German rearmament, volunteer army, registration of young people eligible
for military service ---- With their trademark meticulousness, the
Germans, after allocating EUR1 trillion for rearmament by creating a
special defense fund, have decided to reintroduce conscription. However,
this decision must take into account current German societal attitudes
regarding military service and war. According to a recent survey, more
than half of Germans (54%) support compulsory military service, but if
the data is analyzed by age group, while 66% of those over 70 are in
favor, the percentage of those between 18 and 29 is 35%. The measure,
the result of an agreement between the Social Democrats and the CDU,
stipulates, among other things, that starting in January 2026, all
German men born in 2008 (and therefore turning 18 next year) must
register on a special list and undergo a mandatory medical examination
to test their physical and mental capabilities. They will also be
required to complete a mandatory online questionnaire, including
information about their health, physical readiness, education level, and
other information, including their willingness to enlist in the military
if necessary. German women of the same age will receive a questionnaire,
but they will not be required to complete it and will not have to
undergo a medical examination, as the Constitution exempts them from
compulsory military service, although they may volunteer.
Those who receive the questionnaire undergo the medical examination but
are not forced to enlist; enlistment remains voluntary, but in the
meantime, thanks to the questionnaires and medical examinations, the
government is able to obtain an overview of how many German men are
potentially eligible for military service. The stated goal is to
significantly increase the number of military personnel and reservists
to 260,000, 80,000 more than currently, and to increase the number of
reservists to 200,000, up from the current 60,000. Volunteers who can
serve for 6 to 23 months will receive a gross monthly salary of
EUR2,600. If there are not enough volunteers, compulsory military
service will be initiated by drawing lots among eligible candidates.
The recruitment of volunteers is unlikely to meet the numbers the German
government is aiming for, considering that, according to the
government's health commissioner, 27% of young people in Germany use
drugs: the average age of first experience with narcotics is just over
16. Specifically, 4% of young Germans between the ages of 12 and 25 have
tried ecstasy at least once, 3% amphetamines, 2% cocaine, and 2% LSD.
The drug report also shows that as of last year, the number of
alcoholics was 1.2 million men and 300,000 women.
Chile
Presidential elections in Chile. On December 14, Chilean voters will be
called to a runoff election between Jeanette Jara, a communist and
former labor minister representing the progressive coalition, who
received 26.8% of the vote in the first round, and the ultraconservative
leader of the Republican Party, José Antonio Kast, who received 23.9% of
the vote. The right-wing coalition, which fielded three presidential
candidates, received a combined 50% of the vote. In this situation, the
deciding factor is Franco Parisi's "People's Party," which garnered
19.7% of the vote: to win, the left needs to earn its support. Kast
therefore presents himself as the clear favorite for the second round:
the ultraconservative Kaiser (13.9%) and the traditional right-wing
candidate Matthei (12.4%) have already confirmed that they will sway the
vote behind him. It's worth noting that voting was mandatory. This shift
among the electorate was reflected in this Sunday's right-wing vote,
which also saw the entire Chamber of Deputies (155 seats) and half of
the Senate (23 out of 50 seats) re-elected.
The left-wing coalition maintains that the December vote will be
completely different: the split between eight candidates in the first
round distorted the outcome, so the game is still on. The 2021 result
could be repeated, when Boric, the incumbent president, came in second
in the first round behind Kast and then won in the second, with the
crucial vote of women and young people. But now things have changed, and
the wave of reaction sweeping the country following Trump's success is
imposing a security-focused logic that uses media manipulation and
denial of the Chilean dictatorship's past to accredit the right-wing
victory.
As a result, Jeanette Jara is not the favorite and will have to reinvent
her campaign, warning against the risks of an anti-democratic drift
represented by her opponent, emphasizing her popular origins and
promoting the implementation of important reforms, such as pension
reforms, the reduction of working hours to 40, and the increase in the
minimum wage.
Kast is a 59-year-old lawyer and, after belonging to the right-wing
conservative party (UDI), founded the Republican Party in 2019. His
philosophy is liberal in economics, with the reduction of the state's
influence, and reactionary in matters of citizenship rights, with the
repeal of the abortion law. In the past, he defended the legacy of the
Pinochet dictatorship and is a very active leader in the far-right
international, often summoned to Madrid by Vox.
Saudi Arabia
On November 18, 2005, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with
Trump at the White House, welcomed as a head of state, even though he
was not formally one. The meeting followed the Saudi prince's
participation in the Gaza agreements signed in Sharm el-Sheikh and
officially marked his return to international politics: the Khashoggi
murder, which the CIA claimed bin Salman ordered, is now forgotten. The
two reached an understanding facilitated by the good relations fostered
by the US President's real estate investments in Saudi Arabia. Trade and
defense agreements were signed, and strategic collaborations between the
two countries in Africa were examined: for its part, Saudi Arabia
pledged $1 trillion in investments in the United States. At the same
time, the US administration announced that it had also signed a contract
for the sale of war weapons, including the supply of F-35 fighter jets
to Saudi Arabia. The "Strategic Defense Agreement" was also announced,
under which the United States designated the Saudi Kingdom as a "major
non-NATO ally," on a par with Japan, Israel, and North Korea.
In doing so, Trump has effectively locked the United States and Saudi
Arabia into a long-term military, economic, and technological
alliance-an unprecedented one that extends beyond the term of his
mandate. This represents a geopolitical shift in strategic alliances in
the Middle East and raises serious concerns for Israel for the future.
Consider, for example, that with the military supplies it receives,
Saudi Arabia obtains the same US weapons that Israel possesses and which
have constituted its strength in the region. Furthermore, Bin Salman has
made the effectiveness of the agreements conditional on the
implementation of the commitment to create a two-state Palestine.
Venezuela
The US announces an anti-narcotics operation called "Southern Spear" to
regain control of Venezuela. To this end, they deployed a naval
squadron, composed of the aircraft carrier General Ford, 12 ships, and,
reportedly, 4,000 Marines ready to disembark. In the meantime, they
proceeded to sink boats and ships in the Caribbean Sea, without carrying
out any checks, causing at least 80 deaths. The official purpose of the
operation is "to eliminate narco-terrorists from our hemisphere and
secure us from the drugs that are killing our people," a rationale that
closely resembles, mutatis mutandis, Powell's display of the vials at
the UN, supposedly containing anthrax, to justify the invasion of Iraq.
We are once again faced with false evidence: in reality, they are trying
to apply the Monroe Doctrine, which considers Central and South America
the United States' backyard, the territorial sphere in which the
decaying US empire takes refuge to defend its interests. Furthermore,
control of Venezuelan oil is convenient for Trump to market it and more
effectively control the international oil market. It's likely a
deterrent policy to pressure Maduro to resign and the Venezuelan
military to accept a compromise. This is evidenced by Trump's public
declaration that he authorized the CIA to conduct destabilization
operations inside Venezuela to bring about regime change.
The weakness of the US action lies in its reliance on Nobel Peace Prize
winner Maria Corina Machado, a former coup leader who is anything but
credible as a pacifist and democrat, as the opposition leader calling
for US intervention, promising in exchange freedom to exploit
Venezuela's oil resources. Thus, even as the population suffers from the
extremely high inflation caused by sanctions and disastrous economic
management-so much so that as many as 9 million Venezuelans have left
the country for the United States or other Latin American
countries-Maduro is gaining strength, gaining the support of
nationalists who hate to see the country's wealth sold off to the North
Americans.
The Editorial Staff
https://www.ucadi.org/2025/11/30/osservatorio-politico-7/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
for military service ---- With their trademark meticulousness, the
Germans, after allocating EUR1 trillion for rearmament by creating a
special defense fund, have decided to reintroduce conscription. However,
this decision must take into account current German societal attitudes
regarding military service and war. According to a recent survey, more
than half of Germans (54%) support compulsory military service, but if
the data is analyzed by age group, while 66% of those over 70 are in
favor, the percentage of those between 18 and 29 is 35%. The measure,
the result of an agreement between the Social Democrats and the CDU,
stipulates, among other things, that starting in January 2026, all
German men born in 2008 (and therefore turning 18 next year) must
register on a special list and undergo a mandatory medical examination
to test their physical and mental capabilities. They will also be
required to complete a mandatory online questionnaire, including
information about their health, physical readiness, education level, and
other information, including their willingness to enlist in the military
if necessary. German women of the same age will receive a questionnaire,
but they will not be required to complete it and will not have to
undergo a medical examination, as the Constitution exempts them from
compulsory military service, although they may volunteer.
Those who receive the questionnaire undergo the medical examination but
are not forced to enlist; enlistment remains voluntary, but in the
meantime, thanks to the questionnaires and medical examinations, the
government is able to obtain an overview of how many German men are
potentially eligible for military service. The stated goal is to
significantly increase the number of military personnel and reservists
to 260,000, 80,000 more than currently, and to increase the number of
reservists to 200,000, up from the current 60,000. Volunteers who can
serve for 6 to 23 months will receive a gross monthly salary of
EUR2,600. If there are not enough volunteers, compulsory military
service will be initiated by drawing lots among eligible candidates.
The recruitment of volunteers is unlikely to meet the numbers the German
government is aiming for, considering that, according to the
government's health commissioner, 27% of young people in Germany use
drugs: the average age of first experience with narcotics is just over
16. Specifically, 4% of young Germans between the ages of 12 and 25 have
tried ecstasy at least once, 3% amphetamines, 2% cocaine, and 2% LSD.
The drug report also shows that as of last year, the number of
alcoholics was 1.2 million men and 300,000 women.
Chile
Presidential elections in Chile. On December 14, Chilean voters will be
called to a runoff election between Jeanette Jara, a communist and
former labor minister representing the progressive coalition, who
received 26.8% of the vote in the first round, and the ultraconservative
leader of the Republican Party, José Antonio Kast, who received 23.9% of
the vote. The right-wing coalition, which fielded three presidential
candidates, received a combined 50% of the vote. In this situation, the
deciding factor is Franco Parisi's "People's Party," which garnered
19.7% of the vote: to win, the left needs to earn its support. Kast
therefore presents himself as the clear favorite for the second round:
the ultraconservative Kaiser (13.9%) and the traditional right-wing
candidate Matthei (12.4%) have already confirmed that they will sway the
vote behind him. It's worth noting that voting was mandatory. This shift
among the electorate was reflected in this Sunday's right-wing vote,
which also saw the entire Chamber of Deputies (155 seats) and half of
the Senate (23 out of 50 seats) re-elected.
The left-wing coalition maintains that the December vote will be
completely different: the split between eight candidates in the first
round distorted the outcome, so the game is still on. The 2021 result
could be repeated, when Boric, the incumbent president, came in second
in the first round behind Kast and then won in the second, with the
crucial vote of women and young people. But now things have changed, and
the wave of reaction sweeping the country following Trump's success is
imposing a security-focused logic that uses media manipulation and
denial of the Chilean dictatorship's past to accredit the right-wing
victory.
As a result, Jeanette Jara is not the favorite and will have to reinvent
her campaign, warning against the risks of an anti-democratic drift
represented by her opponent, emphasizing her popular origins and
promoting the implementation of important reforms, such as pension
reforms, the reduction of working hours to 40, and the increase in the
minimum wage.
Kast is a 59-year-old lawyer and, after belonging to the right-wing
conservative party (UDI), founded the Republican Party in 2019. His
philosophy is liberal in economics, with the reduction of the state's
influence, and reactionary in matters of citizenship rights, with the
repeal of the abortion law. In the past, he defended the legacy of the
Pinochet dictatorship and is a very active leader in the far-right
international, often summoned to Madrid by Vox.
Saudi Arabia
On November 18, 2005, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with
Trump at the White House, welcomed as a head of state, even though he
was not formally one. The meeting followed the Saudi prince's
participation in the Gaza agreements signed in Sharm el-Sheikh and
officially marked his return to international politics: the Khashoggi
murder, which the CIA claimed bin Salman ordered, is now forgotten. The
two reached an understanding facilitated by the good relations fostered
by the US President's real estate investments in Saudi Arabia. Trade and
defense agreements were signed, and strategic collaborations between the
two countries in Africa were examined: for its part, Saudi Arabia
pledged $1 trillion in investments in the United States. At the same
time, the US administration announced that it had also signed a contract
for the sale of war weapons, including the supply of F-35 fighter jets
to Saudi Arabia. The "Strategic Defense Agreement" was also announced,
under which the United States designated the Saudi Kingdom as a "major
non-NATO ally," on a par with Japan, Israel, and North Korea.
In doing so, Trump has effectively locked the United States and Saudi
Arabia into a long-term military, economic, and technological
alliance-an unprecedented one that extends beyond the term of his
mandate. This represents a geopolitical shift in strategic alliances in
the Middle East and raises serious concerns for Israel for the future.
Consider, for example, that with the military supplies it receives,
Saudi Arabia obtains the same US weapons that Israel possesses and which
have constituted its strength in the region. Furthermore, Bin Salman has
made the effectiveness of the agreements conditional on the
implementation of the commitment to create a two-state Palestine.
Venezuela
The US announces an anti-narcotics operation called "Southern Spear" to
regain control of Venezuela. To this end, they deployed a naval
squadron, composed of the aircraft carrier General Ford, 12 ships, and,
reportedly, 4,000 Marines ready to disembark. In the meantime, they
proceeded to sink boats and ships in the Caribbean Sea, without carrying
out any checks, causing at least 80 deaths. The official purpose of the
operation is "to eliminate narco-terrorists from our hemisphere and
secure us from the drugs that are killing our people," a rationale that
closely resembles, mutatis mutandis, Powell's display of the vials at
the UN, supposedly containing anthrax, to justify the invasion of Iraq.
We are once again faced with false evidence: in reality, they are trying
to apply the Monroe Doctrine, which considers Central and South America
the United States' backyard, the territorial sphere in which the
decaying US empire takes refuge to defend its interests. Furthermore,
control of Venezuelan oil is convenient for Trump to market it and more
effectively control the international oil market. It's likely a
deterrent policy to pressure Maduro to resign and the Venezuelan
military to accept a compromise. This is evidenced by Trump's public
declaration that he authorized the CIA to conduct destabilization
operations inside Venezuela to bring about regime change.
The weakness of the US action lies in its reliance on Nobel Peace Prize
winner Maria Corina Machado, a former coup leader who is anything but
credible as a pacifist and democrat, as the opposition leader calling
for US intervention, promising in exchange freedom to exploit
Venezuela's oil resources. Thus, even as the population suffers from the
extremely high inflation caused by sanctions and disastrous economic
management-so much so that as many as 9 million Venezuelans have left
the country for the United States or other Latin American
countries-Maduro is gaining strength, gaining the support of
nationalists who hate to see the country's wealth sold off to the North
Americans.
The Editorial Staff
https://www.ucadi.org/2025/11/30/osservatorio-politico-7/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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