I suspect the Norwegians remember how WW2 kicked off and don’t want to be relegated to the sidelines with a “gift” of a minesweeper by FDR in exchange for “companionship” by the Norwegian queen.
"A significant share of the gas consumed in Germany, UK, Belgium and France comes from Norway. The gas infrastructure could be subject to accidents, physical sabotage and destructive cyberattacks. Damage to Norwegian petroleum infrastructure would harm both Norway and the receiving countries in Europe.
Russia has been mapping Norwegian critical oil and gas infrastructure for years"
Norwegians tend to call things by their name. These are not the times for cheap diplomacy. Perhaps, not being a threat to China, they can afford to take some reprimand for their words, as Lithuania did a few years ago.
I know the Norwegians are below the 2% mark, and they need to do better, but isn't it the case that they, at least, tend to spend their money on good stuff? Unlike, say, the Dutch.
"As US security guarantees are perceived as less certain, regional actors in the Middle East want more diversified cooperation on security policy and increased flexibility. Many of the countries seek foreign investments, and growing Russian and Chinese interest in the region presents new opportunities. These countries seek to use the rivalry between the great powers to negotiate beneficial agreements."
Aside from military presence, as we continue to turn inwards due to incompetence, others will fill the vacuum and harvest the economic windfall of energy and minerals as our green policies drive us into a dependent semi-deindustrialized society.
Speaking of dragons, I am now at the last episode of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, having finished watching the previous episode in which Princess Rhaenys and her faithful dragon Meleys scare the living hell out of the coup plotting usurpers who have stolen their way into power on the Iron Throne after the death of King Viserys I Targaryen. Here in the 21st Century, we should be so lucky to see such demonstrations of fortitude in the face of such power hungry scheming.
A fasniating report. Made for some very interesting reading here in the high desert of Arizona. Three specific points, I found very interesting.
1."There is a continuous risk that Western technology ends up being used for military purposes in Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Intricate ownership structures and complex supply chains are used to circumvent Western export regulations" (page 17)
2. "RURP has a considerable capacity to threaten Norwegian and Western critical underwater infrastructure and energy sectors. In addition, Russian intelligence and security services are taking advantage of a significant number of civilian vessels." (page 39)
3. "In the event of far-right extremist attacks in Europe, they will probably be carried out by solo actors using simple means. With the absence of established far-right extremist terrorist organisations, far-right extremists’ ability to plan and orchestrate more sophisticated attacks is limited. Economic decline, high costs of living and increasing polarisation in Western societies could provide a breeding ground for far-right extremist organisations and increase the threat in the longer term." (page 71
Thank-you for posting the report. Just the opinion of an old hermit but our Norwegian friends seem to have a handle on their security issues.
The country would be impacted if China makes a push into Southeast Asia anywhere, some places more than others, and from what I've listened to so far, it seems on some level they know that.
Norway's GDP PPP per capita is higher than the US by 18%, 25% higher than Germany, 4X North Macedonia's, (NATO's poorest member) and is the second highest in NATO after Luxembourg. They are among the slackest of countries in NATO in terms of their citizens' financial commitment to NATO's collective defense. Its nice that they are committed to use their defense dollars to produce excellent graphics because otherwise the evidence is they aren't very committed.
I caught the movie. It was called The Mouse that Roared and starred Peter Sellars.
BTW, what was the number count on sabotaged pipelines?
I suspect the Norwegians remember how WW2 kicked off and don’t want to be relegated to the sidelines with a “gift” of a minesweeper by FDR in exchange for “companionship” by the Norwegian queen.
I think this is a big deal:
"A significant share of the gas consumed in Germany, UK, Belgium and France comes from Norway. The gas infrastructure could be subject to accidents, physical sabotage and destructive cyberattacks. Damage to Norwegian petroleum infrastructure would harm both Norway and the receiving countries in Europe.
Russia has been mapping Norwegian critical oil and gas infrastructure for years"
Norwegians tend to call things by their name. These are not the times for cheap diplomacy. Perhaps, not being a threat to China, they can afford to take some reprimand for their words, as Lithuania did a few years ago.
I know the Norwegians are below the 2% mark, and they need to do better, but isn't it the case that they, at least, tend to spend their money on good stuff? Unlike, say, the Dutch.
I am asking more than asserting.
Did I miss mentions of Islam, the enemy inside the gate of the Viking fort?
Here's a nice bit.
"As US security guarantees are perceived as less certain, regional actors in the Middle East want more diversified cooperation on security policy and increased flexibility. Many of the countries seek foreign investments, and growing Russian and Chinese interest in the region presents new opportunities. These countries seek to use the rivalry between the great powers to negotiate beneficial agreements."
Aside from military presence, as we continue to turn inwards due to incompetence, others will fill the vacuum and harvest the economic windfall of energy and minerals as our green policies drive us into a dependent semi-deindustrialized society.
Meh. I'd be more impressed if they mentioned coastal raiding sites on the Asian mainland.
Taking a wild guess that DEI buzzwords were not included.
Norway's army has a draft but not everyone is accepted into service. It is somewhat competitive...imagine that.
Speaking of dragons, I am now at the last episode of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, having finished watching the previous episode in which Princess Rhaenys and her faithful dragon Meleys scare the living hell out of the coup plotting usurpers who have stolen their way into power on the Iron Throne after the death of King Viserys I Targaryen. Here in the 21st Century, we should be so lucky to see such demonstrations of fortitude in the face of such power hungry scheming.
A fasniating report. Made for some very interesting reading here in the high desert of Arizona. Three specific points, I found very interesting.
1."There is a continuous risk that Western technology ends up being used for military purposes in Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Intricate ownership structures and complex supply chains are used to circumvent Western export regulations" (page 17)
2. "RURP has a considerable capacity to threaten Norwegian and Western critical underwater infrastructure and energy sectors. In addition, Russian intelligence and security services are taking advantage of a significant number of civilian vessels." (page 39)
3. "In the event of far-right extremist attacks in Europe, they will probably be carried out by solo actors using simple means. With the absence of established far-right extremist terrorist organisations, far-right extremists’ ability to plan and orchestrate more sophisticated attacks is limited. Economic decline, high costs of living and increasing polarisation in Western societies could provide a breeding ground for far-right extremist organisations and increase the threat in the longer term." (page 71
Thank-you for posting the report. Just the opinion of an old hermit but our Norwegian friends seem to have a handle on their security issues.
The country would be impacted if China makes a push into Southeast Asia anywhere, some places more than others, and from what I've listened to so far, it seems on some level they know that.
Norway's GDP PPP per capita is higher than the US by 18%, 25% higher than Germany, 4X North Macedonia's, (NATO's poorest member) and is the second highest in NATO after Luxembourg. They are among the slackest of countries in NATO in terms of their citizens' financial commitment to NATO's collective defense. Its nice that they are committed to use their defense dollars to produce excellent graphics because otherwise the evidence is they aren't very committed.
They didn’t use the word “bloodbath” did they? Don’t want to trigger people.
Norway is indeed awake.
That is a good thing.