Free Republic

In today’s world, there are 193 countries in the UN. The large majority of those countries will vote consistently against the United States on measures that come before the General Assembly. Then again, the international system that counts is not the UN, but rather the U.S.-led commercial and legal order of alliances and trade. Almost all of the 193 UN member countries participate willingly in that system, to their great benefit. They may oppose the U.S. on many issues, and they may have disputes with their immediate neighbors, but they don’t make themselves constant troublemakers threatening to disrupt world peace...

France's president has joined Spain in condemning US and Israeli strikes on Iran, branding them illegal. In a televised address on Tuesday evening, Emmanuel Macron declared the attacks were 'outside the bounds of international law'. He is the second Western leader to question the legality of the conflict after Spain's Pedro Sanchez warned that strikes from the US and Israel risked bringing about a 'more uncertain and hostile international order'.

Trump says he's given instructions to cut off all trade with Spain, citing Madrid's announcement that US can't use its bases

Spain says the United States is not using – and will not be using – joint military bases on its territory for operations against Iran, a mission condemned by Madrid. “Based on all the information I have, the bases are not being used for this military operation,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Spanish public television on Monday. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has condemned US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on Saturday as an “unjustified” and “dangerous military intervention” outside the realm of international law, in another break from US policy. “The Spanish government will not authorise the...

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced sweeping plans at the World Government Summit in Dubai to hold social media executives criminally liable and curb platform algorithms, prompting a sharp and profane response from X owner Elon Musk. Sánchez laid out five measures in a speech, with implementation set to begin next week. "Dirty Sánchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain," Musk wrote on X, using an explicit insult and a poop emoji. Sánchez framed the proposals by describing social media as a lawless digital ecosystem, arguing that platforms have become a "failed state" where disinformation, hate...

Sadly, there are not too many world leaders in the running for the title of most stalwart friend of Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump has to be near the top of that short list for the many pro-Israel actions he's taken while in the Oval Office. He recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017 and moved the U.S. Embassy there after failed promises from previous presidents to do so. In 2020, he brokered the Abraham Accords, which accomplished what so much of the world thought was impossible: the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab states. And,...

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests that have rocked the Vuelta a España filled him with “pride” as large demonstrations await the race’s final stage in Madrid. The protests, which have targeted the Israel-Premier Tech team, have disrupted several stages of one of cycling’s three grand tours and cast doubt on whether the 21-day race could be completed. The activism has forced some stages to be shortened and occasionally caused crashes as demonstrators burst onto the course, prompting criticism for threatening rider safety and harming Spain’s image. In his first public comments on the debate, Sanchez...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused his Spanish counterpart of making a “blatant genocidal threat” after the latter lamented Spain’s lack of “nuclear weapons” to defend against Israel during his announcement of sanctions against the Jewish State. In his speech on Monday, Pedro Sanchez said “Spain, as you know, doesn’t have nuclear bombs, nor aircraft carriers, nor large oil reserves. We alone can’t stop the Israeli offensive, but that doesn’t mean we won’t stop trying, because there are causes worth fighting for even if it’s not in our sole power to win them.” Sanchez then introduced nine new measures, including...

Spanish Prime Minister Assails Israel: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez unleashed a tirade against Israel during a speech to parliament, accusing the country of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and calling on the European Union to suspend its cooperation agreement with the Jewish state. “No one that tramples on the EU’s founding principles — or that uses hunger and war to annihilate a legitimate state — can be a partner of the European Union,” he said on July 10. Sanchez also compared the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to those of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.Spanish Court...

Argentine President Javier Milei sparks outrage in Spain, shouting "Death to socialism!" and urging citizens to "beat up" PM Pedro Sanchez at the Madrid Economic Forum. His fiery speech rocked the crowd and ignited fierce debate across political lines.

panish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has become the first European leader to openly criticise newly inaugurated U.S. president Donald Trump—although he avoided naming him directly. In a speech posted to X just moments before the inauguration, Sánchez denounced what he referred to as the “technocaste” of Silicon Valley billionaires, accusing them of using their social media influence to undermine democratic processes. This was a clear reference to tech moguls such as Elon Musk, a prominent Trump supporter, and Mark Zuckerberg, who has recently taken a more conciliatory view to the 47th U.S. president. Speaking at the Hispania 2040 event in...

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez shook the world on Monday, January 13, with the ambiguous claim that his government planned to tax properties owned by non-EU nationals by 100 percent. The soundbite rang alarm bells and made headlines around the world, not least for the ambiguity in its language. Could this be existing properties? Could this be property owned by offshore and non-resident investors? Could this be on the purchase tax on properties? While interpretations of the boastful claim by Sánchez were various, the miscommunication caused hearts to skip throughout the entire expat community in Spain. But such an extraordinary...

In June, the two most important heads of state in the Western Hemisphere met in San Salvador. Merco Press reported at the time, “On his way back from California, Argentine President Javier Milei stopped in El Salvador for Nayib Bukele's new inauguration ceremony, which was also attended by other heads of state and government, such as King Felipe VI of Spain with whom he exchanged a brief moment that caught the eye given the recent diplomatic crisis with the Socialist administration of Pedro Sánchez.” The two men have emerged as reformers of sloppy governments in their country. They threw down...

Spain’s Socialist government has sensationally BANNED the public saying of the Rosary in Madrid ahead of the European Elections. Pedro Sanchez’s government has told the organisers of the daily Rosary in Madrid that they will not be allowed to gather in the city on June 8th of June 9th due to a ‘day of reflection’ and the election day. It comes after already fining its leader thousands for praying in public. Catholics have said that they will defy the order.

He is preparing for an investiture vote which is expected to see him form a new government and avoid a repeat election. That can only happen if he can secure the parliamentary support of Catalan separatists. The Socialists were runners-up in July's general election, behind the conservative People's Party (PP). However, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo failed to form a government in an investiture vote in September, receiving only the support of the far-right Vox out of the main parties. It is now Mr Sánchez's turn and he is close to securing enough parliamentary support to form a new administration...

Senior EU officials were furious on Friday after Twitter owner Elon Musk pulled the platform out of the bloc’s online censorship project. Elon Musk has pulled Twitter out of the EU’s “Code of Practice”, a pro-censorship project aimed at countering so-called “disinformation” online, prompting fury from those in Brussels. It comes after months of mixed messages from the billionaire, who had publicly stated that he wanted to support free speech on the platform while repeatedly insisting that he would support the European Union in its pro-censorship crusade. According to a report by POLITICO, it appears that the Big Tech entrepreneur...

It wasn’t just Spanish boaters feeling blindsided and rudely attacked this past week. Like the yachts sailing through the Straights of Gibraltar who ran into orcas with attitudes schooled in the arts of maritime destruction by a she-whale named White Gladis, the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) – led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez – received a thumping of epic proportions this past Saturday. The results have stove in a section of the Socialist hull, left them rudderless, and they are bailing water madly.Spain’s ruling Socialists suffered heavy losses to opposition conservatives in Sunday’s local election, with around 95%...

Spain’s conservative opposition Popular Party (PP) made significant gains in local and regional elections, offering a perilous assessment of public feeling towards the country’s ruling left-wing coalition ahead of general elections in December. MADRID -- Spain's conservative opposition Popular Party made significant gains in Sunday's local and regional elections, offering a dire assessment of public feeling towards the ruling left-wing coalition ahead of general elections in December. In the local vote, the Popular Party, or PP, won 31.5% of votes compared with 28.2% for the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, or PSOE, which leads the central government, with more than 97%...

“I took the decision when looking at the results of the elections of yesterday,” Sanchez told the nation in a televised address. Sanchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and its junior ally PODEMOS lost ground during the regional elections held on Sunday, while rival conservative People’s Party and far-right party Vox outperformed.

Socialist Spain is leading the way in attempts to ban private messaging technology in the European Union, according to a leaked survey of member state opinions on encryption.A leaked document from the European Council, originally obtained by the tech magazine Wired, which surveyed EU member states on the proposed law that would force messaging companies, like WhatsApp and Signal, to break their encryption and scan the content of private messages to supposedly stop the spread of child pornography.The proposed legislation has been criticised by privacy rights campaigners as well as by tech experts, who say that it is not possible...