Biden Talks Turkey To Get Sweden Into NATO

Who needs F-16s when you can get a bailout? [The Rude Awakening] July 18, 2023 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Biden Talks Turkey To Get Sweden Into NATO - Sweden will enter NATO forthwith, following the Finns. - Turkey held up Sweden’s bid until recently. - But were American F-16s the real reason for Turkey’s acquiescence? [External Advertisement] [66,000% upside on tiny biotech?]( The Wall Street Journal reports that this medical breakthrough is "Transforming Medicine." One analyst calculated that it could be worth $1 Trillion, making the upside potential of this small-cap 66,000% above today's price. [Get all the details here ]( [Click Here To Learn More]( [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Happy Tuesday! I’m still Stateside, stuffing myself with New York’s finest cuisine. The class this week is lively and refreshing. It’s exactly what I’d want from a group of bright young things. Meanwhile, I still wonder what the USG is thinking. Is the government that gullible to think it can win at all costs? Is it terribly miscalculating both the benefits and costs of the war in Russia? Let’s face it, this isn’t Ukraine versus Russia. This is the US Military-Industrial Complex versus Russia. And for the first time in living memory, things aren’t going so well for the MIC. Yesterday morning’s news that the “Ukrainians” blew up the Kersk Bridge that connects Crimea to mainland Russia wasn’t so much a surprise, but a question mark. Why is that target so important? Is it the symbolism? Or is it logistics? Whatever it is, it seems NATO isn’t pulling back. In fact, it’s plowing full steam ahead. Let’s talk Turkey. NATO Entry. We hear of NATO entry all the time these days. But how does it really work? NATO entry, or “accession,” as it’s more commonly known, is a process. Here's a general overview: - Expressing Interest: A country submits a formal application to the NATO Secretary General, stating the country's intention to join the alliance. - Political Dialogue: Once an application is received, NATO starts a political dialogue with the aspiring country. Is the country compatible with NATO's principles, values, and objectives? - Membership Action Plan (MAP): If the political dialogue goes well, NATO invites the aspiring country to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP). The MAP is a program that provides guidance and assistance to countries preparing for NATO membership. It includes various reforms and measures to align the country's defense and security structures with NATO’s. - Reforms and Alignment: This process involves strengthening democratic institutions, improving governance, enhancing military capabilities, and adopting NATO-compatible defense and security strategies. - Evaluation and Assessment: NATO evaluates the aspiring country's progress in implementing the required reforms and assesses its readiness to meet the obligations and responsibilities of NATO membership. - Invitation: If the aspiring country meets the necessary criteria, member states invite the candidate country to join the alliance. - Ratification: After receiving the invitation, the aspiring country's government seeks ratification from its own national parliament or legislative body. This step ensures domestic approval and support for NATO membership. - Accession: Once the aspiring country completes the ratification process, it becomes an official member of NATO. The country's flag is raised at NATO headquarters, and it assumes the rights, responsibilities, and obligations of NATO membership. In short, it’s a dance. The aspiring country promises to update its military with US-made equipment. The alliance promises to protect this country in the event of an attack. There’s one part we left out: NATO accession must be agreed upon unanimously by all members. Why Turkey Didn’t Want Sweden in NATO. NATO member Turkey balked as letting Sweden on the team. All this feels familiar. And then I realized [I wrote about this last June](. Here’s the salient part: Why the Turks Objected The Turks had a legitimate right to question the Swedes and Finns about harboring what Turkey considers to be terrorist groups. From [The Guardian]( Turkey had said it would block the applications of Sweden and Finland unless it received satisfactory assurances that the Nordic countries were willing to address what it regards as support for Kurdish groups it designates as terrorist organizations, in particular, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The Kurds want to cut a piece of Turkey off and make it their own. It's obvious why the Turks would object to that. And Sweden and Finland must’ve felt the same way in the end. They signed a deal, giving the Turks everything they asked for. Turkey would've been nuts not to sign it. In fact, so accommodating were the Nordics, Turkey couldn't hold out for that [order of F-16s the US has been stalling on giving them.]( Ah, the F-16s pop up again. And it’s not only me. [In a piece Zero Hedge covered]( Tom Luongo, a thinker I follow and admire, wrote: Turkey stopped blocking Sweden’s entry into the alliance because he got the F-16s he needs to fulfill his ambitions regionally. Someone finally offered Erdogan the right bribe to get him to sign off on this. But is there more to Turkey’s turnaround? [Urgent Notice From Paradigm CIO Zach Scheidt!]( [Click here to learn more]( Hi, Zach Scheidt here… I’m the Chief Income Officer at Paradigm Press. With inflation raging (and showing no signs of coming to an end any time soon), almost everyone in America is feeling the pain in a big way. Which is why, several months ago, I set out on a big mission… my goal was to create a [complete, step-by-step plan to surviving and beating inflation]( one that anyone could take advantage of. Today, after hundreds of hours of research, I’m revealing all of my findings. [Simply click here now to see how to survive America’s deadly inflation crisis](. [Click Here To Learn More]( What Did It Take For the Turks to Change Their Minds? Apparently, there are 12 billion reasons for Turkey to acquiesce and let Sweden in. According to Seymour Hersh (bolds mine): I have been told a different, secret story about Erdogan’s turnabout: Biden promised that a much-needed $11-13 billion line of credit would be extended to Turkey by the International Monetary Fund. “Biden had to have a victory and Turkey is in acute financial stress,” an official with direct knowledge of the transaction told me. Turkey lost 100,000 people in the earthquake last February, and has four million buildings to rebuild. “What could be better than Erdogan”—under Biden's tutelage, the official asked, “finally having seen the light and realizing he is better off with NATO and Western Europe?” Reporters were told, according to the New York Times, that Biden called Erdogan while flying to Europe on Sunday. Biden’s coup, the Times reported, would enable him to say that Putin got “exactly what he did not want: an expanded, more direct NATO alliance.” There was no mention of bribery. Whether it’s a $12 billion credit line or a fleet of F-16 fighter jets, it’s a bribe. Though we never call it that in The West. And now the road clears for Sweden to enter NATO. Wrap Up Though [report]( after [report]( signals Ukraine’s “paused” counteroffensive, the USG and its allies move forward. Sweden will be NATO’s newest nation. It’s Russia’s move now. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening Twitter: [@seaniechaos]( In Case You Missed It… A Long Weekend in NYC [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Good morning on this fine Monday in NYC! The last thing I want is for you to think the Rude is an unserious publication… that it’s just a bit of frippery with your morning coffee. Joke Biden just bribed Turkey to get them to vote Sweden into NATO. That pisses me off. Again, Biden mobilizing troops in an escalation to a failing Ukraine offensive is offensive in and of itself. And the BRICS/Gold situation is starting to get commented on from all over the place. Those will be Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s Rudes. But since my little travelogues in the past have gotten such positive feedback, I started to write one this weekend and want to get it in front of you first. So let me take you around The City before we get to more serious subjects later in the week. Where Am I? I’m staying in the Midtown Hilton this year. Rather than Downtown, Midtown doesn’t feel like it’s a rat’s nest. It’s thriving, really, and I was surprised to see that. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is just across Sixth Avenue from my hotel. I hadn’t been to the new one yet - though it’s not so new anymore - and I wanted to see one of the Picasso paintings they exhibit. A Stroll Down 5th Avenue I decided to keep going for now and turn down Fifth Avenue. I can't tell you how nice Fifth Avenue looks. I took a picture of St. Patrick’s Cathedral because it looks so wonderful. [SJN] St. Patrick’s Cathedral; Credit: Sean Ring There’s something great about strolling around the big city on a Friday when everybody else is working. I noticed the Barnes & Noble across the street and had to pop in. I love searching for books. Funnily enough, I was looking for the books Byron King recommended while we were in Jekyll Island, The Forgotten Depression and The Panic of 1907. Unfortunately, they were out of stock. But I picked up a book called Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Sure, it may be a bit of “woo woo,” but maybe there’s a clue. I went upstairs to the second floor to sit at the Starbucks. They have one inside the Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble’s are better than libraries and have tastier coffee. As I found myself in front of the New York City Public Library, I decided to walk around it. Much to my undisguised glee, Le Pain Quotidien is on that block. Le Pain Quotidien (“The Daily Bread” in French) is one of my favorite bakeries. When Micah was a baby, Pam and I frequently visited the LPQ in Pacific Place Mall in Hong Kong. The staff was always so sweet to us. Though we loved that, the food was what really made us go back. I devoured a Chicken Cobb Salad and washed it down with grapefruit juice. It was fab. (I’d return Thursday for their outstanding almond croissants and coffee.) After finishing up at LPQ, I headed back to MoMA. [Exposed: Biden’s 2022 mistake to cost him election?]( [Click here to learn more]( Will this ugly scandal doom Biden in 2024? In February 2022, [Joe Biden made the most dangerous mistake]( any President has made in the past 150 years. If it all plays out like Jim Rickards is predicting… Biden’s blunder will soon cost good Americans EVERYTHING. There’s still time to protect your money. But you can’t wait. [>>See Biden’s terrible mistake here<<]( [Click Here To Learn More]( MoMA Mia! I finally got into MoMA and saw Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Picasso. It’s a painting I wrote a paper about after I got dragged into my fine arts requirement at Villanova. When I first saw the painting in the mid-90s, it looked enormous. I couldn’t believe how big it was. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is a famous painting created by Pablo Picasso in 1907. It’s considered a groundbreaking and influential work of art that marked a significant departure from traditional artistic conventions and played a crucial role in the development of Cubism. More on Cubism in a bit. The painting depicts five female figures in a brothel in the red-light Barcelona district known as Avignon Street (Carrer d’Avinyó). The figures are presented in a highly abstract and fragmented manner, showcasing the influence of African and Iberian art on Picasso's style during that period. [SJN] Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso, on the wall at MoMA; Credit: Sean Ring Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is notable for its radical reinterpretation of the human form. Picasso broke away from traditional notions of beauty and idealized representations, depicting the raw and primal aspects of human sexuality. In other words, he made the hookers ugly—especially the one on the lower right. I don’t fancy yours much! Unsurprisingly, the painting shocked and confused the artsy-fartsy when it was first exhibited due to its departure from established artistic conventions. It challenged the notion of perspective, presented a fractured composition, and rejected the idea of a single fixed viewpoint. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is one of the most important works in developing Cubism and modern art. It paved the way for further experimentation with form, space, and multiple perspectives, influencing subsequent generations of artists and reshaping art history. After 30 years, it hasn’t overwhelmed me in the same way. And thanks to living in Italy, its classical art completely spoils me. Now, to Cubism. Cubism is the nonsense that Picasso and Georges Braque invented to shock people in the early 20th century. It’s not meant to be beautiful, and it isn’t. It’s characterized by depicting objects from multiple viewpoints, using geometric forms, fragmented shapes, and flattened perspectives. Artists sought to represent the subject matter more abstractly and analytically, breaking it down into basic geometric shapes such as cubes, cylinders, and cones. This approach allowed them to simultaneously represent different facets and perspectives of an object within a single artwork. Honestly, I think most of it is ugly as all hell. Good Christian art tends to illuminate and uplift us. Modern art is meant to punch us in the face to make sure we’re still alive. A Final Stop on Saturday I consider myself a bibliophile. I still don’t know how I missed it for nearly a half-century. I’m utterly embarrassed to say it. But on Saturday, I took my first steps into the Strand Book Store on the corner of Broadway and 12 Street. It’s simply the most incredible bookstore I’ve ever been to. I’m not sure I’d have been able to leave the New York metro area in 1999 had I known about it. [SJN] Inside the Strand Book Store; Credit: Sean Ring You can buy books. You can sell books. It’s cavernous. There are leather-bound editions. Old Folio Society and Easton Press books. I was in heaven. Most people bring empty suitcases to NYC to stuff them with new clothes for the return journey. I’m bringing one to stuff with books from this store. The Last Stop Last night I ate dinner with my good friend and teaching colleague, The Monsignor. The restaurant was a random choice, as he was returning from Mass, and I was walking from my hotel. Next time you’re in New York and fancy proper American cuisine in a cozy American restaurant, try [P.J. Clarke’s](. [SJN] Credit: [P.J. Clarke’s]( Sometimes a burger and a beer are just what the doctor ordered. And the prices weren’t outrageous, either. I highly recommend the Clarke’s burger. I put bleu cheese on it instead of ketchup. What a treat! Wrap Up Ok, tomorrow I’ll get back to the fundamental topics of the day. Think Joke Biden gave up some F-16s for Turkey’s acquiescence? Find out tomorrow. In the meantime, have a great day! All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening Twitter: [@seaniechaos]( [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2023 Paradigm Press, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. 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