Nepotism102: Family Matters – Jared Kushner and Ivanka’s role in the White House!

It is only with the development of political institutions like the modern state that humans begin to organize themselves and learn to cooperate in a manner that transcends friends and family. When such institutions break down, we revert to patronage and nepotism as a default form of sociability.”

Francis Fukuyama

Well, President Donald J. Trump cannot handle being ordinary or being honest. He has to lie and deceive, it is in his nature and his past. Therefore, he can like a buffoon blaming the Clinton for having a private e-mail server, while he has sensitive information and such on an android. So, it is not like the President himself is a careful as he should be. Not that he really cares. He never cared about anything else than his own bloated image.

President Trump, the so-called Conservative Republican, has gone and done a few unthinkable things. First he used his sons and oldest daughter as part of the transition team, as well as the sons of Vice-President Mike Pence and later hired Security Official Mike Flynn, who was all part of the team! Well, for Donald that is not enough, his bar for nepotism isn’t big-wig enough.

His little trust in other people and his own judgment was so weak he had to have his son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump at the meeting of the Japanese Prime Minister Shino Abe. As the New York Times wrote: “After Mr. Trump’s transition office was asked by The New York Times about allowing Ms. Trump to attend the meeting with the Japanese prime minister, an individual close to the family, who said she did not have authorization to provide her name, hinted that Ms. Trump would not be attending meetings like this in the future” (…) “Mr. Trump has always encouraged Ivanka and his children to attend meetings with him,” the person close to the family said. “This meeting in question was very informal. However, they obviously need to adjust to the new realities at hand, which they will” (Lipton, 2016).

Still, this has not stopped the family matters to become State matters. Something that should worry the world and Americans, as the entangled and the inter-state affairs colluding with personal business, can likely happen. Since the Trump family doesn’t care about ethics or general conduct as long as the striving companies they are running is gaining profits.

In January the Son-in-Law was hired by the President to an advisory role:

Mr. Kushner has been described by numerous transition staff members as the first among equals in Mr. Trump’s high command. His new title belies the sweeping influence he will have behind the scenes” (…) “The soft-spoken Mr. Kushner has often been described as having a calming effect on Mr. Trump, who is notorious for yelling at staff members during moments of tension. Mr. Kushner became the de facto campaign manager in the spring, and his influence with Mr. Trump has expanded rapidly” (Thrush & Haberman, 2017).

So after being in the campaign team, being in the consultation meetings with foreign leaders, the couple was part of the leadership. Still, only the son-in-law got a title and office inside the White House. That should be bringing enough family matters into the hollow chambers. That Jared Kushner becomes on the same level as others and created a role around the President proves the critical problems with this appointment. It would be if Vice-President Mike Pence hired his son as a staff member and an under the office of Vice President.

So if that was enough when the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White house in February 2017, into the second month of the Trump Presidency. So this was written about the event days ahead:

In this Feb. 1, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump, accompanied by his daughter Ivanka, waves as they walk to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. According to officials, Ivanka Trump, who has been a vocal advocate for policies benefiting working women, was involved in recruiting participants for a round table discussion that will be held Monday, Feb. 13, about women in the workforce. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will participate in the round table” (Vucci, 2017). The pictures of this round-table debate that went viral, was of this one where Ivanka Trump was participating with the foreign Prime Minister. This shows the lack of integrity in the new Administration, but Trump will continue.

Just as the March month arrives and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to visit the White House, Ivanka Trump got “work training” as she participated in another state visit for her father without official clearance or jurisdiction, as the procedure and protocol of state doesn’t matter to this President. He thinks his position is all family. If Barrack Obama had hired or had his wife in closed door meetings with foreign leaders; he would have cause havoc and storm, but President Trump is allowed to do this without to much fuzz, except for dress-code and how people looks at Ivanka.

In the end, Angela Merkel couldn’t hide it. Seated next to Ivanka Trump at a White House meeting with business leaders on Friday, the German leader tilted her head in the first daughter’s direction as Ivanka spoke, a look of bewilderment tinged with disdain enveloping her face” (…) “Why are you here,” Merkel, never a good pretender, seemed to be thinking” (Karinitsching, 2017). Everybody should understand Merkel, not like Ivanka is a serious politician or civil servants, she is daddy’s favorite daughter. That is known for the world and not disgraceful to say.

That this isn’t enough? Well, for Trump and Trump Administration the Nepotism has to be in Authoritarian leadership worthy, not only at meeting and being beside the President, also appointed, as the daughter haven’t been appointed like the husband Jared Kushner. Still, she has been a key player in the rooms of foreign affairs and foreign policy. Because of the level that President Trump has in her. Still, that she gets a place before career officials and others who has done this as their profession, show’s the lack of understand of what State work and how diplomacy works.

So that the news today that Ivanka get clearance to sensitive and confidential information, as well as a office inside the White House without being appointed proves the Nepotism. Surely, soon could Eric Trump and Donald Trump Junior even get hired by their father inside the White House. As well as Tiffany Trump could be spokesperson for the father instead of Kellyanne Conway. That is just the next step.

Ivanka Trump will have her own office in the West Wing of the White House that comes with a security clearance for classified information, although she will not have an official title, according to a White House official” (…) “Trump will still comply with the ethics rules for government appointees though, even if she technically isn’t one, Trump’s attorney Jamie Gorelick told the Associated Press” (Abramson, 2017). So the family lawyer have dropped the news to the AP and therefore verified the news yesterday.

The family lawyer Gorelick, who has addressed the Trump Organization and other close connected businesses of the family. Therefore, that he did do it proves the capacity and the levels of family matters instead of skills or career.

That President Trump hires Ivanka and Jared inside the White House. Donald, doesn’t care about the legal or ethical perspective, nor about the jurisdiction of state or even common sense. Even as protocol or even justification of this entangled between the family and the Executive. That this could be done inside the Trump Organization is more reasonable and understandable, as the Private Business and Corporate policies are different, than how a State and Government supposed to work.

President Trump deserves to be sanctioned for this, as this words should be key:

The key for the White House will be to ensure not just that they recruit the best people for the top job at an agency, but to make sure that agency leaders are viewed as a team rather than individuals. The secretary, deputy secretary, chief of staff and other top agency leaders should all complement each other in terms of both expertise and personality. For example, if the secretary is someone who is most comfortable acting as the “face” of an agency and policy agenda, then the deputy secretary should be the one to manage the agency on a day-to-day basis as the chief operating officer. Keeping this in mind when making specific appointments will help build a cohesive, well-functioning unit that will provide effective, unified leadership at the agency” (Center of Presidential Transition – ‘Presidential Transition Guide’ P: 74, 2016).

So, President Trump thinks more individuals and family, more than protocol and the ethical perspective of how he is involving the family into state affairs. That the State becomes mixed with family is not a trait of the United States, but now the Trump Organization and Trump Administration is closer than before. If and when there will be more scandals, more nepotism and misuse of the power… will come, but when is only about question of time. Peace.

Reference:

Abramson, Alana – ‘ Ivanka Trump Will Have West Wing Office, But No Official Title’ (20.03.2017) link: http://fortune.com/2017/03/20/ivanka-trump-west-wing-office/

Karinitschinig, Matthew – ‘Merkel’s Ivanka moment’ (18.03.2017) link: http://www.politico.eu/article/merkels-ivanka-moment/

Lipton, Eric – ‘Ivanka Trump’s Presence at Meeting With Japan’s Leader Raises Questions’ (18.11.2016) link: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/politics/ivanka-trump-shinzo-abe.html?_r=0

Thrush, Glenn & Haberman, Maggie – ‘Jared Kushner Named Senior White House Adviser to Donald Trump’ (09.01.2017) link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/us/jared-kushner-senior-adviser-white-house-trump.html

Vucci, Evan – ‘Trump, Trudeau to discuss women in workforce’ (12.02.2017) link: http://www.am1250theanswer.com/news/politics/trump-trudeau-to-discuss-women-in-workforce

Kenya Revenue Authority: “Re: Notice under Section 59(1) of the Tax Procedures Act, 2015” – A notice on Gov. Hassan Ali Joho (14.03.2017)

Kenya: “Re: Doctors Return to Work Formula and the Increased Allowances” (21.03.2017)

New Study Finds Worrying Climate Trend in Karamoja Over Last 35 Years (20.03.2017)

Released in Kampala today, the ‘Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security and Livelihoods in Karamoja’ found that temperatures have been rising in Karamoja over the last 35 years.

KAMPALA, Uganda, March 20, 2017 – A new study carried out by the Government of Uganda and its partners has found a new weather pattern that threatens to worsen food insecurity in the Karamoja region if no action is taken.

The study found that the average monthly rainfall in the region increased over the last 35 years and that the rainy season is now longer by two months. However, the rains – which now fall from around March to the end of the year – increasingly varied in volumes. This unpredictability was found to undermine agricultural production, thereby threatening to aggravate food insecurity in Karamoja.

Released in Kampala today, the ‘Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security and Livelihoods in Karamoja’ found that temperatures have been rising in Karamoja over the last 35 years.

The rising temperatures threaten to increase the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in the region, therefore reducing availability of water for crops and animals. This too undermines food security.

A large majority of people in Karamoja, particularly women, were not aware that changes to the climate had been taking place over decades, the study states. However, most of the people that had perceived changes to the climate had not taken any action to adapt, typically because they did not know how to do so. Where trees were planted as an adaptation measure, the sale of charcoal and firewood were also a common measure that people took in response to climate-related crop failure.

Sponsored by the Swedish Government, the study was carried out in 2016 by the Ministry of Water and Environment with support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the CGIAR Consortium’s Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security.

The Uganda Minister for Water and Environment, Sam Cheptoris, said today, “These are significant findings that threaten any hope for Uganda achieving its Vision 2040 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), if no immediate action is taken.”

Cheptoris said that his Ministry was already calling for a national and regional response, advocating for climate change sensitive approaches across all Government sectors, educating the population about climate change, and undertaking emissions profiles.

“Karamoja’s population is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to climate change,” said El Khidir Daloum, WFP Country Director for Uganda. “However, little has been known previously about the impacts of climate change on food security, and in particular, the ability of households in the region to adapt.”

WFP hopes that the findings and recommendations of the study will contribute to efforts toward appropriate adaptation measures while helping to identify policies that will safeguard the most vulnerable communities in Karamoja.

The study recommended that the Government and its partners increase investments in water harvesting and agroforestry schemes, education of the people, improved access to climate change information and the cultivation of drought-resistant crop varieties.

Within the Ministry of Water and Environment, the study was carried out by the Climate Change Department and the Uganda National Meteorological Authority.

The United States and WFP Support Food-Insecure Populations in Sudan and South Sudan (20.03.2017)

The United States continues to be a long-standing partner and the largest single donor to WFP in Sudan, contributing nearly US$1 billion to WFP Sudan’s operations since 2012.

JUBA, South Sudan, March 20, 2017 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), today welcomed the second of two recent shipments carrying urgently required food assistance for Sudan and South Sudan.

The ships, Maritime Faith and Liberty Grace, docked in Port Sudan and discharged over 47,880 metric tons of sorghum, over 20,000 metric tons of which will be transported through Sudan into South Sudan. In March and April, WFP will receive additional ships carrying 47,500 metric tons of sorghum, more than 5,000 metric tons of lentils and nearly 1,700 metric tons of vegetable oil. The commodities on these ships, also donated by the United States, will feed South Sudanese refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Sudan.

“This food assistance comes at a critical time when continued conflict has resulted in life-threatening hunger in Sudan and famine in South Sudan. The United States and WFP are pleased to be working with the government of Sudan to ensure safe and secure transport of the majority of this assistance to South Sudan,” said US Chargé d’Affaires Steven Koutsis. “We hope to overcome obstacles that impede timely delivery of urgently needed food assistance and urge all parties to allow food and other humanitarian aid to reach those who need it the most.”

The United States continues to be a long-standing partner and the largest single donor to WFP in Sudan, contributing nearly US$1 billion to WFP Sudan’s operations since 2012. These contributions of cash and commodities, including U.S.-grown sorghum, lentils, and vegetable oil, donated by the American people, has enabled WFP to provide critical food assistance to severely food-insecure populations in Sudan in a timely and professional manner.

“WFP is grateful to the United States and the American people for their continued support to our operations,” said WFP Sudan Representative Matthew Hollingworth. “The arrival of these two ships could not have been more timely, given the situation in both Sudan and South Sudan. This again proves the generosity of the U.S. Government and its people, who have always been willing to extend a helping hand to those in need of assistance.”

In 2017, WFP plans to assist more than 4 million vulnerable people in Sudan—IDPs, refugees, climate-affected populations, and host communities—through a range of activities, including emergency food aid, cash-based transfers, nutritional support, and resilience-building activities to help communities become independent.

Ewan Mawarire: “Zimbabwe is like a dumped baby, orphaned and abused” (Footage) – (20.03.2017) #ThisFlag

“Zimbabwe is like a dumped baby, orphaned and abused. Because of the abuse we find it hard to trust. Don’t make us promises you can’t keep, all we need is genuine care. #ThisFlag” (Evan Mawarire, 20.03.2017)

Report released today proves stronger military ties between the Russian and the Chinese!

Today, there we’re a released American report and study on how the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China are cooperative with their military. The military power and exercises proves that the Russians and Chinese are trading technologies and expertise, so the techniques of navy and of land force, and different terrain. Therefore, these relationship proves that added strength on the military powers of both China and Russia. As their support and trust also based on mutual gains from the exercises and trade of technology.

These ones are important as than the world knows the strength between the republics and their own self interest.

Russian arms trade to China:

Russia’s sale of Su-35 fighter jets to China (deliveries of which began in December 2016) will help the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) contest U.S. air superiority, provide China with technology that could help accelerate the development of its own advanced fighters, and serve as a valuable training and learning platform before China fields its next-generation aircraft” (…) “The Russian sale of the S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) defense system to China (with deliveries starting in 2018) should help China improve capital air defense and could assist the PLA in achieving increased air superiority over Taiwan if deployed to the Eastern Theater Command (bordering the Taiwan Strait). This SAM system would pose a challenge for Taiwan’s air assets in a potential cross-Strait conflict, the air assets of U.S. allies or partners in a South China Sea or East China Sea contingency, and U.S. aircraft, should the United States decide to become involved in such potential conflicts. The S-400 also could be used to help enforce China’s East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)” (Meick, P: 3, 2017).

Russian arms sales to China, including the transfer of major weapons systems and defense technology as well as licensing agreements, have yielded benefits for both sides. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), since the fall of the Soviet Union nearly 80 percent of China’s total arms imports have come from Russia, and more than a quarter of all Russian arms exports have been shipped to China. From 1992 to 2006, Chinese military equipment procured from Russia totaled approximately $26 billion, according to some estimates. China’s major systems imported from Russia over this period helped to vastly improve PLA Air Force and Navy capabilities. Some of the notable procurements included Russian export versions of the Su-27 and Su-30 fighter, the S-300 SAM defense system, SOVREMENNYY-class guided missile destroyer, and KILO-class diesel electric submarine” (Meick, P:12, 2017).

Military Exercises:

Of the three major areas of defense engagement, military exercises most visibly demonstrate to the international community the commitment shared by China and Russia to close cooperation in the security realm. During a visit to Beijing in September 2015, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, “The most important issue of the Russian-Chinese military cooperation are the … military exercises. They contribute to improving combat training of the Armed Forces of [the] two countries, and demonstrate our readiness to counteract modern threats.” (Meick, P: 6, 2017).

Some observers speculated that China used a recent exercise to market guided missile frigates for Russia to buy, an indication of how far China’s defense industry has progressed over the last decade from its reliance on Russian technology. For example, after the naval exercise Joint Sea-2015 concluded, two PLA Navy Type 054A JIANKAI II-class frigates that participated in the exercise sailed through the Black Sea to a Russian naval base in advance of Russia’s World War II Victory Day 70th anniversary military parade; some analysts assessed this was intended, in part, to advertise the platform” (…) “First, Chinese demand for Russian arms waned as most of Beijing’s orders had been fulfilled and China’s defense industry had become advanced enough to fulfill more PLA requirements domestically. Second, the Chinese side expressed concerns about quality control deficiencies and contract disagreements involving the remaining orders. Third, Russia was unwilling to sell the higher-end systems that China was beginning to demand likely due to concerns that China’s increasing military capabilities could pose a future threat to Russia and that China’s practice of reverse-engineering Russian platforms would enable China to compete directly with Russia in the arms market” (Meick, P: 7, 2017).

As outlined in the authoritative PLA text Teaching Materials on Joint Operations (联合作战教程), the PLA defines “joint” as “two or more arms and services” and “two or more armed forces.” In the Chinese media and China’s own English-language publications, all China-Russia exercises are described as joint exercises. For the purposes of this report, “joint” in a military exercise or operations context is defined according to the U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms: “Connotes activities, operations, organizations, etc., in which elements of two or more Military Departments participate.” An exception to this definition is any mention of “joint” by PLA or Chinese sources; in these cases, “joint” may refer to combined, joint, or both. U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Publication 1–02: Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, February 15, 2016, 121. http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf; Tan Yadong ed., Teaching Materials on Joint Operations, Academy of Military Sciences Press, February 2013, 2–3. Translation” (Meick, P: 6, 2017).

Conclusion:

The three major components of military-to-military ties discussed in this report demonstrate such a trend. In terms of military exercises, the two militaries are staging increasingly complex exercises with an expanded geographic reach in strategically important areas, recently adding a new set of exercises on missile defense cooperation. Military-technical cooperation similarly shows significant progress in recent years, highlighted by a major uptick in the technical capability of Russian arms sales to China, wide-ranging strategic industrial partnerships in key defense sectors, and joint production deals and other cooperation on advanced military and dual-use systems. Finally, Chinese and Russian defense officials are holding more meetings at higher levels in the military bureaucracy than they did in the past, signaling closer coordination” (Meick, P: 23, 2017).

I think this was interesting enough, the relationship between Russia and the China. This will be moves that should be looked after, as the strength of military power, will also affect the others who wish to secure their borders and their resources. The military technology and the exercises proves the new relationship between the neighbors. However, if the relationship is only for internal powers or to counter NATO or other military partnership is not easy to know. This has been significantly focused on certain sales and sort of exercises on terrain both armies need. Just like the Russian Military needs to use the navy and trade LADA sub-marines to China. Peace.

Reference:

Meick, Ethan – ‘China-Russia Military-to-Military Relations: Moving Toward a Higher Level of Cooperation – U.S. – China, Economic and Security Reviews Commission’ (20.03.2017)

Opinion: Eric Trump are right, under the Trump Administration, the US is becoming a “Third World State”!

It’s really sad that we’re in an environment where tax returns are leaked by whoever it may be” (…) “Just think about it. Think about how dangerous that is, how third world that is on a practice that happened. When personal information is put out by people for political agendas. As a civilian, it’s actually scaryEric Trump on Fox News (Tani, 2017).

It is just one of these days where the sons of President Donald Trump speaks their mind and hits the nail. The nail is in the coffin, with the knowledge of the plans to make the republic less attractive, less business-friendly, more lassiez-faire and more focused on army than on progressive financial instruments and regulation to create growth. Trump Administration is busy with deporting millions, building a wall and starting trade-wars. The U.S. Government does not need to be transparent or accountable while doing so. Especially, not in the minds of one of his sons. That claims something unique and special. I have claimed in the near past that under President Trump, the U.S. Government could turn the Republic into a Banana Republic, a sort of style government that could be described by others as a third world one. Therefore, let the dictionary explain that!

Eric Trump needs a definition of the Third World:

1: a group of nations especially in Africa and Asia not aligned with either the Communist or the non-Communist blocs” (…) “2: an aggregate of minority groups within a larger predominant culture” (…) “3: the aggregate of the underdeveloped nations of the world” (Merriam-Webster).

So the United States can itself soon be fitted, not that it is an Asian or African nation, neither Communist, but still it is getting underdeveloped by the way the financial framework and industry is set-up under the Trump Administration. Where the Industry and Financial industry has the Administration by the balls and no eager of taking care of nature or the resources, except for eating the profits without giving anything back to the Republic. Just like the Oil Industry in Nigeria or in Ghana. The same as the mining and mineral industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo. So the United States under President Trump, will be similar. Eric Trump is not so far off, just not the way he thought he would be.

Another man’s vision:

This brings about complete dysfunction. It makes everything — economy, politics, roads, bridges, police, school — broken and shitty. Those who can leave do. Making it worse. This leads to more extremism, and more corruption, and more cynicism. And sometimes extreme violence. Because the other side becomes evil” (…) “The US has been shifting towards all four of these over the last 30 years, with inequality leading the way. We are more divided, economically and socially, then we have ever been (we are less divided racially. But only marginally so.)” (Arnade, 2016).

So when you have a system on the brink of collapse, a wealthy elite eating of the government plate and settling score to not pay their bills to the public, while the citizens and middle-class cannot build a steady life or afforded needed services, you know there are something wrong with the system and the state. That makes the Eric Trump words so right, that United States is becoming more like a third world country, with a sophisticated army, but cannot afford health care, schools or infrastructure. Just like the countries President Trump doesn’t want to affiliate with or been seen with. Since him and his advisor Bannon are supposed to be superior, and like a dictator in a Third World country, he believes he is always right and isn’t wrong.

So one smudge of evidence of his fathers Tax Returns from 2005 leaked to MSNBC Rachel Maddow, proves the realization of the state, that the Trump Administration would dislike. As they are not capping the debt, neither taking into account their ideas of taxation and tax-releases, as much as their will to deregularte industry and financial institutions. Therefore, leading the space of more expenses and negative environmental policies, that damage earth and only gains profit for a slim elite. Just like a Third World Country.

This is degrading for the United States, but the harsh truth, the ideas and policies in the making, the killing of health insurance, the idea of building the giant nuclear silos, while not paying for food for the starving. Proves that the U.S. Government are no closer to countries it does not want to be affiliated with, but still can be consider to be assimilated with. President Trump and his administration is clearly not wishing to be differing from chauvinistically taking charge and not caring what effect it has. Clearly, it is only his image that matter, just like any big-man and authoritarian leader.

So, soon we can say that the United States is underdeveloped and need aid, as their waters are daft, the industry is lacking technology, the roads are more potholes than tarmac, the bridges are weak, their railways not working and often not trusted. The United States has soon more expensive foreign imported goods, than what they produce and is losing money on their export of cash crops as soya and other grain. Therefore, President Trump leading his Republic to become underdeveloped or become a Third World Country.

Reference:

Arnade, Chris – ‘USA: A Third World Country in the making’ (05.10.2016) link: https://medium.com/@Chris_arnade/usa-a-third-world-county-in-the-making-14064ea5c534#.ah2gi0loi

Tani, Maxwell – ‘Eric Trump blasts Trump’s tax return leak on Maddow: ‘Think about how dangerous…how third world that is’ (19.03.2017) link: http://nordic.businessinsider.com/eric-trump-tax-return-leak-maddow-third-world-2017-3?

Merriam-Webster – ‘third world’ link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/third%20world

Burundi: Degagement autour du site qui va arbiter le Palais Presidentiel a Gasenyi (14.03.2017)

RDC: Alliance Bank S.A. – “Concerne: Renoncement a l’Agrement” (08.03.2017)