tyrant

Tuesday June 18, 2024

Putin's visit to North Korea, seeking arms amid Russia's decline as an exporter of advanced weaponry, underscores his nation's desperate geopolitical maneuvers and the erosion of its global influence.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 18, 2024

*Watch the animated version here!

Russia’s Desperate Arms Deal with North Korea: A Sign of Decline

September 14, 2023

Once a proud exporter of advanced weaponry, Russia now finds itself in the humiliating position of importing lower-quality arms from North Korea. This drastic shift underscores the deteriorating state of Russia’s military-industrial complex and the broader implications for its global standing.

In a strikingly ironic twist, the nation that once supplied cutting-edge technology to the world now seeks sustenance from a pariah state infamous for its substandard military equipment. North Korea’s support, including ballistic missiles and munitions, is crucial for Russia as it struggles to maintain its war efforts in Ukraine. The image of a former superpower relying on North Korean arms tells a bleak story about the current state of Russian research and development. It is a clear indicator that Russia is far from the industrial powerhouse that its cheerleaders in the Kremlin claim it to be.

News: Putin Arrives in North Korea as Ukraine War Redefines Ties With Kim

September 22, 2022

This unholy alliance between Russia and North Korea also highlights a disturbing new reality: North Korea has emerged as a significant beneficiary of the Ukraine conflict. Pyongyang’s economy, previously crippled by sanctions and isolation, has found new life through its arms trade with Russia. This partnership has elevated North Korea’s international status, making it no longer the sole pariah state. The shift in power dynamics is stark and troubling.

The desperation behind Putin’s move is palpable. This is the first time in 25 years that a Russian president has visited North Korea, and it is clear that Putin is not doing so out of choice but out of necessity. Russia’s reliance on a nation with an outdated military force and equipment reveals the dire state of its own military capabilities. The fact that Putin must beg for weapons from North Korea suggests that the Russian army is in a desperate situation, willing to take anything it can get.

June 25, 2019

The broader geopolitical implications of this alliance are equally concerning. The axis of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran is a mashup of nefarious actors with no common cause other than the need to feed off each other. Unlike the more ideologically aligned Western Europe and the US, this grouping is a coalition of convenience rather than principle. Even within this alliance, Russia’s position is precarious. China and India, while maintaining diplomatic relations with Russia, view it as a distraction from their economic ambitions. Putin’s overtures to North Korea can be seen as a last resort after likely rejections from more powerful nations like China and India.

Reflecting on the past, it is evident how far Russia has fallen. Once a major player in the G8, now it is reduced to seeking partnerships with third-world dictatorships. The contrast is stark and disheartening. The likes of North Korea, Russia, and China represent some of the most oppressive police states in the world, making a mockery of any notions of freedom and democracy. If there ever was an open-air prison, these nations fit the bill perfectly.

Hews: Putin arrives in North Korea ahead of talks with Kim Jong-un

May 1, 2018

Putin’s visit to North Korea, hat in hand, begging for arms that his own industry cannot provide, is a clear sign of his desperation. It exposes the toothless tiger that Russia has become under his rule. The international community must recognize this vulnerability and seize the moment to hold Putin accountable. It is time to finish the job and bring Putin to justice at the International Criminal Court.

In summary, Putin’s North Korea visit and the resultant arms deal reflect not just a tactical move but a strategic capitulation. It signals a significant decline in Russia’s global standing and military capability. The world must take note of this desperation and act decisively to prevent further destabilization by this crumbling alliance of authoritarian regimes. (AI)

 

Thursday January 26, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January 26, 2023

Tank re-enforcements on their way to defend Ukraine

April 12, 2022

President Biden has announced he is sending American tanks to Ukraine after weeks of disagreement between Nato allies over helping Kyiv to repel the Russian invaders.

As the war in Ukraine enters its 12th month, Biden said the US would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks, equivalent to a Ukrainian tank battalion.

The announcement coincided with a U-turn by Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, who promised about 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks for an international tank battalion “as soon as possible”, with another battalion likely to follow.

The Americans had been reluctant to send Abrams, arguing that they were too complex and difficult to maintain. It will be months before they arrive.

“Germany has really stepped up,” Biden said. “The expectation on the part of Russia is we’re going to break up [as a coalition]. But we are fully, totally and thoroughly united.”

The announcement came after a conference call between world leaders, including Rishi Sunak. Britain has already agreed to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks, a move that heralded the broader change of heart across the biggest players in Nato.

October 12, 2022

President Zelensky had called for 300 tanks to push the Russians back from territory they have taken. With contributions from other countries, it is believed Ukraine will receive at least 125. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, said last night that Kyiv would now press for modern fighter jets, including American F-16s.

After weeks of tension between the US and Germany, and occasionally harsh recriminations from other allies, both Scholz and Biden were at pains to stress western unity. Biden said the US and its European partners were in “lockstep” and heaped praise on his German counterpart.

The Ukrainian government reacted jubilantly to the German-American package, which Zelensky’s chief of staff hailed as a “real punching fist of democracy against autocracy from the bog”, in a reference to President Putin’s Russia. Zelensky said he was “sincerely grateful” for “these important and timely decisions”.

February 25, 2022

Moscow has alternated between condemnation and displays of indifference. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, recently said western tanks would “not fundamentally change anything” in the conflict and today said they would “burn like all the rest” in Ukraine.

Peskov then warned that the delivery of the tanks would “bring nothing good to the future relationship” between Berlin and Moscow.

Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, added that a further donation of American Abrams tanks would be “another blatant provocation.” (The Times of London) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

Editorial Cartoon posted to Reddit with lots of commentary here.

Friday September 6, 2019

Editorial Cartoon Gallery by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 6, 2019

Mugabe dies; liberated Zimbabwe, then held it for 37 years

Former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, an ex-guerrilla chief who took power after independence from white minority rule in 1980 and presided over a country whose early promise was eroded by economic turmoil and allegations of human rights violations, has died in Singapore at the age of 95.

February 27, 2002

Mugabe enjoyed strong support among the population and even the West soon after taking over as Prime Minister and Zimbabwe’s first post-colonial leader. But he was reviled in later years as the economy collapsed and human rights violations increased. His often violent takeover of farms from whites who owned huge tracts of land made him a hated figure in the West and a hero in Africa.

His successor President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced Mugabe’s death in a tweet Friday, mourning him as an “icon of liberation.”

June 26, 2008

Singapore’s Foreign Ministry later said he died Friday at the Gleneagles Hospital there, saying it was working with Zimbabwe on arrangements for Mugabe’s body to be flown home. Mugabe had received medical treatment at the hospital in recent years.

Mugabe’s popularity began to rise again after Mnangagwa failed to deliver on promises of economic recovery and appeared to take an even harsher and more repressive stance against critics. Many began to publicly say they missed Mugabe.

Forced to resign amid pressure from the military, his party and the public in November 2017, Mugabe was defiant throughout his long life, railing against the West for what he called its neo-colonialist attitude and urging Africans to take control of their resources — a populist message that was often a hit, even as many nations on the continent shed the strongman model and moved toward democracy.

July 22, 2008

A target of international sanctions over the years, Mugabe nevertheless enjoyed acceptance among peers in Africa who chose not to judge him in the same way as Britain, the United States and other Western detractors.

“They are the ones who say they gave Christianity to Africa,” Mugabe said of the West during a visit to South Africa in 2016. “We say: ‘We came, we saw and we were conquered.’”

Even as old age took its toll and opposition to his rule increased, he refused to step down until the pressure became unbearable in 2017 as his former allies in the ruling party accused him of grooming his wife, Grace, to take over — ahead of long-serving loyalists such as Mnangagwa, who was fired in November 2017 before returning to take over with the help of the military.

November 21, 2017

Spry in his impeccably tailored suits, Mugabe maintained a schedule of events and international travel during his rule that defied his advancing age, though signs of weariness mounted. He walked with a limp, fell after stepping off a plane in Zimbabwe, read the wrong speech at the opening of parliament, and appeared to be dozing during a news conference in Japan. However, his longevity and frequently dashed rumors of ill health delighted supporters and infuriated opponents who had sardonically predicted he would live forever. (Continued: AP) 

 

Saturday September 29, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday September 29, 2012

Stephen Harper accepts World Statesman of the Year award

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in New York City Thursday night to receive an impressively named award — the World Statesman of the Year — bestowed by a U.S.-based inter-faith group.

In a speech salted with reminders about Canada’s partnership with the United States and other “like-minded” nations, Harper told a black-tie crowd he was accepting the honour not for his own qualities, but “on behalf of the unique and magnificent country I have the privilege of leading.”

But while Harper was being honoured in the U.S., he was facing criticism at home. Opposition politicians say if Harper truly was a statesman, he’d make time during his trip to New York to speak at the United Nations.

World leaders have been addressing the UN General Assembly this week. Everyone from U.S. President Barack Obama to Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has taken the podium to address the world. But when Canada’s turn to speak comes up, Harper won’t be there.

The job of representing Canada will fall to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

The prime minister has only spoken to the General Assembly twice since taking office in 2006. To the opposition, it’s a clear sign the prime minister simply doesn’t like the UN.

“He’s going to New York to receive an award. That’s nice. I’m happy for him,” said NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar.

“But his responsibility as a prime minister — one of his responsibilities — is to go to the UN to explain what our foreign policy is. Particularly now. We have no shortage of issues to deal with.” (Source: CBC News)

Letter to the Editor:

Cartoonist Graeme MacKay missed the mark with his caricature of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The biggest joke of the opening session of UN General Assembly was the “red-line” speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the Wile E. Coyote-style cartoon of a grenade with a wick. The Israeli leader, whose country has a nuclear arsenal and who hasn”t signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, is accusing the Iranian leader, who has signed the NNPT and declares he has no intention of making a bomb, of being a threat to the world.

As for the words “hate, hate, hate” coming out of Ahmadinejad’s mouth, The Spectator has a duty to its readers to provide accurate translations from the original Farsi of the statements made by the Iranian leader, rather than self-serving, twisted simulations manufactured in the US and Israel. Demonstrations will take place across Canada, the U.S. and the UK on Oct. 6 because ordinary people worry we are being led down the warpath against Iran based on the same falsehoods which led to war in Iraq.

D. Rennie
Stoney Creek
Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War

Wednesday February 27, 2002

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 27, 2002

“Election” time in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe prepared to take his re-election fight to urban areas on Tuesday amid a rising chorus of condemnation of his government’s pressure on his main rival as the election loomed.

The United States and Britain accused Mugabe of trying to fix the election after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who presents the greatest threat of Mugabe’s 22 years in power, was charged with treason Monday, just two weeks before the vote. 

The official Herald newspaper reported that Mugabe was expected to hold rallies in two Harare townships Tuesday. 

The head of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community parliamentary observer group, Duke Lefhoko, said he was worried about the safety of observers and wanted talks with Mugabe’s government to encourage the police to protect them. 

Election observers have been stoned by Mugabe supporters and caught in an attack on opposition party offices in recent days. 

“Perhaps if they gave us security personnel in plain clothes and just guarantee that, especially when we attend rallies, we have the attention of the police, a police presence to see us in and out. That will assist,” Lefhoko told South African radio. 

Tsvangirai was charged after being summoned to police headquarters to answer questions over an alleged plot to assassinate the president. (AP)