A bill that would safeguard Arizona lands from being owned by foreign adversaries is progressing through the state legislature along partisan lines.
Last week, the Arizona Senate passed SB 1403, which would “prohibit a foreign principal from a designated country from, directly or indirectly, purchasing, owning, acquiring by grant or devising or having any other interest in real property in Arizona” – according to the purpose from the chamber.
Sixteen Republicans voted for the legislation, compared to 12 Democrats (two members did not vote).
According to the bill, “designated country” is defined “as a country that is identified by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence as a country that poses a risk to the national security of the United States in each of the three most recent Annual Threat Assessments of the U.S. intelligence community.”
After the vote, the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus’ “X” account posted, “JUST IN – China, Russia, Iran & North Korea are enemy nations who only want to unleash harm on the United States and pose an incredible risk to our national security on a daily basis. Today, Senate Democrats voted ‘NO’ on legislation prohibiting these countries from owning land in Arizona. The Left’s reckless disregard for the safety of our state and our citizens continues to be on full display through every irresponsible vote undermining our efforts to protect our communities.”
🚨JUST IN- China, Russia, Iran & North Korea are enemy nations who only want to unleash harm on the United States and pose an incredible risk to our national security on a daily basis. Today, Senate Democrats voted ‘NO’ on legislation prohibiting these countries from owning land… pic.twitter.com/ToQLnU6taI
Senator Janae Shamp, the bill’s sponsor, added, “It was very disappointing to see only Republicans vote in support of a bill that our state’s military asked to protect our citizens, especially because the bill initially received bipartisan support in committee. SB 1403 prohibits organizations in a country determined to be a serious threat to the United States, from owning or leasing property in Arizona. I created this legislation because of real threats Luke Air Force Base has experienced. This base is home to the elite F-35 squadrons that train the world’s greatest fighter pilots around the clock to protect our nation. Arizona is also home to the Barry M. Goldwater range in Yuma, which is the third-largest land base in the US. Foreign adversaries have no business buying property near these bases, but this is happening, and it’s a threat to national security.”
If you're part of an org in a country that the DNI has determined to be a direct and serious threat to the U.S., then you have no business owning or renting land or any other property here in AZ! https://t.co/k4TJMefzw9
The second-year lawmaker opined on why members of the minority party in the chamber might have opposed her legislation, writing, “Why were Democrats so outraged over Saudis owning Arizona farmland, and yet they have no concern for these other real-time security threats? The answer: political theatre.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Pentagon’s former policy chief on military relations between Russia and Ukraine — Arizona State University (AUS) McCain Institute Executive Director Evelyn Farkas — is leading an event focused on lobbying for more U.S. support in Ukraine.
The event, “Relentless Courage: Ukraine and the World at War,” will also feature Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, and panelists for a discussion, “One Way Forward: The Vitality of a Democratic Ukraine,” to advocate for continued Western support for Ukraine.
ASU’s McCain Institute and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Cronkite School) will co-host the event. Other featured speakers at the event include Cronkite School Dean Battinto Batts; peacebuilding advisor for Romanian Peace Institute, senior protection officer for Center for Civilians in Conflict, and 2022 McCain Global Leader Maria Levchenko; and photographer Svet Jacqueline.
Join us Sept. 25 in Phoenix for an event marking the opening of a new exhibit featuring photography from the book “Relentless Courage: Ukraine and the World at War.” Registration (in-person or livestream) is now open. https://t.co/iyu3SbXmRqpic.twitter.com/7lW9pnKOHN
The Biden administration has sent over $76 billion in aid to Ukraine since last year, with the president pushing for another $24 billion in the ongoing budget discussions. Last year, Congress approved $113 billion of aid to Ukraine.
While Obama’s deputy assistant secretary of defense to Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, Farkas advised on Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was largely responsible for initiating the admission of Montenegro into NATO, a move that caused an escalation from Russia. Then and now, Russia views NATO as a threat.
Shortly after setting the wheels in motion for Montenegro’s admission to NATO and amid divisions within the Obama administration over the correct approach to Russia, Farkas resigned. Leading up to her resignation, Farkas issued similar calls for increased U.S. involvement in the Russia-Ukraine War.
“As the crisis deepens, our European allies and partners will look to the United States to demonstrate resolve and to reinforce solidarity across the continent,” said Farkas in a 2014 Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting.
Earlier this week, CNN featured Farkas to advocate for additional U.S. support for Ukraine.
Farkas said that it was America’s moral duty to submit to Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky’s weaponry requests. Farkas characterized reluctance to continue funding to Ukraine as “fickle[ness].”
“If he doesn’t have these things, more civilians will die and more military will die fighting the Russians,” said Farkas. “Politically, certainly, the West can be fickle, and that’s what Vladimir Putin is counting on.”
Farkas upholds the belief that Ukraine’s outcome in this war will determine the “fate of all humanity.”
Caught up with humanitarian @chefjoseandres at #CGI2023 and we discussed how important it is to ensure that America and the world understands what is at stake in the war in Ukraine. The challenges in Ukraine are urgent for all of humanity. pic.twitter.com/qWLFo1327y
Little known fact @TerryMcAuliffe has been multiple times to the Ukrainian front line. He gets that the future of our international system and humanity begins and ends in Ukraine now. pic.twitter.com/OsXIcjWl5B
In February, the McCain Institute hosted the Ukraine Prosecutor General for a meeting with the newly-formed Ukraine Business Alliance (UBA). The UBA coordinates executives from American technology and defense companies, senior U.S. and Ukrainian government and military leaders, and foreign policy experts to strategize public-private partnerships supporting Ukraine. UBA-involved companies include Palantir Technologies, Microsoft, and Amazon.
“We are committed to ensuring that those working to uphold the rule of law & defending Ukraine as a nation state have the software they need for as long as it takes,” Karp told the McCain Institute earlier this year.https://t.co/Ol9DBVuRxw
Palantir Technologies is a Founding Member of the McCain Institute's Ukraine Business Alliance. Yesterday, the Alliance held its first meeting with Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's Prosecutor General, to discuss how leading #tech companies…https://t.co/R031PMMrk4https://t.co/b0trwV2UMV
Even after escaping the turmoil of the Obama administration, Farkas appeared eager to jump back into the fray against Russia. Farkas was one of the first to promulgate the Russiagate conspiracy that former President Donald Trump colluded with Russia to fix the 2016 election, and called for an investigation into the president.
“[T]he Trump folks, if they found out how we knew what we knew about their, the staff, the Trump staff’s dealing with Russians, that they would try to compromise those sources and methods, meaning we would no longer have access to that intelligence. So I became very worried, because not enough was coming out into the open, and I knew that there was more,” said Farkas in an MSNBC interview.
Yet, behind closed doors about a month later, Farkas admitted to the House Intelligence Committee that she “didn’t know” whether anyone within the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. She further admitted that her media tour remarks were based on “a strong suspicion” cultivated from other media reports and reporters calling her. Farkas’ testimony, along with others collected by the committee, weren’t released for about three years.
“So I was making a leap that if, indeed, there was collusion, the way we would’ve uncovered it probably would have involved classified means,” said Farkas. “[I know] nothing outside of what’s been reported by the press.”
Farkas also admitted, contrary to her widespread public remarks, that she had no proof that Russians were interfering in elections aside from propaganda, or that Russians were colluding with the Trump campaign. She concurred with the following statement offered by Gowdy:
“I have no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded, conspired, or coordinated with the Russians,” read the statement.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Russia has banned Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow for his CIA connections.
Last week, Russia banned Crow and about 500 other Americans from coming into their country. In listing Crow among hundreds banned, the country identified Crow as the chairman of the board of trustees to the CIA venture capital firm specializing in intelligence agency technology, In-Q-Tel Corporation, but not in his capacity as ASU President.
Crow remarked on his ban on Tuesday in a brief, tongue-in-cheek tweet.
“I will miss those cards and flowers from Putin,” wrote Crow.
So, I’ve been added to the list of people banned from Russia.
In-Q-Tel was launched in 1999 by the former CEO of government defense weapons giant Lockheed Martin. It was the first government-sponsored venture capital firm, created with the intention of expanding CIA research and development into the private sector. In-Q-Tel relies on CIA funding to invest in startups developing intelligence technologies.
Crow had plans to launch an ASU extension in Ukraine, American University Kyiv (AUK), up until the Russian invasion. As AZ Free News reported last February, those behind AUK harbored deep ties to the Clintons and the Bidens.
Crow wasn’t the only In-Q-Tel leadership banned: others included Stephen Bowsher, the president; Megan Anderson, executive vice president; Christopher Darby, the executive director; executive vice president for political affairs, Sarah Sewall; executive vice president George Hoyem; Safra Ada Catz, Michael Glenn Mullen, Judith Miscik, George John Tenet, William Ballard Hurd, and Ted Schlein, board of trustees members.
As Arizona Daily Independent noted, Tenet was a former CIA director and Hurd was a former CIA operative.
The remainder of the 500 added to Russia’s ban list included other high-profile figures in global affairs. Among the list of the names of congressmen (49 members), attorneys general (17), governors (8), and top leadership in the White House, federal agencies, and military branches was former President Barack Obama.
The executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Tim Cahill, was also banned. Another executive for another defense corporation giant, senior vice president Jeffrey Shockey of Raytheon Technologies, was banned.
Multiple executives from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations were also banned: the CFO, Maija Arbolino, and the executive vice president, Leonard Benardo.
Several organizations had many individuals named to Russia’s ban list. This included over 80 members of the Rand Research Corporation; nearly 30 members of the Brookings Institution; nearly 60 members of the Carnegie Endowment; and 15 members of General Dynamics.
Also named to the ban list were 21 members of the National Security Council; 34 members of the NGO Atlantic Council; 11 members of the NGO Center for a New American Security; 23 members of the NGO Center for Naval Analysis; two journalists, Matthew Continetti with National Review and Jeffrey Scott Shapiro with The Washington Times; and three commentators, Joe Scarborough with MSNBC, Erin Burnett with CNN, and Rachel Maddow with MSNBC.
Military-wise, bans included the deputy secretary, secretary, and chief of staff for the Air Force; the secretary and the general of the Army; and the minister of the Navy.
There were several bans of interest, due to their apparent disconnect with global affairs: Michael Byrd, the U.S. Capitol police officer responsible for fatally shooting Ashley Babbitt during the January 6 incident; and Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger, the only secretary of state listed.
Another ban of interest was Nina Jankowicz, selected last April by the Biden administration to lead a newly created, highly controversial, and quickly scrapped Disinformation Governance Board within the Department of Homeland Security. In September, Jankowicz registered as a foreign agent to embark on a similar disinformation initiative with the United Kingdom-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR).
I’ve been sanctioned by Russia today.
One of the proudest moments of my career, honestly.
I’ll continue standing up against Putin’s authoritarianism for as long as it is necessary. pic.twitter.com/OqrRMo5I1D
The ASU president wasn’t the only high-profile Arizonan to make Russia’s most recent list of banned persons. Both Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) and Gov. Katie Hobbs also made the cut.
— Eli Crane for Congress (@EliCraneAZ) May 22, 2023
Hobbs wrote that she would continue to support Ukraine in light of this ban.
I'm proud to be banned from Russia by dictator Vladimir Putin.
Arizona will continue to support Ukraine, including training Ukrainian fighter pilots right here in Tucson. I will always stand up for democracy at home and abroad. pic.twitter.com/jmRfQHbME1
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) May 24, 2023
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
If America has learned anything from foreign entanglements over the past century, surely it is this: enemy conflicts must be engaged only if our vital interests are at stake. A war worth fighting must have clear objectives and a path to victory.
Clearly in WWII, all options save winning were unthinkable. We did win, and the modern classical liberal order was created.
We had no such resolve in Vietnam. Worried about riling China, and with growing domestic programs to fund, we fought not to win but for containment. And so we lost to a determined foe. America was humiliated, forfeiting immense blood and treasure as well as our national self-confidence.
Meanwhile, the Cold War spanned 45 fretful years during which the world became more dangerous. Neither side could afford to fall behind in the nuclear arms race when Mutually Assured Destruction was our defense against annihilation.
Ronald Reagan’s idea of actually defeating the Evil Empire turned the tide. Massive arms superiority and strategic defense weaponry convinced the Soviets that future efforts were futile.
The Middle East wars were fought without particular strategic goals and no endgame. We seem to believe we could mitigate Islamist terrorism through nation building and intervention in centuries old inter-tribal conflicts. We finally beat a disgraceful retreat with little to show for our losses.
Yet these lessons of history seem lost on our current administration‘s response in Ukraine. We don’t want our proxy, Ukraine, to lose but we’re not committed to winning either.
The heroic Ukrainians have fought to a virtual standoff. Yet, as a result of our indecisiveness, the outcome remains in doubt.
The seminal question was: why get involved at all? Is the Russian aggression basically a regional dustup, like our Middle East debacle? Or does a hegemonically ambitious autocrat represent an existential threat, analogous to the prelude to WWII?
Most Americans seem to realize this conflict has implications far beyond the ancient Russian/Ukrainian grudges. If Russia successfully breaches Ukrainian sovereignty, it will be the end of the international rules-based order that has sustained general peace and prosperity since WWII. Moreover, if nuclear weapons or their threat are decisive, it will embolden rogue states everywhere, including China and Iran.
President Zelensky has pleaded many times for faster delivery of air defenses and anti-missile systems. Yet our aid to Ukraine has been halting and inadequate. Not until late April did the Biden administration announce it would ship 90 desperately needed howitzers.
When the US finally decided to provide Ukraine with MLR (multiple launch rocket) systems to defend against Russia’s unremitting air attacks, only MLRs with a 70 km range, not the 300 km range necessary to reach Russian targets, were provided.
Too little, too late. Ukraine’s foreign minister lamented that if Ukraine had received more weapons earlier the situation today would be “much different… much better.”
Meanwhile, the unimaginable human toll, the death and destruction of Ukraine, continues to mount. Last month, the U.N. development agency announced that if the war continues, an astounding 90% of Ukrainians would be at or below poverty levels.
According to the U.N. refugee agency, 13 million people have been displaced, which has serious political and military consequences. When Ukrainians are scattered, it makes unity more difficult and Russian control easier. A hollowed-out Ukraine also enables Russia to take more Ukrainian territory at war’s end.
U.S. hesitation to provide more robust help to Ukraine is based on the fear of escalation and possible nuclear war with Russia. Some have urged Ukraine into an armistice that involves territorial concessions.
But that wouldn’t stop the bear. Instead, it would incentivize further military incursions. Over-caution could actually increase the possibility of escalation.
Biden and NATO have repeatedly ruled out direct military involvement and nuclear deployment without getting any concessions in return. Our weakness sends a message to Russia and other aggressors that threatening nuclear weapons works to soften western resistance.
The free world must decide what it stands for and how to meet this moment. If we don’t thwart Russian ambitions now, it will likely get more dangerous in the future. Ukraine, for their survival and ours, deserves protection now.
Dr. Thomas Patterson, former Chairman of the Goldwater Institute, is a retired emergency physician. He served as an Arizona State senator for 10 years in the 1990s, and as Majority Leader from 93-96. He is the author of Arizona’s original charter schools bill.
Biden’s bungling of the Iranian nuclear negotiations may well go down as the most consequential error in the history of statecraft. He has granted concession after concession to coax Iran into doing what they want to anyway, which is to revive the nuclear treaty (JCPOA) under which they would eventually acquire full nuclear capability.
The foolishness of equipping Iran’s ruling mullahs with nuclear arms is nearly beyond comprehension. These are fanatically religious Muslims, not like the Iranian people or the friendly neighbors most Americans meet. Their heartfelt belief is that life’s only purpose is submission to Allah, and he has already dialed in his directions.
The entire world must eventually become a Muslim caliphate. Take your time but use any and all means necessary to achieve successful jihad, including converting or killing all those under your control, lying when needed, and actively undermining host nations. Weapons of mass destruction would be the ultimate implement.
Yet the JCPOA negotiated with Iran by the Obama administration was full of concessions and loopholes. Iran was theoretically banned from enriching uranium to weapons grade, but enforcement was lax, inspections had to be announced beforehand, and sanctions for violations were ignored.
Worse, the agreement included a 10-year sunset after which all limits were off. The Obama administration was so eager to accommodate (remember the $1.9 billion cash on pallets shipped secretly to seal the deal?) they essentially created a framework assuring Iran’s future nuclear capability.
Fortunately, the JCPOA was never ratified by the Senate, so Trump was able to cancel it, which he did. Progress in nuclear development was slowed. Tough economic sanctions were imposed for violations, crippling Iran’s economy.
By the conclusion of Trump’s tenure, the Iranian people were growing restive and were protesting. Iran’s oppression against both America and their regional neighbors was stymied for lack of funding.
But Biden and his handlers could only see the hand of Trump in the success and therefore it had to be reversed. Now Biden is frantically conceding away, preparing to sign an agreement even worse than Obama’s infamously one-sided pact.
Biden’s proposed deal would intentionally weaken the enforcement structure needed to prevent Iran’s nuclear program development. Their illegal infrastructure housing the program would be effectively ignored.
Biden would also lift the economic sanctions in place, giving Iran $100 billion sorely needed to reboot its terrorism program. Propping up Iran’s economy is a huge favor to the ruling autocrats, too.
Almost unbelievably, Biden is assuring that Russia is also a beneficiary of the deal. Yes, that Russia, the one the whole free world is trying to weaken and punish to end their brutal, unprovoked assault on Ukraine.
Biden effectively put Russia in charge of the negotiations, where they serve as go-between, since the Iranians refuse to negotiate directly with us. In turn, Russia is demanding that Russian – Iranian trade be exempted from the sanctions imposed in response to the Ukraine invasion. Russia will effectively have a “sanctions-aversion hub” so its atrocities can continue.
Further, Biden is apparently offering an “inherent guarantee,” providing that if there is a claimed breach of the agreement by future administrations, Iran can resume full-scale development of their military nuclear capability. One way or the other, Joe will ensure their nukes.
Finally, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is the agent for Iran’s long running proxy war which has included hundreds of terrorist attacks on military bases, civilians, and ships at sea and killed hundreds of Americans. Biden‘s brainstorm is to rescind the IRGC terrorist designation, limiting the rights of victims, including the right to sue for damages.
Over 1,000 American Gold star families have written Biden urging him not to further empower the terrorists who killed their family members. No response has been received.
For all these concessions, Biden has received nearly nothing. Instead, Iran keeps “moving the goalposts,” testing the limits of his gullibility. Observers are reportedly astonished at the Iranians’ improbable success.
Our leadership’s weakness, incoherence, and appeasement are leading us into an extremely dangerous position. An unhinged, fanatical regional power that chants “Death to America” will soon have nuclear capability and empowered allies.
