Latest news with #tyranny
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former prime minister Stephen Harper says Russian President Vladimir Putin 'took what is a fledging democracy and turned it back into a tyranny.'
Former prime minister Stephen Harper says Russian President Vladimir Putin is "a real-life Bond villain" and "an evil man" who will leave Russia poor and in chaos. "It's a tragedy that somebody with his ability just wasn't imbued with any sense of ideals or higher purpose," Harper said on Monday during a keynote session at the Council of State Governments Midwestern Legislative Conference in Saskatoon. Harper's comments were in response to a question from the moderator about which global leader, whether ally or rival, left the strongest impression on him. "I try in my memoirs to say good things about people or not say much at all," Harper said before he launched into a sharp critique of the Russian president. The former prime minister acknowledged that Putin is smart, hard-working and "a real psychological expert," but that he is also "an evil man. He took what is a fledging democracy and turned it back into a tyranny." WATCH | Harper says Putin will leave Russia in 'chaos': "I don't accept a drink from him or anything like that," Harper joked — a likely reference to allegations the Russian government has poisoned dissidents like Alexei Navalny, who died last year in a remote Russian prison. Harper's frustrations with the Russian president go back more than a decade. In 2014, Harper was lauded by Australian media for admonishing Putin over Russia occupying and annexing Crimea. Australian media reported Harper told Putin to "get out of Ukraine" at a private leaders' retreat ahead of the official opening of the Group of 20 summit in Brisbane. Harper told the Saskatoon conference that he and Putin "had a notoriously bad relationship by the end — quite deliberate on my part, actually …" "Privately I was calling him out on this stuff all the time and quite getting under his skin actually, which I enjoyed," Harper said. U.S. actions 'we can't forget' During his keynote, Harper said Americans should understand that Canadians "are a combination of just angry and bewildered by what is happening here. That is very real and it is very deep." He added that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration believes "everybody needs America, but America doesn't need anybody. That just isn't true." "The Trump administration is completely right to deal with some of its trade challenges. But declaring a trade war on 200 other countries at the same time? Come on. That's not how you move the ball forward long term." Canada is working to reach a trade agreement with Trump by Aug. 1. The U.S. president has threatened to slap a 35 per cent tariff on goods that don't comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on that date. WATCH | Canada's team downplays prospects for deal by Aug. 1: Harper said Canada seeing the United States "flex its muscles in a way that has nothing to do with values or ideals, that is something we can't forget. We cannot make ourselves entirely dependent on that relationship." He agreed with Canada's decision to spend more on defence and said "we should have been doing it all along." Between 2012 and 2015, the Conservatives — led by Harper — faced substantial criticism for cutting the Department of National Defence budget by $2.7 billion annually in order to reach a balanced budget. Carney has committed to meeting the NATO benchmark of spending two per cent of the country's gross domestic product on defence by the end of current fiscal year in March. As part of a new pact with NATO leaders, Canada has also promised to spend five per cent of GDP on defence-related projects by 2035.
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
'Vladimir Putin is a real-life Bond villain,' says former PM Stephen Harper
Former prime minister Stephen Harper says Russian President Vladimir Putin is "a real-life Bond villain" and "an evil man" who will leave Russia poor and in chaos. "It's a tragedy that somebody with his ability just wasn't imbued with any sense of ideals or higher purpose," Harper said on Monday during a keynote session at the Council of State Governments Midwestern Legislative Conference in Saskatoon. Harper's comments were in response to a question from the moderator about which global leader, whether ally or rival, left the strongest impression on him. "I try in my memoirs to say good things about people or not say much at all," Harper said before he launched into a sharp critique of the Russian president. The former prime minister acknowledged that Putin is smart, hard-working and "a real psychological expert," but that he is also "an evil man. He took what is a fledging democracy and turned it back into a tyranny." WATCH | Harper says Putin will leave Russia in 'chaos': Putin is 'a real-life Bond villain,' says former PM Harper 1 hour ago Former prime minister Stephen Harper, speaking Monday at a conference in Saskatchewan, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a 'psychological expert' with the ability to size up and exploit people's weaknesses — but stressed that he thinks Putin is an 'evil man' who will leave Russia in 'chaos.' "I don't accept a drink from him or anything like that," Harper joked — a likely reference to allegations the Russian government has poisoned dissidents like Alexei Navalny, who died last year in a remote Russian prison. Harper's frustrations with the Russian president go back more than a decade. In 2014, Harper was lauded by Australian media for admonishing Putin over Russia occupying and annexing Crimea. Australian media reported Harper told Putin to "get out of Ukraine" at a private leaders' retreat ahead of the official opening of the Group of 20 summit in Brisbane. Harper told the Saskatoon conference that he and Putin "had a notoriously bad relationship by the end — quite deliberate on my part, actually …" "Privately I was calling him out on this stuff all the time and quite getting under his skin actually, which I enjoyed," Harper said. U.S. actions 'we can't forget' During his keynote, Harper said Americans should understand that Canadians "are a combination of just angry and bewildered by what is happening here. That is very real and it is very deep." He added that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration believes "everybody needs America, but America doesn't need anybody. That just isn't true." "The Trump administration is completely right to deal with some of its trade challenges. But declaring a trade war on 200 other countries at the same time? Come on. That's not how you move the ball forward long term." Canada is working to reach a trade agreement with Trump by Aug. 1. The U.S. president has threatened to slap a 35 per cent tariff on goods that don't comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on that date. WATCH | Canada's team downplays prospects for deal by Aug. 1: Canada-U.S. trade deal hopes appear to fade after latest talks 4 days ago Although U.S. President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline is fast approaching, there is no sign of a breakthrough yet on a new Canada-U.S. trade deal after a week of talks in Washington, D.C. Ottawa continues to say it won't sign anything that isn't in Canada's best interest. Harper said Canada seeing the United States "flex its muscles in a way that has nothing to do with values or ideals, that is something we can't forget. We cannot make ourselves entirely dependent on that relationship." He agreed with Canada's decision to spend more on defence and said "we should have been doing it all along." Between 2012 and 2015, the Conservatives — led by Harper — faced substantial criticism for cutting the Department of National Defence budget by $2.7 billion annually in order to reach a balanced budget. Carney has committed to meeting the NATO benchmark of spending two per cent of the country's gross domestic product on defence by the end of current fiscal year in March. As part of a new pact with NATO leaders, Canada has also promised to spend five per cent of GDP on defence-related projects by 2035.
Wall Street Journal
7 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Is Putin a Nebuchadnezzar or Pharaoh?
When Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine began, he reminded me of the tyrannical Nebuchadnezzar from scripture, especially the portion of the biblical story about the attempt to force Israelite exiles to assimilate to Babylonian society. But I think Barton Swaim's Exodus comparison in 'Like Pharaoh, Putin's Heart 'Was Hardened'' (Houses of Worship, July 18) is much better. Susan Harris
Fox News
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Don't look away as Islamist regime in Syria allows slaughter of Christians and Druze
In recent days, heartbreaking reports have emerged from Syria: brutal murders of innocent civilians — many from minority Christian and Druze communities — allegedly perpetrated by forces aligned with the country's Islamist regime, now led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre, "Abu Mohammed al-Golani," long on the FBI's Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in Sunni Islamist regional terror groups. As a Syrian-American, my heart aches for what has become of my ancestral homeland. As a physician, I cannot detach myself from the human suffering behind each headline. And as someone who has spent decades warning of the rising threat of Islamism, I am sounding the alarm: a new tyranny is taking root in Syria, cloaked in religious language, but every bit as dangerous and destructive as the last. The importance of exposing, understanding and confronting early inflection points in Syria towards yet another tyranny after over 55 years of Ba'athist military dictatorship cannot be overstated. The world has grown tragically used to Syrian suffering. Since the Assad regime began its campaign of terror in 2011, against the long-overdue revolution of anti-government protests, the country has become synonymous with war, displacement and loss. More than half a million people have been killed. Over 13 million have been displaced. Cities, like my ancestral hometown of Aleppo, have been reduced to rubble. And yet, from the ashes of Bashar al-Assad's family reign, a new authoritarianism is emerging, this time driven not by secular fascism, but by religious supremacism. The reports we are now receiving point to sectarian violence targeting Syria's religious minorities, specifically Christians and the Druze. These are communities that have existed in Syria for centuries, long before the rise of Islam, and that have weathered waves of persecution. Now they are being targeted again, this time by groups sympathetic to the new regime whose leaders adhere to an Islamist interpretation of Sunni Islam, and who view theological difference not as a reality of pluralism but as a crime worthy of death. This is not Islam. This is Islamism. Islamism is a doctrinal interpretation that promotes a rigid, theocratic vision of Islam as a political system. It seeks to implement sharia, or Islamic law, not simply as a personal or spiritual guide, but as the governing authority over every aspect of public and private life. Islamists see the rights of citizens coming not from God but from their theocratic version of Islam. Islamists believe their political power is divinely mandated and dissent is heretical and treasonous. This is not faith. It is fascism wrapped in the language of God. For years, Islamists have falsely presented themselves as the antidote to Assad's tyranny. They have told the world they are fighting for freedom, justice and democracy. But let's be clear: the Islamists now in power are no different from Assad. Their language and methods may differ, but their goals are the same: absolute control, achieved through fear, violence and repression. Where the Assads used torture chambers and chemical weapons, the Islamists use a cult-like religious identity as both sword and shield. Where the Assads sowed sectarianism in order to then crush dissent in the name of national unity, the Islamists now do the same in the name of their version of "divine truth." And the result is the same: bodies in the streets, families torn apart and the suffocation of any future for liberty. At the heart of this struggle is a principle that we, in America, hold dear — but that is increasingly endangered across the globe: religious freedom. It is not just one right among many. It is the foundation of all others. As I have said many times: religious liberty is the tip of the spear of all freedoms. It is the "First Liberty." When it flourishes, society flourishes. When it is crushed, all other freedoms fall. This is not abstract philosophy. This is the lived reality of millions. When people are denied the freedom to worship and believe — or not believe — according to their conscience, it is only a matter of time before they are also denied the freedom to speak, to assemble, to vote, to live without fear. Syria is a tragic case study in what happens when religious liberty is replaced by ideological authoritarianism, whether secular or theocratic. At the CLARITy Coalition, we are committed to shining a light on the threats posed by both political Islam and authoritarian regimes. We are a network of Muslims, ex-Muslims and allies from across the ideological spectrum who believe that liberty is not just a Western value. It is a human one. We believe in the dignity of every person, the equality of all before the law and the essential truth that no government has the right to tell you what to believe. We call on the international community not just to condemn the latest atrocities in Syria but to act. That means demanding investigations into the massacres now being reported. It means holding the government in Damascus accountable and demanding transparency in how their nascent government protects every minority and every citizen. It means withholding recognition and support from any regime that commits or enables such crimes. It means recognizing Islamism as the dangerous political ideology that it is, not a legitimate expression of religious faith, but an extremist perversion of it. In 2013, the Obama administration enabled, empowered and celebrated the "democratically" elected Islamist regime of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, laying the groundwork for the return of yet another military regime in current leader Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Syria's profound religious diversity can be a bulwark against these dueling fascisms and Game of Thrones. But this means standing with the Syrian people: Christians, Druze, Sunnis, Shi'a, Alawites, Kurds, atheists, everyone who yearns for a Syria where they can live in peace, worship freely, assemble and speak their minds without fear. President Donald Trump should immediately call for a full accountability and transparency from Damascus on Sharaa's government's treatment of minorities and his direct responsibility for the freedom of religious minorities under his rule. The Syrian people deserve better than a choice between Assad and al-Golani. They deserve a future rooted not in sectarianism and violence, but in liberty and dignity. The world ignored Syria once before, and the price was horrific. We cannot afford to ignore it again.
Al Jazeera
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘Tool of a tyrant': Former FBI head James Comey's daughter fired by Trump
Maurene Comey — the daughter of James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — has condemned President Donald Trump shortly after being fired from her role as a federal prosecutor in the United States. In a memo to colleagues obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, Comey wrote that, if a 'career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain'. 'Do not let that happen,' she said. 'Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.' The memo came one day after Comey was let go from her role as an assistant US attorney in New York for the Department of Justice. The Trump administration has not yet provided a reason for Comey's firing. But her position had long been seen as vulnerable due to her association with her father, who oversaw an investigation into alleged collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential race. The elder Comey was fired by Trump early in his first term, but the former FBI director has remained the subject of the president's ire. In congressional testimonies as well as a 2018 book, James Comey has decried Trump's 'unethical' and mafia-like approach to leadership. He has also argued that Trump's decision to fire him was an effort to undermine the Russia investigation. Since taking office for his second term, Trump and his allies have sought to purge Department of Justice employees involved in cases he disagreed with. They include prosecutors who worked on special counsel Jack Smith's prosecutions, as he pursued two federal criminal indictments against Trump: one for withholding classified documents while out of office and the other for attempting to subvert the 2020 election. Both cases were dropped when Trump was re-elected in November 2024. It is against the Justice Department's policies to prosecute a sitting president. The Associated Press reported earlier this month that more career prosecutors, as well as support staff, involved in Smith's indictment had their jobs terminated. Critics argue that the Trump administration's decision to fire such employees has eroded the Justice Department's independence. Many also point out that career civil servants do not choose their cases and instead serve under whichever presidential administration is in office, regardless of politics. In her message to colleagues, Maurene Comey urged her fellow prosecutors to use their current predicament to fight even more zealously for the fair and impartial rule of law. 'Instead of fear,' she wrote, 'let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place.' 'A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else.' Veteran lawyer Prior to her firing, Maurene Comey had been a veteran lawyer for the Southern District of New York, often considered one of the top prosecution offices in the country. She had most recently prosecuted Sean 'Diddy' Combs, in a case that saw the music producer found guilty on charges of transportation for the purposes of prostitution, but acquitted on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. She had previously worked on the successful prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell on sex-trafficking charges connected to financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of underage girls. The firing comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi faces criticism from segments of Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) base for not releasing more evidence related to Epstein, including a full accounting of his alleged 'client list'. Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan detention centre in 2019. Some influential right-wing internet personalities, including Laura Loomer, have attacked Bondi and also called for Comey's firing. In addition, US media outlets have reported that the Trump administration is currently investigating James Comey and former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan for their probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. At the time, the US intelligence community concluded that Russia did seek to meddle in the election, but that there was not enough evidence to support the claim that the Trump campaign sought to collude with Russian agents. Further details of the reported probe into Comey and Brennan have not emerged.
