Photo, left: Chino Copper Mine

 

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lake

 

Hour One

Bill Roggio, Thomas Joscelyn, FDD. Gordon Chang, Daily Beast. 

Hour Two

David Drucker, Washington Examiner. John Fund, NRO. Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Hour Three

@ELALUSA Report w/Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres.Thomas C. Johnson.

Hour Four

Christian Caryl. Joseph Braude.

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JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
John Batchelor in Doha, Qatar.
Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, the Great Voice of the Great Lakes
 
Hour One
IDT Business Services headlines news report (Seoul; Washington: El Salvador + Russiagate and investigation; markets);
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block A:  JB: Doha, in the studios of the Qatar Media Corporation. Outdoors is 68 degrees F; as though another planet. Everything is new; amazing intl mix, esp people from the entire Indo-Pacific.  Few Qataris (pop: 3 million) compared to those from the Indian Ocean basin.  Summers are so hot that everyone is indoors in temperature-controlled spaces, April till September, suffocating except for those who’ve grown up here.   GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).  Will meet Defense Minister; then on to Al Jazeera complex; then Northwestern University campus in Qatar.
Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; in re: Trump blasts Pakistan for its ‘lies & deceit’   If Trump is serious about hitting back at Pakistan, expect the US to ramp up drone strikes against jihadists, and not just in Pakistan's tribal areas.  Pres Trump: “We’ve give Pakistan $33 billion in the last 15 years, while Pakistan has given shelter and much aid to jihadists.” US has cut off mil and ec.[?] aid to Pakistan, which clearly is a state sponsor of terrorism.  GOP says we need to give Pakistan money for our mil alliance; Dems: . . .  in hopes that maybe they’ll change, but in fact Pakistan is not a US ally. Pres Trump has pretty much done what he said he would in such matters. In Islamabad, the reaction is political: “We’ve lost more casualties than the US has” – sure, but you’re responsible for this because you carefully maintain terrorists.
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block B:  Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; in re: Counterterrorism strikes.  2017 is a record-breaker in the matter of air strikes in Somalia and Yemen: more than all previous years combined.  Trump is taking a much more muscular approach than Obama did.  Hasn't worked esp. in Yemen, since al Qaeda has increased its footprint there.   The strikes singularly jump out from Yemen reports: 144. 
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block C:  Gordon Chang, Daily Beast and Forbes,com, in re: Indo=-Pacific gathers geopolitically as China endeavors to expand its stepping stones into One  Belt/One Road.  Except: the North Korea problem.  North-South Korea talks: showboating or substantive.?  Nominally abt DPRK’s possible participation in next month’s paraolympic games; its figure skaters have qualified but the govt hasn't filled out its forms.    Optimism looks rather like grasping at straws.  Pres Trump has made it easier for the two nations to break out of their confines.  Both Obama and Trump has sat on Pres Moon, who’s acquiescent and appeasing to a fearful degree.  Ask: What’s in it for Beijing?  Why would it want relations frozen and risk losing its buffer state?  China and DPRK will want ROK to shovel over some cash; Trump will endeavor to prevent that, which violates sanctions.  Appeasement has never worked yet.  So far, ticket sales for the paraolympics  are most disappointing, so Moon Jae-in wants to get through March 18, the last day with full stadia and no terroristic events.   Moon thinks that if he gives concessions and aid to the North forever, then eventually DPRK will become dependent and thereby mollifying. His is an ideology that demonstrably doesn't work.   However, DPRK has moved from dvpt to bldg. up its arsenal. And there  is  no long term—we have months, not years.  Previous US presidents knew that China was busting sanctions but never said anything; now, the only way to oblige China to act legitimately is to impose sanctions.
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block D:  Thaddeus McCotter, in re: Thaddeus’s new article at American Greatness on mental health and the presidency.  A group of 27 shrinks published a book on The Dangerous Donald Trump, which sold well in Europe.   Recall aspersions vs Lincoln, Jefferson, Grant, et al.   Armchair psychiatry; quite odd.  Remember that we've been talking about Russiagate for a year; Adam Schiff tweeted:   Plainly we have a flawed person in the Oval Ofc; will the flaws permeate all of govt?   Pathfinder also does armchair psychiatry, Reminiscent of Bananas by Woody Allen.  One of the claims attaching to the XXV Amendment, — to remove this president in a bloodless coup since the left is upset with this president’s policies — is not sane, in and of itself.  They make these claims with no self-awareness or sense of irony.  Nuts.
 
Hour Two
IDT Business Services headlines news report (Seoul’s rosy plan to speak with North Korea; Washington: El Salvador + special counsel & Russiagate investigation; markets);
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block A:  David M Drucker, Washington Examiner, and John Fund, NRO, in re: Majority of Qatar’s income right now is not petrochemical but today’s bull market.  Michael Wolff, Fire and Fury; Bannon; and the return of Congress. Wolff’s book is still biting in part because the president and his team won't let it go.  This book won’t damage the president’s standing with his base, but it carries the message that the White House is a mess – a sort of voter-suppression book.  In this book, the details are wrong but the broad strokes are correct.  . . .   Lots of suburban women love the stock market and still hate the president; will not vote for the president’s candidates in 2018. NBO, Showtime, and Netflix are all bidding for the book.  In 2006, message to G W Bush was, “Vote out the Republican House.” Recall that people personally liked Obama but not his policies; how will that play out with Trump?
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/01/08/john-fund-four-reasons-why-oprah-might-run-for-president.html
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block B:  John Fund, NRO, in re:  Oprah Winfrey at the Golden Globes, Hollywood; buzz that she may run for the presidency.  Rapturous Oprahmania.  Donald Trump has opened the gates to everyone in the US with a billion dollars and high name-recognition.  She can either actually run, or play along for eighteen months. Trump pretended to run five times. Her presence would change the field for Democrats – think Andrew Cuomo, Bill DeBlasio, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders.  At the very least, she’s a kingmaker (queenmaker).  She’d have to decide by autumn of 2019.
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block C: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Malcolm first visited Doha 25 years ago, to visit the grandfather of the present emir.  FIF games coming up.  Not only is Doha glistening and new, it's as international as New York.  Guests from East Africa to East Asia; lots of education here, and Qatar has been welcoming,  Geostrategic location. Iran has banned English in elementary schools to avoid cultural invasion by the West. Basij wouldn’t attack people from their own city, knowing that there’d be retribution.  As the demonstrations for equitability in the economy and personal liberty, the silence of Europeans is striking – not surprising, but striking.
Ed Royce, chair of Foreign Relations Committee, drops out; he was a good coalition-builder. His loss will be to the Congress as a whole.  Cuts in aid to UNRWA, which is mandated to keep the Palestinian refugee problem alive over decades.  Plays a big political role among Palestinians, is an overt violation of the US Foreign Assistance Act. UNRWA permits (encourages?) terrorist installations — rockets, tunnels, materiel storage —under UNRWA schools for children. 
Israel’s northern border; president and Iran sanction.
Monday   24 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block D: Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD, in re: Iran: democracy or dictatorship? Dictatorship ruled by a regime with clerical and mil background; repression.    Ultimate goal of Iranian people is representative govt — for over a century.  Today’s slogans are the most powerful in the history of the Islamic Republic.      Recall Hungary and Czechoslovakia; how long here?  If the repression continues, there’ll be another struggle in the future. How long can the police force – Basij, IRCG – continue to oppress?  Will banking sanctions and decertifying next week help?  The president’s speech and deeds in this matter have been enormously helpful. I think the sanctions will be waived so US can do ore diplo work with Europe.  I recommend using nonnuclear authorities, esp Magnitsky Act. 
         https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/opinion/finding-the-way-forward-on-iran.html
         http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/senior-fellow-the-secular-republic-of-iran/
         http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/senior-fellow-the-crack-up-of-theocracy/
Behnam Ben Taleblu is a Senior Iran Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Previously, Behnam served as a Non-Resident Iran Research Fellow and Iran Research Analyst at FDD, where he leveraged his native Farsi skills in addition to subject-matter expertise. Behnam has provided FDD’s scholars, staff, and the wider foreign-policy community with open-source research and analysis on Iran-related issues including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the foreign policy debates within the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics.
 
Hour Three
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 3, Block A:  Hoenlein Conference of Presidents, in re:  Ancient clay seal found near the Western Wall, 100 meters from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem: mayor said “It’s overwhelming to receive greetings from the First Temple Period (3,000 years ago), from the governor of Jerusalem.”  Kings II and Chronicles II.  Two people with knee-length garments, facing each other.    In a bldg. nearby found a broad selection of these seals intact.  A postage-stamp-sized area of digging. Whoever put together the Bible was a detailed record-keeper.  Continuous with the history of the Jewish people for thousands of years. The only home that Jews have ever wanted.  Do you think that official dropped the seal and said, “Here! This’ll be needed by our offspring in the far future”?
A new archaeological discovery of a prehistoric site from the Paleolithic in an Arab town in central Israel, near the new Highway Route 6. Dates back many thousands of years: in 2.5 acres, a huge supply of flint tools.  It's rare to find hunter-gatherer tools, and making these required sophistication.  Anent people’s skepticism – nay, cynicism — about the Bible: David fought Goliath in ____ , which has been found. No UN resolution can erase all this. When you find out where you come from, you know where you’re going.
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 3, Block B:  Jonathan Spyer, journalist, in re: His recent trip to Syria.
The Assad regime in alliance with Iran and Russia is stronger these days; Assad regime no longer in danger of being overthrown, but not out of the woods.  Rebels still present, ISIS not obliterated. Scepticism of the regime's saying that it’s all over – it’s not.  In _____, the eastern suburb of Damascus, rebels deeply challenge the regime.  400,00 people in there.  If Assad can take Idlib province, then can assault Kineitra, which is near Israel.   A key US intention wd be to prevent Iran from achieving its land corridor through Iraq to the Mediterranean, US can use proxy forces and air power to nip that in the bud. Iran, US and Russia are all using proxy warfare, he US with some degree of success.  In the midst of a long, drawn-out process.  Conventional warfare being fought by non-govtl organizations. Parallel Iin the ‘90s when Communism collapsed. Jugoslavia was a short ware, this is extended and chaotic.
         https://www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-minister-fired-over-israeli-journalists-visit-report/
         https://www.rferl.org/a/syria-russia-says-drones-used-attack-bases/28963399.html
         http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/08/middleeast/idlib-syria-npw-analysis-intl/index.html
Jonathan Spyer is a journalist and researcher. He is originally from the UK and has lived in Jerusalem, Israel, since 1991. His research focuses on the Levant, and he has covered events in Syria extensively over the last decade.
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 3, Block C:  Thomas C Johnson, University of Minnesota and Nature Magazine, in re: East Africa, Lake Malawi Basin.  A magnificent lake several million years old with 4,000 meters of sediment, across 10 million years.  Can derive a history of climate that’s continuous.  We recovered a 38-m-long core, abt three million years.  Crystal clear water, surround by mountains; has 1,00 species of fish, many endemic. 
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 3, Block D:  Thomas Johnson,  , in re: East Africa, Lake Malawi Basin. 
 
Hour Four
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 4, Block A: Christian Caryl, Strange Rebels
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 4, Block B: Christian Caryl, Strange Rebels
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 4, Block C: Joseph Braude, Honored Dead
Monday 8 January 2018/ Hour 4, Block D: Joseph Braude, Honored Dead
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