Showing posts with label Xi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xi. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Op-ed:
On Blockades, Turkey, and the Economics of War
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor
This opinion piece is my opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.or google.com
 
...So now as I write this, Erdogan is still hoping to make the F-35 deal with Trump...our president who sadly still does not fully understand the ideology nor the objectives of Islam. And Erdogan will happily sign on the dotted line with fingers crossed behind his back as Israel...as Netanyahu...who is vehemently opposed to this deal...gets stabbed in the back once again.

And lost in this, a war now seemingly going nowhere fast, has been the outward voices of both Russia and China...the voices of both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping...who one would think would play a big yet albeit silent part in our war with Iran especially with both countries trying to make inroads into the Middle East.

So here let's start with Russia and Vladimir Putin by first understanding that Russia has maintained somewhat of a delicate balancing act in the Middle East by having friendly and growing trade and other relations with Israel coupled with Putin having a friendship of sorts with Benjamin Netanyahu in spite of Russia's military ties with Iran...or as Putin calls it, “a nuanced relationship.”...Read entire article here.

Monday, July 20, 2026

Op-ed:
On Blockades, Turkey, and the Economics of War  
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor  
This opinion piece is my opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.or google.com

As the “on again, off again” war with Iran continues on...in fact the war is assuredly expanding when on Saturday, as I was writing this, CENTCOM reported that two U.S. troops stationed in Jordan had been killed with another reported missing after Iran started lobbing ballistic missiles and drones into Jordan on Friday.

Sadly, even with that news, our country still remains divided over both the logistics of how this war is being fought and who is actually the one calling all the shots and why no matter that some interesting but not unexpected developments have occurred, including that the much ballyhooed Trump re-initiated blockade of the “Strait of Hormuz” is back in full operational mode. 

And while I admit that I have not been pleased with some of the decisions Trump has made, here I must come to his defense in regards to the fact that many nations, including some of our allies, continue to condemn his reinstating of the blockade.Why so...because I truly believe that they do not understand the cause and effect legalities involved. For example, while “The International Law of Naval Warfare (LONW) governs actual armed conflict at sea, it's the“Law of Armed Conflict” (LOAC) that dictates hostilities, distinction, and the proportionality of war, and that both do combine together to meld into the “United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” (UNCLOS). And while it's this law that requires “unimpeded passage” through the “Strait of Hormuz” and other what are deemed to be “vital and neutral waterways,” there is caveat in these laws which states as long as the nation initiating the blockade respects the terms as written in the “San Remo Manual” that they are legally able to do so.

So what exactly is this all important “San Remo Manual”...which President Trump surely had to know about...but a list of demands including that both“belligerent and neutral states” be made fully aware of the fact that a blockade was to be put into effect; that said blockade would be effective in its endeavors; that the blockade can be enforced impartially against vessels from all nations both friends and foes alike; that the blockade is not being put into place for the sole purpose of starving civilian populations; and that humanitarian relief and aid must be allowed to reach said civilian populations if they have not already been adequately provided for.

And while President Trump, I'm sure has followed the letter of the law in regards to the “San Remo Manual”...Secretary of State Marco Rubio would most assuredly see to that..I'm just as sure that Iran has not and likely never will follow said manual. Why so...because their actions already taken... actions clearly in direct violation of said manual...are there for all to see. And this includes Iran's so-called “indiscriminate mining” of the Strait minus their having not given the “San Remo Manual” required “notice of hazardous zones” to those involved; coupled with their also having not taken the much needed precautions to safeguard civilians when they originally started mining the Strait. Now add in the fact that Iran also did not comply with the required tracking of those mines nor did they issue the also required mariner notifications...again as per the “Sam Remo Manual.”

 
And no matter the words of the naysayers, the law itself continues to be on Trump's side regarding the reinstated blockade not only as per all I just stated, but also as per his being given Constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, to order military operations to protect American security interests and those of our allies abroad courtesy of a “proportional response” to, what were in this case, Iran's ceasefire breaking attacks on commercial vessels, and also on our military assets in the area.
 
Simply, the “Strait of Hormuz” was and must remain a legally free-to-use and safe international waterway, and Trump, courtesy of said reinstated blockade, is attempting to keep it that way as witnessed by his recent cancelling of his wanted 20% “safe passage” protection fee...after all even broken a clock is right twice a day.

So while President Trump was not just right, but legally right, in his reinstating the “Gulf of Hormuz” naval blockade, he was, in my opinion, totally wrong in even thinking of selling U.S. F-35 jets to Turkey...Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey. Why so...because Erdogan's no longer being veiled anti-Israel rhetoric regarding the “Jewish State” being an “existential and genocidal threat to the region,” has become not only a growing destabilizing factor in and of itself, but poses numerous security and geopolitical risks not just to Israel but to our country and our other allies as well.

How so...because with Turkey continuing to operate the Russian S-400 air-defense system, this alone could possibly allow Russia to study and then compromise the F-35's actual stealth capabilities. Trump should know this as well as he should know that 2017's “Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” (CAATSA) was designed to penalize not reward countries that engage in “significant business transactions” involving the defense or intelligence sectors operating under Russian technology...as does Turkey, Iran, and North Korea.

But Erdogan knew exactly how to bypass this law by his“reportedly” transferring Turkey's S-400 defense system to a yet to be disclosed Gulf state, while at the same time relishing in the fact that Trump has already announced plans to lift U.S. sanctions on Turkey. Nothing like stabbing our ally Israel in the back yet again...nothing like hoping to successfully “pull the wool' over Trump's eyes.

So now as I write this, Erdogan is still hoping to make the F-35 deal with Trump...our president who sadly still does not fully understand the ideology nor the objectives of Islam. And Erdogan will happily sign on the dotted line with fingers crossed behind his back as Israel...as Netanyahu...who is vehemently opposed to this deal...gets stabbed in the back once again.

And lost in this, a war now seemingly going nowhere fast, has been the outward voices of both Russia and China...the voices of both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping...who one would think would play a big yet albeit silent part in our war with Iran especially with both countries trying to make inroads into the Middle East.

So here let's start with Russia and Vladimir Putin by first understanding that Russia has maintained somewhat of a delicate balancing act in the Middle East by having friendly and growing trade and other relations with Israel coupled with Putin having a friendship of sorts with Benjamin Netanyahu in spite of Russia's military ties with Iran...or as Putin calls it, “a nuanced relationship.”

Economics folks...simple economics helps to drive wars forward or keeps them contained...and economics more times than not does determine which side of a war a country will or will not be on.

And that which is economics worked in our, Israel's, and Russia's favor here. How so...because Putin was well aware that with almost two million people of Russian descent...people who fled to Israel from what was (thanks to Reagan) the then fallen Soviet Union...people who economically flourished in Israel...people who sent money home to family still in Russia in an effort to help keep alive their cultural ties to Russia. And this in time saw Russia opening the door to a modern day melding of cultural and economic ties with Israel, which aided Russia economically and on the global political front. How so... by not only helping to preserve Russia's Middle East geopolitical influence, but by it helping to temper down what Russia deemed to be “international economic alienation.”

So with Russia also being culturally and of course economically way more like Israel than it is Iran, and with trade relations with Israel now proving to be extremely beneficial to Russia as it helps with the economic drain the Ukraine war is putting on Russia's economy...Putin was wise enough to see that making amends with Israel was not only the right thing to do but that outwardly supporting Iran was far from a smart idea.

So for his and Russia's sake, Vladimir Putin wisely chose to be a somewhat “neutral observer” rather than his having to choose a definitive side to be on in regards to the Iran war. And know that if Putin had outwardly chosen to side with Iran that this war could well have included actual flashpoints between the U.S. and Russia as well...flashpoints whose outcome need not be said.

And so Putin being an “observer” rather than a player has helped to keep this war somewhat geographically contained...a good thing indeed.

Now in regards to why Xi Jinping and China, who also could have been a key player in the Iran War but thankfully is not, that too on some level is because of simple economics coupled with China's growing concerns that any assistance they could provide to Iran, while it might aid Iran’s ability to retaliate in the short term, it could end up involving China in a war with the U.S. either militarily or economically which surely would not be advantageous for China.

So now it seems that as the war continues on that what China wants is a “flexible alignments over the formal defense alliances that America has long prized.” And while China has, at times, openly condemned America and Israeli strikes and actions against Iran, it chooses instead to remain busy expanding its economic ties with Iran’s neighboring Gulf States in hopes of at least neutralizing America's regional influence.

Also, China remains very busy keeping an eye on Taiwan, while at the same time constructing what they call a “no limits” partnership with Russia to help in the reconstruction of a postwar Ukraine...that is if Russia wins said war. Simply, the current mindset of China remains that of "strategic ambiguity" in hopes of maintaining and then expanding trade ties with what they consider to be Middle East power brokers, which in turn would directly aid in growing China's economy.

Simply, like with Russia, China favors looking out for itself rather than wasting monies on giving material military support to Iran.

And so Iran is basically on its own, but with the mullahs now saying they will fight to the death, maybe President Trump should start worrying about just how...bio-weapons perhaps...and who will go down with them. Case closed. 

Copyright @ 2026 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All Rights Reserved.

************************************************************************************************** For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, Hormuz and Beyond.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE! 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21st from 7 to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'On Blockades, Turkey, and the Economics of War'; 'Hormuz and Beyond'; and important news of the day. Tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE.' 

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Right Side Patriots...Podcast                                                                              Here's the podcast of last nights 'LIVE' radio broadcast where Craig & Diane discussed President Trump's UK visit; Antifa is now officially designated as a terrorist group; the Trump/Xi TikTok framework agreement; and our 'Off the Cuff" segment. Listen to it on https://rspradio1.podbean.com 

Friday, September 19, 2025

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                                       Today, Friday, September 19th from 7 to 8:00pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen & Diane Sori discuss President Trump's UK visit; Antifa is now officially designated as a terrorist group; the Trump/Xi TikTok framework agreement; and our 'Off the Cuff" segment. On https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE.' 

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Op-ed:
The Doomsday Clock Ticks Loudly
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio
The article posted here is the authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google

...So how do we sever, if you will, what seems to be a still growing and dangerous Russia/China love fest or what President Trump has rightfully said is “Russia and China uniting.” Simply, the three “superpower” nations must, for the sake of the world, put their internal politics and personal hatreds aside and start looking at the much larger global picture, for the fact remains, whether for better or worse, that we are indeed all in this together.


Besides, with the U.S., Russia, and China forming what would then be known as the “superpower alliance”...said “alliance” could become if not the key catalyst for lasting peace per se, at least it could be the touch off point that leads to some semblance of global “stability”...including “stability” of the economic kind. And with said “stability” in place we would see world economics actually starting to right itself on its own, thus helping to end what many still see as the “inequities” between rich and poor nations, the very thing that at times tends to be one of the main reasons for war...Read entire article here.

Monday, April 14, 2025

Op-ed:
The Doomsday Clock Ticks Loudly
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio
The article posted here is the authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google.
 
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
 - J. Robert Oppenheimer's words spoken as he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945.*

Over the past few months I've briefly mentioned in some op-eds and on Craig Andresen and my “Right Side Patriots Radio” show about how the world's top three “superpowers”...the United States, Russia, and China... need to join together to help in calming down the still escalating tensions that have become the mainstay of today's international political discourse, especially in regards to Iran and its widely dispersed, terrorist driven, proxy armies. And why is such an alliance needed now more then ever before...because without it, it's only a matter of time before any given nation or rouge operatives in possession of nuclear weapons decides to take matters into their own hands.

Simply, a resetting of the “Doomsday Clock” needs to happen post haste for there are way too many “bad actors”...most especially the mullahs in Iran...still calling the ever volatile “geopolitical” shots. How so? For starters it's important to remember that while the United States is the world’s most powerful nation with the most advanced overall military capabilities to date, Putin's Russia is right behind in the number two position, and what some don't know is that they actually possess more nuclear weapons than we do...as in 5,580 armed nuclear missiles with 1,710 of them being deployed, to our 5,044 and 1,670 nukes respectively. And while this leaves China behind in third place not to be forgotten is that China has the largest numbers manpower wise...as in two million active duty military personnel...in addition to their having 500 armed nukes with 24 of them being deployed, plus the fact that they do have the world's largest economy no matter that we have a higher per capital GDP. And when the economic factors are melded into China's still formidable military capabilities, one can see why we three nations must learn to work together before the “doomsday clock” hits zero.

And so with Russia’s increasing dependence on Chinese imports, their respective leaders are getting a wee bit too close for our comfort as what can become a “locked in stone” economic and military alliance between these two nations could well propel that alliance...what some are calling an “axis of power”...into a jointly held number one “superpower” position. Not good folks, not good at all nor is the fact that with the numbers I just stated, leads one to wonder why did we...as in the world leaders...allow the proliferation of nuclear weapons to reach the numbers that it did for the reality is that those numbers dictate that we are no longer talking just about a possible nuclear war between a few nations, but about the total destruction of planet Earth, our collective home.

So how do we sever, if you will, what seems to be a still growing and dangerous Russia/China love fest or what President Trump has rightfully said is “Russia and China uniting.” Simply, the three “superpower” nations must, for the sake of the world, put their internal politics and personal hatreds aside and start looking at the much larger global picture, for the fact remains, whether for better or worse, that we are indeed all in this together.

Besides, with the U.S., Russia, and China forming what would then be known as the “superpower alliance”...said “alliance” could become if not the key catalyst for lasting peace per se, at least it could be the touch off point that leads to some semblance of global “stability”...including “stability” of the economic kind. And with said “stability” in place we would see world economics actually starting to right itself on its own, thus helping to end what many still see as the “inequities” between rich and poor nations, the very thing that at times tends to be one of the main reasons for war.

And here let me state that I am not looking at the situation we're all facing through rose colored glasses, but through the tangible reality that encompasses both common sense and logic, for the fact is that if we stay the course that we're now on it will be too late to reset the always ticking “doomsday clock.”

"The time has come now, when man must give up war. It is no longer rational to solve international problems by resorting to war." - so said Albert Einstein shortly after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

So knowing this, the all important question now becomes, how do we get the United States, Russia, and China to put aside their differences and talk of war, and actually form the aforementioned “superpower alliance?”

First, I would think that above all else we must be willing to accept the similarities between our three nations as being more important than are our political and ideological differences. And what are some of said similarities? To start with, we, Russia, and China want to expand our international influence along with our trade options while at the same time hoping to increase communication and much needed transparency between our nations through the art of diplomacy.

Second, the governments of our respective nations must openly acknowledge that war itself, even for the victor can, at times, come with a caveat...a caveat that actually negates ones victory by turning what was physical success into unsustainable, costly, and long term economic dependency for both sides.

Third, while the U.S., Russia, and China also want to generate economic growth and prosperity at home, President Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping must know that securing economic growth alone is not necessarily the only conduit for peace because war itself tends to be the number one drainer of what was a given country's economic success.

Fourth, the “superpowers” must understand that any sanctions imposed are but one side's short term fix that unfortunately helps to mask the real problem(s) at hand.

Fifth, and lastly, while we know that for some nations western style democracy...as we deem said democracy to be...is not now nor will it ever be the “one size fits all solution” to their given country's problems for certain core ideologies and beliefs have been ingrained too deeply within that country's societal and governing norms to suddenly be replaced by concepts as foreign to them as their concepts are to us. But that does not mean we cannot accept those differences...minus the inclusion or acceptance of physical violence of course...while the “superpower alliance” moves forward in its “stabilization” endeavors to eventually help secure a lasting peace.

In other words, with what would be the combined power of the United States, Russia, and China working together as one cohesive unit the chance for peace and “stability” increases ten fold for few nations would be willing to take on such a triad of power...few nations except for Iran that is. But why would Iran do so...simply because the world's largest sponsor of terrorism believes they are fighting a “Holy War” against not only the West but against all non believers. Remember, uncontrolled religious fervor of any kind is seen by its followers as both a justification for war and for unbridled violence, thus making “Holy Wars” particularly dangerous, destructive, and hard to squelch. And this is the type of war Iran's mullahs are fighting...this is the war the“superpower alliance” would be fighting against whether at this point in time they would be willing to admit it or not.
 
“The greatest threat facing humanity is a radical Islamist regime meeting up with nuclear weapons.” - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's words of truth first spoken on July 11, 2010.
 
And so here it's important to remember that while Russia and Iran have currently solidified their military and their political ties to some degree, there are caveats attached to those ties. First, Putin's primary reason for catering to the mullahs revolved around Russia's flaying economy, and its desperate need for Iranian oil. And second, it was because Putin was desperate to find any means by which to circumvent the imposed Western sanctions. But, if you were to take away Russia's need to depend on Iran for its oil...say with the U.S. selling Russia oil at a much lower price than Iran ever could while also lifting some of the sanctions...with our selling oil to Russia actually becoming the first step...then Russia having ties to Iran would actually become a political liability to them, Why so...because any country having ties to the world's leading sponsor of terrorism is seen as a willing obstacle to peace.

Simply, it not only makes economic sense for Russia to be part of the “superpower alliance,” but it makes sense logistically as well. How so...because Russia...because Vladimir Putin...knows well that a nuclear armed Iran would not only change the delicate balance of power and influence in the Middle East, but would see Russia's already huge investment...militarily and monetarily wise...in the area basically being either neutralized, negated, or replaced.

And as for China, who in their eyes sill considers itself to be “non-interventionist in nature,” they would benefit from such an “alliance” because with their current economy actually thriving on dealing with countries in conflict, their being in said “alliance” would actually not cause injury to China's own interests, but would actually see their own economy growing even stronger than it would by either standing alone or with a nuclear armed and ever so dangerous Iran. After all, self preservation does trump both world opinion and misplaced political ideologies.

And here it's important to know that war itself, sadly, is part of human nature...man's history itself proves that to be true...but there is a difference between a war and possible total nuclear annihilation. And so, at this point in time, we do need to take a step back and start focusing on our aforementioned similarities and common grounds, and less on our differences and what are usually indoctrinated hatreds.

So the only way to speed that process up, in my opinion, is for a “superpower alliance” to remove from the world discourse those whose mission is to perpetrate hate and violence as the means to their personally decided end. Countries like Iran, from which most of the hate and violence in today's world originates from, must either institute a change in leadership on their own or face the consequences of nations united together who will do it for them. And while nuclear weapons are not needed to do so, the threat of using them is. And that alone should wake up those still slumbering in their own brand of “nuclear winter” delusions.

Always remember, the words of Albert Einstein who wisely stated that, “I don't know how World War III will be fought, but I can tell you what they will fight the fourth World War with — sticks and stones.”...that is if anyone is left alive to throw them. Case closed.

Copyright © 2025 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved.

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, Liberals Say the Dumbest Things.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                           
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 15th from 7pm to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'The Doomsday Clock Ticks Loudly'; 'Liberals Say the Dumbest Things'; and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50pm EST, show begins at 7pm EST.