Some good news…
…from Ukraine, at last. The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set off from the port of Odesa on Monday under a deal negotiated between Ukraine, Russia, the U.N., and Turkey that is expected to release large stores of Ukrainian crops to foreign markets and ease a growing global food crisis.
Hopefully, this is just the start of grain shipments and an opening for further negotiations leading to an end to the war.
Some horrific news…
Nancy Pelosi has begun her Cold War Asia Tour with stops in Singapore, Tokyo, and Seoul. Neither Pelosi nor Premier Su Tseng-chang would directly respond when asked whether Pelosi will visit Taiwan Thursday, as the media had speculated. Pelosi’s threatened stop in Taiwan is seen by China as a violation of the “one China” policy that has been maintained by the US and the international community for the past half-century.
The trip also undermines the talks taking place between President Biden and China’s President XI. More importantly, if Pelosi goes ahead with her trip, it will definitely be seen as a provocation and could lead to a military response from China and then, who knows what?
Just a reminder to set your clock back to the Stone Age if war breaks out between the two countries. The so-called “Doomsday Clock” created by members of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, remains at 100 seconds to midnight—the closest ever to apocalypse. Buckle up.
WEEKEND QUOTABLES
This old anvil laughs at many broken hammers. — Carl Sandburg
Ukrainian Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov
Posting separately on Facebook, Kubrakov said Ukraine is the fourth-largest corn exporter in the world, “so the possibility of exporting it via ports is a colossal success in ensuring global food security.”
“Today Ukraine, together with partners, takes another step to prevent world hunger,” he added. — AP
Peter Beinart
I don’t know what Michael Moore is doing now. But I’d be pleased if he returned to Congress and asked the politicians who want Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan a version of that same question. If her visit sparks a Chinese military response and brings Washington and Beijing to the brink of war, will they enlist their kids to fight? It’s the kind of question foreign policy commentators rarely ask. It’s too impolite. And when it comes to the China debate in Washington, it’s this politeness—the failure to talk in blunt, human terms about the consequences of war—that terrifies me. — Substack
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
When I learned that my friend Bill Russell had died, I tweeted this response: “Bill Russell was the quintessential Big Man—not because of his height but because of the size of his heart. In basketball, he showed us how to play with grace and passion. In life he showed us how to live with compassion and joy. He was my friend, my mentor, my role model.” — Substack
Karem has always been such a class act.