be identified with the beast. Evil men obtain this mark, number or name so they can also participate in the global economy in terms of buying and selling. They have to be identified as having this mark, number or name, physically evident on either their right hand or forehead, in order to be allowed to execute a purchasing or selling transaction. Once evil men worship the beast, his image and take his mark (or number, name), they are damned.
There are three verses regarding a very specific, powerful and clear angelic warning given to men on earth, to NOT worship the beast, or his image, or take his mark (name, number). Three (3) denotes God’s emphasis and intensity.
. . . “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:9, 14:10, 14:11)
Twice (2) the message is directed at men. The angel repeats himself indicating that the message is for men and what behavior is judged eternally sinful (for ever and ever). Men who worship the beast, his image and take his mark will;
- Experience God’s wrath.
- God’s wrath will not be diluted, or held back, but given in full strength.
- They will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone for torment.
- There torment will be forever and ever (eternity).
- Their torment will be witnessed by holy angels.
- Their torment will take place in the presence of the Lamb.
- They will have no rest day or night, forever and ever (eternity).
There are seven (7) specific results that stem from men worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark (name or number). Seven (7) denotes God’s divinely determined completeness as to his purpose or plan. Eternal punishment in the lake of fire and brimstone, day and night is the strongest wrath that God gives evil men (and Satan, beast/antichrist and false prophet). There is a specific mention that this torment takes place in the presence of the Lamb. These men, while in their torment, will see or consciously be aware of the existence of Jesus Christ. This will provide added pain, anguish and misery since they will be painfully made aware of the choice of their decisions (to worship the beast, his image and take his mark). They were warned not to do what they did.
The Bible gives plenty of examples of the glory that is given to those who did NOT worship the beast, his image or take his mark. Yet, despite the angelic warning . . . despite the 3 ½ year testimony of two witness and prophets . . . despite the witnessing of Tribulation Saints . . . despite the flying angel who proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . evil men still chose to worship the beast, his image and to take his mark, name or number.
They chose to ignore the messages, the warnings, and the testimonies. And now, they are in the lake of fire and brimstone, and will have to pay the price for their evil decision(s), for eternity. They see Jesus Christ, and have become painfully aware of what they could have had through Jesus Christ and instead, they chose the false, empty promises of Satan by worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark, name or number.
Their extreme bitterness and woeful regret will emotionally torment them for eternity, in addition to the physical pain, suffering and torment that they will experience in the lake of fire for eternity. Through their decision to follow Satan, God gave them exactly what they wanted. They did not want anything to do with Jesus Christ, who paid for their sins with his own blood. As such, God gave them over to Satan, since it was their free decision or choice, and what they desired while they were physically alive on earth.
These evil men did everything humanly possible to ignore warnings, to blaspheme God, to ignore the gospel of Jesus Christ, and instead they accepted and believed in lies, worshipped Satan, the beast and his image. Evil men even went so far as to physically defile their bodies (flesh) by taking the branding (mark, number or name) of the beast. All of these actions and behaviors enabled evil men to give themselves totally and wholeheartedly over to Satan through his system of the beast/antichrist and the false prophet.
There are two visions describing what John the Apostle saw, regarding men who were overcomers (them that had gotten victory) by NOT worshipping the beast, his image or taking his mark, number or name.
. . . “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgements are made manifest.” (Rev. 15:2, 15:3, 15:4).
. . . “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:4).
Men who do NOT worship the beast, his image and take his mark are described as;
- They are in heaven (stand on a sea of glass).
- They have harps of God.
- They sing praises and worship Jesus Christ for their salvation.
- They acknowledge that God’s judgements came to pass.
- They are given thrones upon which they sit upon.
- They are given judgement.
- They live and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
There are seven (7) specific results that stem from men NOT worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark (name or number). Seven (7) denotes God’s divinely determined completeness as to his purpose or plan. These blessings or glories are the complete opposite of what awaits those men who DID worship the beast, his image and took his mark, name, number.
- The righteous are in heaven for eternity versus evil men who are in the lake of fire and brimstone for eternity.
- The righteous are joyful and play harps versus evil men who are bitter, resentful, angry, tormented, cry and wail in anguish.
- The righteous sing the praise of and worship Jesus Christ versus evil men who once praised and worshipped Satan (through the beast, his image and in taking his mark).
- Righteous men acknowledge that what God said would come to pass, in fact did come to pass (made manifest) versus evil men who ignored and rejected warnings, the gospel and testimonies of the truth.
- The righteous are given thrones in heaven versus evil men who are drowning in torment in the lake of fire.
- The righteous are given judgement versus evil men who are judged.
- The righteous live and reign with Christ verses evil men who die and fall with Satan.
The avoidance of doing these five (5) eternal sins is one of the most important themes, in the entire book of Revelation. Men must avoid doing these things, literally at all costs. Even to the point of being beheaded or martyred. Men’s eternal destinies depend on it. Worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark, name or number result in eternal damnation. There is no way of sugar coating or downplaying this reality.
The avoidance of doing these five (5) eternal sins is one of the most important themes, in the entire book of Revelation. Men must avoid doing these things, literally at all costs. Even to the point of being beheaded or martyred. Men’s eternal destinies depend on it. Worshipping the beast, his image and taking his mark, name or number result in eternal damnation. There is no way of sugar coating or downplaying this reality.
12 REFERENCES TO JUDGE / JUDGING / JUDGEMENT:
- . . . “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not JUDGE AND AVENGE OUR BLOOD on them that dwell on the earth.” (Rev. 6:10).
- . . . “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that THEY SHOULD BE JUDGED, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest DESTROY THEM WHICH DESTROY THE EARTH.” (Rev. 11:18).
- . . . “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGEMENT IS COME: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Rev. 14:7).
- . . . “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for THY ARE MADE MANIFEST.” (Rev. 15:4).
- . . . “And I heard the angel of the water say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, BECAUSE THOU HAST JUDGED THUS.” (Rev. 16:5).
- . . . “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE THY JUDGMENTS.” (Rev. 16:7).
- . . . “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee THE JUDGEMENT OF THE GREAT WHORE that sitteth upon many waters:” (Rev. 17:1).
- . . . “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for STRONG IS THE LORD GOD WHO JUDGETH HER.” (Rev. 18:8).
- . . . “Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For IN ONE HOUR IS THY JUDGEMENT COME.” (Rev. 18:10).
- . . . “For TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE HIS JUDGEMENTS: for HE HATH JUDGED THE GREAT WHORE, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS SERVANTS at her hand.” (Rev. 19:2).
- . . .And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and THE DEAD WERE JUDGED OUT OF THOSE THINGS WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS, ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS.” (Rev. 20:12).
- . . . “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and THEY WERE JUDGED EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS.” (Rev. 20:13).
JUDGING OR JUDGEMENT IS DESCRIBED AS;
God is the judge and provides judgements or decisions based on the actions, behaviors and deeds of men and angels.
Judgement is a decision requested to be made on behalf of someone (Tribulation Saints) who were wrongfully hurt (beheaded).
Someone (nations) are caught bloody red handed and are angry knowing that they will be judged for their actions, behavior and evil deeds. They are angry because they didn’t get away with it and were caught. They know they are going to have pay a price which they can’t afford.
Judgement is a request that someone be righted a wrong done to them.
Judgement is a request for a reward promised based on a stated outcome.
Judgement is based on timing. An evil act is done, its results are noted and accounted for. Time comes for the evil act to be judged and the resulting judgement exercised or made manifest.
Judgement, or the decision of what should be done has to be acted upon or made to occur (sent to prison). This is known as making a judgement manifest or physically exercised. This is the doing of what should be done.
Witnesses in the public gallery indicate that God’s judgements are “true and righteous.” This means that the public gallery can attest to the fact that God did take everything into account, all the details, actions, deeds, events, behaviors, statements, intents and came to the correct and truthful conclusion regarding the matter. Nothing was left out. Everything was taken into consideration as evidence, properly evaluated and applied against the benchmark, standard and/or law that was being applied. God’s administration of justice and his resulting judgements are found to be accurate, spot on, truthful, correct, no question about it. In Biblical words, “true and righteous.”
God is described as judging the “great whore” a.k.a. Babylon City (the great worldly capital of the beast’s/antichrist’s kingdom).
God is strong, meaning he can’t be swayed or weak in the sense that he lets some evil slide a bit in terms of not being judged or of receiving judgement. He is firm in his judgements and not weak-kneed. He does not fold under public pressure. He can’t be influenced, bribed, manipulated or pushed by a particular special interest group, lobby or entrenched political ideology or group. He is strong, firm, steadfast, unwavering in the application of his administration of justice.
God’s judgement comes very swiftly, within “one hour.” There is no long drawn out period of rebuttals, challenges, reviews, counter-suits, passing on to a higher court, etc. A decision is made and done. The action of the decision is made manifest, very quickly. There is no delay in the manifestation of the decision. Babylon City is destroyed within one hour, split into three parts by a very great earthquake, consumed by fire and hammered by 100lb. hailstones (weight of a talent). Period.
There is no punishment meted out in stages, over a long period of time. There is no slap on the wrist that comes with an admonition to don’t do it again. The celestial sledgehammer is dropped quickly and decisively, no force is held back.
God’s judgement includes not only the living but also the dead. Jesus Christ opens his book of life, to see if a dead man’s name is in it. The book of life is not unlike an accounting ledger that records all the debits and credits amassed over a period of time. These debits and credits are referred to as “according to their works.” If a man’s name is found in his book of life, Jesus acknowledges as much to the Father and “confesses the man’s name even to the angels.” Through Jesus Christ and his book of life, God is able to righteously judge dead men. Jesus’ book of life accounts for everyone, past, present and future.
Numbers within numbers, meanings within meanings. Twelve (12) descriptions of judging or judgement and twelve (12) references or verses from throughout the book of Revelation. Judging / Judgement. (Def.); to form a conclusion about a subject or outcome, to decide as in a case of court, to give a verdict about someone or something in court as truthful, applying the administration of justice and truthfulness. Only God and Jesus Christ are the judges. Period.
Only God and Jesus Christ do the judging. Period. Only God and Jesus Christ reward, withhold or punish. Period. Only God and Jesus Christ are judge, jury, and jailer. God has his wrath. Jesus Christ has the keys to heaven and hell. Having judgement and exercising judgement is derived from authority and rule. One can only be a judge if they have the authority to judge and the right to judge. One has to be competent to judge, to be able to discern right from wrong, truth from lies, good from evil, just from unjust, righteousness from unrighteousness, clarity from deception, godly from ungodliness, saved from unsaved.
To be able to judge, one has to know all the facts, all the outcomes, all the intents, all the behaviors and apply these against a benchmark, a standard, a law that determines whether the data observed meet the benchmark, standard or law. Since God is omnipotent and knows everything occurring past, present and future, he is supremely just in knowing everything to take into account in performing judgement. He is the only one capable of exercising correct, truthful and righteous judgement because he can and does take everything into consideration when exercising his administration of justice.
Jesus Christ is the benchmark, the standard and/or the law. Jesus Christ paid our court fees, he paid the bail, and also paid a very expensive price so we wouldn’t have to go to jail, to the dungeon, to the hangman or to the lake of fire. God’s law of righteousness and truthfulness is;
Admit/Acknowledge/Accept that you are sinner. Ask God’s forgiveness and repent of your sins.
. . .For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
. . .As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10)
. . .If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
Believe Jesus is Lord. Believe that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be; that He was both fully God and fully man and that we are saved through His death, burial, and resurrection. Put your trust in Him as your only hope of salvation. Become a son or daughter of God by receiving Christ.
. . .That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:15-17). For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)
Call upon His name, Confess with your heart and with your lips that Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
. . .That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)
This is the benchmark, standard and/or law by which God judges men. If Jesus Christ finds a man who meets this benchmark, standard and/or law, he acknowledges and confesses the man’s name before God as belonging to him and having meet the requirements. Jesus Christ acts as our lawyer, on our behalf, in the administration of God’s justice. Jesus saves us in God’s court of law and in the administration of God’s justice.
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT
GREAT WHITE THRONE AND ETERNAL JUDGEMENT
SEVEN-FOLD REFERENCE TO LAKE OF FIRE JUDGEMENT:
- “He that hath an ear, let hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of THE SECOND DEATH (LAKE OF FIRE).” (Rev. 2:11).
- “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he SHALL BE TORMENTED WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosover receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:10-11).
- “And THE BEAST was taken, and with him THE FALSE PROPHET that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These BOTH WERE CAST ALIVE INTO A LAKE OF FIRE BURNING WITH BRIMSTONE.” (Rev. 19:20).
- “And the devil that deceived them was cast into THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, WHERE THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET ARE, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev. 20:10).
- “And death and hell were cast into THE LAKE OF FIRE. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH.” (Rev. 20:14).
- “And whosover was not found written in the book of life WAS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.” (Rev. 20:15).
- “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part IN THE LAKE WHICH BURNETH WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: WHICH IS THE SECOND DEATH.” (Rev. 21:8).
The lake of fire is also known as the ‘second death’. This is the final place of burning, everlasting torment for Satan, the antichrist, the false prophet and those un-saved, un-believing souls from throughout the ages found NOT to be in the book of life, at the white throne judgement, at the end of the Millennium. The lake of fire and second death are also reserved for those deceived during the Tribulation who took the mark of the beast and worshipped him and his image.
The evil dead are resurrected to be judged by Christ for their evil works and for their rejection of Him who offered himself for their salvation and forgiveness of their sins. As a result of their sins and judgment, they are cast into the lake of fire that represents a second death (the first death being physical body death and souls/spirits being in Hell). The evil dead are resurrected into bodies and cast into the lake of fire to be severely tormented, having no rest day or night, and are absent from a loving God and their Savior who offered himself for them.
THE GREAT IRONY IS THAT THESE PEOPLE RECEIVED EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANTED. THEY REFUSED CHRIST AND WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM, THEY WANTED TO EXIST IN ETERNITY WITHOUT COMMUNION WITH GOD AND CHRIST, ON THEIR OWN TERMS. THEY LITERALLY RECEIVED WHAT THEY ASKED FOR. THE STENCH OF THEIR PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL TORMENT RISES UP IN SMOKE, FOR ETERNITY.
God made both man and angels as eternal beings, hence they will exist forever in one state or another. Which state will any of us choose to exist in? The choice is up to us, and God grants us the freedom to make that choice for ourselves. For better or worse, we have no one to blame (certainly not God) except ourselves for whatever choices we make on earth.
MOST PEOPLE DON’T REALISE THIS UNTILL IT’S TOO LATE: STANDING AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST
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