Wednesday Night #2266

Russia-U.S.-Ukraine-Europe
As Trump and Putin departed aboard their respective planes, all I could think of was the haunting refrain of Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is
Of course, that wasn’t all there is. The repercussions of the Alaska Summit will continue for days, weeks, arguably even years.
And then there was the pair of meetings at the White House.
Tuesday’s Politico Nightly gives an excellent and succinct wrap-up of the situation to date The Ukraine-Russia peace talks meet reality
Favorite headline so far Europe stages a family intervention
The shambolic  Monday ‘press conference’ was an embarrassing show of Trump’s inability to remain focused on any single issue, even when the event is stage managed as the NYT’s Maggie Haberman illustrates: “President Trump is increasingly benefiting from a media pool system his aides control and shape. There are very few reporters in this room right now who are asking challenging questions; the back and forth between Trump and Brian Glenn, a correspondent for the right-wing cable channel Real America’s Voice, is a good example of how the White House shapes its own media while claiming to be transparent.”
As Trump pursues his quest for the Nobel Prize, he Says He’s Ended 6 (or 7) Wars. The NYT gives Some Context.
President Trump has cast himself as a global peacemaker. His interventions have calmed some conflicts, while in others his role is less clear.
President Trump often says that he has resolved multiple wars since taking office in January and that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. “I’m averaging about a war a month,” Mr. Trump said in July in Turnberry, Scotland.
On Monday at the White House, during talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine aimed at moving toward a peace deal with Russia, he referred to “six wars that I’ve settled.” On Tuesday, in an interview on “Fox and Friends,” he said he had “solved seven wars,” though he did not specify which one he had added. Read on and keep an eye on the count.

Amidst all the commentary, analysis and punditry, best to remember these word from Gwynne Dyer:
Managing Trump a lost cause – ‘Teflon Don’s’ admiration for dictators once again on display
“The great virtue of Trump as candidate for the role of first American dictator is he’s not up to the job. The push toward a soft fascist authoritarian system is real and quite rapid – the ever-growing ICE is emerging as his private army – but his instinctive preference for a state of chaos that maximizes his options is not a sound foundation for a lasting dictatorship.
Another 3 1/2 years of Trump freed from all the restraints the grown-ups put on him during his first term will probably do great damage to the U.S. economy. However, it also would make it unlikely either a chosen successor (or Trump himself in defiance of the Constitution) could win the presidency in 2028. … On the other hand, democracy in the United States would probably not survive a President Vance who took power long enough before the 2028 election – by succession to a physically incapacitated or criminally implicated Trump or simply by a putsch – to rig the vote.”

How Does Trump’s Federal Takeover End?
The president has opened the door to a permanent military occupation of the nation’s capital—and maybe other cities too.
What’s happening doesn’t look like a carefully regimented and organized attempt at standing up a military dictatorship. Trump seldom acts with that sort of discipline. Instead, it looks like an improvisational and opportunistic grab of power—Trump seeing what he can get away with and what he can normalize. With no stated goal, and with an acquiescent Congress and Supreme Court, the country could end up with the U.S. military occupying its major cities before most Americans realize what’s happening.

Canada-U.S.
Local story: Hundreds gather dressed in red at Quebec-Vermont border to show solidarity, protest Trump
Similar gatherings took place at dozens of locations along borders between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. and Mexico.
Participants in a weekend event at the Quebec-Vermont border at Frelighsburg, Que., and Berkshire, Vt., were asked to wear red. Red for love of one’s country, and red for anger over the policies of United States President Donald Trump. The Saturday gathering, organized by Mères au front Cantons-de-l’Est and Vermont Indivisible, was intended as a show of friendship and solidarity between Canada and the U.S. and as a demonstration of the importance of resisting Trump’s oppressive policies, she said.

Israel, Palestine, Gaza, West Bank
We cannot think of a single positive thing to say about Israel’s government, policies or actions
Israel approves settlement plan to erase idea of Palestinian state – A widely condemned Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state received final approval on Wednesday, according to a statement from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Israel expands Gaza City offensive as UK decries West Bank settlement approval
Construction would be ‘flagrant breach of international law’ and undermine two-state solution, foreign secretary says
Briefing journalists, the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Effie Defrin said the IDF had begun the second phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in Gaza, which it launched in May.
He said the IDF would intensify efforts to harm Hamas in Gaza City, which he deemed a “stronghold of regime and military terror”, as part of the operation.
This justifies the policy of starvation as a weapon? See Long reads Starvation in Gaza and Our Global Shame

Canada matters
To nobody’s surprise Pierre Poilievre wins Alberta by-election, regaining a seat in Parliament – will he change his tone at all in Parliament? Will he get under Mark Carney’s skin? Stay tuned.
Air Canada resumes flying after flight attendants’ strike ends, but this will not be the end of the story.
Most of the public, even though greatly inconvenienced -and often disappointed by the thwarting of special plans- appeared to sympathize with the flight attendants’ demands and agree with analyses like A big failure for Air Canada’s weak management. Are its days numbered?.
There was some whining about PM Carney’s absence from the European ‘intervention’ in support of Zelensky (Under Carney, Canada still doesn’t matter on international stage), but really, it was a posse of European leaders. Mr. Carney has been vocal in his support for Ukraine and for the initiative of the European leaders (Carney welcomes European leaders joining Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for Trump meeting). Isn’t that enough?
Meanwhile, Minister Anand concludes successful visit to Finland to strengthen partnerships between Canada and Nordic countries
In addition, Minister Anand visited Helsinki Shipyard with Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, to highlight Canada and Finland’s joint efforts to boost Arctic capabilities, strengthen regional security and safeguard the Arctic through innovation and strategic cooperation.
Canada and Finland joint statement on foreign and security policy strategic partnership

Is there a realistic blueprint for cutting government spending?
Governments become inefficient and fat over time, but they don’t have to be. The Chrétien-Martin cuts in 1995 proved that.
Andrew Caddell offers some excellent suggestions for accomplishing the necessary belt-tightening including:
“First of all, restructure the public service with more employees in front-line services. …cut communications sections, as most are not meant to inform the public, but instead “spin” government policy.
Almost every department and agency in government has an international affairs section. This was once the purview of Global Affairs Canada; it should be again. Meanwhile, at the foreign ministry, there are many well-paid development officers who have little to do with Canadian interests or service delivery abroad.
And finally, rather than across-the-board cuts, there should be a value proposition: what does government need to do? The first priority of any government has to be sovereignty and security. Spending on defence should be increased, with genuine investment in better equipment, and a larger, better-trained military to protect Canada in a dangerous world. Followed by investment in foreign and domestic intelligence.”

Quebec news
Quebec healthcare
Quebec blasts doctors for ‘total refusal’ to entertain pay changes
The fight (no longer simply a squabble) between Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé and Quebec’s doctors over Bill 106 continues to escalate. We hope that Chris might bring brother Mark Roper in for informed commentary regarding the doctors’ refusal to entertain the proposed bill that would see up to 25 per cent of their pay leveraged against performance indicators.
Julien will, no doubt, bring us up to date on the news that More English school boards join legal challenge to Quebec budget cuts – Eight school boards have now joined a legal challenge to cuts in Quebec’s education sector imposed by the province earlier this year. The boards are challenging the validity of an estimated $570 million in cuts announced by the province in June, as well as a $540-million budgetary envelope added in recent weeks,

AI, Chatbots, Society & Technology – a topic we have neglected recently
A quick review of some recent articles:
Most recently, Robert Reich paints a bleak picture of employment opportunities in How your kids will make money — In a world of AI
Ian Bremmer asks Can Democracy Survive AI?
While the internet and telecommunications diffused political power, the next wave of technological innovation could have the opposite effect. If current trends in AI development and deployment continue, the openness that long gave democracies their edge might become the cause of their undoing.
The AI Takeover of Education Is Just Getting Started– In The Atlantic, Lila Shroff asks Was your kid’s report card written by a chatbot?
Interwoven frontiers: Energy, AI, and US-China competition
AI systems in their present form are notorious energy consumers, a demand burden potentially borne by the U.S. and Chinese grids that may strain long-standing projections of energy demand. While AI by no means accounts for the bulk of growing energy demand globally, its significant needs, rapid emergence, and mass diffusion provide a window into a new and importantly disruptive dynamic to clean energy plans around the globe.
China’s Overlooked AI Strategy Keeping in mind that Beijing Is Using Soft Power to Gain Global Dominance
Above all, stay tuned to Gary Marcus on AI

Alex Paterson R.I.P.
We were deeply saddened to learn last week of Alex Paterson’s death. The well-deserved tributes have been touching and painted a many-hued portrait of an exceptional human being – great advocate and lawyer, passionate federalist, deeply committed to his family, and gifted with an amazing wit. I have known Alex and his wife Joany for almost my entire life and treasure many memories of times together in our beloved Murray Bay. Not least are those of their wedding which was a community effort. Among the ushers were Reed Scowen and John Ciaccia, both of whom became great friends of David’s and mine in later years.

Good news
Bravo Space Concordia Rocketry Division! We are sure that the spirit of Marc Garneau was watching over their efforts
Concordia students’ rocket launch in northern Quebec makes history
Concordia University’s rocketry club made history early Friday morning, launching the most-powerful student-built liquid-fuelled rocket ever made toward space. It was the first space-bound rocket launch in more than 25 years on Canadian soil, and the first time Transport Canada has given permission to a student group to attempt the launch of a rocket into sub-orbital space. As Canada struggles to enter the global race to launch rockets and gain a foothold in the expanding universe of space technology, a group of engineering students from Concordia who refused to give up on a quest that took seven years watched their dreams blast skyward in the early light of dawn.
A couple of happy animal stories 
What this retired racehorse shows us about second chances
Thoroughbreds that can no longer compete get a new lease on life with retraining and adoption. And they get to choose what path to follow.
Impatient Malamute’s dramatic tantrum over dinner time leaves owners in stitches (with video)
Wylie has something very important to tell his mum! He is hungry! Starving in fact! He hasn’t eaten anything in at least 2 hours.
Correct the Map campaign — Shades of West Wings past
African Union joins calls to end use of Mercator map that shrinks continent’s size
Member states back Correct the Map campaign that urges governments and organisations to use more accurate map
The West Wing explains how every map of the world you’ve seen is probably wrong Speaking of West Wing; Two months until
The Diplomat Season 3 Will Premiere Oct. 16
See Bradley Whitford, who is joining the cast, in a teaser trailer for the third installment of the political drama now.

Long reads/podcasts
Europe thinks Trump’s peace talks will fail. It wants them anyway — to call Putin’s bluff.
The plan is to play along with Trump’s peace efforts until he realizes that Putin is not serious about ending the war.
(Politico Eu) European leaders don’t believe Vladimir Putin is sincere about a peace deal — so their strategy is to humor and praise Donald Trump until he finally reaches the same conclusion and realizes he will need to get tougher on the Kremlin

The Promise and Peril of Recognizing Palestine
Can a Two-State Solution Still Emerge From a One-State Reality?
“If a large new wave of countries jointly recognize a state of Palestine, it would serve as a powerful symbol of growing international frustration with Israel’s obliteration of Gaza,” write Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami in a recent essay. “But recognition of de jure Palestinian sovereignty in the absence of real change on the ground would be a trap,” they warn. “If formal recognition becomes a substitute for defending the primacy of international law and addressing the core realities of Palestinian suffering, it would be at best a hollow gesture—and at worst an epic misallocation of scarce international political capital.”
Starvation in Gaza and Our Global Shame
Binaifer Nowrojee
(Project Syndicate) Under international law, the use of starvation as a weapon of war is strictly prohibited. By intentionally withholding food and other basic essentials despite glaring evidence of widespread hunger and malnourishment in Gaza, Israel has taken its war well into the realm of criminality.

Understood: Who Broke the Internet? -podcast
It’s not you — the internet really does suck. Novelist, blogger and noted internet commentator Cory Doctorow explains what happened to the internet and why you’re tormented by ads, bots, algorithms, AI slop and so many pop-ups.
Spoiler alert: it wasn’t an accident.
In a four-part series, Doctorow gets into the decisions made by powerful people that got us here, and most importantly, how we fix it. New episodes released weekly starting on Monday, May 5, 2025.

Stranded by the Air Canada strike? 3 strategies to keep your cool, work with staff and return home safely
Jean-Nicolas Reyt, McGill professor of management who has been stranded during the recent Air Canada strike shares research-backed strategies to help make unbearable situations easier to navigate