Mark Sleboda, international relations and security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un will visit Russia in the upcoming days as President Putin's guest. Mark Sleboda says the Russian Defense Minister set the groundwork to have this meeting and that the main topic will most likely be the military technical agreement between North Korea and Russia. Mark says this is a Russian response to the US dragging South Korea and Japan into the arms situation to help plug the hole in NATO production, since NATO has been unable to keep up with its ammunition needs.
Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss the G-20 Summit. The Washington Post has an interesting op-ed that says the G-20 Summit should "abolish itself." Caleb Maupin provides analysis, saying that this statement is consistent with John Bolton. He says Bolton is a neoconservative who believes that the alliances with the involved countries restrain the US from having the interventionist foreign policy they want.
Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Moroccan earthquake and the flood in Libya that killed people. Laith Marouf says this is very tragic news. The earthquake has been registered as the strongest ever to hit the county in recent history, and Laith talked about the rush for time to find people under the rubble while they are still living. Also, the flood death toll in Libya jumped to over 2,000 people. Laith also mentions how Russia has given grain to other countries fighting hunger while the United States dumps its excess agriculture rather than helping those in need.
KJ Noh, peace activist, writer, and teacher, joins us to discuss Asia. A report by CNN on Friday detailed how Chinese President Xi Jinping's no-show at the G20 summit in India this month is raising concerns among Western leaders that his first no-attendance to the Summit may point out that China is transmitting a clear message about its ambitions to reshape global governance. KJ Noh says that he believes China is sending a message to NATO that the Summit is no longer as important as it used to be. KJ Noh also thinks China does not want to meet with President Biden. During the previous Summit, the two countries did meet, and the US made promises to China that were not kept. KJ also says that President Xi sends a message that he doesn't take Biden seriously.
John Kiriakou, former CIA Officer and Co-Host of "Political Misfits" on Radio Sputnik, joins us to discuss his Consortium News article, US Justice Dept’s Next Victim, about Julian Assange. John Kiriakou says Julian deserves unwavering support, at the very least because he alerted the world to crimes being committed by the US government. He says his bravery has been well-documented, even if the government says that he is a danger to American national security.
Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War, joins us to discuss domestic policy and NATO. Responsible Statecraft published an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "Love Letter to the Arms Industry." Dan Lazare agrees with the author, saying the US military establishment is a big entity that racks up billions of dollars in weapons designed to provoke wars and make money for the military-industrial industry. Dan says it's a sick arrangement and the plan isn't working and the US cannot keep up with its artillery needs, even though it is a relatively easy item to produce.
Yolian Ogbu, member of the Black Alliance for Peace and Horn of Africa Pan-Africans for Liberation and Solidarity, joins us to discuss Eritrea. A CNN report parroted the claims of a new Amnesty International Report that alleged the Eritrean Defense Forces committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity in Tigray, Ethiopia, immediately before and after signing a ceasefire last year. Yolian Ogbu says there were no real citations in the report, and there was no way to verify these reports. She says Amnesty International is part of the Western soft power, and Eritrea has been targeted with sanctions and false reports since they don't take foreign aid outside of the UN.
Ricardo Vaz, political analyst and editor at Venezuelanalysis, joins us to discuss Venezuela. Ricardo Vaz wrote a piece in Venezuelaanalysis.com about President Maduro's historic visit to China. Ricardo Vaz says this visit is very significant in that the visit comes after the BRICS Summit. He says that China is the leading power worldwide in technical development and strengthening the cooperation ties will be helpful to align Venezuelan manufacturers with Chinese counterparts.
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