Nancy Pelosi the Globetrotter

[lpetrich]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has done a lot of traveling over this year, visiting Ukraine, Taiwan, and Armenia. She's doing what President Biden might do if he was not so frail, or what Vice President Harris might do.

I was a bit surprised when I learned of her visiting Armenia -- was it some typo for Taiwan?

• Your Monday Briefing: Pelosi Visits Ukraine - The New York Times
• Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Lawmakers Say U.S. Will Support Ukraine - The New York Times
• Pelosi, Congressional Delegation Statement on Visit to Kyiv, Ukraine | Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• Pelosi Statement on Conclusion of Congressional Delegation to Poland and Ukraine | Speaker Nancy Pelosi

On April 30, NP secretly met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. She revealed her visit until the next day, when she did a press conference in Rzeszów in southeast Poland near Ukraine. From the second NYT article:

Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said that he was “in awe of what the Ukrainians have been able to achieve” in beating back Russia’s attempts to seize Kyiv and denying Moscow’s better equipped forces an easy victory.

Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts said that Russia was waging war not just against the people of Ukraine, but against the world’s most vulnerable. Ukraine is considered Europe’s breadbasket, and the war, he said, was “exacerbating hunger all around the world.”

“I don’t think Putin cares if he starves Ukraine or the world,” he said. “Putin’s war is evil.”

Ms. Pelosi appeared moved by her encounter with Ukraine’s wartime president, saying Mr. Zelensky was “dazzling.” She described their three-hour meeting as “a remarkable master class of leadership.”

 

[Patooka]

I was a bit surprised when I learned of her visiting Armenia

Armenia and Azerbaijan are currently fighting a war. I suspect it was a not too subtle fuck you to Putin.
Having said that, isn't that what a Secretary of State (or as the rest of the world calls it, the Foreign Minister) should be doing? It would be like if Kristina Kenealy was trying to do Penny Wong's job.

 

[lpetrich]

I was a bit surprised when I learned of her visiting Armenia

Armenia and Azerbaijan are currently fighting a war. I suspect it was a not too subtle fuck you to Putin.
Having said that, isn't that what a Secretary of State (or as the rest of the world calls it, the Foreign Minister) should be doing? It would be like if Kristina Kenealy was trying to do Penny Wong's job.

That would be Antony Blinken.  List of international trips made by Antony Blinken as United States Secretary of State and he's traveled to a lot of places. So far, he's visited 36 countries once, 6 countries twice, 4 countries 3 times, 3 countries 4 times, one country 6 times and one country 7 times. Among the four-times-visited countries is Ukraine. No visits to Taiwan or Armenia, however.

 

[Patooka]

That would be Antony Blinken.

List of international trips made by Antony Blinken as United States Secretary of State and he's traveled to a lot of places. So far, he's visited 36 countries once, 6 countries twice, 4 countries 3 times, 3 countries 4 times, one country 6 times and one country 7 times. Among the four-times-visited countries is Ukraine. No visits to Taiwan or Armenia, however.

I get that. What I meant to say is that I'm never comfortable when politicians, whomever they are, exceed their purview. You would think the Majority Leader would have more pressing priorities in 2022 for some reason.

 

[lpetrich]

Visiting Ukraine was not very controversial, except to the Russia-lovers in the far right, and they already think that NP is some horrible left-wing ogre.

But Taiwan is another story. Ever since the Communists took over the mainland, both Taiwan (Capitalist China) and Communist China have made it a firm principle that the nation of China contains both territories and that only one of the two governments may represent this entire territory, the "one China" policy. For a long time, Taiwan was the only representative of Combined China that was widely recognized, but that changed, starting in the 1970's, with many nations and organizations dropping Taiwan and recognizing Communist China in its place, nations including the US. But many nations continued informal ties with Taiwan, including the US.

• A Pelosi Trip to Taiwan Would Test China’s Appetite for Confrontation - The New York Times - "Xi Jinping has long vowed to answer any challenge to China’s claim to Taiwan. But current economic and political forces may make him unlikely to court a crisis."
• Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan, Drawing a Sharp Response From Beijing - The New York Times - "China announced plans for live-fire military drills soon after Ms. Pelosi flew into Taiwan. Analysts said Beijing’s move seemed designed to project strength rather than serve as a precursor to an invasion."
• As Pelosi Arrives, Quiet Defiance in Taiwan - The New York Times - "Public nonchalance about the tensions over Nancy Pelosi belies a political reality: Many are tired of China’s threats and crave American support."
• Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan, Setting Up Tense Standoff With China - The New York Times - "Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the highest-level U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, raising tensions with China, which bristles at any perceived challenge to its claims on the self-ruled island."
• Welcomed by Taiwan, Pelosi Leaves Rising Tensions With China in Her Wake - The New York Times - "In a high-stakes visit to Taiwan, Ms. Pelosi offered assurances of American support. Taiwan now faces the prospect of Chinese military drills that could violate what it says are its territorial waters."
• Pelosi, Congressional Delegation Statement on Visit to Taiwan | Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• Pelosi Statement on Congressional Delegation Visit to Taiwan | Speaker Nancy Pelosi

NYT 1st article: written just before NP arrived in Taiwan, it reflected the secrecy in which NP planned that stop on her trip.

NYT 2nd article:

A United States military jet carrying Ms. Pelosi landed in Taipei late at night following weeks of speculation about her travel plans. Her decision to proceed with the trip makes her the highest-ranking congressional official to come to the disputed island in a quarter-century and sets up a tense standoff with China that American officials said could lead to more aggressive military posturing.

“America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,” she said in a statement issued as she was greeted by Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s foreign minister, adding that the visit did not contradict United States policy on Taiwan.

The military jet was an airliner often used for such travel.

NYT 4th article:

“Today the world faces a choice between democracy and autocracy,” Ms. Pelosi said during a meeting with the Taiwanese president. “America’s determination to preserve democracy here in Taiwan and around the world remains ironclad.”

The meetings, though light on substance, were widely welcomed in Taiwan as a symbolic victory. Ms. Pelosi’s trip was a rare moment when a major foreign power publicly showed support for the island in the face of vehement opposition from China. Ms. Pelosi made the trip despite discouragement from President Biden, and was the highest-ranking member of the United States government to visit the island in 25 years.

The events presented an affront to China and its leader, Xi Jinping.

Mr. Xi has made unifying Taiwan with China a primary goal of his rule, and his defense minister warned in June that Beijing would not hesitate to fight for the island. The Chinese government filed a formal protest with the U.S. State Department over Ms. Pelosi’s visit.

From the Speaker's site (first page), the trip also included stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. From the second page,

Sadly, Taiwan has been prevented from participating in global meetings, most recently the World Health Organization, because of objections by the Chinese Communist Party. While they may prevent Taiwan from sending its leaders to global forums, they cannot prevent world leaders or anyone from traveling to Taiwan to pay respect to its flourishing Democracy, to highlight its many successes and to reaffirm our commitment to continued collaboration.

 

[lpetrich]

• Clashes Erupt Between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh - The New York Times
• Nancy Pelosi Visits Armenia Amid Conflict With Azerbaijan - The New York Times - "The House speaker, who has previously inserted herself at the center of global conflicts, is the highest-ranking American official to visit Armenia since it gained independence 30 years ago."
• Pelosi, in Armenia, Condemns Azerbaijan Over Clashes - The New York Times - "Fighting last week, the deadliest between the two countries since 2020, was “initiated by the Azeris,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, while also calling for a negotiated settlement."
• Pelosi to Lead Congressional Delegation to Armenia | Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• Speaker Pelosi Remarks at Congressional Delegation Press Conference with Armenian Speaker Alen Simonyan | Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• Speaker Pelosi Remarks at Address on U.S. Commitment to Armenia’s Security and Democracy | Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• Pelosi Statement on Conclusion of Congressional Delegation to Yerevan | Speaker Nancy Pelosi

1st NYT article:

Russia and Armenia are part of a Moscow-led military alliance whose charter stipulates that an attack against one member should be perceived as an aggression against all. Russia also has a military base in Armenia.

2nd NYT article:

The trip was seen as a political move by Ms. Pelosi ahead of the midterm elections in November. She is the highest-ranking American official to visit Armenia since it gained independence 30 years ago with the end of the Soviet Union, her office said in a statement. She was accompanied by Representatives Jackie Speier and Anna G. Eshoo, both Armenian Americans from California, where there is a large Armenian community.

The visit, Ms. Pelosi’s latest effort to flex the legislative branch’s diplomatic muscle, comes amid an eruption of war in Europe and points to the shifting balance of power around the former Soviet empire where the United States has long sought to build influence. The recent fighting, which spilled into Armenia, is the worst since a full-scale war there killed thousands in 2020, and it has made Armenia appear particularly vulnerable.

But Russia has become weakened by its failing war in Ukraine, so Armenia's leaders are looking elsewhere for friends.
3rd NYT article:

Each side has accused the other of provoking the clashes, which broke out on Tuesday. They have been locked in an armed standoff over the Nagorno-Karabakh region for decades and fought a war over it in 2020 that left thousands dead. Azerbaijan took a further step in the latest fighting, however, attacking targets and entering Armenia’s internationally recognized borders for the first time, analysts said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is faced with an awful dilemma.

Azerbaijan has recently pushed Mr. Pashinyan to sign a peace deal that would recognize Azeri sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but closely allied to Armenia and claims independence.

Mr. Pashinyan has said that he intends to agree to a deal. His opponents inside Armenia have described the idea as treasonous.

...
The Armenian government said that it appealed to Russia to resolve the situation last week, and Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had brokered a cease-fire within hours on Tuesday, and called on both sides respect the 2020 agreements.

Ms. Pelosi said that the recent attack “threatens prospects for a much needed peace agreement,” and that there could be no military solution to the conflict.

...
This time, Ms. Pelosi said the United States wanted to help and support Armenia in what she described as part of a global struggle between democracy and autocracy.

“Territorial security and sovereignty of Armenia, the democracy of Armenia, is a value to us in America,” she said.

1st speaker.gov page:

“We are proud to travel to Yerevan following the 2019 passage of House Resolution 296, introduced by Chairman Adam Schiff, which recognizes the murder of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide, and following President Biden becoming the first president to formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “It is the moral duty of all to never forget: an obligation that has taken on heightened urgency as atrocities are perpetrated around the globe, including by Russia against Ukraine.”

Not as secretive as her trips to Ukraine and Taiwan.

 

[Tigers!]

I was a bit surprised when I learned of her visiting Armenia

Armenia and Azerbaijan are currently fighting a war. I suspect it was a not too subtle fuck you to Putin.
Having said that, isn't that what a Secretary of State (or as the rest of the world calls it, the Foreign Minister) should be doing? It would be like if Kristina Kenealy was trying to do Penny Wong's job.

Penny Wong can do her job well without any incompetent help from Christina Keneally. Keneally was a dud as NSW Premier and does not seem to have got better with time.